11 DAYS UGANDA AND RWANDA GORILLAS, CHIMPANZEES AND WILDLIFE SAFARI

After breakfast you will start with a visit to Nyamata genocide memorial site later visit Gisozi genocide memorial site and in the afternoon enjoy beautiful Rwanda Culture around Kigali city also visit to the Kandt’s Natural History Museum, dancing pots workshop

Wake up early from your hotel or residence in Kigali and have breakfast. The driver will brief you about the tour and let you know what to expect. After the briefing, the driver will start the 2-hour journey to Akagera National Park. Expect to pass through beautiful countryside with amazing hills. Once you arrive at the southern gate of the park, the driver will take you for hotel check-in and registration from the park offices. You will then proceed for the morning game drive with a park Guide. You should expect to see Zebras, Masai Giraffe, leopards, elephants, lions, buffaloes, rhinos and antelopes. The game drive will not be so long because you need to get back to your hotel for lunch as you prepare for the afternoon boat cruise.
The boat cruise on Lake Ihema is excellent for viewing birds, crocodiles, hippos and also land animals drinking on the shores. Among the bird species to look out for are the Shoebill Stork, kingfishers, fish eagles and cormorants. The boat cruise lasts between 2 to 3 hours after which you will be taken back to your hotel for relaxation

You should wake up early a take your breakfast as you prepare for an adventurous day tracking the primates. Chimpanzee trekking starts at 5 am. The reason why the activity starts early is because meeting the primates is not guaranteed. Starting early increases your chances of finding the primates. The Driver will take you to the park offices and visitor center in Uwinka for briefing and meeting the park Rangers/Guides who will be leading you into the forests. The Guides/Rangers will brief you about the rules and requirements for chimpanzee trekking. If there are many travelers booked for the day, you will be divided into two groups – One will start the trek from the Uwinka Visitor Centre and the other from the Cyamudongo area. There are about 500 chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest. As you enter into the forest, you will be welcomed by beautiful jungle noises of birds, primates and insects. Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest is just as unpredictable as gorilla trekking. The activity can take up to 4 hours depending on the location of the primates that day. Chimpanzees move as they wish and you will have to follow them through the forest. They are different from gorillas which generally stay in one place for longer periods of time. The good thing about chimps is that they are very vocal. Because of the constant loud screams, hoots and barks made by chimps, it is easy to pinpoint their location even before seeing one.
As you continue your search for the chimps, you will continue to encounter more beautiful scenery, birds, insects, butterflies, primates, waterfalls and so much more. The nature lover and birder will be very impressed even before finding the chimps. Once you find the find them in a stationary position, you will only be allowed one hour with them. This one hour excludes the time spent following them as chimpanzees can be very mobile. In that one hour with the primates, you should see them feed, play, build nests, mate and tease each other. Chimpanzees are our closest relatives – even more than gorillas. Each individual chimp has a unique character. Some are more aggressive while others are calm and mind their own business. After transfer to Butara.

Transfer to Bwindi Forest for your Uganda gorilla trek. You will enjoy an adventurous drive through the terraced hills as you access Uganda then to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park famous for its great mountain gorillas

In the morning, assemble at the park headquarters for briefing from the park rangers about the dos and don’ts while with the gorillas. Proceed for the memorable adventure in the forest, gorilla trekking may take 2-6 hours depending on the movement of the gorilla. Meet and stay with the animals for a maximum of one hour, then descend to the park headquarters and then to your Lodge for lunch and relaxation. In the evening, you may go for community walk in the nearby community, where you will be entertained and unique culture experience.

After breakfast as you prepare for a drive to Lake Bunyonyi. The first thing to do is enjoy the beautiful sounds of birds in the morning. The lake has an amazing collection of birds including the African harrier, egrets, grey crowned cranes, hawks, herons, levillant cuckoo, Rufus breathed wryneck, weaver birds and the white tailed blue monad among many others.
Afterwards, you can go to the hotel/lodge for lunch before proceeding for a boat ride or canoeing. You will be taken to visit the beautiful islands where you will get even better views of the lake, surrounding areas, rolling hills and terraces. Most of the islands are named after the dominant bird species there. One particular island is known as the punishment island. The Bakiga tribe living in the area once had a cruel culture of abandoning all girls who got pregnant before marriage in this particular island. They were left there to die since most couldn’t swim. Most of the girls were eventually rescued by the men who had impregnated them or bachelors who couldn’t who couldn’t pay the bride price required by parents of virgins

After breakfast, drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This drive will take you through the Ishasha sector if lack you may spot tree climbing lions as you drive to the northern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park and have evening game drive

After an early morning warm up tea or coffee, you will head for a game drive along Kasenyi tracks in search of animals like: lions, cape buffalos, elephants, warthogs, waterbucks, spotted hyenas, mangoose, kobs and, if you are lucky, the leopard is often spotted. Over 606 bird species have been recorded in this park and most notably along the Kazinga channel.
Return for a full breakfast, relax and prepare for yet another exciting activity in the afternoon. After lunch we will transfer you to enjoy a unique two hours boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel connecting Lake Edward and Lake Gorge. This launch cruise gives you a great opportunity for photography, animal and bird watching at close range

Get up ready for an early morning game drive. The park’s diverse ecosystem of grassy plains, tropical forest, rivers, swamps, lakes and volcanic craters is home to an incredible abundance of wildlife. Look out for buffaloes, lions, elephants and other wild life in their natural habitat and leave for Lake Mburo National Park. We shall have a stop in Mbarara town for lunch and thereafter heading out for a boat ride after lunch that gives you the chance to view water animals like; Crocodiles, Hippopotamus and water birds including; Fish Eagles, Pelicans, Black crake, Heron, Cormorant, and the rare shoebill stork

An evening game game drive gives you chance to spot the zebra, impala, eland and other ungulates. Bird viewing opportunities are excellent – for birders, this is one of the best places to find African fin foot, papyrus bush shrike.

After breakfast, you will transfer to Entebbe International Airport. You will a stopover at the Uganda Equator. Here you will be able to stand in both in the southern and Northern hemispheres at the same time. You will also have the opportunity to see water move anti clockwise. You will be dropped in time to catch your flight back home