10 Days Best of Uganda Primate Big five and nature Safari. Experience an unforgettable 7-day primate adventure through Uganda and Rwanda, combining two of Africa’s finest gorilla trekking destinations. This carefully designed Uganda Rwanda gorilla safari offers the rare opportunity to trek endangered mountain gorillas in both Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. Along the journey, you’ll also enjoy golden monkey tracking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, cultural encounters with local communities, breathtaking mountain scenery, and a relaxed Kigali city tour to open the trip.

From lush rainforest and volcanic landscapes to living history and vibrant culture, this itinerary delivers an exceptional East African wildlife experience — and the kind of memories that last well beyond the trip itself. At Kenlink Tours, this is one of our signature cross-border primate itineraries, built and refined over years of running exactly this route.

Day 1 –  Arrival and Kigali City Tour

On arrival, you’ll be met by your driver-guide and taken to your hotel to relax and take a short nap before breakfast. From there, spend the day exploring Kigali — visiting attractions not covered elsewhere on the trip, or simply enjoying some leisure time for shopping and photography in one of Africa’s cleanest, most walkable capitals.

Accommodation: Five to Five Hotel
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 2 – Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After breakfast at your hotel, your professional safari guide will warmly welcome you before departing for Uganda. Enjoy a scenic drive through Rwanda’s picturesque countryside — famously known as the “Land of a Thousand Hills” — before crossing the Cyanika or Katuna border into Uganda. Continue on to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to nearly half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. Along the way, admire terraced hillsides, traditional villages, and rolling landscapes. Arrive at your lodge in the evening, relax, enjoy dinner, and prepare for the gorilla trekking adventure awaiting you the following day.

Accommodation: Rushaga Gorilla Lodge
Meal Plan: Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 – Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi and Transfer to Mgahinga

After an early breakfast, head to the park headquarters for a briefing from Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers on gorilla trekking rules and safety guidelines — our own guide to gorilla trekking rules and regulations in Uganda covers exactly what to expect at this stage. Venture into the dense rainforest with experienced guides in search of a habituated gorilla family. The trek may take between two and six hours depending on the gorillas’ location that day. Once found, spend one unforgettable hour observing these gentle giants as they feed, play, and interact in their natural habitat.

After returning from the forest, receive your trekking certificate before driving to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, arriving in the evening for dinner and an overnight stay. Our post on driving from Bwindi to Mgahinga covers this exact transfer route in more detail if you’d like to know what the journey involves.

Accommodation: Icumbi Hotel
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4 – Golden Monkey Tracking and Batwa Community Experience

Enjoy breakfast before joining ranger guides for an exciting golden monkey tracking adventure in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. These lively, colorful primates are endemic to the Virunga Mountains and known for their playful bamboo-forest antics. After spending quality time watching them, return for lunch before visiting the Batwa community. Learn about the fascinating traditions, hunting skills, medicinal plant knowledge, music, and dances of the Batwa people, who once lived in these forests before conservation efforts relocated them. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Icumbi Hotel
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5 – Transfer to Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park

Following breakfast, depart Mgahinga and cross the nearby border back into Rwanda. Enjoy a short, scenic drive to Volcanoes National Park, one of Africa’s premier primate destinations, nestled beneath the magnificent Virunga volcanoes. After checking into your lodge, spend the afternoon relaxing while taking in spectacular mountain views, or take an optional guided nature walk around the surrounding communities. The peaceful atmosphere provides the perfect opportunity to prepare for your second gorilla trekking experience. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Accommodation: Tiloreza Volcanoes Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6 –  Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park, Dian Fossey Legacy and Iby’Iwacu Cultural Experience

Wake up early for breakfast before reporting to the Volcanoes National Park headquarters for a ranger briefing. Begin your second gorilla trekking experience through Rwanda’s beautiful montane forests in search of one of the park’s habituated gorilla families. After spending one memorable hour with the gorillas, return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, learn about the remarkable conservation legacy of renowned primatologist Dian Fossey and her lifelong contribution to mountain gorilla protection. Later, visit the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village, where local communities showcase traditional Rwandan dances, music, cultural practices, and royal heritage. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Tiloreza Volcanoes Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7 –  Transfer to Kigali and Departure

After breakfast, drive back to Kigali — one of Africa’s cleanest and most organized cities — before proceeding to the airport for your onward flight home.

Accommodation: N/A
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch

Why Combine Bwindi and Volcanoes National Park on One Trip

Trekking gorillas in both countries on the same itinerary isn’t just a novelty — it genuinely gives you two distinct experiences. Bwindi’s Rushaga sector offers dense, ancient rainforest and a wide choice of habituated families, while Volcanoes National Park sets your second trek against the dramatic backdrop of the Virunga volcanoes themselves. Our Uganda primate tracking safaris page and guide to how many days you need to visit Uganda and Rwanda are both useful further reading if you’re considering adjusting the length or pace of this itinerary.

Pick and Transfer Safaris’ Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park destination page and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park destination page are both worth a look for additional background on the two Ugandan parks this trip covers, and their post comparing gorilla trekking routes starting from Rwanda offers a useful second perspective on this exact border-crossing itinerary style.

Golden Monkey Tracking: A Highlight Many Visitors Don’t Expect

Golden monkey tracking is often the trip’s quiet surprise — a shorter, gentler outing than gorilla trekking, but genuinely memorable thanks to these endangered primates’ constant motion and striking color, found only in the Virunga volcanoes region shared by Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC. It pairs naturally with the Batwa cultural visit on the same day, giving you a lighter, more varied day between the trip’s two gorilla treks. Pick and Transfer Safaris’ gorilla safari packages cover similar primate combinations if you want to compare how this activity is typically built into other itineraries.

Gorilla permits make up the largest single cost on this itinerary, and pricing differs meaningfully between the two countries — Pick and Transfer Safaris’ post on how to buy a gorilla permit in Uganda is a useful reference if you want to understand exactly what that $800 Uganda permit covers, alongside Rwanda’s considerably higher $1,500 fee reflected in the cost breakdown below.

Trip Cost

Tour Price per person (2 pax): $4,300

Price Inclusions

• Transport in a comfortable 4×4 vehicle
• Accommodation and meals as outlined in the itinerary
• Professional driver-guide throughout
• Pick-up from and drop-off to Kigali
• Gorilla trekking permit in Uganda ($800 each)
• Gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda ($1,500 each)
• Golden monkey tracking permit
• Bottled drinking water throughout the tour
• Safari insurance
• All activities mentioned in the itinerary

Price Exclusions

• International flights and visa fees
• Tips and gratuities for your driver-guide and lodge staff
• Personal travel insurance beyond the safari insurance included above
• Items of a personal nature (laundry, phone calls, souvenirs)
• Any activities not specifically listed in the itinerary

Plan Your 7-Day Uganda and Rwanda Gorilla Safari

Two countries, two mountain gorilla treks, and a golden monkey encounter in between — this itinerary is one of the most complete primate experiences available anywhere in East Africa, and one we’re glad to tailor to your travel dates, group size, or accommodation preferences. Browse our full range of Uganda safaris and Rwanda safaris, learn more about our team on our About Us page, or reach out directly through our contact page to book this trip or request a custom variation.