21 Days Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda Wildlife Safari

DAY 01:  Pick up from Kigali and Transfer to Bukima in Congo

The driver will pick you very early in the morning from the hotel or Airport in Kigali and he will brief you on the safari. You will then transfer to Bukima in Congo and the journey takes 4 hours to arrive to Goma town where you will have lunch stop. He will continue driving after lunch to Bukima where you will spend overnight. Dinner and overnight.

 

Main Destination: Virunga National Park-Congo

 

Accommodation: Mikeno lodge or Bukima Tented camp.

 

Meals: Lunch & Dinner (Breakfast Not Included)

 

Drinks: Drinking Water

DAY 02: Gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park-Congo

After your early morning breakfast, your guide will drive you to the Park Headquarters for briefing and joining others for briefing before heading into the Virunga forest for your gorilla trek. This trek can last for between 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on the location of mountain gorilla family you are allocated for trekking on that particular day. Once you find the gorillas, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them while observing their behavior, taking photographs and then after the one hour encounter with the gorillas you return to the Park Headquarters to end the trek.

 

Accommodation: Mikeno lodge or Bukima Tented camp.

 

Meals: Lunch & Dinner (Breakfast Not Included)

 

Drinks: Drinking Water

DAY 03: Transfer to Goma for overnight

Accommodation: Bukima Lodge or Mikeno Lodge or Goma Serena Hotel

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Supper

DAY 04: Nyiragongo hiking to the summit

You will wake up early morning have breakfast at the Lodge and drive to Bukima for briefing and you will be given a well knowledgeable guide. You will set off with hiking at 10:30am and the hike will take you around 5 hours to reach the summit of Nyiragongo Volcano, you will have 2 resting sessions. You will pass in steep, muddy and slippery route, thorns and tall trees will be on the way. Upon arrival at the summits dinner and accommodation at the mountain camp tents

DAY 05: Descend the Nyiragongo Volcano and drive to Lake Kivu for overnight

Have breakfast and after descend down from Nyiragongo volcano mountain, you will meet the driver and return to Goma and, you will have a city tour of Goma visiting Goma caves and then proceed to Lake Kivu for overnight.

DAY 06: Travel to Volcanoes National Park

In the morning, you will drive to Kinigi in Ruhengeri. Upon your arrival, you will check into your hotel and visit Iby’wachu village for traditional dance performances.
Dinner and overnight stay at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (high end)/La Palme Hotel(Deluxe)/Muhabura Hotel(Budget).

DAY 07: Golden Monkey tracking and Hike to the Dian Fossey Tomb

In the morning you will, go for a briefing at the park headquarters. Drinking water and a packed lunch will be provided. Then proceed to the forest to track the golden monkeys. This activity may take you 1-5 hours depending on the movement of the golden monkeys in the forest. After finding and staying with the golden monkeys for a maximum of an hour, you will come back to the lodge for Lunch and a short relaxing then later go for a hike to the Dian Fossey Tomb a former prominent gorilla tourism conservationist.

 

Dinner and overnight stay at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (high end)/La Palme Hotel(Deluxe)/Muhabura Hotel(Budget).

DAY 08: Drive to Akagera National Park for an evening game drive and overnight

After breakfast at your lodge, you will drive to the East of Rwanda to Akagera National Park bordering Tanzania, which has beautiful undulating plains with dense, broad-leafed woodland, lighter acacia woodland and rolling grassland with an extensive series of lakes linked by papyrus swamps forming a sprawling wetland.

 

Dinner and overnight at Akagera Game Lodge

DAY 09: Game drives and boat trip on Lake Ihema

Have an early morning game drive in the park. The game drives will involve seeing hippos, elephants, buffalos, giraffe, hyenas, crocodiles and many other animals plus bird life. After a late breakfast, you may decide to go for nature or have a relaxed moment at the lodge while preparing for the canoe ride on Lake Ihema in the afternoon.

 

Dinner and overnight at Akagera Game Lodge

DAY 10: Transfer to Burundi, Bujumbura to hotel le chandelier or similar for overnight.

In the morning, after breakfast, you will transfer southwards crossing the border to Burundi and then proceed Bujumbura.

DAY 11: Bujumbura to kibira National Park

On your first day in Burundi, you will have a half day cultural tour of the capital of Bujumbura. You will visit the Independence hero monument and other cultural sites then after drive to Kibira National Park for overnight.

Overnight at Top Hill Residence

DAY 12: A guided nature walk in Kibira Forest National Park to search for primates and after drive back to hotel le chandelier or similar in Bujumbura for overnight.

