12-Day Rwanda-Uganda Gorillas & Chimp...

>> A Nyumbu Beyond Journeys representative will meet you on arrival at Kigali International Airport. After a brief welcome and introduction briefing you will be transferred to and thereafter be transferred to Hotel Des Mille Collines to check-in.

After settling in you will be taken to the Kigali Genocide Memorial and, if time permits, a city tour including food and Caplaki curio markets. Return to your hotel for a wonderful dinner and Overnight.

• Time: 8-10hrs
• Meals: Lunch & dinner (Breakfast not included) Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

•  Accommodation: Hotel Des Mille Collines > Luxury hotel located in Kigali (Rwanda)

>> After breakfast, you will head into town to visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial, which traces the history of the 1994 genocide. A moving visit. You will return to the hotel for lunch, then accompanied by your driver-guide, you will take the road to the Volcanoes National Park.

Once you arrive, you will visit the Ellen DeGeneres campus, which works to develop the gorilla population in the country. You will spend the night in a lodge within the park.

• Time: 8-10hrs
• Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

•  Accommodation: Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge > Mid-range lodge just outside Volcanoes NP (Gorillas, Rwanda)

>> Meet at 6:30 am at the park reception! You will be briefed on how to behave with the gorillas, before starting a hike that will last 3 to 5 hours. You will have the opportunity to spend an hour with the gorillas.

You will then return to the lodge for lunch, and the rest of the day will be free.

• Time: 8-10hrs
• Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

•  Accommodation: Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge > Mid-range lodge just outside Volcanoes NP (Gorillas, Rwanda)

>> On to Uganda! You will drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will check in at the lodge and have lunch.

You will have some quiet time to relax and at the end of the day, you will take a 4×4 ride to spot the tree-climbing lions and the wildlife of the park.

• Time: 8-10hrs
• Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

•  Accommodation: The Bush Lodge (Banda) > Mid-range banda located just outside Queen Elizabeth NP (Uganda)

>> Early breakfast (around 6:30 am) then you will go on safari and try to see lions, hyenas, elephants, buffaloes, elands… Then you will return to the lodge for lunch.

In the early afternoon, you will arrive at the Kazinga Channel. You will take a boat ride where you will once again have the opportunity to see many animals: hippos, crocodiles, warthogs and many water birds including the rare shoebill. You will then return to the lodge.

• Time: 8-10hrs
• Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

•  Accommodation: The Bush Lodge (Banda) > Mid-range banda located just outside Queen Elizabeth NP (Uganda)

>> You will spend a couple of hours after breakfast on yet another fantastic game drive before traveling to Kibale National Park, you will involve yourself in a salt mining community tour at Lake Katwe before heading to your next destination.

Lunch break is included at Garden Restaurant and the Toro Kingdom palace Tour and later in the evening check into your hotel

This drive takes us through the Kasese town with breath taking views of the Mountain Rwenzori ranges with greater chances of spotting snow-capped peaks fading into the cloudy skies.

• Time: 8-10hrs
• Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

•  Accommodation: Isunga Lodge > Mid-range lodge just outside Kibale NP (Chimps, Uganda)

>> You will start the day with a briefing with the rangers, in preparation for your trek to see chimpanzees. You will then go on a trek that will last between two and four hours with a local ranger, and you will have the opportunity to spend an hour with the chimpanzees.

You will then return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, you will visit a village and will be able to discover and interact with the community that lives there.

• Time: 8-10hrs
• Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

•  Accommodation: Isunga Lodge > Mid-range lodge just outside Kibale NP (Chimps, Uganda)

>> After breakfast, you will drive to Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda's largest national park. It is home to a variety of wildlife including four of the Big Five animals (lions, leopards, buffalo and elephants) and the rare shoebill.

Upon arrival, you will visit the top of the Murchison Falls, and admire how the Nile cuts its way through a narrow gorge and continues its 45-meter fall, creating a spectacular scene to watch. Then you will proceed to your lodge, where you can relax at the end of the day.

• Time: 8-10hrs
• Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

•  Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge > Mid-range lodge located inside Murchison Falls NP (Uganda)

>> Have an early breakfast, then tour the northern section of Murchison, which carries a high concentration of wildlife. Enjoy game viewing and photography of elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, giraffes, Uganda kobs, lions, and leopards plus a variety of bird species. Return to your accommodation for lunch as you prepare to have a 3-hour boat trip to the base of the falls. This trip is said to be the highlight of the safari in Murchison Falls since it allows you to get up close to the animal species in the water. Cruise past huge hippo pods, crocodiles and numerous aquatic birds adorning the north bank on the way to the mighty waterfalls.

Optionally, proceed for a hike to the top of the falls. The hike is a strenuous one but the thrill of reaching the top is unforgettable. Return to your accommodation for dinner and your overnight stay.

• Time: 8-10hrs
• Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

•  Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge > Mid-range lodge located inside Murchison Falls NP (Uganda)

>> After breakfast transfer from Murchison Falls National Park to Entebbe. You will have the chance to see lion, giraffe, hartebeest, buffalo, and elephant. You will experience Murchison Falls, the most powerful waterfall in the world. Murchison Falls is a birder's paradise, boasting 450 bird species, including the elusive shoebill stork (though a rare sighting), dwarf kingfisher, the white-thighed hornbill and the goliath heron, among others.

En route, make a stopover at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for your first Big Five experience, where you will have an hour of rhino tracking. After this, you will have your lunch and continue to the Entebbe and check into your accommodation to relax for the evening as you prepare for the next day's adventure.

• Time: 8-10hrs
• Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

•  Accommodation: Best Western Premier Garden Hotel > Mid-range hotelin Entebbe (City, Uganda)

>> Embark on a motorized wooden canoe ride through the papyrus-lined channels of the swamp. This is the most exciting part of the day as you explore the vast wetlands in search of the iconic shoebill stork, the main attraction.
Alongside the shoebill, be on the lookout for other bird species such as the papyrus gonolek, malachite kingfisher, African fish eagle, blue-breasted bee-eater, and a variety of waterfowl like herons and egrets.
As you glide through the swamp, the quiet atmosphere allows you to listen to the unique sounds of the birdlife and observe the wetland ecosystem at close range.

Shoebill Stork Spotting
The shoebill stork is the star attraction at Mabamba, and this time is dedicated to scanning the swamp to catch a glimpse of this rare bird. Your guide will use their knowledge of the area to lead you to the best spots where shoebills are known to hunt for fish.

• Time: 8-10hrs
• Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

•  Accommodation: Best Western Premier Garden Hotel > Mid-range hotelin Entebbe (City, Uganda)

>> For your last day of vacation, you will visit Kampala, see its monuments and visit cultural, religious and historical sites to immerse yourself in the cultural and historical heritage of Uganda.

You will visit among others the Uganda National Museum, the Tombs of the Buganda Kings, the Independence Monument, the Uganda Martyrs' Shrine, the Gadhafi Mosque, the Bahai Temple, etc. You will then be transferred to the airport. It's already the end of the holidays...

• Time: 8-10hrs
• Meals: Breakfast & lunch (Dinner not included) Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

•  Accommodation: No accommodation (End of tour)