11 Days Uganda and Rwanda Primates Trekking Safari

On your arrival at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda, you will be welcomed by Gorilla Page Safaris staff. He will brief you about your trip and transfer you to Kampala for dinner and overnight.

Early in the morning, after your breakfast, you will head to Kibale Forest National Park, known for its families of habituated chimpanzees and 13 other primate species. On your way, you will visit the Nakayima tree in Mubende, an ancestral shrine for the Baganda traditionalists, believed to be over 400 years old.
You will have a stopover for lunch in Fort Portal, enjoying the backdrop of the Rwenzori mountains. Then, you’ll proceed to Kibale Forest National Park and check in at your lodge. After some relaxation, you will visit the local community for cultural encounters.

You will gather at the park headquarters for a briefing about chimp tracking by a senior park ranger guide. The trek through the forest, known as the ‘Primate Capital of the World,’ will reward you with sights of chimpanzees and other primate species.
With different bird species in the forest, you will be accompanied by a beautiful musical backdrop as you trek in the jungle for the chimpanzees. After the trek, you will depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park, enjoying views of the Rwenzori snow peaks and on arrival, you will check in at your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Morning game drive in the open savannah covered with acacia trees along the Kasenyi plains, on the edge of the Albertine Rift Valley. Expect to see lions, leopards, hyenas, jackals, elephants, buffaloes, kobs, hippos, waterbucks, and bushbucks. After the game drive, you will have lunch at the lodge.
You will then embark on a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel. The channel is a narrow band of water connecting Lakes Edward and George. This cruise offers a chance to see Africa’s largest hippo and crocodile populations and other mammals and birds at the water’s edge. Return to the lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight.

Drive through the Ishasha Plains, searching for tree-climbing lions, a population unique to this area. Tree-climbing lions are only found in Uganda and Lake Manyara in Tanzania. Enjoy the impressive view of these lions resting on tree branches. You will have lunch en route and continue to Bwindi, arriving in the evening, and check in at your lodge.

After an early breakfast, you will report to the park headquarters with your packed lunch. You’ll then be briefed by a senior park guide before starting your trek in one of Africa’s oldest forests. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, a World Heritage Site, is home to more than half of the world’s last surviving mountain gorillas. The trek can take from two to seven hours or more, through rough terrain at high elevations. Although the hike can be physically demanding, the anticipation of seeing the gorillas is invigorating.
The forest is home to 120 species of mammals, 346 species of birds, 202 species of butterflies, and 163 species of trees. Once you find the gorillas, you will spend an hour monitoring their behavior, taking pictures, and recording videos.
After the exercise, you will return to the park headquarters, and then get your gorilla trekking certificate, and then to your lodge to rest. In the evening, to embark on a Batwa cultural experience. You will learn about the strong attachment these people have to the forest. Their cultural performances and the different skills they possess will fascinate you. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

On this last day in Bwindi, you will travel by road for about three hours via Kisoro to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. The journey offers views of beautiful terraced hillsides and high, forested hills. You will pass through deep-farmed valleys, reminiscent of driving through central Europe.
Dian Fossey, the eminent primatologist, described this area as “great, old volcanoes towering up almost 15,000 feet, and nearly covered with rich, green rainforest.” On your arrival, you will check in at your lodge for lunch and relaxation and have cultural tour in the evening.

Early in the morning, you will drive to the park headquarters for a briefing by the guides of Parc des Volcans before starting your gorilla trek. This national park protects the Rwanda sector of the Virunga Mountains, home to rare mountain gorillas and a rich mosaic of ecosystems. Tracking the gorillas through the forest on the slopes of the Virungas is a magical experience. You might get to the gorillas and spend an hour with them before returning to the base for a late lunch. Tracking can take a full day, especially when wet and muddy. Experienced guides will accompany you, using their knowledge to locate the gorillas. Once the gorillas are found, you will spend a maximum of one hour with them. After the exercise, you will return to your lodge for relaxation.

On this day you will have a Golden Monkey trek. This is recommended for a leisure experience. Watching these unique primates play in the forest is mesmerizing. After tracking the Golden Monkeys, you will return to your lodge for relaxation and lunch.
In the afternoon, you will partake in a trek to the grave of Dian Fossey and the remains of the Old Karisoke Research Station. The Dian Fossey trek is for those who loved the book or movie “Gorillas In The Mist.” You will follow in her footsteps to her grave and the graves of poached gorillas, including Digit, her favorite gorilla.

After breakfast at the lodge, you will drive back to Kigali. In Kigali, you will have a brief city tour and visit the Genocide Museum. It was opened in 2004 to mark the tenth anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. The museum offers a moving and important understanding of Rwanda’s history and the resilience of its people. Depending on your time, you will also visit the Kimironko market so that you can experience Rwandese local life, or visit Inema Arts Center for a local Arts experience.

After breakfast, you can do some shopping or check out and proceed to the airport for departure as you reach the end of your 11-day Uganda and Rwanda primates trekking safari with Royal Holidays Safari.