Overview of the 6 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Safari Tour

The 6 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Safari Tour starts and ends in Kigali Rwanda. In the land of a thousand hills as always referred, Rwanda shelters a good count of the critically endangered mountain gorillas. There are 10 habituated gorilla families in Volcanoes National Park which is part of the greater Virunga massif that is a home to 480 mountain gorillas out of the 880 that are currently known to be thriving in the wild. In the neighboring Uganda – the pearl of Africa, there lies Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which houses a count of 400 mountain gorillas close to a half of the world population of these species. This makes the destination for the 6 Day Gorilla safari unique and worth exploring. The 6 Days Gorilla Safari allows you to also undertake golden Monkey tracking, visit the Batwa Community and undertake a recreational boat cruise on the lake of a thousand Islands – Lake Bunyonyi.

Safari Highlights of the 6 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Safari Tour

• Day 1 of the 6 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Safari Tour: Drive to Volcanoes National Park & explore the Musaze Caves
• Day 2 of the 6 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Safari Tour: Undertake gorilla trekking & drive to Uganda (Mgahinga Gorilla National Park)
• Day 3 of the 6 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Safari Tour: Undertake golden Monkey tracking & drive to Lake Bunyonyi
• Day 4 of the 6 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Safari Tour: Undertake a sun rise boat cruise on Lake Bunyonyi & drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
• Day 5 of the 6 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Safari Tour: Undertake gorilla trekking & Batwa Community tour in the evening
• Day 6 of the 6 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Safari Tour: Drive to Kigali & explore the Gisozi genocide memorial

Description of the 6 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Safari Tour

Day 1 of the 6 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Safari Tour: Drive to Volcanoes National Park & explore the Musaze Caves

After breakfast at your place of abode in Kigali city, embark on the drive to Volcanoes National Park in the north west of Rwanda 116km about 3 hours’ drive passing through her hilly landscapes of Rwanda that have earned her a dub as the land of a thousand hills. You arrive in Ruhengeri in time for lunch after which you embark on the exploration of the ancient Musaze Caves. The caves of Musaze date back to 65million years ago when the lava was flowing the Virunga Volcanizes. The caves stretch to 2km inside and their exploration last about 3 hours. You will retreat in the evening to the lodge for relaxation, dinner an overnight.

Accommodation: Mountain Gorilla View Hotel (Luxury/upmarket), Lapalme Hotel (Midrange/standard) or Muhabura Hotel (Budget/basic)

Day 2 of the 6 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Safari Tour: Undertake gorilla trekking & drive to Uganda (Mgahinga Gorilla National Park)

Gather at Volcanoes National Park headquarters Kinigi after breakfast at your place of stay to catch up with briefing at 8am local time. If you arrive early before, you have an opportunity to attend to the impressive Kinyarwanda dance performance and drinking a hot cup of Rwandan coffee till the briefing time. You attend to briefing our respective gorilla groups allocated to you on spot and then embark on the drive to trail heads of each gorilla family. You head to the slopes of the volcanoes in search of these critically endangered apes. You have one hour with them gain at them as they forage, socialize and the silverback demonstrating its manhood. The encounter tends to last 2 – 8 hours depending on the gorilla movements and the gorilla family allocated to you. Retreat from the activity and cross to Uganda for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Mount Gahinga Lodge (Upmarket/Luxury), Mucha Hotel (Midrange/Standard) or Amajambere iwacu Camp (Budget/Basic).

Day 3 of the 6 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Safari Tour: Undertake golden Monkey tracking & drive to Lake Bunyonyi

Gather at the Park headquarter Mgahinga for briefing at 8am after which you head to the forest in search of the golden monkeys. The golden Monkeys are considered as critically endangered world over and are known to be thriving in the Virunga massif. The hike through the forested landscapes of the Volcanoes gives you an opportunity to explore the impressive flora and fauna not forgetting counts of birds and amazing sceneries of the Volcanoes. The golden monkeys tend to dwell in the Bamboo zone and the encounter tends to last 4 hours.  You retreat from the activity and embark on the drive to Lake Bunyonyi driving through impressive Kisoro – Kabale Road with magical scenic views. Arrive in the evening for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Birdnest @Lake Bunyonyi Resort (Upmarket/Luxury), Lake Bunyonyi Eco – resort (Midrange/Standard) or Byoona Amagara Island Retreat (Budget/Basic).

Day 4 of the 6 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Safari Tour: Undertake a sun rise boat cruise on Lake Bunyonyi & drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Undertake a recreational boat cruise after a relaxed breakfast to explore the lake of a thousand Islands. You cruise amidst the scenic Kigezi Highlands and the views of a range of Islands that are within the lake. Lake Bunyonyi has 29 Islands. You retreat from 4 – 5 hour activity and retreat to the lodge for lunch after which you embark on the transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park arriving in the evening for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Chameleon Hill Lodge (Upmarket/Luxury), Gorilla Mist Camp (Midrange/Standard) or Broadbill Forest Camp (Budget/Basic).

Day 5 of the 6 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Safari Tour: Undertake gorilla trekking & Batwa Community tour in the evening

After breakfast, gather at the respective park headquarters for a rewarding gorilla trekking encounter in the hilly forested landscapes of Bwindi dubbed the impenetrable. You attend to the briefing at 8am after which you head to the mist following your respective gorilla family trails in the company of the ranger guide and a group of 8 gorilla trekkers walking through their challenging hilly landscapes marked with dense undergrowth and mature trees. You eventually come across the critically endangered mountain gorillas thriving in their natural habitat. The one hour is available for you to maximize the experience where you can photo as well. The trekking encounter tend to last 2 – 8 hours after which you retreat from the activity and retreat to the lodge for relaxation. In the evening, you explore the Batwa people which are known to be among the last groups of short people in the world. The Batwa are shorter than an average person and have got impressive traditions that are worth exploring. You attend to their cultural performances and retreat from the activity for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Chameleon Hill Lodge (Upmarket/Luxury), Gorilla Mist Camp (Midrange/Standard) or Broadbill Forest Camp (Budget/Basic).

Day 6 of the 6 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Safari Tour: Drive to Kigali & explore the Gisozi genocide memorial

Following your breakfast at the lodge, embark on the transfer to Kigali city. Upon arrival, you will tour the Gisozi genocide memorial to pay tribute to the counts of Rwandese that lost their lives during the bloody genocide that befell the country in the year 1994. The Gisozi site is a collection of the remains of some of the victims. There is a detailed themed interpretation of the entire genocide occurrence. Retreat from the activity to mark the end of your safari.

End of the 6 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Safari Tour

Getting There

General Safari Inclusions

• Chimpanzee Permit (for chimpanzee trekking safaris)
• Gorilla Permit (for gorilla trekking safaris)
• Full Board Accommodation on Safari
• Transportation in either 4X4 Safari Van or 4X4 Safari Land Cruiser all with Pop up roof & AC
• Fuel
• Professional English Speaking driver guide. Any other foreign language speaking guide can be arranged on request.
• Entrance fees to the tourist sites including Protected areas mentioned
• Activity fees of the tourist activities mentioned
• Bottled water while on safari
• Border crossing fees (for cross border safaris)

General Safari Exclusions

• General tips for the driver guide, site guides and service staff at the lodges
• Laundry Services
• Other Beverages / drinks of personal nature like Alcohol
• International Flights (Arranged on request)
• Domestic Flights (Arranged on request)
• Visas
• Optional Activity fees
• Other extras not mentioned in the Itinerary
• Airport Transfer (Arranged on request)
• Accommodation in Kampala or Kigali unless it is part of the Itinerary (Arranged on request)