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Premium Rwanda & Gorillas of Uganda
Operated by Intrepid Travel
Tripcode: YGPU
Overview
Destination:
Rwanda,
Uganda,
Duration:6 days
Type:Group tour (max 12)
Travel Period
September 2026 - December 2028
Come face to face with incredible wildlife on this six-day Premium journey through Rwanda and Uganda. Enter the world of rare mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and spend a day tracking and observing these creatures, hopefully seeing a silverback in his natural habitat. Take a walk and boat ride on Lake Ruhondo, then enjoy your forest-fringed Feature Stay. Sit down for amazing Signature Experiences like a fireside chat with The Gorilla Doctors. You’ll also trek to the ‘Top of the World,’ and walk the Buniga Batwa Cultural Trail with a local guide, gaining insight into the Batwa community’s forest-based way of life. In Kigali, take time to understand Rwanda’s recent troubling history and the country’s ongoing resilience.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
1. This trip requires a higher non-refundable deposit (AUD1000, USD1000, EUR800, NZD1250, GBP650, CAD1000, ZAR8000, CHF900) in order to secure the included gorilla permit. Please note that we need to confirm availability of a gorilla permit if you are booking within 45 days of departure. The additional deposit paid at time of booking will be credited to the final balance of your booking.
2. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights of your trip and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
3. This trip ends in Kigali on arrival on the afternoon of Day 6. Please do not book International flights departing before 6pm this evening.
4. The included Gorilla Permit is only valid for one day, on Day 4. For those who are interested in a second trek, please speak with your booking agent about purchasing a second permit.
5. Travel is always an adventure and, as destinations reopen, there are a few challenges as everyone gets back up to speed and adjusts to the new normal. Our leaders are experts when it comes to dealing with anything unexpected along the journey, so pack your understanding and flexibility, sit back and relax while they take care of the rest.
2. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights of your trip and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
3. This trip ends in Kigali on arrival on the afternoon of Day 6. Please do not book International flights departing before 6pm this evening.
4. The included Gorilla Permit is only valid for one day, on Day 4. For those who are interested in a second trek, please speak with your booking agent about purchasing a second permit.
5. Travel is always an adventure and, as destinations reopen, there are a few challenges as everyone gets back up to speed and adjusts to the new normal. Our leaders are experts when it comes to dealing with anything unexpected along the journey, so pack your understanding and flexibility, sit back and relax while they take care of the rest.
Highlights:
- 1. This trip requires a higher non-refundable deposit (AUD1000, USD1000, EUR800, NZD1250, GBP650, CAD1000, ZAR8000, CHF900) in order to secure the included gorilla permit. Please note that we need to confirm availability of a gorilla permit if you are booking within 45 days of departure. The additional deposit paid at time of booking will be credited to the final balance of your booking. 2. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights of your trip and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information. 3. This trip ends in Kigali on arrival on the afternoon of Day 6. Please do not book International flights departing before 6pm this evening. 4. The included Gorilla Permit is only valid for one day, on Day 4. For those who are interested in a second trek, please speak with your booking agent about purchasing a second permit. 5. Travel is always an adventure and, as destinations reopen, there are a few challenges as everyone gets back up to speed and adjusts to the new normal. Our leaders are experts when it comes to dealing with anything unexpected along the journey, so pack your understanding and flexibility, sit back and relax while they take care of the rest.
Standard inclusions
- Meals: Meals: 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners.
- Transport: 4WD vehicle, Private Vehicle.
- Accommodation: Hotel (2 night), Feature Stay Eco-Lodge (3 nights).
- Kigali - Welcome Dinner.
- Kigali - Genocide Memorial Centre.
- Kigali - City Tour.
- Kigali - Local Food Lunch.
- Kigali - Kimironko Market Visit.
- Kigali - Ntarama Church Guided Tour.
- Bwindi - Gorilla Doctors Veterinarian Educational Talk.
- Lake Ruhondo – Guided Walk and Boat Ride.
- Bwindi National Park - Mountain Gorilla Permit & Trek.
- Bwindi Impenetrable Forest - Buniga Batwa Cultural Trail.
- Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – Top of the World Hike.
