20 Days Gorilla Safari: Uganda, Rwanda & Congo
Day 1: Arrival
On arrival, you will be picked by our company representative who will transfer you to the hotel, have a briefing, dinner and overnight at Santa Maria Entebbe
Day 2: Full day Ngamba Island
Breakfast, transfer to Entebbe and get a boat to Ngamba Island the home of the orphaned chimps. You can get to watch them as they feed in the morning or in the afternoon. You will later return to Entebbe by boat. Dinner and overnight will be as above.
Day 3: Transfer from Kampala-Murchison Falls National park
Have breakfast, and will be picked by our company representative who will drive you to Murchison or drive you to the airport for your flight to Murchison Falls National Park. Murchison Falls National Park is located in Masindi district in north western Uganda. You will arrive in time for lunch, have lunch and later go for an afternoon game drive where the driver/guide will help you spot various species of wildlife. This may include Buffalos, elephants, lions, leopards, giraffes, kobs, Impalas among others. Dinner and overnight stay at Twiga Tales Lodge.
Day 4: Game drive and a Launch cruise
Breakfast, go for a game drive, and return for lunch. In the afternoon get on a boat to the bottom of the falls. You might also spot crocodiles, Hippos, elephants and many others. You can hike to the top of the falls. Various birds might be spotted too, like the hornbills, bee-eaters, kingfishers and storks, Egyptian plover, Chestnut crowned sparrow weaver, Rock pranticole, Red winged grey warbler, Pulvus illadopsis among others. Dinner and overnight at the lodge
Day 5: Murchison – Kibale National Park
After breakfast, you will be picked from the lodge and drive to Kibale National Park. The park is about 766 km2 in size with primarily moist evergreen forest. Kibale National Park is located in the Southern part of Uganda. Kibale National Park is a home to approximately 325 species of birds which include the olive long-tailed cuckoo, Western Green tinker bird, African and Green-breasted and African Grey Parrot. It is also a home to 13 species of primates, at least 60 other species of mammals. The visits to the park are mainly paid to the endangered chimpanzees. While visiting the Chimps you can get to see other primates including the red colobus monkey and the rare L’Hoest’s monkey, Uganda Mangabey, the Ugandan Red Colobus, and the L’Hoest’s Monkey. On arrival at the lodge you will have lunch and later in the afternoon you can relax or do a community walk. Dinner and overnight will be at Isunga Lodge.
Day 6: Chimp trekking
Today you will go for Chimpanzee tracking. This will be after you have had breakfast and after getting a briefing at the park headquarters. While tracking chimps you might spot other animals like the red and blue duikers, bush pigs, warthogs, buffalo and elephants. Various birds can also be spotted while on the trek. Return to the lodge for lunch, later visit Bigodi wetland. Dinner and overnight will be at the lodge.
Day 7: Kibale- Queen Elizabeth National park
Today after breakfast you will drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Queen Elizabeth National Park was named after Queen Elizabeth II and it was established in 1954. The park is located in western Uganda and covers an area of about 1,978 square kilometres. Within this park there is Lake Edward and Lake George and the Kazinga channel. The vegetation in the park is mostly open savannah, green meadows, semi- deciduous tropical forests, dense equatorial rain forest and dense papyrus swamps. On arrival you will have lunch, and either relax at the lodge or go for an afternoon game drive. You might spot animals like elephants, Buffaloes, Impalas, Uganda Kobs and lions. Various birds can be spotted too and they include the African skimmer, Chapins flycatcher, Pink-backed pelicans, Papyrus canary, Shoebill stork, martial eagle. Later return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Bush Lodge.
Day 8: Game drive and boat ride
After breakfast you will go for a game drive. You might spot animals like elephants, Buffaloes, Impalas, Uganda Kobs and lions. Various birds can be spotted too and they include the African skimmer, Chapins flycatcher, Pink-backed pelicans, Papyrus canary, Shoebill stork, martial eagle. Later return to the lodge for lunch. After lunch you will go for a boat ride where you will spot Hippos, Crocodiles, various water birds. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 9: Game drive in Ishasha Sector.
Overnight stay as above.
Day 10: Transfer to Mgahinga National park-Uganda (Mgahinga National park)
Mgahinga National Park lies in the Virunga ranges. Three volcanoes make up the part of the Virunga ranges and these include Mountain Muhavura, mountain Gahinga and mountain Sabinyo. Mountain Gorillas and Wildlife is also found in this National park and they include Guereza colobus and golden (blue) monkey, Caruther’s mountain, Boehm’s and Rwenzori sun squirrels, buffaloes, Bushbuck, Elephants, Serval cat, among others. You will have lunch enrote. Dinner and overnight will be at Ikoro Hotel.
