Two countries in depth: the Nile at Murchison Falls, chimps, savannah and gorillas in Uganda, then golden monkeys, a second gorilla option and the shores of Lake Kivu in Rwanda.
This fourteen-day safari explores Uganda and Rwanda in depth, from the Nile at Murchison Falls in northern Uganda to the shores of Lake Kivu in western Rwanda. Along the way you track chimpanzees, cruise the Kazinga Channel, trek gorillas in Bwindi, relax at Lake Bunyonyi and track golden monkeys on the volcanoes, finishing in Kigali.
The trip combines wildlife, landscapes and culture: rhinos on foot, the falls, chimps, lions, gorillas, golden monkeys, two great lakes and two capitals. Two-night stays and lake breaks keep the pace comfortable over two weeks.
Your driver-guide meets you in Entebbe or Kampala and heads north on the Gulu highway to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, about three hours away. After a briefing, walk with a ranger to find southern white rhinos grazing or resting in the grassland, the only rhinos in Uganda. After lunch, continue through Masindi to Murchison Falls National Park, arriving at your lodge near the Nile in the late afternoon.
Cross the Nile at Paraa early for a morning game drive on the Buligi tracks, the best area for lions, Rothschild’s giraffe, elephants, buffalo, Uganda kob and Jackson’s hartebeest. After lunch, take the three-hour launch trip upstream to the foot of the falls, past pods of hippos, large crocodiles and colonies of bee-eaters and kingfishers on the banks.
Drive to the top of Murchison Falls, where the entire Nile forces itself through a gorge just seven metres wide and plunges 43 metres with a roar you feel underfoot. Then head south along the Albertine escarpment via Hoima, with views of Lake Albert and the Congo hills, and through Fort Portal to your lodge at the edge of Kibale Forest.
Arrive at the Kanyanchu visitor centre for the 8:00am briefing, then set off into the forest in a group of up to eight with a Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger. Kibale’s habituated chimpanzees are usually found within one to three hours, often calling loudly or feeding in fig trees. You spend one hour with them, watching grooming, squabbles and youngsters at play, while red colobus and grey-cheeked mangabeys move through the canopy around you.
In the afternoon, walk the boardwalk and trails of the community-run Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary with a local guide. It is one of the best places in Uganda to see the great blue turaco, and you may also find red colobus, L’Hoest’s monkeys and a wealth of swamp birds. Fees support the local community’s schools and health projects.
Drive south to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
In the afternoon, board the two-hour launch cruise on the Kazinga Channel from Mweya. The channel links Lakes George and Edward and its banks hold one of Africa’s highest concentrations of hippos, along with buffalo, elephants coming down to drink, Nile crocodiles and huge numbers of waterbirds such as pelicans, African skimmers and pied kingfishers.
Set out at dawn for a game drive on the Kasenyi plains, where thousands of Uganda kob gather on their breeding grounds and lions hunt in the early light. Look also for buffalo, elephants, waterbuck and warthog. After lunch and a rest at camp, the afternoon is free, or you can walk into Kyambura Gorge, a forested valley sunk into the savannah with a small chimpanzee community, or visit the salt pans of Lake Katwe.
Drive south through the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, where lions often rest in the branches of large fig trees. Your guide checks their favourite trees as you look for topi, buffalo and elephants on the open plains, then you continue through the hills to Bwindi.
After an early breakfast you report to the park office for the 7:30–8:00am briefing, where Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers explain the rules and assign each visitor to a gorilla family; no more than eight people visit a family each day.
You then follow your ranger guide into the forest while trackers radio the family’s position. Treks take anywhere from one to six hours over steep, muddy ground. When you reach the gorillas you leave bags and sticks with the porters, put on a face mask and spend one hour watching them feed, groom and play from at least 10 metres away, before walking back out and receiving your trekking certificate.
Leave Bwindi after breakfast and drive through the terraced Kigezi highlands to Lake Bunyonyi, arriving in time for lunch. In the afternoon, take a dugout canoe or boat trip among the islands, hearing the stories of Punishment Island and Bwama Island, with time to swim from the jetty. Evenings are cool at almost 2,000 metres, so enjoy the fire.
Drive to the Cyanika border and cross into Rwanda with your guide’s help, then continue to Musanze and your lodge near Kinigi, below the Virunga volcanoes. In the afternoon, visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Musanze, whose exhibitions explain decades of gorilla research and conservation.
After the 7:00am briefing at Kinigi, set out to track golden monkeys in the bamboo zone at the foot of the volcanoes. These endangered monkeys, with their bright orange-gold backs, live only in the Virunga region. Troops are lively and noisy, leaping between bamboo stems and feeding on shoots, and the habituated group is usually found within an hour. You spend one hour with them; photography is a challenge as they move quickly, which makes it all the more fun. Travellers who want a second gorilla encounter can trek in Volcanoes on this day instead (permit extra).
Drive to Rubavu on Lake Kivu for an afternoon boat trip, a coffee tour and sunset as the fishermen paddle out, singing, for the night’s catch.
Drive back through the green hills to Kigali, about 3–3.5 hours. In the afternoon, visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where exhibitions explain the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and Rwanda’s remarkable recovery, then explore Kimironko market. End your trip with a farewell dinner in one of Kigali’s good restaurants.
Enjoy a final relaxed morning in Kigali, perhaps visiting an art studio or a coffee shop for a last taste of Rwandan coffee, before your transfer to Kigali International Airport for your flight home.
Lodges shown match the quoted price. Ask us about mid-range and luxury upgrades.
Yes. It covers the highlights of both Uganda and Rwanda with two nights in most places.
Yes. Add a Rwanda gorilla permit on day 11 for a second encounter in a different habitat.
Several days include 5–7 hours of driving through beautiful scenery. Flights can replace the longest legs.
The East Africa Tourist Visa (US$100) covers both countries.
June to September and December to February are driest for trekking and game drives.
Yes. Nyungwe adds chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda and the canopy walk, about 5–6 hours from Volcanoes, and between November and May it can help qualify for the Rwanda gorilla permit discount.
Wildlife 7 daysTwo of Uganda’s greatest wildernesses in one journey: the thundering Nile at Murchison Falls, then the wide, wild plains of Kidepo Valley in the far north-east.
Short break 4 daysRhinos on foot, chimpanzees in a mahogany forest, the most powerful waterfall on the Nile and the big game of Uganda’s largest park, in four unhurried days from Kampala.
Honeymoon 12 daysAdventure and romance: fly in to trek gorillas in Bwindi, see tree-climbing lions and the Kazinga Channel, then fly to Zanzibar for Stone Town and six nights on the beach.
Change the dates, add a night, upgrade a lodge or combine it with Rwanda or Kenya. Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll send a revised plan and price.
