Highlights
- Game drives
- Boat ride on Kazinga channel
- Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park
- Gorilla trekking in Bwindi National Park
- Kigali City tour
Itinerary
Day 1 – Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Prepare for pick-up at 7.00am and start the 8 hour journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Drive through the central region that has a relatively flat terrain and largely covered by savanna grasslands. We get to the western region and get a chance for great wildlife sightings as you drive through Lake Mburo National Park. You get a chance to view lots of zebras and impalas grazing side by side with herds of long-horned cattle. There are lots of crested cranes and other bird species. You continue to Mbarara town for a lunch break at Agip Motel. Continue and get to Queen Elizabeth National Park with breathtaking views of beautiful crater lakes grassy hills. Immediately do a game drive for wildlife sightings. From the game drive continue and check in at the Bush Lodge/Mweya Safari Lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 2 – Game drive, Boat ride
Be up for breakfast at 6.30am, and start the game drive by 7am. With this early morning game drive you get a chance to catch the early risers and hunters/nocturnal before they return to their hideouts. Expect to view lots elephants, buffalos, lions, hippos grazing, lots of giant forest hogs, baboons, bushbucks, waterbucks and hopefully leopards and hyenas. After more than three hours of great wildlife sightings you drive back to the lodge for lunch and brief relaxation. The Kazinga channel has high concentration of wildlife along its banks that come to drink, cool off and eat fresh grass. Set out for the 3pm boat ride on the Kazinga. A relaxing ride of about two hours you view lots of wildlife up-close. The channel is host to lots of hippos, buffalos, elephants, monitor lizards, crocodiles and one of the highest concentration of bird species in the world. After this thrilling boat ride we retire to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Days 3 – Transfer to Bwindi National Park
Be up for breakfast at 6.30, check out and go for yet another exiting game drive. Expect to increase your game count and view lots of other fascinating features. Finish the game drive and transfer to Bwindi National Park. We check out of Queen Elizabeth National Park and drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Check in at Buhoma Community Rest Camp.
Day 4 – Gorilla Trekking, Lake Bunyonyi
Be up by 7.00am for breakfast, grab your packed lunch and transfer to the park offices for briefing. The gorilla trekking expedition then starts at about 8am and could last from a few minutes to several hours depending how fast you locate your assigned gorilla family. After the gorilla experience you drive to Lake Bunyonyi, check it at Bunyonyi Overland Resort. This is the best place to relax and unwind after the strenuous gorilla trek in Bwindi. You shall dinner and overnight.
Day 5 – Transfer to Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
Be up at 6.30am for breakfast, check out and travel to Rwanda via the Cyanika boarder and continue to Volcanoes National Park. Other alternative accommodations include Muhabura Hotel, Hotel la Palme, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Day 6 – Gorilla Trekking
Check in at Kinigi Guest House for dinner and overnight.
Be up as early as 6.00am, get ready in your trekking attire, have breakfast and transfer to the park office. Assemble with the rest the group for briefing after which you are transferred to the starting point of the trek. The trek is quite strenuous climbing steep and slipper grounds and going through thick forest cover. The time taken to locate the gorillas varies from a few minutes to several hours. Chances of not locating them are very minimal. In fact by the time you start the trek the park rangers have an idea of where to find them basing on their movement habits and their known location the previous day. When you finally locate them you are allowed no more than one hour to observe and photograph them. After the trek you return to the lodge for relaxation and overnight.
Day 7 – Transfer back to Kigali, City tour
After breakfast check out and travel to Kigali. Do a tour of the city with a visit to the genocide memorials sites, markets and shopping malls. After the tour shall be dropped off to a preferred location or transferred to the airport for your flight.
Additional Information
Inclusions
- 6 breakfast, 7 lunches and 6 dinners
- private safari vehicle
- gorilla permits
- services of an english-french speaking driver-guide
- accommodation in comfortable self-contained cottages
Equipment Required
Specialist gear required include a day pack and hiking boots
What You Carry
In your daypack you will need to carry light and heavy clothes, water bottle, camera gear.