7-Day Rwanda & Uganda Gorilla Trekking Experience Safari

Our company representative will receive you on arrival at Kigali Airport, either off an international travels or after a safari elsewhere in Africa. Leaving the lively capital, you'll drive northwest through lush hills and bustling market towns for approximately 2.5 hours, to the stunning Volcanoes National Park. It is well known as the venue for Dian Fossey's pioneering studies of mountain gorillas.

Start early on your first morning for a trip to track the golden monkeys. These primates are beautiful, endangered, and more agile than mountain gorillas. They live in bamboo thickets on the lower slopes of the mountains and tracking them acclimatizes you perfectly to the slight altitude. You'll then head higher to the gorillas marking your last views of the park's environs and drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Spend a day tracking endangered mountain gorillas, which share 97.7% of our DNA. You'll be spending up to an hour among them. See mothers keeping infants close as they knucklewalk on three limbs. Toddlers scamper around and get reined in by an attentive father, whose job is to protect his family. When you look into the eyes of a mountain gorilla, there is no mistaking the bond that exists between primates and man—and no escaping the poignant reminder that these creatures lie on the brink of extinction.

After breakfast, drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, home to elephants, lions, hippos, buffalo and baboons. Participate in game drives this afternoon and the next day. While exploring, watch above for tree-climbing lions, a sight rarely seen anywhere else in Africa. You may also see some of Uganda’s largest elephant herds.

After an early morning game drive, we will begin the day with the game drive in Ishasha Sector and a late transfer to Mweya Peninsular. On arrival, we will go for a boat cruise on Kazinga Channel. The boat trip within Queen Elizabeth National Park is done on the impressive Kazinga Channel a 40-kilometre water-long natural channel that links Lake Edward plus Lake George. This launch cruise takes 2 hours to explore the water and the wildlife along the shores of the Kazinga Channel. There are professional guides right on the boat who will give you all the necessary information about this safari or tour and answer any questions that may arise about the wildlife or anything else. In addition, the professional, and experienced guides will point out any wildlife that you may have failed to notice.

After an early morning breakfast, transfer to Kyambura Gorge to track chimpanzees in the dramatic Kyambura Gorge on the eastern side of the park, 35km from the lodge. It is home to a variety of wildlife, including the only primates in the Queen Elizabeth National Park. The area is an important water source for many animals and is surrounded by savanna, but is generally noted for its high concentration of primate life located in the gorge. You can also find red-tailed monkeys, black-and-white Colobus, baboons, and vervet monkeys. The gorge is also known for its variety of bird species including various falcons, the blue-headed bee-eater, and the African finfoot. This will be followed by a transfer to Lake Mburo National Park. Your overnight stay is at Hyena Hill Lodge (Budget).

We will begin with horse safaris which are an awesome way to see the wildlife while in Lake Mburo. Without the noise of motor engines, you can hear so much more and you really feel part of nature. Riding a horse means you often get the chance to see the timider animals. If you are very lucky, you may see eland and buffalo. And if you're lucky enough, you may see the leopards on a horse ride! However, this was a very rare sighting. You will nearly always see a mixture of warthog, topi, impala, duiker, bushbuck, waterbuck, and zebra. Of course, the time of year and the weather do affect the number and variety of animals that you see, as the animals graze where the grass is the most delicious. Watching animals from a horse is so peaceful and a totally different experience from being on a game drive; zebras come towards you to check out the strange relative without stripes. Afterwards, return to the lodge for breakfast. This will be followed by a transfer to Entebbe Airport.