Rwanda Uganda Gorilla Chimpanzee Trek Tour Primates Safari - 7 Days

Tour Plan for 7 Days Rwanda Uganda Gorilla, Chimpanzee Trek tour, Primates Safari

Day 1: Meet in Kigali and drive to Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

A Gorillas and Wildlife Safaris tour guide shall be meeting with you in Kigali (at your hotel or at Kigali Airport) to start the tour. The preferred is to set off at 8 AM but if you are arriving at Kigali Airport on this day, we can delay to set off as we wait for you to arrive. In all cases, we shouldn't be starting later than 3 pm.

Your tour guide shall be taking you on a brief tour of Kigali City. Major among the places you shall be visiting is the Gisozi Genocide memorial in Kigali, the local market and other significant places in Kigali. The memorial is very moving – the tour takes a couple of hours - and will be of interest to anyone who has spent some time in this enchanting country. It is in memory of the multitudes murdered in Rwanda´s genocide 1994. The memorial sites and centres are places of dignified remembrance for loved ones lost. It is also a place of reflection and learning for the wider community, both in Rwanda and internationally.

Afterwards, we shall be driving to Volcanoes National Park.  

Ranging in altitude from 2,400m to 4,507 the Volcanoes National Park is dominated by the setting of volcanoes after which it is named. Best known to the outside world as the place where for almost 20 years the American primatologist Dian Fossey under took her pioneering studies of mountain gorilla behaviour.

Our accommodation is ideally positioned for those who want to watch animals in their habitat, specifically the endangered Rwanda mountain gorillas that still roam these areas.  

Top Accommodation options in Volcanoes National Park (all on full board basis)

Upper Luxury: Virunga Lodge | Silverback Sabinyo Lodge | Bishop's House Rwanda

Luxury level: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge

Moderate: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge

Low Budget: Muhabura Lodge

Meals included today: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 2: Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park

Your tour guide shall be linking up with you over breakfast at the  lodge to transfer you to Volcanoes National Park offices for the pre-gorilla trek briefing. This briefing is meant to best prepare you for your special encounter with the mountain gorillas. You will learn more about the gorillas and the conservation efforts for the park amidst conflict with the neighboring communities. When the briefing is done, you will be allocated a gorilla group to track. Mountain gorilla live in family groups and on any given day, only 8 tourists can track such a group. You could suggest a preferred gorilla group to visit but the final determination to this is all in the hands of the Volcanoes National Park officers.

A thrilling trek through the refined foothills of the Virungas provides inspiring views of the volcano ranges in all directions. Then, suddenly, the trail enters the national park, engrossing trekkers in the strange closeness of the rainforest, alive with the calls of colorful birds and chattering of the rare golden monkey, and besieged with fresh spoor of the mountains' elusive populations of buffalo and elephant.

Through gaps in the forest canopy, the marvellous peaks are sighted, easily easy to get to and among the uppermost in Africa, indicating an ascent. Gorilla trekking is quite strenuous but a worthwhile on encounter of these gentle giants. The enthusiasm of your coming across with these apes will wipe away your intricacy of the strenuous trek.

Spend time watching gorillas, watch the adults feeding their young ones, brushing and resting as the youngsters play from vines in a pleasurably playful display.

Top Accommodation options in Volcanoes National Park (all on full board basis)

Upper Luxury: Virunga Lodge | Silverback Sabinyo Lodge | Bishop's House Rwanda

Luxury level: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge

Moderate: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge

Low Budget: Muhabura Lodge

Meals included today: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 3: Cross to Uganda, Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

We shall be departing from the lodge late in the morning on our way to cross from Rwanda to Uganda. The distance from the park to the Rwanda/Uganda border doesn't take more than 30 minutes to cover. After the crossing formalities, we have about two hours of driving to reach Bwindi Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Bwindi offers a dramatic, steeply forested landscape and is incredibly dense, but crisscrossed by numerous animals' trails allowing access to tourists. Of the exceptional 120 mammals species recorded include 11 primate species - the endangered mountain gorilla, rare golden monkey, types of buffalo, elephant, black-fronted duiker, bushbuck, leopard, giant forest hog and others; 310 species of butterfly, 51 reptiles, 200 trees, 88.

This park is best known for the fascinating gorillas. The time taken and the terrain vary according to the movements of the marvellous primates. The thrill of spending time and observing the gorillas is a rare moving, awesome and exciting adventure. The gorilla is a shy and peaceful animal and it is an unforgettable experience to watch and photograph them as they interact.

Bwindi Accommodation options available (all on full board basis)

Upper Luxury: Gorilla Forest Camp | Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge | Bwindi Lodge

Luxury: Buhoma Lodge | Mahogany Springs Lodge | Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge | Chameleon Hill Lodge or Gorilla Safari Lodge

Moderate: Engagi Lodge |Gorilla Mist Camp | Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge

Low Budget: Gorilla Conservation Camp | Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge | Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp

Meals included today: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 4: Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

This morning you have another special encounter with the mountain gorillas in a totally different setting. Although the gorillas in Volcanoes National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are of the same type, the habitat is quite different. This definitely affects the way the gorillas behave in front of tourists and the trekking experience as well. By trekking the gorillas a second time, you have all the time to take in the previously missed traits, take photographs in a different setting, but also enjoy hiking in a different jungle setting.

