9 Days of Uganda wildlife safari from Kigali
9 Days of Uganda wildlife safari from Kigali

9 Days of Uganda wildlife safari from Kigali

Safari  Overview

9 Days of Uganda wildlife safari from Kigali. This 9 days Uganda wildlife safari from Kigali is an interesting and extraordinary safari that starts from Kigali, Rwanda, and ends in Kampala, Uganda. This takes you to different national parks, including Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kibale Forest National Park, also known as the primate capital and Murchison Falls National Park.

You will be able to engage in game drives and boat cruises where you will be able to spot different animals like buffaloes, lions, leopards, hyenas, elephants, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, and giraffes, among others.

You will also engage in an adventurous chimpanzee and gorilla trekking activity where you will get an opportunity to spend time with the chimpanzees and mountain gorillas in their natural environment.

Day Activity
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 2: Gorilla trekking experience
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 4: Morning game drive/lion tracking experience and afternoon boat cruise
Day 5: Morning game drive and transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
Day 6: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
Day 7: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
Day 8: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Day 9: Departure to Kampala

Detailed  itinerary

Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Depending on your location in Kigali , you will be welcomed by a company representative from Amakula African Safaris who will brief you about the safari and then go for a short city tour in Kigali, where you will visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, Kimironko market, art centers, and others.

After the city tour, you will start the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with an en-route lunch and stunning views of the rolling hills, traditional homesteads, Kigezi hills, and tea and banana plantations, among others on the way. Upon arrival in Bwindi National Park, you will connect to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Gorilla trekking experience

Take breakfast and carry your packed lunch to go for a briefing about the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing, you will start trekking in the forest, which takes about 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on where the gorillas are located because they like to move from one place to another in search of food. During trekking, you will be able to view other primates, different bird species, and plant and tree species, among others.

Once the mountain gorillas are found, you will be able to spend one hour with them in their environment, where you will get an opportunity to learn about their habits, watch them feed, breastfeed, play, groom young ones, take photos and record videos to show people back home after the safari.

After the encounter with the mountain gorillas, you will meet up with your driver guide and return to the lodge for an evening of relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Have breakfast at the lodge, check out and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park. On the way, you will have a stopover in the Ishasha sector, where you will be able to view the tree-climbing lions lying on acacia/fig tree branches if you are lucky.

After the game drive in the Ishasha sector, you will have an en-route lunch and then proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Upon arrival, you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Morning game drive/lion tracking experience and afternoon boat cruise

After an early breakfast, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for a morning game drive in the park where you will be able to spot animals like lions, leopards, and hyenas looking for a morning hunt and view other animals like waterbucks, Uganda kobs, buffaloes, and elephants and view different bird species, among others. After the game drive, you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.

After lunch, you will go for an amazing boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel, a water body that connects Lake Edward and Lake George.

During the boat cruise, which takes about a 2- to 3-hour drive, you will be able to view large concentrations of hippos in water, view Nile crocodiles basking on the water banks, view buffaloes, elephants, and antelopes drinking water along the shores, and view aquatic bird species like cormorants, hornbills, and kingfishers, among others.

After the boat cruise, you will return to the lodge for an evening of relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Morning game drive and transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

Have breakfast and meet up with your driver guide to go for another morning game drive in the park, where you will be able to view some of the animals that you might have missed during the previous game drive.

After the game drive, you will return to the lodge for lunch, where after you will check out and start the journey to Kibale Forest National Park, which takes about a 2- to 3-hour drive. Upon arrival, you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 6: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk

After breakfast, meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for the chimpanzee trekking briefing. After the briefing, you will start trekking in the forest with an experienced park guide, which takes about 30 minutes to 5 hours depending on where the chimpanzees are located.

During trekking, you will be able to view different primate species, birds, and plant and tree species among others and once the chimpanzees are found, you will be allowed to spend one hour with the chimpanzees in their habitat, where you will be able to learn about their habits and behaviors, watch them feed, breastfeed, play, and rest, take photos and record videos.

After the encounter with the chimpanzees, you will return back to the lodge for lunch, where after you will go for an interesting Bigodi swamp walk where you will be able to spot different birds, primates, and plant and tree species, among others.

After the swamp walk, you will return to the lodge for an evening of relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park

Enjoy breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Murchison Falls National Park. The journey takes about a 6- to 7-hour drive, and on the way you will have a stopover en route to stretch your legs and take pictures of the stunning views of the Rwenzori peaks, farmlands, landscape, and tea plantations, among others.

Upon arrival, you will drive directly to the top of the falls, where you will enjoy views of the most powerful waterfall and later drive to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 8: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise

Have an early breakfast and meet up with your driver guide to go for a morning game drive in the park where you will be able to spot different animals like giraffes, Jackson’s hartebeest, buffaloes, elephants, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, warthogs, and view lions and leopards looking for a morning hunt and spot different bird species, among others.

After the game drive, you will return to the lodge for lunch.

After lunch you will go for an amazing boat cruise to the bottom of the falls, where you will be able to view hippos and crocodiles in water, view buffaloes, elephants, and antelopes along the shores, and view water birds like kingfishers, cormorants, fish eagles, and bee-eaters, among others. After the boat cruise, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 9: Departure to Kampala

Have breakfast at leisure, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey to Kampala. On the way, you will have a stopover at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for rhino tracking and then continue the journey with another stopover for an en-route lunch.

After lunch, you will proceed to Kampala, arriving early evening and upon arrival, your driver guide will drop you off at Kampala International Airport for your departure flight or drop you off at any place of advice.

End of safari

Includes

  • Gorilla trekking permits
  • Chimpanzee trekking permit
  • Park entrance fee/game drives
  • Boat cruise
  • Lion tracking experience
  • Rhino tracking
  • Services of a professional English-speaking driver guide
  • Full board accommodation
  • Pick up from Kigali and drop off in Entebbe
  • Vehicle and fuel
  • Bottled drinking water

Excludes                                  

  • Air flight tickets
  • Visas
  • Life insurance
  • Optional activities not included on the itinerary
  • Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, cigarettes, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.

Why Choose Amakula African Safaris?

Amakula African Safaris specializes in Kenya Safaris, Kenya Wildlife Safaris, Kenya Cultural Safaris, Kenya Birding Safaris, Tanzania Safaris, Tanzania Wildlife Safaris, Tanzania Great Migration tours, and Uganda Gorilla Trekking.

For travelers interested in hiking and camping, the team can help determine whether camping, tented accommodation, or lodges are most suitable for the chosen destination and itinerary.

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