Itinerary
Expand all 
Collapse all
Collapse allDay 1: Kigali
Murakaza neza! Welcome to Kigali, Rwanda’s capital city. You’ll be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel, where you’ll have a welcome meeting at 6 pm. If you arrive in Kigali early, maybe start exploring at your own pace. Head to Nyamirambo, the Muslim quarter, to try some giant grilled tilapia, or stop by a local cafe and discover why Rwandan coffee is considered some of the world’s best. Tonight, you’ll join your leader for dinner at an East African restaurant popular with the locals. Enjoy live music, cocktails, great views and an authentic shared dining experience full of regional flavour.
Day 2: Kigali
This morning, take a tour of the city and Kimironko market with your trip leader, where you can try traditional Rwandan and Ugandan dishes for lunch. Then, head out of the city for a sobering visit to Ntarama Church. Your local guide will explain how this memorial marks the site of a significant event during the genocide and provides an important reminder of lives lost. Continue to the Nyamata Genocide Memorial Centre, where you’ll learn how the Tutsis sought refuge in churches during harrowing times. Then, visit the Genocide Museum – a powerful yet confronting experience and important in understanding the tragedy and the resilience of the Rwandan people. The evening is then free for you to explore at your own pace.
Day 3: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
After breakfast, depart Kigali and head across the border to Bwindi National Park in Uganda. Break up the journey with a guided, gentle 4 km (2.4 mi) walk along the shore of Lake Ruhondo, with great birdlife and scenic views. Then, take a calm boat ride before moving on to Bwindi. Arrive at the Gorilla Heights Lodge – your Feature Stay accommodation for the next three nights. Sitting high on the Nteko Ridge, the lodge offers excellent views of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, which is home to half of the world’s 800 mountain gorillas. Gaze out from your solar-powered cottage balcony across the jagged Virunga Mountains that straddle Uganda’s border with Congo and Rwanda. This evening, during a Signature Experience, a field veterinarian from the Gorilla Doctors will join you at the lodge for a behind-the-scenes look at their work. This organisation is dedicated to saving the mountain and eastern lowland (Grauer’s) gorilla species through medical interventions that protect the animals from human-induced or life-threatening trauma or disease.
Day 4: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Rise early and head to the park headquarters where the Uganda Wildlife Authorities will brief you on today’s gorilla trek. The hike can be strenuous, wet and uncomfortable at times, but the incredible biodiversity of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and the chance to see rare mountain gorillas make it worthwhile. It’s recommended that you invest in the help of local porters who can carry your pack and provide expert, local, one-on-one assistance along the way. Not only does it make for a more comfortable trek, but it also provides valuable employment opportunities to locals. Gorilla trekking is highly controlled. When you encounter a group of gorillas, you’ll be able to stay with them for one hour – watch them swing from trees, groom each other and play, all under the watchful eye of a giant silverback. Have a picnic lunch in the wilderness of the rainforest, then return to your accommodation.
Day 5: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
After breakfast today, you’ll experience the Buniga Batwa Cultural Trail. The indigenous Batwa tribes, once forest-dwelling hunter-gatherers, were displaced in 1991 when the forests were designated as protected national parks, leaving them conservation refugees. The trail offers a glimpse into their traditional way of life. Walk through the forest with your local guide and translator, as they teach you how they used to forage for food, trap animals with snares made from branches and make tools and medicines from nature. Watch as they demonstrate their traditional hunting and fire-making techniques and learn how they built their huts and ‘nests’ in trees to protect children from dangerous animals. This afternoon, take another memorable walk, this time to the ‘Top of the World’ viewpoint in the Nkuringo Sector. From here, you can look out over the dense canopy of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to the Virunga Mountains, the distant Rwenzori Mountains and even small towns across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Enjoy a sundowner and light snacks as the sun sets over the forest.
Day 6: Kigali
After breakfast today, depart the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and begin the journey back over the border into Kigali. After arriving at the capital, your adventure will come to an end at around 1 pm.
Dates
Select a date or submit general enquiry
Operator
Intrepid Travel
Intrepid is a small group tour travel company with humble beginnings that now sends over 100,000 travellers a year on grassroots and responsible travel tours.
Important Information
*Terms and conditions
Please note: We are proud to be an independent agent to travel providers of hotels, flights and other related services. We are not a tour operator. Details and information on the offer are provided by 3rd party businesses and although we do our best to verify the information, we cannot guarantee its accuracy on all occasions. These offers are not available in conjunction with any other offer unless otherwise stated. Pricing and availability are subject to change without notice.
For more information, please see Terms of Use
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5 nights
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