Name: 11 Day Escape into the Wildlands Safari in Uganda and Rwanda
Brand: Oikos Safaris
Price: 2650 USD
Availability: InStock

Uganda and Rwanda Safari

This trip will take to the wonders of Uganda and Rwanda through the primates and the wildlife. Embark on a journey of discovery with Oikos Safaris and witness the boundless horizons that await you. Oikos Safaris is passionate about making a perfect trip for you.

Key information

Private safari
Minimum of 2 and maximum of 28 persons
Starts in Kigali and ends in Nakitoma
English-speaking guides

Meet the guides

Seruma
Read more

Highlights

Daily game drives in a comfortable safari vehicle with a pop-up roof and 2 boat trips
See various primates, rhinos, birds species, etc
Enjoy gorilla and chimpanzee tracking
Experience golden monkey tracking in Rwanda or Uganda
Daily half-board meals are included
10 nights accommodation

Styles

10 activity days in English

The organizer also speaks: French, German, Spanish

Group size: 2-28 participants

Airport transfer included: Kigali International Airport (Kanombe Airport)

Accommodation

Check-in Time:

07:00

Check-out Time:

06:00

You will be staying in various lodges throughout the entire safari.

Night 0: Arrival day in Rwanda - Not included
Night 1: Rwanda - Amarembo Safari Lodge or similar
Nights 2 and 3: Uganda - Rushaga Gorilla Havens Lodge or similar
Nights 4 and 5: Uganda - Bush Lodge or similar
Nights 6 and 7: Uganda - Chimpanzee Forest Lodge or similar
Nights 8 and 9: Uganda - Tilenga Safari Lodge or similar

Program

Day 1: Arrival

Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport (KGL), you will be met by an Oikos representative to transfer you to your hotel, depending on the preparations, someone will also assist you with customs and immigration clearance. Thereafter, your driver/guide will transfer you to your hotel overnight. Accommodation is not included but Oikos recommends Great Season Hotel. Half-board meals are included on this day.

Day 2: City tour and transfer to Volcano National Park

This morning after breakfast, you will drive to Kigali town for a city tour where you will get to know Rwanda’s most beautiful and amazing city. You also get to learn about the country’s culture and history by visiting the cultural and historical sites of Kigali. Kigali is Rwanda’s capital city and was named by Doctor Richard Kandt in 1907, the first colonial governor of Rwanda. The city is built on several hills and valleys, thereby gaining the title “the land of a thousand hills” or Hilly City.

Places of interest include Genocide Memorial Centre and Church Genocide site to mention but a few. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant in town. Later in the afternoon, you will drive to Ruhengeri. The two-hour drive through the rolling hills of Rwanda takes you via the base of the magnificent volcanoes of the Virunga mountain range. Overnight at Amarembo Safari Lodge or similar with half-board meals included.

Day 3: Golden monkey tracking and transfer to the Bwindi impenetrable forest

This morning after breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel and taken on a golden monkey tracking experience. This rare species is listed as endangered and there are currently two troops of the monkeys which have been habituated to be visited by tourists in the park, both of which number around 80 members. The golden monkeys live in the bamboo vegetation towards the base of the volcanoes and have overcome their initial shyness to accept their daily visit by researchers and tourists.

You will trek to find the golden monkeys in a similar way to the gorilla trek - in a small group of no more than eight people, and you can spend one hour with the monkeys once you find them. They are very sprightly creatures, and leap from tree to tree which is really entertaining, if a little difficult to photograph!

Oikos Safaris recommends setting your camera to a fast shutter speed to allow for low light in the dense undergrowth and to better your chances of capturing the golden monkeys on film! After your tracking, you will drive to the Rwanda and Uganda border at Cyanika and then head to Bwindi's impenetrable forest for two nights. Overnight at Rushaga Gorilla Havens with half-board meals included.

Day 4: Gorilla tracking

This morning you will set off for gorilla trekking. Hiking through the thick, verdant, rainforest to eventually come across the gorillas in their natural habitat, is an amazing and unforgettable experience. Actual trek times can vary; these are wild animals after all. If time permits there is a diverse range of activities that are unique to Bwindi which you can participate in during the afternoon. Overnight at Rushaga Gorilla Havens Lodge or similar with half-board meals included.

