11 Days Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania Gorilla Trekking and Wildlife Safari

After breakfast at your hotel in Kigali, meet your professional safari guide for a briefing before beginning your exploration of Rwanda's capital. Visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial to learn about the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and pay your respects to the victims. The visit provides important historical context and insight into Rwanda's journey towards reconciliation and recovery.

Afterwards, travel northwest through Rwanda's beautiful countryside towards Volcanoes National Park. The scenic drive takes you past terraced hills, rural communities and traditional villages, with the dramatic Virunga volcanic mountains gradually appearing on the horizon.

Upon arrival, visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, subject to opening hours and availability. Discover the organisation's conservation work and the legacy of Dian Fossey, whose pioneering research helped advance mountain gorilla protection.

Continue to Gorilla Guardians Village for an introduction to Rwandan cultural traditions through local performances, demonstrations and community experiences. Later, check in at your lodge and enjoy dinner surrounded by the beautiful landscapes of the Virunga region.

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After breakfast, proceed to the Kinigi park headquarters for your primate experience in Volcanoes National Park.

Your included activity is golden monkey trekking, an exciting opportunity to observe these endangered primates in their natural habitat. Accompanied by park guides, follow forest trails in search of golden monkeys as they move through the bamboo vegetation, feed and interact with one another.

Alternatively, you may upgrade to mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda for an additional permit cost of US$1,500 per person, subject to availability and confirmation at booking. This option offers an extraordinary encounter with a habituated mountain gorilla family in the forested slopes of the Virunga Mountains.

After your trek, return to the lodge area for lunch before crossing into Uganda. Complete the necessary immigration formalities and continue towards the Lake Mulehe and Mgahinga region of southwestern Uganda.

Arrive at your lodge, settle in and enjoy the tranquil mountain scenery as you prepare for the following day's gorilla trekking experience.

Meal plan

Today brings one of the most memorable highlights of your East African safari: mountain gorilla trekking in Uganda.

After an early breakfast, transfer to the designated park headquarters for a briefing from Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers. Learn about gorilla behaviour, trekking guidelines and the importance of conserving these endangered primates before entering the forest with experienced guides and trackers.

Depending on your confirmed permit location, you will trek in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Both destinations offer exceptional opportunities to encounter mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, although the terrain, vegetation and trekking conditions differ.

Follow forest trails through dense vegetation as your guide helps locate a habituated gorilla family. The trek may last several hours, depending on the gorillas' movements and location. Once the family is found, you will generally have up to one hour to observe the gorillas at the permitted viewing distance.

Watch as they feed, groom, rest and interact within their family groups, creating a remarkable wildlife experience and a deeper appreciation of conservation efforts in the Virunga region.

After the trek, return to your lodge for a well-earned rest, dinner and an evening surrounded by southwestern Uganda's peaceful mountain landscapes.

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After breakfast, depart the gorilla trekking region and travel towards Lake Bunyonyi, one of Uganda's most scenic highland destinations.

Enjoy a picturesque drive through the rolling hills of southwestern Uganda, passing terraced farmland, banana plantations, rural settlements and valleys covered in lush vegetation. The changing landscapes provide excellent opportunities for photography and an insight into everyday life in this part of the country.

Upon arrival at Lake Bunyonyi, check in at your lodge and admire the spectacular views of the lake, whose calm waters are dotted with numerous islands and surrounded by steep green hills.

Spend the afternoon relaxing at the lodge or enjoying the tranquil lakeside atmosphere. Depending on the lodge's facilities and the activities arranged, you may choose to add a canoe excursion, boat trip or community visit.

Lake Bunyonyi offers a peaceful contrast to the excitement of gorilla trekking and provides a welcome opportunity to unwind before continuing your journey through Uganda.

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After breakfast, leave Lake Bunyonyi and travel towards Kalinzu Forest Reserve, an important forest habitat in southwestern Uganda known for its chimpanzees and diverse wildlife.

Upon arrival, meet your local forest guide for a chimpanzee tracking excursion. Follow established trails through the tropical forest in search of habituated chimpanzee communities. Along the way, listen for calls echoing through the canopy and look out for other primates, colourful forest birds, butterflies and distinctive forest vegetation.

Chimpanzee tracking offers a different perspective on Uganda's primate diversity, complementing your mountain gorilla experience with an opportunity to observe our closest living relatives in a forest environment.

After the excursion, continue to Mbarara, a major town in southwestern Uganda surrounded by farmland, rolling hills and traditional cattle-keeping communities.

Arrive at your lodge for dinner and relaxation.

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Begin the day with an early breakfast before departing Mbarara at approximately 06:00 for the journey towards the Mutukula border between Uganda and Tanzania.

Travel through the countryside towards Lake Victoria, enjoying views of rural settlements and agricultural landscapes along the way. At the border, complete the required immigration and customs formalities before continuing into Tanzania.

