Uganda Rwanda Gorilla Trek 5-Day Safari

Road Transfer to Kibale National Park

We shall start the tour from your hotel in Entebbe with a briefing before driving to Kibale National Park in western Uganda (about 5 hours).

Our first call is the community-conserved Bigodi Wetland Primates Sanctuary. The sanctuary is largely a wetland located at borders with Kibale Forest National Park. There are at least 9 primates species that call the sanctuary home and several East African endemic bird species. We shall engage the expert services of the local community guides for a walk in the sanctuary.

Afterward, we shall continue to check-in at our lodge/ camp for overnight and dinner.

Accommodation options available (all on a full board basis)

• Luxury: Primate Lodge Kibale
• Meals included today: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale National Park

Plan to get up early morning for breakfast before assembling at the Kibale Park head office for the chimpanzee tracking experience. The chimps’ trek starts at 8 AM daily with a briefing about etiquette while in the jungle.

You will then be allocated to a group with other 8 visitors to track a troupe of habituated chimpanzees. The trek is mostly gentle with occasional climbing and sloping as you traverse the thick jungles of Kibale. After about 1-2 hours of walking, you shall be meeting the chimpanzees in their wild home. The team of park rangers with you shall further instruct the guests on the best conduct as they clear the bushes to ensure the best views of the chimps.

Skilled guides are beside you all the time to give as much information about the chimpanzees as possible and answer any questions that you might have. After 1 hour of being in the presence of the chimps, you will be guided back to the park offices where you link up with your driver once again.

After the chimps’ trek, we proceed to drive to Bwindi via Queen Elizabeth National Park and here you may spot much wildlife including elephants, and buffaloes, among others. This is the lushest highland rain forest on earth, filled with primates and exotic birds, valleys, hilltops, and papyrus swamps.

Bwindi Accommodation options available (all on a full board basis)

• Luxury: Four Gorillas Lodge
• Meals included today: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

This morning, after breakfast, we shall be having our first gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Your Uganda Rwanda Gorilla Trek & Chimps Safari 5-Day driver shall be making all arrangements to ensure you are available at the park office at 8:00 am for the briefing that precedes the trek. It is here that you shall be allocated the gorilla group you are to trek to. Every day, each gorilla group can be visited by not more than 8 persons. The gorilla group you will be visiting is allocated on the day you are visiting the park.

You shall be trekking through the thick undergrowth of rainforest and bamboo-covered slopes, accompanied by a guide and trackers, in search of your allocated mountain gorilla family. The walking can sometimes be tough and long, more so because of the steep slope terrain but when you catch a glimpse of the magnificent silverback gorillas, all your discomforts will be quickly forgotten. When sighted, visitors will be guided to within 6 meters of the gorillas and sit around them for a whole hour while gazing into their big round eyes.

After your 1 hour of viewing the gorillas, the park rangers shall guide you back to the park offices from where you link up with your Uganda Rwanda Gorilla Trek & Chimps Safari 5-Day driver. The evening is spent relaxing at the lodge as you interact with the other visitors, sharing each other’s gorilla trek experiences.

Bwindi Accommodation options available (all on a full board basis)

• Luxury: Four Gorillas Lodge
• Meals included today: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Road Transfer to Volcanoes National Park

Take breakfast and depart from Uganda to Rwanda. You will cross the border via Kisoro or Kabale and then clear at the border. Once you enter Rwanda, you will be going for about 30 minutes before arriving at your accommodation close to Volcanoes National Park.

Located in the far north-west of Rwanda, Volcanoes National Park is home to the steep slopes of this wonderful mountain range – home of the rare mountain gorilla – and the rich mosaic of montane ecosystems, which cuddles evergreen and bamboo forest, open grassland, swamp, and heath.

Top Accommodation options in Volcanoes National Park (all on a full board basis)

• Luxury level:  Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
• Meals included today: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park

Have a hearty breakfast before the transfer to Volcanoes National Park offices for our second gorilla trekking experience.  Gorilla tracking here commences at 7:30 AM from the park headquarters with a briefing. Once you get allocated to the gorilla group for the trek, it is going to be about 2-4 hours of walking over the volcanoes before getting that coveted glimpse of the mountain gorillas. Through gaps in the forest canopy, the marvelous peaks are sighted, easily easy to get to, and among the uppermost in Africa, indicating an ascent.

In Volcanoes National Park, visitors are allowed a maximum of 1 hour with the gorillas. You will be guided to the best gorilla viewing spots as the gorillas stay unbothered by your presence. Once you have spent your time, you will be guided back to the park offices to link up with your Uganda Rwanda Gorilla Trek & Chimps Safari 5-Day guide/ driver.

We then embark on our drive to Kigali which should be about ±3 hours from Volcanoes National Park. The driver shall be dripping you at Kigali Airport in case you are planning to fly out this evening, otherwise s/he can also drop you off at the hotel you’ve booked to stay in Kigali.