6 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari – Gorilla Trekking, Wildlife Game Viewing, Chimpanzee Tracking, Culture & Beautiful Scenery Viewing Tours

6 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari – SAFARI OVERVIEW

This 6 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari is a five-night, 6-day safari in Uganda and Rwanda, offering unforgettable Gorilla Trekking, Chimpanzee Tracking, Wildlife Game Viewing, Culture & Beautiful Scenery Viewing Tours – all at a great price.

The most outstanding feature of this 6 Days Uganda Rwanda safari tour is that it takes you gorilla trekking twice – once in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and again in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park!

In addition to these two extraordinary gorilla encounters in the ancient forests, you will track chimpanzees in Kalinzu Forest and have a good dose of game viewing in Uganda’s leading game park, Queen Elizabeth National Park. Here you will enjoy a boat cruise on the hippo-studded Kazinga Channel, spot a variety of big game species, and drive through Ishasha, famous for its tree-climbing lions.

To add to all these memorable wildlife adventures, you will have plenty of opportunities to learn more about the culture and history of these vibrant east African countries, by visiting the Batwa Community, the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village, as well as remarkable Kigali City and Genocide Memorial Centre.

This short 6 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari can be customized to fit your exact interests, so just let us know what your plan is and together, we will come up with a fitting and satisfying tour package.

6 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari – PRIME SAFARI ACTIVITIES

• Tour two African countries: Uganda & Rwanda
• Double gorilla trekking
• Chimpanzee tracking in Kalinzu Forest
• Morning & evening game drives in Queen Elizabeth Park
• Boat cruise on Kazinga Channel
• Photograph endemic birds, butterflies & orchids
• Uganda Equator Crossing Experience
• Experience the culture of the Batwa People
• Visit Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village
• Driving through impressive countryside landscapes
• Explore the vibrant Kigali city & the genocide memorial

6 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari – FEATURED SAFARI DESTINATIONS

Day 1 & 2: Queen Elizabeth National Park & Kalinzu Forest

Day 3 & 4: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park & Batwa Community

Day 5: Volcanoes National Park & Iby’iwacu Cultural Village.

Day 6: Volcanoes National Park & Kigali City

6 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari – SAFARI HIGHLIGHTS

Day 1: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Have a stopover at the Equator for Photo Shoots & Igongo Cultural Center for Lunch. Evening game drive on arrival.

Day 2: Morning Chimpanzee in Kalinzu Forest Reserve & Afternoon Boat Cruise on the Kazinga Channel.

Day 3: Early morning game drive in Kasenyi Plains. Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via Ishasha, the home of Tree-Climbing Lions.

Day 4: Gorilla Trekking In Bwindi Forest & Batwa Pygmies Cultural Experience

Day 5: Travel to Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda) with Sightseeing in Kigezi Highlands & Rwandan Hillsides. Visit Iby’iwacu Cultural Village.

Day 6: Gorilla trekking/optional golden monkey tracking in Volcanoes National Park. Transfer to Kigali for City Tour & Airport Drop Off.

6 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari – DETAILED SAFARI ITINERARY

Day 1: Drive from Entebbe/Kampala to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Evening Game Drive.

Your fantastic 6 days Uganda Rwanda safari begins today! Your tour driver guide shall pick you up from your place of stay in Kampala or Entebbe at 6.30 am.

After a tour briefing, embark on a drive of about 7 hours to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda’s most scenic and popular safari park, named after the Queen of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II after she visited the park in 1952.

Travel southwest, passing beautiful Uganda rural landscape, and see what life really is like. After about 2 hour drive, you will make a memorable stop at the Equator crossing at Kayabwe. Uganda is one of the few countries in the world where you can cross this imaginary geographical line on land. Observe how water swirls in opposite directions on either side of the equator and take some amazing photographs.

Proceed with your journey, making another stop at Igongo Cultural Centre in Mbarara for a lunch. After lunch, continue Queen Elizabeth National Park fronted by the legendary Mountains of the Moon for much of your journey.

View the game en route to your lodge after entering the park. After some relaxation, there will be an afternoon game drive returning to the lodge at sunset.

Accommodation:-

Luxury: – Kyambura Gorge Lodge/Mweya Safari Lodge

Midrange: – Enganzi Game Lodge/Kasenyi Safari Camp/Bush lodge

Budget: – Pumba Safari Cottages/Bush Lodge

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Drive Distance & Time: – 417km (about 7 hours)

Activities & Services:-

• Equator Crossing Experience
• Evening game drive

Optional Activities:-

• Night game drive

Day 2: Morning Chimpanzee in Kalinzu Forest & Afternoon Boat Cruise on the Kazinga Channel.

