10 Days Rwanda Uganda Rwenzori Safari
These 10 Days Rwanda Uganda Rwenzori Safari is the perfect safari plan for tourists interested in visiting Rwanda and Uganda. During this safari, you will get a chance to visit Volcanoes national park in Rwanda for golden monkey trekking and then cross to Uganda where you will be tracking gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth National Park, chimpanzee trekking in Rwenzori Mountains National Park and also hike Rwenzori Mountains. This tour begins in Kigali, Rwanda and ends in Entebbe, Uganda.
Highlights for 10 Days Rwanda Uganda Rwenzori Safari
Day 1: Pickup in Kigali and Transfer to Volcanoes NP- Golden Monkey Trek and Ibyi’ wacu Village Tour.
Day 2: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Batwa Cultural Tour.
Day 3: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park- Evening Game Drive
Day 5: Lion Tracking Experience and Transfer to Kibale National Park
Day 6: Chimpanzee Trek and Transfer to Rwenzori Mountains National Park
Day 7: Hiking Rwenzori Mountains
Day 8: Hiking on Rwenzori Mountains- Samalira Camp
Day 9: Descend Rwenzori Mountains and transfer to Fort Portal
Day 10: Transfer to Entebbe Airport and Departure.
Detailed Itinerary for 10 Days Rwanda Uganda Rwenzori Safari
Day 1: Pickup in Kigali and Transfer to Volcanoes NP- Golden Monkey Trek and Ibyi’ wacu Village Tour.
Early in the morning after breakfast and transfer to Volcanoes national park, leaving Kigali by 4am. Arrive at the park headquarters at 7 : 00 am for briefing from the RDB officials, set off for the golden monkey trekking. This experience of golden monkey trekking is a once in a lifetime adventure. The rangers will lead you deep into the forest in search of the Gorillas.
You will move up and down the rugged terrain until you finally meet these harmonious creatures whose company you will cherish for 1 hour. The activity in Rwanda can take 3-5 hours depending on the movement of the golden monkeys.
After your golden monkey trek experience, you have lunch and later visit Ibyi’wacu Village for a cultural experience. You will visit the former King’s palace and watch interesting dance and singing performances from the local dance troupe. Return back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 2: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Batwa Cultural Tour.
Have breakfast at your lodge and then meet up with your driver guide. You will embark on a 4-5 hours’ drive from Ruhengeri to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. Have lunch en-route with a brief stopover along the way for you to take a few pictures of the beautiful sceneries. Upon your arrival in Bwindi, check-into your lodge and relax.
Later in the evening you will head out for a cultural tour to the neighboring Batwa community where you will get to interact with the local Batwa people, watch traditional dance and singing performances from the local dance troupe and learn more about their interesting culture.
Later head back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 3: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After an early morning breakfast, you will depart with your packed lunch and proceed to the park headquarters for briefing and take to the forest for gorilla trekking! Your child can spend that time at the hotel or in the company of guide as they visit around. Gorilla Trekking can take an hour or four depending on the movement of the gorillas.
The time remaining after visiting the gorillas can either be spent relaxing and remembering the trek or you can do an optional trek to visiting local Batwa communities in the area. Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park- Evening Game Drive
After having breakfast at your lodge, you will meet your driver guide and drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park with lunch en-route to the park. Upon your arrival at the park, check into your lodge and relax for a while if you wish. You will enjoy an evening game in the park where you can search for a number of wildlife species including; elephants, antelopes, lions, leopards, giant forest hogs, buffalos, spotted hyenas, and the Uganda Kob among others.
Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5: Lion Tracking Experience and Transfer to Kibale National Park
After an early breakfast on the fifth day of the 10 days Rwanda Uganda Rwenzori safari, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for a morning game drive in the park where 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.
After your lion tracking experience and game drive, you will have lunch and then embark on a 2 hours’ drive to Kibale National Park with a stopover at the Amabere Caves in Fort Portal. Take a short hike to the caves and waterfall (about 30min hike) as your guide takes you through the history of the caves.
Later drive to your hotel/lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6: Chimpanzee Trek and Transfer to Rwenzori Mountains National Park
After an early breakfast on the sixth day of the 10 days Rwanda Uganda Rwenzori safari, you will meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kanyanchu visitors Centre for a briefing about the rules and regulations to follow during trekking. After the briefing you will start trekking in the forest which 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, 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, play, rest 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.
