7 Days Rwanda-Uganda Gorilla & Wildlife Safari

This 7-Day Uganda and Rwanda Gorilla & Wildlife Safari takes you to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for gorilla trekking. This park in southwestern Uganda protects nearly half of the world’s mountain gorillas. You will also visit Akagera National Park for game drives and a boat ride. Later, explore Nyungwe Forest National Park, Rwanda’s top destination for chimpanzee tracking and canopy walks. This trip combines thrilling wildlife encounters with scenic landscapes and cultural experiences.

• 01

  Day 1: Pickup from Kigali and Journey to Akagera National Park

  Your safari begins with pickup from Kigali International Airport or your hotel. Meet your driver guide and travel east toward Akagera National Park, enjoying views of Rwanda’s rolling hills, rural communities, and beautiful countryside along the way. Upon arrival, proceed to your lodge, check in, and enjoy lunch before relaxing after your journey.

  If time permits, you can enjoy an optional evening game drive in Akagera National Park. Explore the savannah in search of wildlife such as zebras, giraffes, antelopes, buffaloes, and elephants. As the sun sets over the plains, return to your lodge for dinner and overnight rest.

  Meals: Lunch and dinner

  Accommodation: Akagera Game Lodge (Mid-Range) | Ruzizi Tented Lodge (Luxury)

• 02

  Day 2: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise

  Rise early for breakfast before heading into Akagera National Park for a morning game drive. Explore the park’s savannah plains and woodland habitats while searching for elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, and, with some luck, lions and rhinos. Your guide will help you identify wildlife and explain the park’s conservation efforts as you explore its diverse landscapes.

  After lunch, enjoy an afternoon boat cruise on Lake Ihema. Watch for hippos resting in the water, crocodiles along the banks, and a variety of birds around the lake. You may also see elephants and other animals coming to drink along the shoreline. After the cruise, return to your lodge for dinner and a relaxing evening.

  Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

  Accommodation: Same as Day 1

• 03

  Day 3: Drive from Akagera to Nyungwe Forest National Park

  After breakfast, depart Akagera National Park and begin the scenic journey southwest toward Nyungwe Forest National Park. Travel through Rwanda’s countryside, passing traditional villages, cultivated hillsides, tea plantations, and lively local trading centres. The drive offers a wonderful opportunity to appreciate the country’s landscapes and rural life as you make your way toward the montane rainforest.

  Enjoy lunch along the route before continuing to Nyungwe. Upon arrival, check into your lodge and spend the remainder of the afternoon relaxing or enjoying the forest surroundings. Your guide will brief you about the following day’s chimpanzee trekking experience and discuss the optional canopy walk, depending on the available schedule.

  Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

  Accommodation: Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel (Mid-Range) | One&Only Nyungwe House (Luxury)

• 04

  Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking and Optional Canopy Walk

  Begin the day with an early breakfast before travelling to the designated starting point for chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe Forest National Park. After a briefing by park guides, enter the rainforest in search of a habituated chimpanzee community. Follow your guides along forest trails, listening for chimpanzee calls and watching for other primates, colourful birds, and fascinating forest plants. The duration of the trek depends on the chimpanzees’ movements and location.

  After the trek, return to your lodge for lunch and some relaxation. If the schedule and weather permit, enjoy an optional afternoon canopy walk along the suspended walkway high above the forest floor. Take in sweeping views of the rainforest canopy while looking for birds and other wildlife among the treetops. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight rest.

  Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

  Accommodation: Same as Day 3

• 05

  Day 5: Drive from Nyungwe Forest to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

  After breakfast, depart Nyungwe Forest and begin the journey toward Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda. Travel through Rwanda’s beautiful countryside toward the selected border crossing, complete the immigration formalities, and continue into southwestern Uganda. Your driver guide will help coordinate the border arrangements and onward journey toward the appropriate gorilla trekking sector in Bwindi.

  Enjoy lunch along the way as you travel through mountainous landscapes, rural communities, terraced hillsides, and scenic valleys. Depending on your chosen Bwindi sector and border crossing, the journey can take several hours. Arrive at your lodge later in the afternoon or evening, check in, and relax ahead of the following day’s mountain gorilla trekking experience.

  Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

  Accommodation: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge (Mid-Range) | Gorilla Leisure Lodge (Luxury)

• 06

  Day 6: Gorilla Trekking and Optional Batwa Cultural Experience

  Enjoy an early breakfast before travelling to the gorilla trekking headquarters for a briefing by Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger guides. After receiving your gorilla family allocation, enter Bwindi’s ancient rainforest and follow your guides through dense vegetation and forest trails in search of mountain gorillas. The trek can take several hours, depending on the gorillas’ location, terrain, and weather conditions. Once you find them, spend the permitted viewing time observing their behaviour in their natural habitat.

  After returning from the forest, receive your gorilla trekking certificate and travel back to your lodge for lunch and relaxation. In the afternoon, you may enjoy an optional Batwa cultural experience, learning about the Batwa people’s traditional forest heritage through storytelling, music, dance, and community interaction. Return to your lodge for dinner and your final night in the Bwindi area.

  Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

  Accommodation: Same as Day 5

• 07

  Day 7: Drive from Bwindi to Kigali and Optional City Tour

  After breakfast, leave Bwindi and travel toward the Uganda Rwanda border. Complete the immigration formalities and continue through Rwanda’s scenic countryside toward Kigali. Along the way, enjoy views of rolling hills, villages, cultivated landscapes, and local communities. The journey generally takes around four to five hours from the border area, although the total travel time depends on your lodge location, border crossing, and road conditions.

  If your international flight departs later in the day, you may enjoy an optional Kigali city tour, with visits to selected attractions such as the Kigali Genocide Memorial, local craft markets, or other places of interest, subject to available time and opening hours. Afterwards, transfer to Kigali International Airport for your departure flight, bringing your seven day Rwanda and Uganda safari to an end.

  Meals: Breakfast and lunch

  Accommodation: None-Unless Requested