9 Days Uganda Rwanda Primate Tour

This 9 days Primate tour starts from Uganda, in Kibale forest national park – the primate capital of the world. While here you’ll encounter a number of primates including the blue collabus monkeys, chimps plus more. You will then visit the Bwindi impenetrable forest for some gorilla action before proceeding to Rwanda. While in Rwanda, you will visit the Dian Fossey site and track gorillas in the Volcanoes national park. You will also have a chance to go for a city tour in Kigali.

UGANDA RWANDA PRIMATE TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

DAY 1: ARRIVE IN UGANDA, VIA ENTEBBE

DAY 2: TRANSFER TO KIBALE

DAY 3: CHIMPANZEE TRACKING EXPERIENCE

DAY 4: TRANSFER TO BWINDI

DAY 5: GORILLA TREKKING IN BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK

DAY 6: TRANSFER TO RWANDA

DAY 7: GORILLA TREKKING IN VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK

DAY 8: GOLDEN MONKEY TRACKING-DIAN FOSSEY HIKE AND TRANSFER TO LAKE KIVU FOR BOAT CRUISE

DAY 9: TRANSFER TO KIGALI & DEPARTURE

DETAILED ITINERARY

DAY 1: ARRIVE IN UGANDA, VIA ENTEBBE

Upon your arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be welcomed by a professional tour guide who will take you to your hotel for overnight stay and dinner.

Accommodation: Airport Guest House

Meal Plan: Dinner

DAY 2: TRANSFER TO KIBALE

Drive south to Kibale forest national park, stop-over in Fort portal town for lunch before proceeding to Kibale park.

Accommodation: Turaco tree top or Primate lodge Kibale
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

DAY 3: CHIMPANZEE TRACKING EXPERIENCE

Today the forest opens its doors for a sensational chimpanzee tracking experience. After your breakfast, you will have pre-tracking briefing after which you will walk or drive to the trailhead for the start of an unforgettable adventure – hiking in the footsteps of the habituated family of chimpanzees.

En-route, your guide will enthral you with stories and facts about the forest and her other inhabitants including other species of primates and birds and other big mammals. Upon sighting the chimpanzees, you will spend an unforgettable one hour with them as they go about their daily life – feeding, playing, grooming, taking care of their young, howling and screeching, in their natural habitat. Besides the chimpanzees, you should also not miss out on the sightings of several other primates that call this forest their home including the black and white colobus monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, Grey monkeys. After the chimpanzee encounter which lasts an hour of pure enjoyment return to the park centre where your trekking efforts are rewarded with a trekking certificate.

Return back to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon you will enjoy a guided nature walk through the Bigodi wetland. This community walk will bring you closer to the local tribe that lives in this area and is about 4km in length taking 3-4 hours at birding pace. Accompanied by a local guide, who can tell you everything about the traditional customs and lifestyle, you will follow the village path and visit a primary school, traditional homesteads and learn more about the crops in the fields.

Accommodation: Turaco tree top or Primate lodge Kibale
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

DAY 4: TRANSFER TO BWINDI

Today we proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park home to half of all mountain gorillas in the whole world. We will pass through the rolling and terraced hills on Kigezi before joining the forests in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.  You will check into your lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

Accommodation: 4gorilla hotel or Rushaga Gorilla Lodge
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

DAY 5: GORILLA TREKKING IN BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast and with your packed lunch, you will walk to the park headquarters for briefing about gorilla trekking etiquette and experience. Your guide will take you through all the dos and don’ts while with mountain gorillas and after that, you will be transferred to the starting point of trekking your gorilla family.

Please note that gorilla family allocation depends on your interests, fitness and age. Please inform your guide of your interests and he will try to request for the gorilla family of your choice before you start the trek into the forest. Gorilla trekking can be strenuous and a certain level of fitness is required.  Gorilla trekking can take from 2 hours to 8 hours so one needs to prepare for both. During your gorilla trekking adventure, you’ll also enjoy the breath-taking natural scenery of Bwindi and a chance to see other fantastic creatures that inhabit Bwindi including monkeys, colorful montane butterflies, and unique forest birds that will have you wishing your trip was a little bit longer.

You will be allowed only one hour of photography and observing mountain gorillas as they go about with their daily day activities and then trek back to the park headquarters to pick your certificates and then have dinner and overnight at your Lodge.

Accommodation: 4gorilla hotel or Rushaga Gorilla Lodge
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

DAY 6: TRANSFER TO RWANDA

Today we will transfer to Rwanda, via Kabale – located in south western Uganda with beautiful green rolling hills and country sides. We will have a stop over in Kabale town for lunch before proceeding to Ruhengeri, Rwanda where you’ll spend the night.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 7: GORILLA TREKKING IN VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK

Having had an early morning tasty breakfast at the lodge, you will start your exciting morning drive to the Volcanoes National Park Headquarters for briefing by park officials and then begin your trek into the indigenous forest in search for the shy mountain endangered gorillas. This trek gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself into the strange but intimate part of the rain-forest where you will hear live calls of colourful birds, chattering of the rare golden monkey, as well as the forest filled with fresh spoor of the mountain elusive populations of buffalo and elephant.

Gorilla trekking tends to last from 2 to 8 hours depending on the day’s gorilla movement. The one hour of direct encounter with the gorillas brings you closer to these ancient apes and their gigantic structure. You will see them forage, play and also have a chance for photography before retreating to the starting point and connect to Gisenyi which is about 2 hours away. The Gisenyi beaches offer a remarkable evening experience like swimming, beach sports, and boat cruise among others. Retire for relaxation, dinner, and overnight

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 8: GOLDEN MONKEY TRACKING-DIAN FOSSEY HIKE AND TRANSFER TO LAKE KIVU FOR BOAT CRUISE

This morning you will gather at the parks head quarter for briefing at 8.30 am before embarking on golden monkey tracking and later hike up to Karisoke research Centre established by Dian Fossey, an American primatologist who dedicated all her life conserving the primates. You will return to your Hotel for lunch after which you will be driven to Lake Kivu 110km away for a boat cruise. This drive will be approximately 2 hours in duration.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 9: TRANSFER TO KIGALI & DEPARTURE

This is the last day for your trip, we will transfer to Kigali city for a small city tour in the morning including visiting the genocide memorial center, and other places. In the evening you will be transferred to the airport for your Departure trip.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch.

END OF TOUR