Kibira Forest is home to animals such as black and white Colubus monkeys, baboons and chimpanzees. Enjoy the picturesque scenery of the green hills of Burundi and enjoy the view of the Congo-Nile Ridge. If time allows, you may have a chance to visit the pygmy people of Busekera or take the tour of the Teza tea factory.

DAY 13: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park

In the morning, after breakfast you will transfer southwards via Kigali and an en-route stop at the Genocide Museum then proceed to Nyungwe national park
Dinner and overnight at stay Nyungwe Forest Lodge (Luxury). Top hill view hotel for mid range, or Gisakula lodge for budget accommodation

DAY 14: Chimpanzee tracking and optional Canopy walk in Nyungwe National Park.

After breakfast transfer to the park headquarters and attend to a briefing from the park warden on do’s and don’ts while tracking chimps. Then will then transfer to the starting point of the chimpanzee hiking trail. Expect to meet Chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, baboons along the trail. Return to the lodge for relaxation.or you can choose to go for guided natural walk in Nyungwe forest NP.

Dinner and overnight at stay Nyungwe Forest Lodge (Luxury). Top hill view hotel for mid range, or Gisakula lodge for budget accommodation.

DAY 15: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

After breakfast you will drive north to Bwindi National park, you will an optional visit to Kigali Genocide Museum and a stopover for lunch; you will then proceed to Bwindi impenetrable national park.
Dinner and overnight at: Silverback Lodge (Luxury)/Buhoma Community Bandas (Budget)/Lake Kitandala Lodge (Mid Range).

DAY 16: Gorilla trekking and optional community walk

After breakfast at the lodge, you will go to the park headquarters for briefing from the Uganda wildlife Authority ranger guides. After the briefing, the ranger will lead you into the thick impenetrable forest to start your search for the endangered rare species of Mountain Gorillas. The gorilla search always continues from the place where they were last seen the previous day. Upon reaching the area where these famous species are, you will only be allowed to interact with them for only one hour and you should always keep maximum silence while with these Gorillas. You are allowed to take photographs and so on.
To find the Gorillas, it’s such a tiresome experience since it can take you almost 3-8 hours to find them. However, once you meet these gorillas, you will easily forget the hatches you have gone through to find them and instead save the good memories you will experience with them. After the interaction, you will return late to the lodge for Dinner and overnight at Silver back lodge for luxury, gorilla mist camp (mid-range), Bwindi view lodge for budget.

DAY 17: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park for an evening game drive and overnight

Wakeup early in the morning, have breakfast and check out to meet our driver guide. You will start the amazing Journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will arrive in evening, check in at the lodge.
Accommodation options include, Mweya Safari Lodge/ Jacana Safari Lodge (luxury), Enganzi Safari Lodge/Bush Lodge (Mid-range) and Simba Safari Camp/ Tembo Safari Lodge (Budget).

DAY 18: Morning Game Drive – Afternoon Boat Cruise on Kazinga Channel

Have morning breakfast, after embark on a Safari vehicle for morning game through the Kasenyi plains to catch the early risers. Some of these animals to behold are elephants, buffalos, leopards, lions, bushbucks, kobs and more.
This drive last for about 2-3 hours and after drive straight to Mweya for lunch at the canteen. Have lunch as you get prepared to the afternoon cruise along the Kazinga channel. After the cruise return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 19: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

Today, you will embark on a journey from Bwindi you will drive to Kibale National Park with a stopover for lunch enroute on your way to the National Park. On influx you will have a nature walk through the Bigodi Swamp awesome sightseeing of the resident monkeys and birds.
Dinner and overnight at Chimpanzee guest house, mountain of the moon hotel, primates lodge kibale.

DAY 20: Chimpanzee Tracking

Subsequently you will have an early breakfast with that you will be guided to Kanyanchu head offices for a briefing about the track that you will be carrying out in a couple of hours. From there you will start the Chimpanzee tracking but that is not the only species you will be seeing today, you will be able to see 12 other different primate species like vervet monkeys, gray cheeked mangabeys and baboons.
Dinner and overnight at Chimpanzee guest house, mountain of the moon hotel, primates lodge kibale.

DAY 21: Drive Kampala/Entebbe to end the tour

After breakfast at the lodge you will bid fare well to the lodge staff and then you will continue with the Journey to Kampala/Entebbe for drop off at the Hotel or flight back home.

End of the 21 Days Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda Wildlife Safari