After morning breakfast at 6:30 am, transfer to Kalinzu Forest Reserve.

You’ll meet the local ranger guides by 7 am for briefing.

At around 8.00 am, take a 2-5 hour guided trek through the verdant Kalinzu Forest, looking for the chimpanzee communities that call this natural protected forest home. Learn about the habits/social behavior of these endangered apes – our closest living relatives in the animal world – and gain insights into current efforts to protect them.

Also look out for a variety of other forest creatures like Olive baboons, Colobus monkeys, Red-tailed monkeys, Blue monkeys, and L’Hoest’s monkeys, as well as 400 tree and 379 bird species, including Cuckoos, Sunbirds, Turacos, and a dizzying array of rare moths and butterflies. You spend an hour with the chimps and then return to the starting point for a pleasant picnic lunch.

After lunch, go for a leisurely two-hour boat tour on Kazinga Channel, which connects Lakes Edward and George. Marvel at some of the world’s densest concentrations of hippos, huge Nile Crocodiles, a plethora of water birds, as well as elephants, buffalos, and antelopes that often come for a refreshing drink.

After the boat trip, have a game drive along the channel track as you travel back to your lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight

Accommodation:-

Luxury: – Kyambura Gorge Lodge/Mweya Safari Lodge

Midrange: – Enganzi Game Lodge/Kasenyi Safari Camp/Bush lodge

Budget: – Pumba Safari Cottages/Bush Lodge

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Activities & Services:-

• Chimpanzee trekking in Kalinzu Forest
• Afternoon boat cruise on Kazinga Channel

Optional Activities:-

• Learn more about rural life in Uganda by meeting members of the Women’s Coffee Co-operative.
• Night game drive
• Lion tracking with researchers
• Chimp tracking in Kyambura Gorge

Day 3: Early Morning Game Drive in Kasenyi. Transfer to Bwindi National Park via Ishasha, Home Of Tree-Climbing Lions.

On day three of your 6 days Uganda Rwanda safari, go on a morning game drive in Queen Elizabeth Park. Set on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, the park’s diverse ecosystems of sprawling savanna, shady, humid forests, sparkling fresh lakes, and fertile wetlands, make it a habitat for over 95 mammal and 610 bird species.

You drive through the Kasenyi plains, keeping your eyes peeled for Buffalo, Elephants, Leopards, Lions, Uganda kobs, Hyenas, Waterbucks, Common warthogs, and Giant forest hogs. After a game drive in Kasenyi, take a 4-7 hour drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. If time allows, you can have a short game drive in the southern Ishasha plains of Queen in search of rare tree-climbing lions.

Leave the park and drive through the rolling hills of southwestern Uganda towards the great Bwindi Forest. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this 321 square kilometer park is one of Africa’s oldest and most biologically diverse rainforests, home to around 459 mountain gorillas – about half the world’s population of these gentle apes.

You’ll reach your lodge in the evening for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

Accommodation:-

Luxury: – Haven Lodge Buhoma/Gorilla Forest Camp/Buhoma Lodge

Mid-range: – Gorilla Mist Camp/Ichumbi Lodge/Agandi Lodge

Budget: – Trekkers Tavern Cottages

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Drive Distance & Time: – Approx. 130-220km or 4-7 hours

Activities & Services:-

• Morning game drive
• Drive to Bwindi

Day 4: Gorilla Trekking & Batwa Pygmies Cultural Experience.

After hearty breakfast at 6.30 am, transfer to the park offices by 7 am for a briefing.

At about 8 am, embark on an unforgettable trek deep into the dense misty jungle of Bwindi alongside a park ranger to search for endangered mountain gorillas. Gorilla trekking takes between 2-8 hours and over rough muddy, terrain. While the hike can be relatively challenging, the anticipation of the thrilling experience ahead is invigorating, and the beauty of the forest and its inhabitants are fascinating.

When you encounter gorillas, any fatigue is quickly forgotten.

Observing a family of wild gorillas in its natural habitat is considered by many naturalists to be the most profound wildlife experience in the world. Be mesmerized as you watch them eat, sleep, groom, and play – the giant silverback surveying the territory as the smaller ones laze in the trees or play like children.

Your visit with the gorillas will last one unforgettable hour.

Then, enjoy a picnic lunch in the lush rainforest and return to the lodge for some relaxation in the afternoon. In the evening, you will visit the Batwa – the indigenous people of the Bwindi Forest.