We trek through the rainforest and bamboo covered slopes, accompanied by a guide and trackers, in search of a mountain gorilla family.  When sighted, visitors will be guided to within 6 metres from the gorillas, sit around them for a whole hour while gazing into their big round eyes.

Bwindi Accommodation options available (all on full board basis)

Upper Luxury: Gorilla Forest Camp | Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge | Bwindi Lodge

Luxury: Buhoma Lodge | Mahogany Springs Lodge | Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge | Chameleon Hill Lodge or Gorilla Safari Lodge

Moderate: Engagi Lodge |Gorilla Mist Camp | Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge

Low Budget: Gorilla Conservation Camp | Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge | Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp

Meals included today: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 5:  Transfer to Kibale National Park for Primate trekking 

Early morning after breakfast we continue driving through the undulating highlands of southwestern Uganda on our way to the greener and beautiful Fort Portal area.

Traveling on both asphalt and unpaved roads, you pass through traditional Ugandan villages where you see people at work tending their traditional crops of millet, sorghum, beans and maize. The lush rolling hills of this region provide good photo opportunities.

As you approach Fort Portal in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains, you enter Uganda's famous tea plantation region. A carpet of green spreads before you, as far as the eye can see, and seems an unusual contrast to the countryside through which you have just passed.

Kibale Accommodation Options (Full Board)

Upper Luxury: Kyaninga Lodge | Ndali Lodge

Luxury: Primate Lodge Kibale | | Crater Safari Lodge

Midrange: Isunga Lodge| ensuite tents at Kibale Forest Camp

Low Budget: Tents at Kibale Forest Camp (with bedding and mosquito nets, shared bathroom) | Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse

Meals included today: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 6: Chimpanzee Trek & Primate Tracking in Kibale Forest

Your tour guide shall be helping you reach the Kibale National Park offices in good time for the briefing for your chimpanzee trekking. The is a trekking session at 8AM and another at 11 AM and you can pre-book either of them.

Unlike the rather hectic gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking is a mostly gentle walk through the forest jungles. We normally go for not more than 2 hours before reaching the chimpanzees. While on the walk to the chimpanzees, be on a careful lookout for the other primates species in the forest. This equatorial forest holds a higher diversity (12 species) and density of primates than any other African forest. Kibale’s primates include vervet, L’Hoest’s, red-tailed and blue monkeys, in addition to grey-cheeked mangabey, red colobus, black and white colobus, olive baboon and chimpanzee.

When you finally reach the chimpanzees, you will be allowed 1 hour with them. You will watch them as they go about with their daily life routine unbothered by your presence. The closest you can be allowed is 6 meters from the chimpanzees. You can capture as many videos and take as many photographs as you want with the chimpanzees in Kibale.  

You will the be guided back out of the forest. On this walk back, many have encountered herds of elephants, buffalo among other larger mammals in the forest; so be cautious on you way.

After having lunch at the lodge, we shall have another guided primates'  walk in a community conserved wetland bordering Kibale. The Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary has at least 9 primates species inhabiting it and several rare bird species. On the guided walk we certainly have a chance to encounter the other primates we could have missed out on the chimpanzee trek in Kibale. Also, expect seeing more birds as well as smaller mammals like the otters, mongoose, bushbucks, bush pigs and among others.

Kibale Accommodation Options (Full Board)

Upper Luxury: Kyaninga Lodge | Ndali Lodge

Luxury: Primate Lodge Kibale | | Crater Safari Lodge

Midrange: Isunga Lodge| ensuite tents at Kibale Forest Camp

Low Budget: Tents at Kibale Forest Camp (with bedding and mosquito nets, shared bathroom) | Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse

Meals included today: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 7: End the tour with transfer to Entebbe Airport (4 hours' drive) or back to Kigali (7 hours drive)  

 Some photos from this Rwanda Uganda Gorilla Chimpanzee  Trek Tour

Cost Inclusions for the 7 days Rwanda Uganda Gorilla Chimpanzee Trek Tour, Primates Safari

Included:

• All tour activities as indicated above
• Two gorilla trek permits per person (one in Uganda and one in Rwanda), but you could choose to do one and the other replace it with another activity we can suggest
• Kibale National Park chimpanzee tracking permits
• Sight seeing opportunities in Virungas, Lake Bunyonyi, Rwenzori
• Accommodation as per programme
• Park fees
• Entry fees
• Private transport using a 4x4 safari vehicle
• Complementary departure airport transfers
• Bottled drinking mineral water
• Meals indicated on programme