Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport, where your driver-guide meets you and transfers you to your hotel for dinner and overnight. This trip is a close cousin of our broader 10 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari, trimmed down to focus purely on primates rather than savannah game drives. Overnight: Entebbe

Day 2: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

After breakfast, drive west toward Kibale Forest, passing through the Rift Valley escarpment and the crater lakes region near Fort Portal. Kibale holds one of the highest densities of primates anywhere in Africa, with thirteen species recorded within the park. Overnight: Kibale area

Day 3: Chimpanzee Trekking & Bigodi Wetland Walk

An early morning briefing at Kibale headquarters precedes the trek into the forest to track wild chimpanzees, typically a two-to-four-hour activity. In the afternoon, a guided walk through the community-run Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary adds sightings of red colobus, grey-cheeked mangabey, and black-and-white colobus monkeys, alongside excellent birding. Overnight: Kibale area

Day 4: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

A scenic drive south through rolling hills and tea plantations to Bwindi, home to roughly half the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. Depending on timing, there may be a short stop for a briefing at your lodge to prepare for the following day’s trek. Overnight: Bwindi area

Day 5: Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi

The heart of the Uganda leg. After a briefing at park headquarters, trek into the forest with your ranger guide in search of a habituated gorilla family — a hike that can take anywhere from thirty minutes to several hours, followed by an unforgettable hour in their presence. Travelers wanting a shorter taste of this single activity can look at our standalone 3 Days Uganda Gorilla Safari. Overnight: Bwindi area

Day 6: Batwa Cultural Experience & Optional Second Forest Walk

A morning Batwa cultural experience introduces you to the forest’s original inhabitants and their traditional way of life before conservation restrictions changed how they use the land. In the afternoon, an optional second nature walk through a different section of Bwindi offers a further chance at black-and-white colobus and a wide range of forest birds. Overnight: Bwindi area

Day 7: Cross into Rwanda via Cyanika Border

Drive south to the Cyanika border crossing, through some of the most scenic terracing and hillside farmland in the region. Once through immigration formalities on the Rwandan side, continue to Musanze, the gateway town for Volcanoes National Park. Overnight: Musanze/Volcanoes area

Day 8: Second Gorilla Trek in Volcanoes National Park

A full day at Volcanoes National Park, once home to Dian Fossey’s research camp. Trek through open bamboo forest — a noticeably different habitat from Bwindi’s dense hardwood interior — for your second encounter with mountain gorillas, part of the wider gorilla trekking experiences this region is known for. Overnight: Musanze/Volcanoes area

Day 9: Golden Monkey Tracking & Transfer to Kigali

A lighter, livelier morning as you track golden monkeys through the bamboo zone of Volcanoes National Park — an activity that rounds out the trip’s primate checklist with a species found almost nowhere else. In the afternoon, drive to Kigali and check into your final hotel. Travelers who enjoy pairing gorilla trekking with golden monkeys often also look at Kaara Adventures’ 2 Days Volcano Golden Monkey Trek and Gorilla Tracking for a sense of how these two activities pair together. Overnight: Kigali

Day 10: Kigali City Tour & Departure

A guided city tour including the Kigali Genocide Memorial, an essential and moving stop for understanding Rwanda’s history and remarkable recovery. Depending on your flight time, there may be room for a visit to a local craft market before your transfer to Kigali International Airport for departure.

What’s Included

• All ground transport in a 4×4 safari vehicle with English-speaking driver-guide
• Accommodation on a full-board basis for 9 nights
• Park entrance fees for all listed activities
• One gorilla trekking permit in Uganda and one in Rwanda
• Golden monkey tracking permit
• Bottled drinking water while on the road
• Airport transfers in Entebbe and Kigali

What’s Not Included

• International flights
• Uganda and Rwanda visas / East Africa Tourist Visa
• Tips for guides and lodge staff
• Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks not listed
• Travel insurance
• Optional activities not mentioned in the itinerary (e.g. the second Bwindi forest walk on Day 6, if not pre-booked)

Accommodation Options

This itinerary can be arranged at Luxury, Mid-Range, or Budget level, with lodges adjusted accordingly at each stop — Kibale, Bwindi, and Volcanoes National Park. Let us know your preferred style when enquiring and we’ll build the quote around it.

A Note on Gorilla Permits

Gorilla permits in both Uganda and Rwanda are limited and sell out months in advance, particularly during the June–September and December–February peak seasons. Because this itinerary includes two separate gorilla treks, we strongly recommend booking at least 3–6 months ahead to secure permit dates in both countries on compatible days. For a wider look at how this trip fits alongside other multi-country and primate-focused options, see our full Primate Tours collection and Combining Trips page.

Who This Trip Is For

Because it drops the savannah game drives found in our broader Uganda-Rwanda itineraries, this trip suits travelers whose primary interest is primates rather than a full Big Five experience. Those who’d like to add Queen Elizabeth National Park and tree-climbing lions back into the mix should compare this itinerary against our 10 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari or the wider East Africa Safaris collection.

Ready to Book?

Every itinerary we run is tailored to your dates, budget, and fitness level. Contact our team to check gorilla permit availability and get a full quote for this 10 Days Uganda Rwanda Primates Safari, or browse our blog for more on planning your trip.