10 Days Uganda Safari from Kigali
10 Days Uganda Safari from Kigali : Spend 10 days touring Uganda with this 10 days Uganda safari from kigali which starts and ends in Kigali city, Rwanda. This 10 days ultimate Uganda Safari from Kigali takes you to Bwindi Impenetrable national park in southwestern Uganda for gorilla trekking, wildlife viewing in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park, a game drive in Lake Mburo National Park and a boat ride on Lake Bunyonyi. Detailed itinerary is as follows;
Day 1: Pickup in Kigali and Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Your guide will pick you up from your Hotel in Kigali City and you will embark on a journey to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Along the way, you will visit top tourism sites in Kigali city like Kigali Genocide Memorial, Kimironko Market, and Caplaki Craft Village. Your will have lunch at Lake Mutanda Resort and later proceed to Bwindi where you will check into your accommodation for an overnight stay and dinner. Accommodation at Gorilla Friends Resort/Ichumba Gorilla Lodge/Buhoma Haven Lodge.
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking.
Today marks one of the highlights of your 10 days Uganda safari! Have an early breakfast at your lodge and proceed to the park’s headquarters in Buhoma/ ruhija or rushaga. Upon your arrival at the park, you will be welcomed by the head ranger at the park, sign into the park register and converge for a briefing. Actual gorilla trekking begins at exactly 8am after you have been placed into trekking groups. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi can take between 3-8 hours depending on how fast you are able to locate a gorilla group, and it also includes one hour of quality time spent with the gorillas. Make sure that you have got your camera ready for this memorable moment. After your gorilla trekking activity, head back to the park’s headquarters for your gorilla trekking certificate and then drive back to your lodge for dinner and relaxation. Alternatively, you can chose to go for a community visit to the neighboring Batwa communities or do the Batwa trail experience and later head back to your lodge.
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Have your breakfast very early today morning and check out of your lodge. You will meet your guide at the lodge’s reception and then proceed with your transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This national park is one of the largest and oldest national parks in Uganda, and is famous for its tree climbing lions which are located in the Ishasha sector of the park. Upon your arrival at the park, you will embark on a lion tracking experience. You will track down lions in the park with a team of expert trackers and researchers. Here you will be able to see the famous tree climbing lions of Queen Elizabeth national park, as well as other wildlife animals like Uganda Kobs, antelopes, topi, elands, warthogs and impala among others. Accommodation in Mweya Safari Lodge/Elephant Hub Lodge/Pumba Safari Cottages.
Day 4: Morning Game Drive and Evening Boat Cruise.
Have an early morning breakfast and proceed on a morning game drive in the park which begins at 6am and takes about 3-4 hours. Queen Elizabeth national park is a haven for game drives, pleasuring visitors with plenty of wildlife animals to see like lions, buffaloes, elephants, antelopes, duikers and so many more. This morning game drive will give you a great chance to view nocturnal animals like leopards, serval cats and other wildlife such as African savannah elephants, hyenas, Uganda Kobs, heart beasts, giraffes, zebras and many more. Queen Elizabeth National Park is blessed with over 612 bird species thus making it a great destination for birding activities. While on your game drive, you may spot birds like the African skimmer, Chapin’s flycatcher, Shoebill stock, the great flamingos and Pink- backed pelicans.
Return back to your lodge for lunch and in the afternoon, head out for an evening boat cruise along the Kazinga channel. The boat cruise starts at exactly 1pm and can take approximately 2 hours. During your boat cruise, you may sight lots of wildlife such as hippos, Nile crocodiles, elephants and some species of birds like the great flamingos, Shoebill stock, Ibis and so many others.
Later retire back to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 5: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park.
After breakfast at your lodge, you will proceed with your transfer to Kibale Forest National Park, located in the western part of Uganda. This national park, which was first established in 1932, is home to about 13 primate species that include; chimpanzees, Red Colobus monkeys, Vervet monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, and Black & White monkeys among others. You will have lunch en-route and proceed to drive to Kibale forest. Dinner and overnight stay at the Chimpanzee Guesthouse/Primate Lodge/Kyaninga Lodge.
Day 6: Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Forest & Bigodi Swamp Walk.