Proceed towards Bukoba, a lakeside town on the western shore of Lake Victoria, according to the confirmed transport arrangements. From Bukoba, take a domestic flight to Mwanza, subject to the operating schedule and ticket availability.

Upon arrival in Mwanza, meet your local representative and transfer to your lakeside accommodation. Known for its striking granite rock formations and expansive views over Lake Victoria, Mwanza offers a relaxing introduction to Tanzania before your safari begins.

Spend the evening at leisure, enjoying the resort surroundings and, weather permitting, a beautiful sunset over the lake.

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After breakfast, depart Mwanza and travel towards Serengeti National Park, one of Africa's most celebrated wildlife destinations.

Your route and park entry point will be selected according to the season, road conditions and the location of the Great Wildebeest Migration, where practicable. The Serengeti supports an extraordinary variety of wildlife, including lions, elephants, leopards, buffaloes, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras and numerous antelope species.

Game viewing begins as you enter the park, with opportunities to stop for wildlife sightings and photography along the way. Depending on your arrival route and the day's conditions, your guide will seek out areas offering the best available opportunities to observe animals in their natural habitat.

The Serengeti is particularly famous for the annual movements of wildebeest and zebras across its grasslands. Although migration locations change throughout the year, your itinerary will be planned with seasonal wildlife movements in mind.

Arrive at your tented camp, settle in and enjoy dinner beneath the vast African sky.

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Spend a full day exploring Serengeti National Park on morning and afternoon game drives with your experienced safari guide.

Set out early to take advantage of the cooler morning hours, when many animals are active. Search for lions resting after a hunt, cheetahs scanning the open plains, elephants moving between feeding areas and giraffes browsing among scattered trees. Your guide will also help identify smaller mammals, birds and the different antelope species that form an essential part of the Serengeti ecosystem.

Depending on the season and the location of the herds, you may encounter large concentrations of wildebeest and zebras as they move across the plains in search of fresh grazing and water. River crossings occur only in particular areas and periods, so sightings cannot be guaranteed.

Enjoy a picnic lunch in the wilderness before continuing your afternoon game drive. The Serengeti's varied landscapes, from open grasslands to rocky outcrops and wooded riverbanks, offer constantly changing wildlife-viewing opportunities.

Return to camp in the late afternoon for dinner and relaxation after a rewarding day in the African bush.

Meal plan

Rise early for a morning game drive in the Serengeti, making the most of the cooler temperatures and the opportunity to observe wildlife as the day begins.

Continue exploring selected areas of the park, looking for predators, grazing herds and other animals that inhabit the savannah. Your route will depend on recent sightings, the distance to your exit gate and the conditions of the park tracks.

Later, leave the Serengeti and travel towards the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Along the way, the scenery gradually changes from open plains to rolling hills and the greener landscapes of the Ngorongoro Highlands.

Arrive at your lodge and enjoy time to relax before your crater safari the following day. The highland setting provides a beautiful contrast to the expansive Serengeti plains and prepares you for another exceptional wildlife experience.

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After breakfast, travel to the Ngorongoro Crater for a spectacular wildlife safari in one of Tanzania's most remarkable natural landscapes.

Descend into the crater, a vast volcanic caldera whose grasslands, woodland, wetlands and freshwater areas support an impressive concentration of wildlife. Accompanied by your guide, explore the crater floor in search of lions, elephants, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest, spotted hyenas and hippos.

Ngorongoro is also one of the important places to look for the endangered black rhinoceros, although sightings are never guaranteed. The crater's diverse habitats support abundant birdlife, with flamingos and other waterbirds sometimes visible around suitable wetlands.

Enjoy a picnic lunch at a designated site before continuing your game drive through this extraordinary ecosystem. The combination of open grasslands, dramatic crater walls and varied wildlife makes Ngorongoro one of the highlights of a northern Tanzania safari.

In the afternoon, ascend from the crater and continue to Karatu, a town surrounded by fertile farmland and green highlands. Check in at your lodge and relax after a memorable day of wildlife viewing.

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After breakfast, depart for Tarangire National Park, the final wildlife destination on your Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania safari.

Tarangire is renowned for its large elephant herds, ancient baobab trees and seasonal concentrations of wildlife around the Tarangire River. During your game drive, look for elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, buffaloes, lions and a wide variety of bird species.

The park's scenery offers a fitting finale to your East African adventure, with open savannah, woodland and distinctive baobab-studded landscapes providing excellent opportunities for photography.

After your game drive, continue towards Arusha or Kilimanjaro International Airport, depending on your onward flight arrangements.

Your 11-day journey concludes with unforgettable memories of mountain gorillas in Uganda, golden monkeys in Rwanda, chimpanzees in Kalinzu Forest and the iconic wildlife of Tanzania's celebrated national parks.

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