8 Days Luxury Uganda safari from Kigali

Our 8 days luxury Uganda safari from Kigali is an amazing adventure that starts and ends in Kigali Rwanda. The safari will take you to the three interesting national parks in Uganda including Bwindi impenetrable national park in southwestern part of Uganda where you will get an opportunity to interact with the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat and Kibale forest national park where you will have a face to face encounter with the chimpanzees. During the 8 days luxury Uganda safari from Kigali you will also visit Queen Elizabeth national park where you will enjoy great views of animals like elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs and view different bird species during the game drive and boat cruise and Lake Bunyonyi which is the second deepest lake in East Africa that harbors 29 islands.

Highlights of the days 8 days Uganda gorillas and wildlife safari from Kigali

Day 1: Pick up from Kigali and transfer to Kibale forest national park

Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk

Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

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

Day 5: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park

Day 6: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park

Day 7: transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

Day 8: Departure to Kigali

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Kibale forest national park

Depending on your arrival time at Kigali international airport on the first day of the 8 days luxury Uganda safari from Kigali, you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you about the safari and then start the journey to Kibale national park. On the way you will pass via Katuna border in Kabale and continue to journey with en-route lunch in Kabale town. After lunch you will proceed to Kibale national park and upon arrival you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk

Chimpanzee trekking,

After an early breakfast on the second day of the 8 days luxury Uganda safari from Kigali, you will meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kanyachu visitors centre for a briefing about the rules and regulations to follow during trekking. After the briefing you will be subdivided into groups of people where each group will be allocated a habituated chimpanzee family to trek and a park guide who is well conversant with trails in the forest. Trekking of chimpanzees in Kibale national park takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on where the chimpanzees 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 such as black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, l’ hoest monkeys, view variety of bird species, different plant and tree species among others.

Once the chimpanzees are located you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you a chance to take photos, record videos, learn about their behaviors, habits, watch them feed, breastfeed, hunt, fight, play, rest, mate among others. After the one hour encounter with chimpanzees you will trek back to the park headquarters where you will meet up with your driver guide to return back to the lodge for lunch.

Bigodi swamp walk

After lunch you will go for an interesting nature walk in Bigodi swamp where you will be able to view different wildlife species including animals like bushbucks, sitatungas, primates like grey cheeked mangabey, vervet monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, red tailed monkeys, different bird species like the great blue turaco, African paradise flycatcher among others. After the nature walk you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

On the third day of the 8 days luxury Uganda safari from Kigali, you will enjoy a relaxed breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park which is the second largest national park in Uganda. On the way you will enjoy great views of the beautiful scenery, crater lakes, Rwenzori peaks among others. Upon arrival in the park you will continue to the lodge for lunch. After lunch you will relax at the lodge and then go for an evening game drive where you will be able to view different animals like buffaloes, elephants, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, warthogs among others. After the game drive you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

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

Morning game drive/ lion tracking experience

After an early breakfast on the fourth day of the 8 days luxury Uganda safari from Kigali, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for a morning game drive in the park. During the game drive which is commonly done in Kasenyi plains you will be able to view animals like buffaloes, Uganda kobs, elephants, waterbucks, warthogs, bush bucks and predators like lions, leopards, hyenas among others if you are lucky. After the game drive you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.

Afternoon boat cruise

After lunch you will go for an interesting boat cruise at Kazinga channel a water channel that connects Lake Edward and Lake George. During the boat cruise which takes about 2 hours you will enjoy great views of animals like elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, waterbucks among others drinking water along the shores, view large concentrations of hippo and Nile crocodiles in water, aquatic bird species such as cormorants, kingfishers, fish eagles, hornbills among others. After the boat cruise you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park via Ishasha sector

After breakfast on the fifth day of the 8 days luxury Uganda safari from Kigali, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park. On the way you will have a stopover at Ishasha sector for a game drive where you will be able to see the tree climbing lions which will be lying up in acacia/fig tree branches. After the game drive in Ishasha sector you will have en-route lunch and then continue the journey to Bwindi impenetrable national park and upon arrival you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 6: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park

Gorilla trekking,

After an early breakfast on the sixth day of the 6 days luxury Uganda safari from Kigali, you will carry your packed lunch from the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the rules and regulations to follow during trekking. After the briefing you will be divided into groups of 8 people where each group will be allocated a habituated gorilla family to trek and a park guide. Allocation of gorilla families in Bwindi impenetrable national park is done depending of various factors such as age, physical fitness and personal preference therefore in case you are not physically fit you are advised to communicate with your driver guide. Trekking of mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable national park 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 Gorilla trekking in Bwindi you will be able to view other primate species such as l’hoest monkeys, chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, different plant species, birds among others. Once the mountain gorillas are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to observe their habits, behaviors, watch gorillas feed, breastfeed, groom young ones, take photos and record the breathtaking moments to show people back home after the safari. After the one hour encounter with the gentle giants you will trek back to the park headquarters where you will be rewarded a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking, meet up with your driver guide and transfer to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

After a relaxed breakfast on the seventh day of the 8 days luxury Uganda safari from Kigali, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Lake Bunyonyi which is the deepest lake in Uganda and the second deepest lake in East Africa. Upon arrival you will go for an interesting boat cruise which is done in a dugout canoe. During the canoe ride you will be able to explore some of the 29 islands on the lake, view beautiful scenery, landscape, terraced farmlands, different bird species among others. After the boat cruise you will return to the lodge for lunch. After lunch you will either relax at the lodge or go for an optional cultural tour where you will be able to interact with the local people in the neighboring communities. After the cultural tour you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 8: Departure to Kigali

After a relaxed breakfast on the last day of the 8 days luxury Uganda safari from Kigali, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey back to Kigali. On the way you will enjoy great views of the countryside, Kigezi hills, plantations beautiful scenery, rolling hills among others. Upon arrival in Kigali you will have lunch where after you will go for an optional city tour in Kigali where you will visit Kigali Genocide Memorial centre, Kimironko market among others, after the city tour you will transfer to Kigali international airport for your departure flight or transfer to a lodge in Kigali depending on your schedule.

End of 8 days luxury Uganda safari from Kigali

Tour includes

Gorilla trekking permit
Chimpanzee trekking permit
Bigodi swamp walk
Park entrance fees
Game drive
Boat cruise on Kazinga channel
Lion tracking fees
Services of a professional English speaking driver guide
Full board accommodation
Pick up and drop off
Vehicle and fuel
Bottled drinking water

Tour excludes

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