8 Days Rwanda & Uganda Safari

Detailed Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrive in Kigali – Travel to Volcanoes National Park

On landing in Kigali, you will be welcomed by your driver-guide who will drive you to your accommodation while briefing you about the tour. After 2 hours, you will see volcanoes out of the window as your vehicle approaches a mountain lodge.

The evening will be restful at the lodge by the crackling fire awaiting the big encounter the following day.

Accommodation Options:

• Budget: La Palme Hotel
• Standard: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
• Luxury: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge

Day 2: Trekking Gorillas in Volcanoes – Drive to Nyungwe Forest

Before dawn, you are on a bamboo pathway with the misty air biting at your breath. A soft grunt followed by the rustle of leaves announces the arrival of a 500-pound silverback. One hour of this experience feels like mere moments.

The lunch break is followed by a van ride south through breathtaking views of tea plantations until Nyungwe Forest captures the last rays of the sun.

Accommodation Options:

• Budget: Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel
• Standard: Nyungwe Forest Lodge
• Luxury: One & Only Nyungwe House

Day 3: Trekking Chimpanzees in Nyungwe – Head Back to Kigali

Through dense, dripping greens, you are led by rangers who exclaim as the forest comes alive with the chatter of chimps. A young chimp approaches close enough to look right through my camera.

After brunch, we drive back to Kigali for a much-needed hot shower followed by Kigali-style coffee and the shimmering city lights.

Accommodation Options

• Budget: Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel
• Standard: Nyungwe Forest Lodge
• Luxury: One & Only Nyungwe House

Day 4: Kigali – Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park (Uganda) – Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise

This morning, we start with border procedures and drive through Uganda’s crater lake landscapes. In the afternoon, we embark on a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel.

Expect to see hippopotami, elephants, and fish eagles. As we approach your lodge, the savanna gleams a rosy pink.

Dinner is presented at the lodge. It is a cool and calm night.

Accommodation Options:
• Budget: Bush Lodge.
• Standard: Mweya Safari Lodge.
• Luxury: Kyambura Gorge Lodge.

Day 5: Game drive in Queen Elizabeth – Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

After breakfast, embark on a game drive and look out for elephants, hippopotamuses, antelopes, buffaloes, kob, and if you are lucky, leopards. Afterward, continue your drive to the highlands.

Depart through the Isasha sector and drive to Bwindi’s chill, moist forest arriving by evening to relax for the night.

Accommodation Options:
• Budget: Buhoma Community Rest Camp
• Standard: Silverback Lodge.
• Luxury: Mahogany Springs Lodge.

Day 6: Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi & Drive to Lake Bunyonyi

Another increasing adrenaline thrill as we track another group; this time it is located in Uganda’s part of Bwindi! Familiar yet different pulses and faces.

You know for sure that the time spent with the family will become another memorable experience of photography that will interest you to track their movements. The lake is placid while smooth through polish.

Accommodation Options:

• Budget: Lake Bunyonyi Rock Resort.
• Standard: Arcardia Lodge
• Luxury: Birdnest @ Bunyonyi.

Day 7: Lake Bunyonyi – Relaxation and Canoe Ride

Salutations to morning as your canoe spins on the sluggish lake; thin veil shrouding the surface. Hondurans in Africa are synonymous with easy living.

This includes but is not limited to tasting badminton and hoisting fishing nets while reclining in hammocks. Most importantly no need rush.

Accommodation Options:

• Budget: Lake Bunyonyi Rock Resort.
• Standard: Arcardia Lodge
• Luxury: Birdnest @ Bunyonyi.

Day 8 – Hills Back to Kigali & Departure

Starting the day on the deck for breakfast, followed by a beautiful drive across the border. In Kigali, there’s time for a quick flash of color at Inema Arts Center before your guide drops you at the airport.

With wheels up, memories packed: silverback eyes, chimp screams, hippo splashes, the hush of paddles on mirror water