After your lunch, you will embark on an hour’s drive to Bundibugyo district where the World famous Rwenzori Mountains are located. You will check into your hotel and relax for the night.
Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 7: Hiking Rwenzori Mountains
Start at Trekkers Point at 1,450 meters and sleep at Sine Hut at 2,596 meters being a height gain of 1,146 meters, or those who are fit and want to proceed to Kalalama Camp at 3,134 metres may do so and apart from the fantastic views of both the cliffs above and views across the lowlands, Kasese town and across Lake Edward in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
You will begin by trekking up the valley floor through the Afro Montane Forest Zone’s towering forest trees. The first six kilometers are a moderate ascent, followed by a strong climb up to Sine Camp after crossing a river. The forest trees are towering, and there are many birds and the possibility of spotting blue monkeys scampering around the jungle. Enock’s Falls is about 200 meters from Sine Hut and provides an excellent opportunity to record a beautiful screensaver for your memory as vividly cloudy green lichen grows on the numerous life hanging from the trees with the waterfall in the backdrop.
There are wooden cabins situated amongst tall forest trees on a narrow ridge at Sine Camp 2,596 meters where you may sit and enjoy the beauty of the forest while looking down at a lengthy series of rapids and waterfall cascading over the rocks. Some guests choose to sit outside by the fire and talk with the guides about the mountains and life in their town. Sine sits at the bottom of the bamboo zone, and the surrounding region is home to a variety of bird species. Enock Falls, located 150 meters from the camp, is surrounded by lush green flora and hanging vine. Absolutely stunning!
In the afternoon, stroll down to Enocks Falls, which has many dangling vines coated in vivid green lichen and mosses. You may choose to continue along the forest route for a few kilometers to witness more dangling vines and soak in the wonderful scenery before returning to Sine Camp for the night.
You may sleep in Sine Camp, or if you’re feeling active, you can go to Kalalama Camp at 3,134 meters for even more spectacular views.
Day 8: Hiking on Rwenzori Mountains- Samalira Camp
We begin by ascending up through the bamboo trees from Sine Camp. The path is fairly steep, but it is really beautiful and motivating. As you progress into the top section of the bamboo zone, you will come across tiny areas of mixed forest trees, many of which grow fruit and berries and attract a variety of birds.
You will hear the calls of the Rwenzori Turaco bird which has bright red or crimson wings and a magnificent sight as they fly between trees also during the drier season the female Malicite Sunbird comes down the mountain to feed on nectar producing flowers before heading back to the high altitudes to mate and rear their young. At about 3,000 metres altitude you reach the Heather zone where the Giant Heather trees reach 15 metres in height and are truly magnificent.
Kalalama Camp, located at 3,147 meters, offers an option to camping at Sine Camp, which has fantastic views. You may stop here for a brief snack and then hike another 2km up the mountain towards Mutinda Peaks, where you can observe the lovely Giant Lobelia plants and flowers in a big peat bog. Following that, you will return to Kalalama Camp for lunch before crossing to Samalira Camp at 3,170 meters for the night.
The path to Samalira Camp is mostly flat as it passes through a high ridge covered with Giant Heather trees and an incredible ambiance, especially in the fog, as you cross magnificent streams that plunge over the edge.
The dining hut at Samalira Camp is built on the lip of the canyon and offers views of two of the five waterfalls as you eat or sip a cup of tea. After a short rest, stroll down to the foot of the waterfalls and gaze up to witness the water cascading over the falls through the Giant Heather trees. A very breathtaking scene. You may also take a short, but steep, climb above the camp along a narrow ridge where the ground and rocks are covered in vivid green moss and you can gaze down on the camp.
Day 9: Descend Rwenzori Mountains and transfer to Fort Portal
In the morning, you descend through bamboo woods with spectacular views of the lower hills and valleys to Forest View Camp, where you eat lunch or a little snack before descending through the Afro Montane Forest Zone, which is home to numerous birds and monkeys. At the bottom of the harder slope, you will arrive at Nyamwamba Camp, where you may relax before walking the remaining 6 kilometers to the park gate.
You will meet up with your driver guide at base and drive to Fort Portal town where you will spend the night at your hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 10: Transfer to Entebbe Airport and Departure.
Wake up in the morning and have your breakfast. You will then embark on about a 5 hours’ drive to Entebbe international Airport where you will check-in for your evening flight back home.
End of 10 Days Rwanda Uganda Rwenzori Safari!
