14 Days Uganda Safaris and Rwanda Tours
This 14 day Uganda Rwanda tours start with River Nile Rafting, then Rhino tracking, Murchison Falls National Park Game viewing and Launch Cruise on the Nile, chimps trekking and Bigodi Nature walk at Kibale National Park, nature and community tours at Semuliki Game Reserve, wildlife safari and launch cruise on Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park and gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The trip will be concluded with the Golden Monkey trekking and Dian Fossey hiking in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda before flying out of Kigali.
Full Trip Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive at Entebbe Airport in Uganda.
On your arrival, a driver guide will pick you from the airport to transfer to Kampala for overnight at Cassia Lodge, Le Petit Village or Serena Hotel Kampala.
Day 2: Full Day Rafting on the Nile River
After breakfast in Kampala, a waiting vehicle will transfer you to the briefing point on sidelines of River Nile near Jinja where you will arrive after a 1:30 hours’ drive.
Whitewater Rafting on River Nile covering 31 kms
In popular paddle-rafts, each person joins as a member of a team commanded by a professional guide. Paddlers are coached enthusiastically on how best to enjoy the waters plus safety aspects including the use of welfare kayaks that escort every rafting voyage. The professional safety kayakers are superlative paddlers who skillfully pilot their tiny boats through the precipitous waves of each rapid ahead of the rafts. When rafts turn over upside downcast or rafters are eroded overboard, the escorting kayaks are readily available to get people back on rafting air boats.
From the start, the expedition begins slowly whereby in the first few kilometers, the guides are able to train their crews the rafting process. When every member has learnt what to do, the real rafting begins. The sport is threateningly amazing as you go through wild falls, flipping into the waters when the boat overturns and swimming floatingly, then back on the boat. After a few miles, you are already enjoying the game as your confidence is continually built as you see other rafters visibly cruising on the river in their boats overtaking your boat and vice versa.
After rafting for about 18 kms, you will break off the morning session for lunch as it’s a biological fact that swimming stimulates hunger. After a pleasant lunch, the rafters are back to their boats again. You will enter Wild Waters Reserve which is a private conservation initiative to protect the exceptional flora and fauna of the mid-stream islands of the Nile. There is more time between the rough water but the rapids on the Nile become larger and more spectacular. In Active rapid (when the Nilometre is reading above 10 cubits) the rafts jump over a 4.5 metre waterfall, race downstream to the ever an astonishing show then vibrate timidly at the ‘BAD PLACE’. At Itanda, the young Nile gathers far too much power for rafts and you are forced to portage around the top of the rapid on land and then reflect on the huge hovel at the bottom-most.
However, the ‘BAD PLACE’ is optional (by choice) to whoever wants to raft through it as there are little chances of staying on the ship. Fearful rafters are free to jump into a service escorting boat that doesn’t overturn and passes through the known safer routes. While at the ‘Bad Place’, the raft confronts the huge breaking waves, regarded as maybe the biggest hole rafted commercially anyplace on earth. This point makes the most outstanding audiovisual footage as riders are frequently hurled in the air before trouncing the racing current and then swept lively downstream to the calm waters.
This then marks the end of the wonderful rafting voyage on the Nile usually covering around 31 kms. You will then after transfer to your accommodation for overnight. Stay at the Haven or Source of the Smile (Full board)
Day 3: Visit the Source of the River Nile and enjoy any optional activity.
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the source of the River Nile. It’s a fairy-tale familiarity to be at this place. Sense the lake winds, take photos and cruise on the boat. When you leave the source of the Nile, you have enough time to undertake optional activities in Jinja and these include: – Quad Biking
– Bungee jumping
– Horse Riding
– Nile Boat Cruise
In the evening, return to Kampala for overnight at Cassia Lodge, Le Petit Village or Serena Kampala.
Day 4: Travel to Murchison Falls National Park, Trek Rhinos enroute
After breakfast, start your trip to Murchison Falls National Park. On the way, you will visit rhinos at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. After 2 hours with rhinos, take lunch and continue driving to the park where you will arrive in the evening. Overnight at Red Chili Rest Camp,Pakuba Safari Lodge, Murchison River Lodge or Paraa Safari Lodge (Full Board)
Day 5: Enjoy a Game Drive and a Boat Cruise on the Nile
Take a simple tea with some snacks early morning and head for game drive to catch up with the early risers. You will likely spot animals that include the jackals, hartebeests, oribi, bushbucks, bohor reed bucks, hyenas, giraffes, lions, antelopes, elephants and the kobs among others. You will have a heavy breakfast after a game drive and then take a rest. After lunch, you have a soothing boat cruise on the Nile during which, you will observe animals like the buffaloes, hippos, crocodiles, elephants and plenty of water birds like the herons, cormorants, ducks, bee-eaters, kingfishers, skimmers, fish eagles, the rare shoebill and many more species along the water shores. Overnight and dinner at Red Chili Rest Camp, Pakuba Safari Lodge, Murchison River Lodge or Paraa Safari Lodge (Full Board)
Day 6: Drive to Kibale National Park, the habitat for Chimpanzees
Take an early breakfast and start a relatively longer drive to Kibale National Park going through a green and verdant countryside. Lunch en route and arrive in the evening. Overnight Mountains of the Moon Hotel in Fort Portal, Kibale Forest Camp, Chimps Nest, Primates Lodge or Kyaninga Lodge (Full Board)
Day 7: Do Chimps Tracking in Kibale Forest and later Bigodi Nature Walk
Have breakfast, move to the park offices for briefing about chimps trekking in Kibale forest. While in the forest, you will spot chimpanzees and other primates like the red tailed monkeys and colobus monkeys plus a number bird species and butterflies along the forest trails. After chimps tracking, return to the lodge and later have lunch followed by a nature walk in the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. Bigodi is found in Magombe swamp and very ideal for a walk. It has an array of biodiversity with primate species that include the red colobus monkey, black and white L’Hoest monkey, colobus monkey, grey cheeked, vervet monkey, mangabey, red tailed monkey, blue monkey and baboon. Other Mammals like Sitatunga, bush pigs, bush bucks, otters and mongooses may also be seen. Bigodi Wetland is a paradise for bird watchers as it boasts of 138 bird species according to records. In the evening, return for overnight at Mountains of the Moon Hotel in Fort Portal, Kibale Forest Camp, Chimps Nest, Primates Lodge or Kyaninga Lodge (Full Board)
Day 8: Drive to Semuliki, Visit Sempaya Hot-springs and the Pygmies.
