17 Days Uganda, Rwanda & Congo Safari
This 17 Days Uganda, Rwanda & Congo Safari is one of the most ambitious primate itineraries available, covering mountain gorilla trekking in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, eastern lowland gorilla trekking in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kahuzi-Biega National Park, golden monkey trekking in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, and chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe Forest — four genuinely distinct primate experiences in one continuous trip.
The route opens in Uganda with Murchison Falls, a Nile boat cruise, Queen Elizabeth National Park’s lion tracking and Kazinga Channel cruise, and a Bwindi gorilla trek, before crossing into Rwanda for golden monkeys and a stop at Lake Kivu. From there, the trip crosses into the Democratic Republic of Congo for the rare eastern lowland gorilla trek at Kahuzi-Biega, before returning through Rwanda to finish with chimpanzee trekking, a canopy walk, and a tea estate visit in Nyungwe Forest.
This itinerary suits experienced, adventurous primate travelers with time for a genuinely thorough three-country trip — and who understand that the Congo leg crosses into a part of eastern DRC where conditions have shifted in recent years.
Quick Facts
| Duration | 17 Days / 16 Nights |
| Start / End | Entebbe to Kigali |
| Countries | Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Destinations | Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Volcanoes National Park, Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Nyungwe Forest |
| Best For | Experienced primate travelers wanting mountain gorillas, lowland gorillas, golden monkeys, and chimpanzees in one trip |
| Permits Required | Gorilla permit (Uganda), golden monkey permit (Rwanda), lowland gorilla permit (DRC), Congo visa on arrival |
| Important Note | Eastern DRC’s security situation has been genuinely volatile in recent years — confirm current conditions and park access with your consultant before booking |
Highlights
- Day 1: Airport pick-up and transfer to hotel
- Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
- Day 3: Morning game drive and afternoon Nile boat cruise
- Day 4: Transfer to Kampala
- Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Day 6: Kasenyi area morning game drive and boat cruise
- Day 7: Lion experience and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day 8: Gorilla trekking experience
- Day 9: Transfer to Ruhengeri (Rwanda) and cultural walk
- Day 10: Golden monkey tracking at Volcanoes National Park and transfer to Lake Kivu
- Day 11: Drive to Kibuye
- Day 12: Transfer to Bukavu
- Day 13: Eastern lowland gorilla trekking
- Day 14: Return to Gisenyi, drive to Nyungwe
- Day 15: Chimpanzee tracking and canopy walk
- Day 16: Nature walk and Gisakura Tea Estate
- Day 17: Transfer to Kigali and city tour
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Airport Pick-Up and Transfer to Hotel
Our representative will welcome you on arrival at Entebbe International Airport and transfer you to your booked hotel in Kampala, roughly an hour’s drive. Dinner and an overnight stay follow.
Accommodation: Naguru Skys Hotel
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
Drive Time: Approximately 4 hours
After an early breakfast, your driver will collect you for the transfer to Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest, with substantial numbers of wildlife including the Big Four. The journey includes stops for lunch and at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to see the rhinos before continuing to the park. Arrive in the late afternoon and continue to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation: Fort Murchison River Lodge
Day 3: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Nile Boat Cruise
After an early breakfast, cross the ferry for a morning game drive on the northern bank, lasting three to five hours, with sightings of elephants, Rothschild giraffes, buffaloes, lions, hartebeest, Uganda kobs, oribi, and waterbucks. Return to your lodge for lunch.
In the afternoon, take a boat cruise along the Nile for a panoramic view of the base of Murchison Falls, sometimes described as the world’s most powerful falls, with crocodiles, hippos, and birdlife, including kingfishers, cormorants, and bee-eaters along the riverbanks. Afterward, drive up to the top of the falls for a closer view before meeting your driver for the transfer back to your lodge. Dinner and an overnight stay follow.
Accommodation: Fort Murchison River Lodge
Day 4: Transfer to Kampala
Drive Time: Approximately 5 hours
After an early breakfast, transfer back to Kampala with an en-route lunch, arriving in time to check in at your hotel for the rest of the evening. Dinner and an overnight stay follow.
Accommodation: Naguru Skys Hotel
Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Wake early for the transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, driving through the scenic Ankole region. Arrive in the park in the early afternoon and visit the crater lakes region, with dark lakes and rich grassland set deep in volcanic craters offering some of the best photo opportunities of the drive.
Afterward, continue to your lodge for lunch, dinner, and an overnight stay.
Accommodation: Elephant Plains Lodge
Day 6: Kasenyi Area Morning Game Drive and Boat Cruise
After breakfast, head to the Kasenyi area for a game drive, watching for savannah elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, and antelope species including oribi, Uganda kobs, and waterbucks.
In the afternoon, take a boat trip along the Kazinga Channel, home to dense populations of hippos and crocodiles, along with elephants, buffaloes, and birdlife along the banks. Dinner and an overnight stay follow at your lodge.
