Compare 6-Day Gahinga and Virunga Safari by Volcanoes Safaris vs Remarkable Rwanda & Gorillas of Uganda by Intrepid Travel

Day 1

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Mount Gahinga Lodge

Arriving in Kigali you will be welcomed by your expert guide who will provide knowledge and assistance throughout your safari. Set off for the Volcanoes Mount Gahinga Lodge and cross the border into Uganda. Be sure to put your clocks one hour forward.

The lodge is located at the foot of the Virunga Volcanoes and near the entrance to the national park. Enjoy your pre-dinner drinks on the terrace with stunning views of the Volcanoes or warm yourself inside by the roaring fire.

Approximate Travel Times: Driving 4 hours

Please book flights arriving no later than 1000 HOURS.

Day 2

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Mount Gahinga Lodge

The Batwa Heritage Experience offers an interactive tour of the culture and history of one of Africa’s oldest tribes. On your tour, you will gain insight into their traditional life in the forest and even have lessons in hunting and gathering of medicinal plants. On the tour, you are welcome to ask the Batwa questions about their traditional lifestyle, as they explain their religious, marriage and courtship customs. At the Batwa Vocational Centre (established by the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust) you can see first-hand the skills they are learning for self-sufficiency. Here you may even want to pick up a present or two to take home.

Other exciting activities for those interested in the culture and natural history of Mgahinga:

Hike the Muhavura, Sabinyo or Gahinga volcanoes. Mount Gahinga offers a gentler hike through the bamboo forest on the lower slopes and marshy craters at the peak.

Enjoy a performance from the Batwa Dance Group set against the enchanting setting of this volcanic landscape. This wonderful dance display (subject to pre-booking and group availability) is popular with Volcanoes Safaris clients and the local community alike. Learn more about the Batwa’s unique culture first-hand through their oral traditions. This initiative is fully supported by the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust and helps build positive relationships between the different local communities.

Track gorillas in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. NOTE: one gorilla permit is included in the cost of this Safari, for checking of the gorillas in Rwanda. (To track gorillas in Mgahinga, additional permits required, upon payment of a supplement and are subject to availability). Tracking in Mgahinga can be challenging due to steep and muddy paths.

Day 3

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Virunga Lodge

A relaxed morning during which you will be accompanied by a ranger to track the golden monkeys through the bamboo forests of the mountains. These pretty primates travel in large groups and are as energetic as they are photogenic, often seen playing in the high branches or foraging on the ground for bamboo shoots.

After lunch, you will drive across the border into Rwanda (remembering to put your clocks back one hour). The magnificent Volcanoes Virunga Lodge is perched on the top of a hill with 360° panoramic views of the chain of volcanoes and Lakes Bulera and Ruhondo. From the terrace you can take in the sunset over the lakes and – weather permitting – enjoy an exhilarating performance from the colourful Intore Dance troupe that showcases the unique Rwandese culture.

Approximate Travel Times: Driving 2 hours

Day 4

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Virunga Lodge

It’s an early start for gorilla tracking in Parc National des Volcans, through the enchanting bamboo forest on the slopes of the Virunga range of volcanoes. Checking the mountain gorillas is a very special experience. After a gentle climb of between one and 3 hours, you will spend an hour in the company of these gentle apes before returning to base in time for a late lunch. Some gorilla families can be more elusive, and tracking can take a full day, especially if it is wet and muddy. For full details of what to expect on your gorilla trek, and advice on equipment to bring, we refer you to the FAQs our website.

Day 5

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Virunga Lodge

There is plenty to explore in this beautiful corner of Rwanda, as you can see from the photos on our website. Choose from one of the optional activities:

Go for a second gorilla trek (additional permits required, upon payment of supplement, and are subject to availability).

Alternative options include:

Trek to the grave of pioneer primatologist Dian Fossey and visit the gorilla cemetery, the final resting place of her favourite gorilla, Digit, and many other gorillas.

Visit Mwiko Primary School and community projects, supported by the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust, adjacent to the Lodge.

Visit Lake Kivu, location of the finest inland beaches in Africa.

Take a guided walk to Lake Bulera, to experience village life.

Tour the former Imbabazi Orphanage and beautiful English cottage gardens. Here you can have tea or lunch with staff and volunteers to learn more about British founder Roz Carr, who lived in Rwanda for 50 years, and the history of the orphanage.

Day 6

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Drive to Kigali, City tour & transfer to the airport

Your safari ends with your journey to Kigali. Depending on the time of your flight, there may be time to tour the city before driving to the airport.

A visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial is a moving testimony to this country’s past that it has courageously overcome (guests to pay/donate entrance fees directly). Transfer to the airport in time for your return flight.

