14 Days Uganda & Rwanda Safari

After an early breakfast you leave for Murchison Falls National Park. The journey is an adventure in itself, with a stop at Ziwa Rhino sanctuary to track White Rhinos. Your ranger guide briefs you, and then you walk into the sanctuary to find them.

With that rewarding walk and plenty of photographs behind you, we drive to the top of the falls, where the River Nile is forced through a 7-meter gorge and drops with a roar. You then continue to your lodge for the night.

Murchison Falls National Park is the largest in Uganda, and the game viewing is very satisfying. Game drives begin early, straight after breakfast, which improves your chances of seeing a variety of animals, above all the predators that hide away in the heat of the day.

The drive is on the northern bank of the River Nile, where we look for giraffes, elephants, hartebeest, buffaloes, leopards, lions and many kinds of bird.

In the afternoon the safari moves onto the Nile, heading for the foot of Murchison Falls. On this gentle boat trip you can photograph a range of animals and birds and look up at the falls from below.

After breakfast you leave for Kibale National Park, home of the chimpanzees and widely known as the primate capital of Africa. Thirteen species of primate live in Kibale forest; chimpanzee tracking and bird watching are the main draws.

On the way to this tropical forest you pass villages and colourful roadside markets. Lunch is in Fort Portal, and then you carry on to your lodge in Kibale Forest.

Breakfast is early today, and your driver-guide then takes you to the briefing point. Chimpanzee tracking is an exciting walk deep into tropical forest, with streams underfoot and wildlife all around. It begins with a briefing on the trek from your ranger guide.

As you walk you may see red-tailed monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys and butterflies, and hear birds calling in the canopy. Your ranger guide helps you find the chimpanzees. Take your photographs and watch them play, groom and feed.

After lunch, if time allows, you visit Bigodi wetland, a community project known for its wealth of birds and primates. The project gives young people work as tour guides, and part of its income goes towards building schools and paying teachers.

This morning we drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, rich in biodiversity and the most visited game reserve in Uganda. Today we also call at a family home, where your hostess cooks a traditional Ugandan meal for you to share in a traditional setting.

The dish is called Luwombo, and your guides explain the customs of the household as you eat. It is one of our authentic local experiences.

Afterwards we take you to your lodge to rest before the evening game drive and visits to scenic spots inside and outside the park.

After a leisurely breakfast we drive to Ishasha, the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park. We check in at the lodge and then go on to the Ishasha game area.

We cross the park looking for the tree-climbing lions and whatever else appears: hyenas, hippos, buffalos, elephants, topis, lions, leopards and a good deal more. The day ends with a sundowner as the sun sets in golden light.

Today we set out for the home of the mountain gorillas, the gentle giants. The road crosses the terraced hills of the Kigezi highlands.

Lunch is on the way or at the lodge, according to when we arrive. Then take the rest you have earned.

After an early breakfast we go to the briefing point for the ultimate gorilla trek. You are in the forest for between 4 and 7 hours, depending on where the gorillas were left the day before.

You come face to face with our closest relatives, a wildlife encounter that comes once in a lifetime. Later we return to the lodge to relax and trade gorilla stories over a drink by the campfire.

The day after the gorilla trek we drive to Lake Mutanda, where you have lunch and then head out with your camera.

The rest of the afternoon is spent exploring the islands in the lake, with superb photographs to be had of the landscape, the local people and the great Virunga mountains.

After a relaxed breakfast you cross into Rwanda and travel to Akagera National Park. There are beautiful views of the highlands of eastern Rwanda on the way.

You reach the lodge around lunchtime and go out later on an evening game drive.

After an early breakfast you go on a morning game drive to add to your list of mammals as they graze on the green savannah. There are many birds to see too, along with striking vegetation and beautiful butterflies.

You have lunch at your lodge and then take an afternoon boat safari on Lake Ihema. Enjoy the cool breeze and watch the wildlife on the shore, crocodiles and hippos among them.

Then it is back to the lodge to relax, have dinner and spend the night.

After breakfast you check out and travel to Volcanoes National Park, through fine country with thick vegetation, coffee plantations, hills and much more to look at.

Lunch is on the road. When you arrive you check in and go to Ibyi’wacu Cultural Village for a memorable taste of Kinyarwanda tradition. Dinner and the night are at your lodge.

Today we drive you to Kigali airport, taking a short tour of Kigali city on the way, in time for your flight out. We hope you had a wonderful time in Uganda and Rwanda, in the wild and among the people.