Though they no longer live as they once did in the forest, they have kept many of their indispensable hunter-gatherer skills that they are glad to share with visitors. The cultural tour will give you a greater understanding of the forest ecosystem and how intermeshed human and animal life is.

Accommodation:-

Luxury: – Haven Lodge Buhoma/Gorilla Forest Camp/Buhoma Lodge

Mid-range: – Gorilla Mist Camp/Ichumbi Lodge/Agandi Lodge

Budget: – Trekkers Tavern Cottages

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Activities & Services:-

• Gorilla trekking
• Cultural encounter

Optional Activity:

• Gorilla Habituation Experience

Day 5: Travel to Rwanda & Volcanoes National Park. Have An Evening Cultural Tour Of Iby’iwacu Village.

Wake up to the gorgeous views of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest where you came face-to-face with the rare and endangered mountain gorillas the day before.

You have a delicious breakfast in this lush and peaceful setting, before crossing from Uganda into Rwanda via the Cyanika border.

Your picturesque drive takes you through the rolling hills of Rwanda, known as ‘The Land of a Thousand Hills. You make your way to the town of Musanze. En route, you will pass the scenic Lake Ruhondo and Lake Burera, encircled by hills and flanked by the Virunga Mountains.

You’ll reach in time for lunch at your accommodation for the next night. After lunch, you have some time to rest and then visit the Iby’Iwacu Village for a wonderful and interactive Rwanda cultural encounter; lifestyle, traditional weddings, dance, and entertainment. Villagers are very friendly and glad to receive new faces. In the evening, head back to your lodge for a delicious dinner, and overnight.

Accommodation:-

Luxury: – Mountain Gorilla View Lodge/Bisate Lodge/Virunga Lodge

Midrange: – Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge

Budget: – Muhabura Hotel

Meal Plan: – Lunch & Dinner

Drive Distance & Time: – 116km/2-3 hours

Activities & Services:-

• Scenic drive from Bwindi to Musanze
• Visit Iby’Iwacu Village

Day 6: Gorilla Trekking In Volcanoes National Park. Transfer To Kigali For City Tour & Airport Drop Off. 

On the final day of six of your 6 days Uganda Rwanda safari, you get to embark on a second gorilla trek, this time in Volcanoes National Park! You wake up at 6.00 am, have breakfast, and drive to park headquarters.

At the offices, your driver/guide will get the formalities done and your ranger guides tell you more about the gorilla trekking protocols. Then, set off into the pristine forests of the Virunga Mountains with your experienced ranger leading the way.

With over 300 mountain gorillas, Volcanoes also attract thousands of visitors each year eager to see these gentle giants in their natural environment.

Volcanoes are also the location where the American Primatologist, Dian Fossey spent 18 years of her life researching gorillas and protecting them from poachers which eventually led to her murder. The park was popularized by the Hollywood 1988 film, Gorillas in the Mist, which was on site and chronicled her life’s work.

You’ll trek through the afro-montane forests of this 160km² park, with a chance to come across the endemic golden monkeys and a variety of other mammals, creatures, and birds. Once you have located you and your group will stop and spend 60 minutes observing them – an unforgettable experience!

After your once-in-a-lifetime gorilla encounter, you will trek back out of the ancient forests, returning to the park offices. Then, meet your safari guide who will drive to Kigali (approximately 3-4 hours).

After arriving at Rwanda’s capital, you embark on a sightseeing tour of the city. Visit the arts and crafts market where you can buy curios and gifts, as well as the landmark Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre & Museum. After, you are dropped off at Kigali International Airport for your onward flight.

Meal Plan: – Breakfast & Lunch

Drive Distance & Time: – Approx. 132km/3-4 hrs.

Activities & Services:-

• Gorilla trekking
• Transfer to Kigali
• Kigali city tour
• Drop off at the airport

Optional Activities:

• Golden monkey tracking
• Dian Fossey Tomb Hike
• Mount Bisoke hike

End of the 6 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari

6 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari – SAFARI INCLUSIONS

• Gorilla permit fees
• Chimpanzee trekking permit fees
• A professional English-speaking tour driver guide
• A comfortable 4×4 Safari land cruiser with pop-up roof & A/C
• Your full board accommodation on a safari
• Kazinga Channel Boat cruise fees
• Wi-Fi Internet on board the safari vehicle
• Bottled water
• Border crossing fees

6 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari – SAFARI EXCLUSIONS

• International & domestic flight fees
• Visa fees
• Laundry services
• Items of personal nature
• Gratuities and tips
• Other beverages/drinks
• Other extras not mentioned in the itinerary above
• Accommodation in Kigali & Entebbe/Kampala – arranged on request

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