Day 1 Kigali

Welcome to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda since it gained independence in 1962. Most associate Rwanda with the horrific genocide that took place in 1994, but this is a country that has been striving to rebuild its economy for years and offers so much to the intrepid traveller. And though the past won't, and shouldn't, be forgotten, the future of Rwanda's tourism is looking bright thanks to its welcoming people, an abundance of lakes and the beautiful Virunga Mountains. Your adventure begins by meeting your fellow travellers and local leader at 6pm.

Day 2 Musanze

After breakfast this morning, your tour leader will take you to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, which opened in 2004 to mark the 10th commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsi people. It serves as a museum detailing the history and consequences of Rwanda's genocide and a place for people to grieve for lost friends and family. This afternoon, you’ll drive to Musanze – the gateway to Volcanoes National Park, home to gorillas and golden monkeys. This afternoon, you'll visit The Gorilla Doctors headquaters; the only organisation in the world dedicated to saving the mountain and eastern lowland (Grauer’s) gorilla species one gorilla patient at a time using veterinary medicine and science. They monitor the health of gorilla groups to ensure the early detection of disease and injury, and stage medical interventions when gorillas suffer from human-induced or life-threatening trauma or disease.

Day 3 Musanze

Today, you’ll visit the The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. This research centre leads the world in protecting and studying gorillas while helping communities build their conservation capabilities. Learn about Dian Fossey’s life and the conservation of endangered mountain gorillas in Rwanda. There are heaps of optional activities to do in Musanze, including Golden Monkey Trekking in the Virunga Mountains, the Mount Bisoke trek, or keep it chill with a canoe ride on the Mukungwa River. Maybe visit Redrocks Rwanda, where you’ll learn about the local banana beer production and be treated to some dancing, drumming and basket-weaving demonstrations.

Day 4 Queen Elizabeth NP

Today, you’ll leave Rwanda as we cross the border into Uganda, making our way to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This park is home to 618 bird species, 10 species of primates - including chimpanzees, and 95 different types of mammals. The route to your accommodation may feel like an unofficial safari. Keep a look out for African elephants, buffalo, hippos, warthogs, Nile crocodiles, leopards, spotted hyenas, lions and chimpanzees. Tonight, stay in a simple safari lodge within the park overlooking the Kazinga Channel.

Day 5 Queen Elizabeth NP

Wake up for another exciting day in Queen Elizabeth National Park with another 4x4 Game Drive. Be on the lookout for any sightings you may have missed yesterday, and if you’re really lucky, you might be able to spot leopards or lions. This afternoon, you have the opportunity to see the park from a different perspective with an optional cruise down the Kazinga Channel, linking Lake Edward to Lake George. You’ll be joined by local guides who will fill you in on everything you could want to know about the landscape and the animals who live within it – be on the lookout for hippos basking on the shore, as well as crocodiles, herds of elephants and abundant birdlife.

Day 6 Queen Elizabeth NP

This morning we make our way to Ishasha, the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Here you meet some local residents to learn more about rural life in Uganda. Visit a local organic farm, medicine garden and homestead and learn how its owner is tackling human-wildlife conflict with his anti-crop raiding techniques. You’ll also meet a local Mukiga woman who will share her story while showing you how to sort, pound and grind millet to make porridge and other Bakiga meals. This part of the park is famous for its tree climbing lions, so be on the look out as you make the game drive towards our ecolodge in the northern sector of the park frequented by herds of elephants, buffaloes and antelopes!

Day 7 Kisoro

Today, drive out of the Queen Elizabeth National Park on your way to the southwest tip of Uganda (approximately 6 hours). The journey is like a game drive in itself, with the chance to spot zebras, antelopes, baboons and monkeys out the window. When you arrive at the corner of Uganda, where the border touches Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, you’ll be based in Kisoro, which provides access to seven different gorilla groups located in Mgahinga, Nkuringo, Rushaga and Nshongi.

Day 8 Kisoro (Gorilla Trek)

Join a local guide and trackers as you climb through the rugged, mountainous terrain of Bwindi National Park in search of mountain gorillas. A quick lock of eyes with these creatures is a truly primal moment and visits are strictly controlled to minimise disturbance. Make no mistake, tracking gorillas is no walk in the park – it's called Bwinidi Impenetrable National Park for a reason. It can be wet, muddy, strenuous and uncomfortable, but the indescribable elation at coming across a group of gorillas is worth the effort. Spend a mesmerising hour with the gorillas as they eat, sleep, groom and play as the male silverback watches over them, then return to the lodge for dinner and to reflect on this incredible experience.

Day 9 Kigali

After breakfast this morning, it’s time to make the journey back to Kigali. When you arrive, there are no further activities planned and your adventure comes to an end. If you’d like to spend more time here, just speak to your booking agent.