This is the day you have been long waiting for. Wake up to an early morning breakfast and proceed to Kanyanchu Visitors Center in Kibale Forest National Park. You will be welcomed by the head ranger at the park, sign in and then have a short briefing before you begin tracking chimpanzees. Kibale Forest National Park is home to over 1500 chimpanzees, thus making the park a haven for all chimp trekking tours in Uganda. Chimpanzee trekking activities in this park will begin at exactly 8am in the morning, and last between 2-5 hours. Once you have located the chimps, you will be given exactly an hour to spend with the chimps; so make sure you have your camera ready with you.
After your chimpanzee trekking in Kibale, you will head back to your lodge to freshen up, have lunch and relax. Later in the Afternoon, you will proceed to Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary which is just adjacent to the national park. Here, you will embark on a guided nature walk in the Swamp; where you will get to sight a number of bird species like; the Yellow-spotted Barbet, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Superb Sunbird, Black Bishop bird and the rare Shoe Bill Stock to mention but a few. There are about 138 bird species in Bigodi Swamp alone. Later head back to your lodge for dinner and accommodation.
Day 7: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park.
On the 7th day of your 10 Days Uganda Safari from Kigali, have breakfast at your lodge and later transfer to Lake Mburo National Park, which is one of the smallest national parks in Uganda. This national park is a great place for sighting Uganda Kobs, zebras, and elands among other wildlife species. You will have lunch in Mbarara town, and then proceed to the national park. Upon your arrival at the park headquarters, register and then head out for an afternoon boat ride on Lake Mburo. The boat ride takes about 1-2 hours and can be combined with an evening nature walk along the Kigambara loop. This loop offers visitors stunning views such as Lake Mburo, which marks the highlight of any nature walk in the park. Dinner and overnight stay at Rwonyo Campsite/Mihingo Lodge.
Day 8: Morning game drive and Horseback riding in the afternoon.
After having your breakfast, you will embark on a 2- 3 hour morning game drive in the park. While on your game drive, you will view wildlife like; buffaloes, zebras, waterbucks, warthogs, impala, topi, duikers, hyenas, reed bucks, over 100 elands and if you are lucky, some giraffes which are a recent addition to the park. After your game drive, you will head back to your lodge for lunch and afternoon rest.
Later in the afternoon, you will head out for a horseback riding experience around the park. This activity is offered by Mihingo lodge hence prior booking is required. Riding a horse will give you an opportunity to see stunning wildlife like warthogs, topi, impala, duikers, bushbucks, zebra and waterbucks. The lodge offers horse rides according to your riding ability; with beginners and inexperienced riders taking between 1:30 hours , while experienced riders can take a 3 to 4 hours ride. If you are not up for horseback riding, you can substitute this activity with other interesting options such as; Mountain biking, a Community visit, Guided nature walk or night game drive. Later retire back to your lodge for dinner and a good night’s sleep.
Day 9: Community visit and Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi.
We are nearing the end of your 10 days Uganda safari. Today you will be visiting the locals knowing about the their culture as well doing some of the most practices like milking of the ankole cows, ghee processing . You will get to see local craftsmen and women making traditional arts and crafts. While at it, do support the local community by purchasing a few items as souvenirs for yourself and loved ones back home. Later transfer to Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale district, in the South-western part of Uganda. You will have lunch at Bunyonyi Overland Resort, amidst the stunning, tranquil and uninterrupted views of the beautiful lake and its surroundings. Spend the rest of your evening relaxing at the lodge.
Day 10: Boat ride on Lake Bunyonyi and Transfer to Kigali.
Today marks the end of what we hope was an amazing 10 days Uganda Safari with us at Explore Rwanda Tours. Have breakfast at your lodge and then head out for a morning boat ride on Lake Bunyonyi. The lake happens to be the third deepest lake in the world, and it is popular for its 29 islands. You will take a boat ride on one of the traditional canoes and explore some of the popular islands on the lake such as ‘the punishment island,’ where young women long ago were abandoned to in isolation when they got pregnant out of wedlock. The lake is also rich with a variety of bird species, which you can get to view during your tour of the lake. Later transfer back to Kigali City in Rwanda and basing on your time of arrival in Kigali, you can opt to take a short tour of Kigali city or have your guide drop you off at your hotel. End of Tour.
