11 days Primates of Uganda and Rwanda Safari

Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe

You will arrive at Entebbe International Airport, located on a peninsula that juts out into the largest fresh-water lake in Africa (Lake Victoria), where our driver-guide will welcome you and transfer

you to the hotel for an overnight stay. On arrival at the hotel, the driver-guide will brief you about the tour and also advise you on the time of departure for day 2.

Mid-range Accommodation: The Boma Entebbe, Best Western Premier Hotel or 2Friends Beach Hotel.

_{Luxury Accommodation: Protea Hotel Entebbe or Hotel Number 5.}

Day 2: Drive to Kibale National park

After breakfast, we start the journey to Kibale National Park as we enjoy the beautiful scenery Mubende, Kyenjojo and Fort Portal. This is a 5-6 hour drive will also take us through the spectacular views of tea plantations and local home and some forestry. You will have a stopover in Fort portal town for a brief stretch and then proceed to Kibale National Park arriving at the lodge in time for lunch. You will spend the rest of the day relaxing at the lodge.

Travel time: ± 6 hours

Mid-range Accommodation: Turaco Treetops or Kibale Tourist Safari Lodge

Luxury Accommodation: Primate Lodge or Chimpundu Lodge

Day 3: Chimp Trekking and Bigodi Swamp Walk

After your breakfast, your driver-guide will drive you to Kibale Forest National Park headquarters at Kanyanchu for a briefing before you commence your chimpanzee trekking. This park is reputed for having the greatest variety and highest concentration of primates in East Africa. On the guided nature walk, you will not only spot Chimpanzees but also Red-tailed monkeys, Black and White Colobus Monkeys, and many others. Once you locate the Chimpanzees, you will spend a full hour with them at close quarters. After the mandatory 1 hour is finished, your guides/rangers will lead

you back to the park headquarters and later return to the lodge for a hot lunch. Then later in the afternoon, you will go for a walk through the Bigodi swamp which a community based project aimed at preserving the environment. Besides a visiting the local community, the swamp is also a haven to over 138 bird species such as the Great Blue Turaco as well as animals like Bushbucks and Sitatungas.

Mid-range Accommodation: Turaco Treetops or Kibale Tourist Safari Lodge

Luxury Accommodation: Primate Lodge or Chimpundu Lodge

Day 4: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable NP

This morning, you will commence your transfer by road to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park - the home of mountain gorillas. The journey will take via Kamwenge, Ibanda and Mbarara towns, then to Ntungamo, Kabale towns with a stopover at the beautiful Lake Bunyonyi for lunch as you enjoy the spectacular views of the lake. After lunch, you will continue with the journey to Rushaga, the Southern sector branching off at Muko, you will take a bad murram road that will give you an African massage but also beautiful views of the Virunga ranges on a clear day as well as local homesteads and plantations of irish potatoes plus beans. Upon arrival, you will check in at the lodge and spend the rest of the day relaxing as you prepare to the next day’s activity.

Travel time: ± 7 hours

Mid-range/Luxury Accommodation: Gorilla Leisure Lodge

Day 5: Gorilla Trekking Experience in Bwindi

Very early in the morning after breakfast, you will carry your packed lunch and be at the park ranger station by 7.30am for registration and briefing and start the Gorilla trekking experience at around 8:00am. This remarkable experience of searching for the famous Mountain Gorillas is strenuous thus requires one to be physically fit, however, the thrill of encountering these humble and gentle

giants erases the poor memories you went through while finding them. The trekking takes 2-9 hours depending on the movement of the Gorillas in the jungle and you will spend one hour with them as you take photos and learn about their behaviors. After the trekking, we will return to the lodge where will spend the rest of the day relaxing or go for an optional activity that is;

-     Batwa Trail Experience at USD $80 per person

-     Hike to the waterfall inside the park at USD $75 per person

-     Nature walk inside the park at USD $75 per person

-     Hike to the waterfall outside the park at USD $35 per person

-     Nature walk outside the park at USD $35 per person

Mid-range/Luxury Accommodation: Gorilla Leisure Lodge

Day 6: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park - Rwanda

After breakfast, you will embark on the journey to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda via Cyanika border. During the drive, you will get to enjoy the beautiful views of the Virunga volcanoes, local homesteads and greenery of the region. Once at the lodge, you in Volcanoes, you will check-in, take a short rest and have lunch. Then later in the afternoon, there are some activities you can do at Iby’iwacu cultural village or visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.

Travel time: ± 3 hours

Mid-range accommodation: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge or Ingagi Lodge

Luxury accommodation: Virunga Lodge or Wilderness Sabyinyo

Day 7: Gorilla Trekking Experience in Volcanoes NP

Early in the morning after breakfast, we will transfer you to the park headquarters for briefing and then later you will enter the rainforest and along the montane slopes of Virunga. This remarkable experience of searching for the famous Mountain Gorillas is strenuous thus requires one to be physically fit, however, the thrill of encountering these humble and gentle giants erases the poor memories you went through while finding them. You will spend one hour with them as you take photos and learn about their behaviors. Depending on how long it takes to track the gorillas

you will be either back at the lodge for a late lunch or dinner and then spend the rest of the day relaxing at the lodge.

Mid-range accommodation: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge or Ingagi Lodge

Luxury accommodation: Virunga Lodge or Wilderness Sabyinyo

Day 8: Golden Monkey Trekking and transfer to Lake Kivu

Today you will be taken from one side of the national park to another, here you will be taken on a guided walk into the thick bamboo thickets in search of the one of the rarest and most beautiful of all African primates with black limbs, tail tips and crown. Volcanoes National Park has a Golden Monkey population of around 200 individuals that has been studied and habituated since 2002. After tracking, we will embark on the journey to the beautiful Lake Kivu arriving later in the afternoon. Upon arrival, you will check in and then head out for a boat ride on this beautiful lake before

returning to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Travel time: ± 3 hours

Mid-range accommodation: Kivu Lodge

Luxury accommodation: Lake Kivu Serena Hotel

Day 9: To Nyungwe Forest National Park (Rwanda)

On this day you will have a late breakfast and leave Lake Kivu at leisure for Nyungwe Forest National Park with a stop in Butare for lunch and a visit to a very nice ethnographic museum. After lunch

you will continue with the journey to Nyungwe forest arriving later in the afternoon. As you drive through the park, you should be able to see some beautiful Angolan colobus monkeys and other primates.

Travel time: ± 3 hours

Mid-range accommodation: Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel

Luxury accommodation: Icayi Songa Lodge

Day 10: Chimp Trekking and Canopy Walk

Today you will once again enter the rainforest, an exceptional place for primates and boasting 13 species (20% of Africa's total). This morning you will track down a troop of chimpanzees to learn more about the behaviors. In the afternoon, you will go for a canopy walk through this beautiful rain forest. Here, you will have a chance of spotting some of the other primate species, birds and mammals that inhabit the forest. This forest is home to about 275 species of birds of which an impressive 25 are endemic, 270 species of trees and shrubs, 100 different orchids and many large mammals such elephants, leopards, servals, golden cats, bush pigs and black-fronted duiker. There are loads of walking tracks in the park and the experienced guides will show you the best ones for particular wildlife. Thereafter, we will bring you back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Mid-range accommodation: Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel

Luxury accommodation: Icayi Songa Lodge

Day 11: To Kigali/Departure (Home)

This morning you will have breakfast and then embark on the journey to Kigali, where you will be transferred to the airport for check-in for your flight back home.

Accommodation: None

Travel time: ± 6 hours

Meals - Breakfast and Lunch only