Day 7: Lion Experience and Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Wake as early as 5:00 a.m. to prepare for a lion tracking experience, a roughly two-hour activity that brings you close to a pride of lions. Afterward, continue via the Ishasha sector to Bwindi National Park, arriving at your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
Day 8: Gorilla Trekking Experience
After breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing from park wardens on mountain gorilla trekking, then head into the forest in search of them. The trek usually takes two to eight hours, depending on the gorillas’ movement.
Once located, you will spend an hour observing and photographing them at close range, watching them feed and interact. Afterward, your ranger guide will lead you back to the starting point, where your driver will be waiting to transfer you to your lodge for a restful evening, with dinner and an overnight stay to follow.
Accommodation: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
Day 9: Transfer to Ruhengeri (Rwanda) and Cultural Walk
Set off early to cross the Cyanika border into Rwanda, continuing to Volcanoes National Park for lunch.
In the afternoon, take a cultural walk to the Iby’iwacu Cultural Village, a nonprofit organization supporting reformed poachers and communities around Volcanoes National Park through conservation incentives and livelihood projects. Enjoy Kinyarwanda traditions including the Intore dance and a guided community walk. Dinner and an overnight stay follow at your lodge.
Accommodation: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge
Day 10: Golden Monkey Tracking at Volcanoes National Park and Transfer to Lake Kivu
After breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing on golden monkey trekking, then head into the forest in search of these endangered primates. The activity typically takes one to five hours, with close views of other primates such as red-tailed and vervet monkeys along the way. After an hour with the golden monkeys, return to meet your driver.
After lunch, drive northwest to Rubavu town on the shores of Lake Kivu, spending the afternoon on the water with boat trips to the islands, a town tour, and time to relax along the shore. Dinner and an overnight stay follow at your lodge.
Accommodation: Paradise Malahide
Day 11: Drive to Kibuye
Drive Time: Approximately 5 hours
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before meeting your guide for the drive to Kibuye town on the eastern shores of Lake Kivu. Check in at your hotel for lunch, then spend the afternoon at leisure or exploring Kibuye’s attractions, which include the Bisesero Genocide Memorial, the Museum of the Environment, Lake Kivu itself, and the Ndaba Waterfalls, depending on your interest. Dinner and an overnight stay follow at your hotel.
Accommodation: Comorade Hotel
Day 12: Transfer to Bukavu
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before the drive to Kahuzi-Biega National Park in Bukavu, crossing the Rwanda-Congo border at Kamembe, Cyangugu, where you will complete immigration formalities and pick up your Congo visa on arrival. Continue to Bukavu town for dinner and an overnight stay.
Note that your Rwanda visa expires once you cross into Congo, so you will need to reapply for a new one at the border, ready for your return.
Accommodation: Panorama Hotel
Day 13: Eastern Lowland Gorilla Trekking
Today marks the highlight of your visit to Congo. Enjoy an early breakfast before setting off at 7:00 a.m. for Kahuzi-Biega National Park to trek the eastern lowland gorilla, the largest of all gorilla subspecies. The trek is generally less strenuous than mountain gorilla trekking, typically involving one to three hours of walking through the forest, followed by an hour spent with the gorillas.
Afterward, return to your hotel in Bukavu for lunch and an afternoon at leisure. An optional visit to the Lwiro Primate Sanctuary or a local community is available if you’d like to make the most of the afternoon. Dinner and an overnight stay follow at your hotel.
Accommodation: Panorama Hotel
Day 14: Return to Gisenyi, Drive to Nyungwe
Wake at your own pace for breakfast before bidding farewell to Kahuzi-Biega and driving back into Rwanda, obtaining your Rwanda visa again at the border. Continue to Nyungwe Forest National Park, with a stopover at the King’s Palace in Nyanza and the Butare Museum, plus lunch en route. Dinner and an overnight stay follow at your lodge.
Accommodation: Nyungwe Top View Hotel
Day 15: Chimpanzee Tracking and Canopy Walk
Wake early for chimpanzee trekking, setting off at 5:00 a.m. The activity takes around four hours in total, including an hour spent with the chimpanzees. Carry your packed lunch to enjoy afterward.
In the afternoon, take a two-hour hike along the Igishigishi Trail to the canopy walkway — a suspended bridge roughly 50 meters long — for striking views of the rainforest and its wildlife from above. Dinner and an overnight stay follow at your lodge.
Accommodation: Nyungwe Top View Hotel
Day 16: Nature Walk and Gisakura Tea Estate
Enjoy breakfast at 7:00 a.m. before heading out for a guided nature walk, taking three to four hours depending on the trail, with waterfalls and forest scenery along the way. Carry a packed lunch or return to your lodge, as you prefer.
In the afternoon, visit the Gisakura Tea Estate for a tea tour, including tea picking and a look at how it’s processed, closing with a cup of Rwandan tea. Dinner and an overnight stay follow at your lodge.
Accommodation: Nyungwe Top View Hotel
Day 17: Transfer to Kigali and City Tour
Enjoy breakfast at your own pace before the roughly five-hour drive back to Kigali, with stops at the King’s Palace in Nyanza, the Rwanda National Museum in Huye, and the Murambi Genocide Museum. On arrival in Kigali, visit the craft shops and the Kigali Genocide Memorial. After lunch, transfer to the airport for your return flight.