15 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari
- 4x4 Car Rental Rwanda
- 15 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari
15 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari
This is the itinerary for travelers who don’t want to choose between Rwanda and Uganda, or between gorillas, golden monkeys, chimpanzees, tree-climbing lions, and the Nile in full flood. Over fifteen days and one continuous 4×4 rental, this circuit links Volcanoes National Park, Mgahinga, Bwindi, Queen Elizabeth, Kibale, and Murchison Falls into a single loop that starts and ends in Kigali. It’s a long trip by design long enough that the distances between parks stop feeling like a compromise and start feeling like the point, with genuine variety in landscape, wildlife, and pace from one end to the other.
Full Itinerary
Land at Kigali International Airport, collect your 4x4, and settle in with a short city orientation the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the hillside neighborhoods, and a first taste of Rwandan coffee. An early night sets you up for the drive north the next morning
A straightforward two-hour drive on the RN4 brings you to Musanze, gateway to Volcanoes National Park. Spend the afternoon settling in near Kinigi and reviewing your trekking briefing for the following morning.
An early start and a briefing at Kinigi headquarters lead into your first mountain gorilla trek, tracking one of the park's habituated families through bamboo forest on the lower slopes of the Virunga volcanoes for a full hour in their company.
A shorter, less demanding trek into the bamboo zone brings you face to face with Volcanoes National Park's habituated golden monkey troops energetic, fast-moving, and a striking contrast to the previous day's gorillas
Drive the short distance to the Cyanika border, cross into Uganda, and continue to Mgahinga. Spend the afternoon on a gentle guided walk to Garama Cave or the Sabinyo Gorge, with Uganda's three volcanic peaks rising directly above the trail.
A shorter transfer brings you to Bwindi's Rushaga sector. Spend the afternoon on a Batwa cultural walk, learning about the forest's original inhabitants before tomorrow's second gorilla trek.
A second mountain gorilla encounter, this time in Uganda's larger, more biodiverse forest different terrain, a different family, and a genuinely different feel from the volcanic slopes of Rwanda.
The drive north passes straight through the Ishasha sector, home to Africa's tree-climbing lions. Build in time for a game drive here before continuing on to Queen Elizabeth's central area for the night.
A full day split between a launch cruise along the Kazinga Channel, with its dense hippo and elephant populations, and a game drive across the Kasenyi plains for lions, buffalo, and Uganda kob.
Drive north via Fort Portal, with the Rwenzori Mountains visible on clear days. Arrive in Kibale in the afternoon with time for a community walk around Bigodi Wetland before tomorrow's tracking.
A morning chimp trek through Kibale's forest, widely considered East Africa's best for primate density, followed by the drive north via Hoima toward Murchison Falls.
Continue north through Buliisa to reach Murchison Falls by early afternoon, with time for a first game drive along the savanna of the park's northern bank before dark.
A launch cruise toward the base of the falls brings you close to hippos, crocodiles, and elephants along the Nile, followed by the short hike to the top-of-the-falls viewpoint, where the entire river forces itself through a gorge barely seven meters wide.
The return journey south breaks naturally at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Uganda's only population of wild rhinos, for a guided tracking walk before continuing on to overnight near Kampala.
The final leg retraces the direct route south via Mbarara and the Katuna border crossing, arriving back in Kigali by early evening in time to return the vehicle and connect with onward travel, or settle in for a last night in Rwanda
What's Included
- 15 days / 14 nights 4×4 vehicle rental (Toyota Land Cruiser Prado or similar) with unlimited mileage
- 24/7 roadside assistance across the entire Rwanda-Uganda route
- Airport pickup, vehicle handover, and full route briefing in Kigali
- a professional driver-guide for the full circuit, such as the border crossing or long-haul driving day
What's Excluded
- International and domestic flights
- Personal travel insurance
- Drinks in addition to the non-alcoholic options offered.
- Tips/gratuities to drivers, guides or where otherwise applicable
- Drinks in addition to the non-alcoholic options offered.
- Items of a personal nature, such as souvenirs and laundry