Day 11: Gorilla Trekking in Mgahinga
An early morning breakfast, go for a briefing at the park headquarters, in accompaniment of guides and rangers, you enter the forest to begin the Gorilla tracking activity which takes 2-10 hours depending on the movements of these gorillas. Other animals and birds might be spotted too and these include the l’Hoest’s monkey, African elephant, birds like the African green broadbill, Grauer’s rush warbler, Chaplin’s flycatcher, African giant swallowtail among others. After tracking, return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 12: Golden Monkey Tracking in Mgahinga National park and Transfer Congo Via Bunagana.
On this day after breakfast, your guide from the park will take you through thick vegetation on a 1-5 hour trail. You finally will meet the golden monkeys, spend one hour with them and then You will return back to the Lodge for dinner and overnight stay
Day 13: Transfer to Democratic Republic of Congo via Bunagana Border.
Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel Begonias.
Day 14: Lowland Gorilla tracking tour in Kahuzi Biega South Kivu.
Early morning after breakfast, drive to Kahuzi Biega National Park to trek the lowland Gorillas, The Drive from Hotel Begonias is about 1 hour to the park headquarters for the true experience of the lowland
Gorilla trekking in Democratic Republic of Congo. During the briefing
time clients are entertained by the cultural dance and hot tea offered
by the park. Trekking lowland Gorillas is very amazing as lowland Gorillas differ
from the mountain gorillas. The lowland Gorillas stay in bigger
families as compared to mountain gorillas; you will not regret the
safari effort once you meet the amazing Gorillas! After tracking.
Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 15: Transfer to Rwanda – Nyungwe forest National Park via Rusizi 1 border.
After breakfast, you will transfer to Nyungwe/ National park. Located in southwestern Rwanda, at the border of Burundi, Lake Kivu the south and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. The rainforest is probably the best preserved montane rainforest in Central Africa. It is also located near the river Congo basin in the east and the River Nile to the west. The nearest town to this park is Cyangugu found with 54km to the west. The most common mammals in this park are primates and birds. With about 13 primate species and 275 bird species this park is worth paying a visit while in Rwanda. Dinner and Overnight at Nyungwe Hilltop View Lodge / Gisakura Lodge
Day 16: chimpanzee tracking
Have breakfast, you will go for chimpanzee tracking. You may spot other primates such as the L’hoest’s monkey and the grey-cheeked mangabeys are often sighted. The birds are spectacular, though as in most tropical forests, you’ll have to look out for them. Giant hornbills, great blue turacos and red-breasted sparrow hawks are amongst the specials, of which 24 are endemic to this section of the Rift Valley. Dinner and overnight as above
Day 17: Canopy walk and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Have your breakfast and go for canopy walk. You will then proceed to Volcanoes National Park. Dinner and overnight stay at Dinner and overnight stay at Mountain Gorilla view Lodge.
Day 18: Gorilla tracking.
After your morning breakfast, you will transfer by road in a safari car and report to the park headquarters, for gorilla trekking formalities and briefing by the Volcanoes National Park’s guides on the gorillas’ etiquette. The gorilla group you will visit will largely depend on the assignment of travelers to the seven habituated gorilla groups. There are 10 habituated groups of mountain gorillas in Rwanda. Each group is allowed 8 visitors a day and the trek varies in length depending on which gorilla family you were assigned. The trekking commences at an altitude of 7000 feet in the upper slopes of the volcano. The paths you follow are steep but not overly strenuous. Nothing can prepare one for the impact of encountering a fully grown silverback gorilla: up to three times as bulky as the average man, yet remarkably peaceful and tolerant of human visitors. There are no words to describe the thrill of recognition attached to staring deep into the liquid brown eyes of these gentle giants, which share some 97% of their genes with humans. After locating your assigned Gorilla group, you will spend one hour in their company before retracing your steps back down the volcano slopes. Dinner and overnight stay at the Lodge.
Day 19: Golden monkey trekking
After breakfast at the Lodge, you will go for Golden Monkey trekking within the Volcanoes National Park. These Golden Monkeys are the most endangered primates with in the forest. This activity will not take long like as it is when tracking the Gorillas. You will spend also less time with these primates. Overnight stay as above.
Day 20: Transfer to Kigali
After your breakfast,you can visit the twin Lakes or take a short self guided walk around Kinigi (Ruhengeri) as you transfer to Kigali.
End of your safari with us.