How many days is the 16 Days Uganda to Rwanda Gorilla Safari?

The 16 Days Uganda to Rwanda Gorilla Safari is 16 days and 15 nights, operating year-round from Uganda, Rwanda.

How much does the 16 Days Uganda to Rwanda Gorilla Safari cost?

The 16 Days Uganda to Rwanda Gorilla Safari is priced on request depending on your group size, dates, and accommodation preferences. Contact Orika Africa Tours for a free tailor-made quote: hi@orikaafrica.com or +256 707 916 185.

What is included in the 16 Days Uganda to Rwanda Gorilla Safari?

The 16 Days Uganda to Rwanda Gorilla Safari in Uganda, Rwanda includes all accommodation, meals, park fees, private safari vehicle with an experienced guide-driver, and 24/7 support from Orika Africa Tours. Uganda's UTB-licensed Tour Operator & DMC. We welcome solo travellers, couples, families, and larger groups.

Is the 16 Days Uganda to Rwanda Gorilla Safari suitable for first-time safari visitors?

Yes. Orika Africa Tours designs every itinerary from scratch around your group's fitness, interests, and budget. The 16 Days Uganda to Rwanda Gorilla Safari is available as a private safari, no shared vehicles, no fixed groups, ever.

What is the best time to go on the 16 Days Uganda to Rwanda Gorilla Safari in Uganda, Rwanda?

The 16 Days Uganda to Rwanda Gorilla Safari in Uganda, Rwanda runs year-round. The dry seasons (June to August and December to February) offer the best conditions for game drives and trekking. Contact Orika Africa Tours for month-by-month advice.

16 Days Uganda to Rwanda Gorilla Safari

16 days is the length that lets Uganda and Rwanda unfold at their own pace, with two nights in almost every park and time to travel by both road and air. Starting in Kampala, the route runs north to Murchison Falls for rhino tracking and a Nile boat safari, then south through Kibale's chimpanzee forest, the game-rich plains and channels of Queen Elizabeth, the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha, and the mountain gorillas of Bwindi. It then crosses into Rwanda for golden monkeys beneath the Virunga volcanoes before closing in Kigali.

This is the unhurried version of the two-country safari, with characterful lodges and a private guide throughout. Travelling on a tighter schedule? The 13 Days Uganda & Rwanda Safari covers comparable ground more briskly. For Rwanda-first luxury with Akagera's big game, see the 15 Days Discover Rwanda & Uganda.

Read more in the Uganda and Rwanda destination guides, and time your trek with our gorilla trekking guide.

Trip Highlights

Mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Golden monkey tracking beneath Rwanda's Virunga volcanoes
Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest
On-foot white rhino tracking at Ziwa
Murchison Falls game drive and Nile boat safari
Tree-climbing lions of the Ishasha sector
Kampala city tour and the Kigali Genocide Memorial

Day-by-Day Itinerary

On arrival at Entebbe International Airport you are met and assisted through customs and immigration, then introduced to your guide and transferred to your hotel in Kampala. The evening is yours to rest after the journey.

Spend the day discovering Uganda's capital, a fast-growing city set across green hills. You visit the Royal Palace and the Gaddafi National Mosque, wander a lively local market, and take in the rhythm of contemporary East African urban life.

You travel north to Murchison Falls, Uganda's largest and oldest national park, breaking the drive at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to track white rhino on foot. The afternoon brings a stop at the Top of the Falls, where the Nile is forced through a six-metre cleft in a display of primal power.

An early morning game drive across the northern bank seeks lion, elephant, buffalo and the localised Rothschild's giraffe. In the afternoon a boat trip carries you up the Nile towards the falls, with hippo, crocodile and abundant birdlife along the riverine scenery.

After a final morning game drive in the soft early light, you transfer to the airstrip for a scheduled flight south, then drive on to Kibale, one of Uganda's most atmospheric rainforests and home to a celebrated chimpanzee community.

After a pre-trek briefing you venture into Kibale to track its habituated chimpanzees, alongside a variety of monkeys and forest birds. A local lunch at Tinka's homestead offers a warm cultural counterpoint, with the rest of the day at leisure.

You begin with a guided walk through the community-run Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, rich in birds and monkeys, then transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park beneath the snow-capped Rwenzori peaks.

An early game drive across the Kasenyi plains is followed by an afternoon boat trip on the Kazinga Channel, which often delivers close encounters with hippo, elephant and buffalo, and occasionally lion or leopard along the shore.

You transfer to the remote Ishasha sector, running south from the shore of Lake Edward, home to buffalo, elephant, topi and kob. An evening game drive sets out as the light softens and temperatures cool.

The morning game drive goes in search of Ishasha's famous tree-climbing lions, often found lazing on the boughs of acacias and sycamore figs, with elephant, antelope and a wide variety of birds besides. A sundowner game drive closes the day.

A bush breakfast on the Ishasha plains is a memorable start before the drive into the steep, forested hills of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site protecting a significant share of the world's mountain gorillas.

This morning you go mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi, one of the most profound encounters any safari can offer, spending an unforgettable hour with a habituated family. In the afternoon you visit a Batwa community to learn about the traditions of these forest hunter-gatherers.

You transfer to Kihihi airstrip for a short flight towards the border, then drive to Volcanoes National Park, a magical highland of bamboo, jungle and volcanic peaks rising to 4,507m on the Rwandan side of the Virungas.

The morning is spent tracking a troop of the endangered golden monkey through the bamboo-covered slopes of Volcanoes National Park. Later you visit the Dian Fossey Campus, a window into the long conservation story that brought the mountain gorillas back from the brink.

You drive to Kigali, a clean and rapidly growing city across a thousand hills. The afternoon brings a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial, followed by a guided walk through the lively Nyamirambo neighbourhood with the Nyamirambo Women's Center.

After breakfast you are transferred the short distance to Kigali International Airport for your onward flight, closing a remarkable journey across two of Africa's great gorilla nations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which permits are included?

The safari includes the Bwindi gorilla permit, the Kibale chimpanzee permit, and the Rwanda golden monkey permit, along with all park and activity fees.

Do I trek gorillas in both Uganda and Rwanda?

You trek mountain gorillas in Uganda's Bwindi and track golden monkeys beneath Rwanda's Virunga volcanoes. If you would like a gorilla trek in Rwanda as well, we can add a Volcanoes National Park permit.

How is the border crossing handled?

We manage the Uganda to Rwanda crossing and every transfer for you, by road and by domestic flight where it saves time, so the journey stays seamless.

Can the trip be shortened?

Sixteen days allows two nights in almost every park at an unhurried pace. For a brisker version over comparable ground, see our 13 Days Uganda & Rwanda Safari.