Early morning, drive to Semuliki National park; view the beautiful Rwenzori Mountains ranges on your way. When you arrive in the park, you will visit the amazing Sempaya Hot springs and the pygmies in their homesteads. You may cook some eggs in the hot waters and eat them instantly. You will later drive back to Fort portal town for overnight at the Mountain of the Moon Hotel.
Day 9: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, enjoy a Restful Day.
Wake up late morning, have breakfast and drive off to Queen Elizabeth National Park. It is one of the biggest attractions in Uganda. Over 95 species of mammals and birds 600 species of have been recorded at this enormous park. It will take you 2-3 hours to be at the park. Overnight at Ihamba Lakeside Safari Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Katara Lodge or Enganzi Lodge (Full Board)
Day 10: Morning Game Drive and afternoon/evening Boat Cruise.
Wake up early, have some tea and accompaniment before going for a morning game drive in the park. You will have a chance to see hippos, elephants, spotted hyenas, lions, leopards, stripped jackals, bush bucks, water bucks and warthogs and many wild animals. After a game drive, go back to the lodge for a heavy breakfast and then relax. Later on after lunch, take a boat cruise on Kazinga Channel.
The spectacular Kazinga Channel is found in Queen Elizabeth National Park is a 40 km waterway that joins Lake George to Lake Edward. A two hour cruise along the channel enables visitors to see animals like hippos, elephants, buffalo, crocodiles and birds along the channel shores enjoying water. Return to the lodge in the evening after being overwhelmed with lots of animal and bird varieties during a cruise. Overnight at Ihamba Lakeside Safari Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Katara Lodge, Enganzi Lodge (Full Board)
Day 11: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, the home of Gorillas in Uganda.
In the morning after breakfast, advance to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, the home for mountain gorillas in Uganda. Overnight at Gorilla Mist Camp or Gorilla Safari Lodge (Full Board)
Day 12: Gorilla Trekking in Uganda
Take enough breakfast and transfer to the park offices for briefing about the rules and guidelines of gorilla tracking. You will then start hiking in the forest behind a professional guide and rangers. Coming across the mountain gorillas in Uganda is a thrilling experience. In 1 hour you are allowed to be with the gorillas, you will observe them keenly and take their pictures at a close range. Later in the day, return for a second overnight at Gorilla Mist Camp or Gorilla Safari Lodge (Full Board)
Day 13: Drive to Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park
In the morning after a wonderful breakfast, drive to Volcanoes National Park, the home for Mountain Gorillas and Golden Monkeys in Rwanda and a gravesite for Dian Fossey, an American primatologist. You will enter Rwanda through Cyanika Boarder post. Arrive at the park in the afternoon. Overnight at Muhabura Hotel, La Palme Hotel, Lebambou Gorilla Lodge or Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (Full Board)
Day 14: Golden Monkey Tracking and Iby’iwacu Cultural Village (Ex-Poachers’ Village) Walk
In the morning after a breakfast, you will transfer to the park offices for a thorough briefing about Golden Monkey tracking. Treks to spot Golden Monkeys are in the morning hours and visitors are allowed 1 hour to be with the monkeys. After this trek, return to the lodge. In the afternoon or evening, you will go for a community tour of Iby’iwacu Cultural Village (The Ex-Poachers Villages). The village is located in Nyabigoma cell, Kinigi Sector, Musanze district, Northern Province. At this village, you can discover the old-fashioned house of a local king, watch an authentic medicine man prepare herbal mixtures, try your hand at bow and arrow shooting or enjoy cultural dances and drumming performed by people from the local.
Day 15: Climb to the Dian Fossey Grave and drive to Kigali for a small City Tour.
In the morning after a satisfying breakfast, you will go to hike to the Dian Fossey grave, a renowned American gorilla scientist who dedicated much of her life learning about mountain gorillas and how to conserve them. Fossey undertook an extensive learning of mountain gorillas for close to two decades in Rwanda. You will reach her grave and learn more about her works and efforts she did to save mountain Gorillas. After this hiking, return to the lodge, take lunch and start driving to Kigali, the capital City of Rwanda, where you will arrive after a 2-3 hours’ drive. Time and energy allowing, you will visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, where over 250,000 people were hacked to death during the senseless 1994 genocide in Rwanda. You may also visit the Craft shops atNyabugogo and later be dropped at the airport or at a hotel in Kigali. End of the Tours