10 DAYS UGANDA AND RWANDA

Arise very early in the morning for your game drive on the northern bank of the River Nile in your open-roof vehicle which will give you an excellent opportunity to view and photograph the diverse wildlife. Your guide will help you spot elephant, lion, cape buffalo, Roth child’s giraffe, hartebeest, waterbuck, oribi, bushbuck, bohor reed buck, hyena and if you are lucky, the leopard.

Alternatively you will do a hot balloon safari at a supplement of $380 per person.

After lunch, go for a boat cruise upstream the calm Victoria Nile to the base of the falls stopping just few of meters from the ‘Devil’s Cauldron’, marvel at the schools of hippos, crocodiles and over the 17km stretch you may see elephant, waterbuck and Uganda Kob. This is also the zone of many birds, species like goliath heron, Egyptian goose, pelican bee-eater, kingfisher, hornbill, cormorant and the rare shoebill stork. After taking shorts of the photogenic Murchison Falls, you may choose to continue to hike the top of the falls where you will have the amazing view of the falls! See where the Nile -world's longest river explodes violently through a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment to plunge into a frothing pool 43m below. Later, return to your lodge and relax in the evening.

After your morning breakfast, begin your journey to Kibale Forest National Park. You will do a game drive as you get out of the park. Here the drive is 8 hours , you may opt to fly to Kasese Airstrip and later connect to Kibale Forest, the supplement is $470 per person.

Drive south via Hoima to Fort Portal through verdant countryside passing through traditional homesteads, farms and Tea Estates. You will have a stopover for lunch en-route. You will arrive at you lodge in the late afternoon. Check in at your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

KIBALE FOREST NATIONAL PARK-DRIVE HOUR : Approx: 10-20 minutes to the start point

After breakfast at your lodge, transfer to the starting point of your Chimpanzee tracking experience in Kibale Forest National Park which is reputed to have the greatest variety and highest concentration of primates in East Africa. The most famous of its 13 species is the Chimpanzee, man’s closest relative. Kibale’s 1450 Chimpanzee represent Uganda’s largest population of this endangered primate. Kibale is also a home to the rare I’Hoest’s monkey. Other primates include the black and white Colobus, Blue monkey, Grey cheeked mangabey, Red tailed monkey, Olive baboon to mention but a few. So you will enjoy a guided nature walk in the tropical rainforest in search of the wild chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys and many others. Although chimp sightings are not guaranteed, visitors stand a good chance of hearing and seeing our distant cousins as they gloom and bond with one another.

Alternatively you may opt to do chimpanzee habituation experience by paying a supplement of $50, this exercise takes the whole entire day. Only 6 people are allowed per day and you will be sure to come face to face with these closest cousins of man. Advance booking is necessary for this option.

After a late lunch, head to Bigodi for an afternoon swamp walk. Bigodi was established by a local development organization to protect the 4sq-km Magombe Swamp that's home to around 200 species of birds (highlights include papyrus gonolek, White-winged warbler and great blue turaco). The highlight of this tour is catching a glimpse of the great blue turaco. The swamp is also good for spotting butterflies and primates, with eight different species here, including grey-cheeked mangabey. Experienced local guides who interact with the guests and make the trip both enjoyable and exciting lead the 2-3 hour guided walk.

After breakfast pack your bags and you will travel to Bwindi.The drive takes you through the Switzerland of Africa area known as the Kigezi Highlands with its terraced hillside and winding roads. Check into the lodge for dinner and your overnight stay.

Alternatively, fly to Bwindi at a supplement of $283 per person.

Bwindi forest is Located in southwestern Uganda, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is said to be Africa’s oldest rainforest. It is world-renowned for its excellent gorilla-sighting opportunities. The rugged landscape features dense jungle, cascading waterfalls, sparkling mountain streams, deep valleys and steep ridges. This untouched forest has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its breathtaking natural beauty and unique ecological significance. Aside from the amazing gorilla interactions, there are other drawcards such as a network of forest walks, over 340 species of bird to spot and a variety of butterflies. Don’t miss the opportunity to explore the spectacular Virunga Volcanoes.

After an early breakfast depart to the starting point for briefing about your gorilla trekking adventure after which you will be led by experienced gorilla trackers on the slopes of the volcanoes. You will start from the site where the gorillas were encountered the day before and from here the gorilla tracking begins.

Although the hike can be physically demanding, the anticipation of the exciting experience ahead is amazing, and the beauty of the gorilla forest and its inhabitants are fascinating. One of Africa’s major highlights is when you encounter these gentle apes. It is a humbling experience to stand just meters from man’s distant cousins as they eat rest, play and bond with their young ones. Follow the mountain gorillas as they range freely in the impenetrable forest, and discover their gorgeous natural habitual and the many species they share it with. You are allowed an hour with the gorillas before finally sloping down back to your lodge. If your trek was relatively short, you may have a guided nature walk around the lodge and the surrounding communities in the evening at the supplement of $35per person. Return to the lodge where you will enjoy dinner with your fellow travelers before getting a good night’s rest for tomorrow's safari adventure.

You may opt for Gorilla Habituation on supplement of $800 per person. Gorilla Habituation exeperience is where by you trek the gorillas and stay with them for 4 hours instead of 1 hour as its with Gorilla Trekking. Actually you are gone the whole day.

BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONALPARK -VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK-DRIVE HOUR: APPROX: 4-5 HOURS

After an early breakfast, you will be transferred to Mgahinga Forest to trek the golden monkeys. There are up to 4000 Golden Monkeys living in the shadows of the Virunga Volcanoes – no accurate census has been taken but it is known that they are not reproducing at a rate that will mean an increase in the population of Golden Monkeys.

The live in the Bamboo Forest zones of the Virunga Volcanoes and you do have to be in reasonable shape to hike up to their habitat which is a most rewarding experience. one of the families that has been habituated which means that they are now used to human beings without scurrying off into the forest when humans approach.

You will spend four hours in the morning where you will be guided to the bamboo forest by a guide, one thing of note is that the size of your Golden Monkey Habituation group will only be six in number.

Have lunch and later transfer you will be transferred to Volcanoes National Park, arriving in the evening in time for dinner at your lodge. From here you will start your Gorilla trekking tomorrow. You will check in your hotel.

VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK-10-15 minutes

Have breakfast and head straight to the park offices for briefing about the gorillas and allocation of gorilla groups and guides. Thereafter get into the tropical rain forest and search for the mountain gorillas starting from where they were the previous day until you find them. You will find them doing their daily chores of feeding their young ones, climbing trees and others just relaxing. Take your best photographs having switched off your flash. This whole exercise takes a maximum of 1 hour and then return to the park offices for your gorilla tracking certificate. Return to the hotel for lunch and some relaxation. In the evening you may visit the Banyarwanda village or go for nature walks then return to the hotel.

VOLCANOES NATIONALPARK -KIGALI NATIONAL PARK-APPROX : 2-3 Hours

Rise up early in the morning and have your breakfast and transfer to Kigali then embark on
Visit the genocide memorial site at Gisozi, the first house, the national museum at a supplement of $35 per person, visit coffee and craft shops, do some shopping and later transfer to the airport to catch your flight to the next destination.

Accommodation on the last day is booked at an extra cost.