This 6-Day Uganda Safari from Kigali gives you time with mountain gorillas across three sectors of Bwindi, observing them up close as they go about their day.
Starting and ending in Kigali, Rwanda, this Uganda safari trip includes a visit with the Batwa community, former forest dwellers. You’ll see demonstrations of traditional hunting and trapping methods, along with how they make plant-based remedies for various ailments.
See the detailed itinerary for this 6-Day Uganda Safari from Kigali below.
6-Day Triple Gorilla Trekking Tour Highlights
- Day 1: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day 2: Ruhija gorilla trekking and transfer to Rushaga
- Day 3: Rushaga gorilla trekking and transfer to Nkuringo
- Day 4: Gorilla trekking in Nkuringo and evening Batwa community walk
- Day 5: Golden monkey experience in Mgahinga
- Day 6: Transfer to Kigali
Detailed 6-Day Triple Gorilla Trekking Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
The 6-Day Uganda Safari from Kigali begins after breakfast in Kigali. Meet your guide, who will walk you through the itinerary and the trip ahead.
Depart Kigali for northern Rwanda, passing near Volcanoes National Park, which sits in the Virunga foothills spanning Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC.
The drive takes about 4 to 5 hours, through green countryside, traditional homesteads, and farmland, with the rolling hills typical of northern Rwanda along the way.
Cross into Uganda via the Katuna border, with lunch in Kabale town. Continue to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park’s Ruhija sector, arriving at your lodge in the evening.
Day 2: Ruhija Gorilla Trekking and Transfer to Rushaga
Have an early breakfast, then transfer to Ruhija ranger headquarters for the gorilla tracking briefing at 7:30 am. You’ll be assigned a gorilla family and guided into the forest. Trekking time runs 2 to 5 hours, after which you return to the lodge for lunch.
In the afternoon, transfer to Bwindi’s Rushaga sector, in the far south of the park. Rushaga holds the highest number of gorilla families and is the only sector where gorilla habituation experiences are offered. Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 3: Rushaga Gorilla Trekking and Transfer to Nkuringo
Gorilla trekking in Rushaga starts in the morning with a briefing at park headquarters, lasting about 30 minutes, with the trek itself starting by 8:00 am.
Gorilla trekking calls for a reasonable level of fitness, since it involves hiking through steep terrain, valleys, and dense vegetation.
Trekking time can run anywhere from 2 hours to a full day, depending on the gorillas’ location and movements that day. Bring enough drinking water, insect repellent, a rain jacket, a waterproof camera, and a packed lunch, along with any other gear recommended by your guide.
Take in the sounds of birds, monkeys, and other forest wildlife along the trek. Afterward, return to the lodge and transfer to the Nkuringo sector, in the far south of Bwindi.
Day 4: Gorilla Trekking in Nkuringo and Evening Batwa Community Walk
Have an early breakfast at your lodge, then head to Nkuringo ranger station to join the 8:00 am briefing on trekking rules. Hike through dense undergrowth with your ranger guides until you find the gorillas.
Trekking time runs 1 to 8 hours depending on the season and the gorillas’ movements.
Nkuringo’s terrain is steep and densely forested, though animal trails make it more manageable for trekkers. Once you find the gorillas, spend an hour observing their behavior and daily life. Return to the lodge, then in the evening visit the nearby Batwa community for a sunset performance.
The Batwa historically lived in the Bwindi forest alongside the gorillas and other wildlife. Overnight stay and dinner at a lodge in Kisoro town.
Day 5: Golden Monkey Experience in Mgahinga
Like gorilla trekking, golden monkey habituation begins with a 7:30 am briefing, with the trek itself starting at 8:00 am into the forest to find these primates on the mountain’s lower slopes.
Golden monkey habituation gives you up to 4 hours observing these primates, taking photos, and learning about their behavior in their natural habitat. There’s no minimum group size, and the minimum age is 12.
Return to the lodge for lunch and rest in the afternoon. An optional guided tour of Garama Cave is available, home to bats and historically significant to the Batwa. Return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 6: Transfer to Kigali
After breakfast at your lodge in Kisoro or Mgahinga, drive back to Kigali, with stops along the way through tea, coffee, and banana plantations.
On arrival in Kigali, visit the craft market for souvenirs before your outbound flight, marking the end of your 6-Day Uganda Safari from Kigali.
End of 6-Day Uganda Safari from Kigali.