Optional activities are:

Batwa trail: During this moving tour, the Batwa demonstrate hunting techniques; gather honey; point out medicinal plants, and demonstrate how to make bamboo cups. Guests are then invited to the sacred Ngarama Cave, once home to the Batwa King to be entertained by traditional music and dance.
Village walk: Overlooking the imposing hillsides of the Bwindi Impenetrable forest, with the mist swirling over the summits, this is one of the most dramatic settings for your cultural tour! Among others, meet a traditional healer, who not only treats the sick but uses his knowledge to conserve and educate about the various medicinal plants.
Bwindi Community Hospital: Started by a Canadian doctor, BCH revolutionized health care for the Batwa and the Bwindi community. This free hospital tour provides insight into the region and issues that the local community members face.
Waterfall walk: Walk along the Congolese border and Bwindi to see the magnificent waterfalls and the incredible scenery.

Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

After your breakfast, you will drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park to stay there for two nights; which boasts one of the highest biodiversity ratings of any game park or reserve in the world. Uganda’s second largest national park, the 1,978-square-kilometer park has everything from open savannah to rain forest.

Queen Elizabeth has over 100 mammal species and an astounding 606 bird species, making it a premier safari destination. Arrive in the evening and overnight at your lodge. Overnight at Bush Lodge or similar with half-board meals included.

Day 6: Morning game drive and afternoon boat

In the morning, you will have a game drive to the Kasenyi area to look for lion prides and other wildlife like the Uganda Kobs, before returning to the lodge for breakfast. In the afternoon take a cruise along the Kazinga Channel, home to one of the largest concentrations of hippopotamus, as well as herds of elephants, buffalo, and other wildlife that come to drink from the river.

The Kazinga also attracts a tremendous variety of bird species including the African Eagle, Open-Billed Stork, and Pied Kingfishers. Overnight at Bush Lodge or similar with half-board meals included.

Day 7: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

This morning you will have breakfast and you will proceed to Kibale Forest for two nights. Kibale is home to an extraordinary 13 species of primates, including chimpanzees, red colobus, and L’Hoest monkeys. Kibale National Forest has also recorded over 355 bird species and a range of other mammals including the elusive forest elephant. Overnight at Chimpanzee Forest Lodge or similar with half-board meals included.

Day 8: Chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi Swamp walk

After breakfast at the lodge, you will go for chimpanzee tracking along the network of forest trails. Seeing habituated chimps squabbling and swinging from the trees is an exhilarating experience. Later in the afternoon, you will have the opportunity to visit Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, which is rich in bird species, vegetation, and wildlife.

This is also a great opportunity to support local tourism initiatives which benefit social and economic development in the area. Overnight at Chimpanzee Forest Lodge or similar with half-board meals included.

Day 9: Murchison Falls National Park

After breakfast, your guide will meet you at your hotel and drive you to Murchison Falls National Park. After lunch, you will continue on to Murchison Falls, entering the park, you will drive to the top of the Murchison Falls. Overnight at Tilenga Safari Lodge or similar with half-board meals included.

Day 10: Morning game drive and afternoon boat trip

This morning, you will depart for an early morning game drive across the rolling plains of Uganda’s largest national park. The 3,893-square-kilometer park is home to a range of animals, and you will have a chance of viewing some of the park’s residents including lions, giraffes, hartebeest, buffalo, and elephants.

For the birders amongst you, these areas support the secretary bird and the black-chested snake eagle, to name a few. In the afternoon, go for a boat trip to the base of Murchison Falls, where the Nile thunders through a small 7-meter gap plunging 43 meters into Lake Albert. The banks of the Nile are densely populated with crocodiles, hippopotamus, and a range of other wildlife that come to the river to drink. There is also the option of getting off the boat and hiking up the side of the falls to the top. Overnight at Tilenga Lodge or similar with half-board meals included.

Day 11: Transfer to the airport Via Ziwa Rhinos

After your breakfast, you will be transferred to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Uganda’s rhinos became extinct in the early 1980s, after a period of civil unrest and heavy poaching. Ziwa was established over ten years ago to breed black and white rhinos and restore the populations in Uganda’s National Parks. Ziwa offers visitors the rare opportunity to take a walking safari with the rhinos and be only mere feet from them. Have lunch and continue to your next destination or you will be dropped to the airport.

Food

The following meals are included:

Breakfast
Drinks

The following drinks are included:

Water
Coffee

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Vegetarian
Lacto-ovo Vegetarian
Regular (typically includes meat and fish)

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

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