Overview
Highlights
- City Tour
- Chimpanzee Trekking & Canopy Walk
- Gorilla Trekking
- Game Drive & Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise
14 Days Itinerary
Day 1 :
Arrival in Kigali (Rwanda)
Meet and greet upon arrival at the airport exit point by our team, pick up and transfer to your Kigali Hotel for check-in. Per your request, you will rest for two days at your hotel before kicking off your safari activities in Rwanda.
Overnight stay at Quiet Haven Hotel (Breakfast & Dinner).
Activity duration may vary
Day 2 :
Kigali City Tour - Nyungwe Forest National Park
After breakfast, pick up from your Kigali Hotel and start the Kigali city tour, an opportunity to learn more about Rwanda's history. Visit the Kigali genocide memorial centre and then the Kimironko Market to interact with the local people of Rwanda. After the city excursion, continue your journey to Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Check-in at the lodge and enjoy dinner and an overnight stay. Emeraude Kivu Resort (FB)
Activity duration may vary.
Day 3 :
Chimpanzee Trekking & Canopy Walk
Trek the more than 400 chimpanzee residents of this amazing forest. You will have one full hour to hang out with man’s closest cousin (chimps share over 98% of DNA with humans). After the trek, return to your accommodation for lunch and have some rest before going out again for the canopy walk experience. Suspended above a ravine in the lush montane rainforest, the canopy walkway offers an exhilarating view of ancient tree tops, birds, and stunning wildflowers.
Overnight stay at Emeraude Kivu Resort (FB)
Activity duration may vary
Day 4 :
Nyungwe National Park - Volcanoes National Park
Enjoy a relaxed breakfast at the accommodation before hitting the road for Volcanoes National Park. Volcanoes National Park lies in northwestern Rwanda and borders Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda.
The drive is a bit long but incredibly scenic, passing through villages and lush green countryside. You won’t get bored at all. With a strenuous day tomorrow, you will reach and just check into your accommodation and relax. Later, enjoy your dinner plus the overnight stay. La Palme Hotel (FB)
Activity duration may vary
Day 5 :
Gorilla Trekking
Today’s early breakfast will be followed by a brief drive to the starting point for the gorilla trek, tagging along with your packed lunch enriched with an African touch. Upon arrival, you will be treated to vibrant traditional Rwandese dances to fire up your adrenaline, after which you will be briefed on the dos and don’ts of gorilla trekking. Nothing beats the thrill of walking through the dense forest to encounter one of the 12 habituated gorilla families here. At the climax of the gorilla adventure, you will spend a wonderful hour admiring how they have adapted to the jungle as you take photos of our closest cousins.
The adventure could last 2 – 6 hours, depending on the pace with which the gorillas move from one part of the forest to another in search of food. At the adventure's climax, you will return to your lodge for a hot lunch and relaxation. Later in the day, you will head out for Iby’iwacu cultural village, a replica of a Rwandese cultural village. Here you will be treated to the past and present traditional ways of life of the Rwandese tribes as exhibited by former poachers who have now embraced the conservation gospel. Enjoy the eight different types of local dances that date back to prehistoric times. Return to the lodge for relaxation and an overnight stay.
Overnight at Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge
Activity duration may vary
Day 6 :
Golden Monkey Trekking
Trekking of the golden monkeys takes place in Volcanoes National Park, starting at 7 am. The 2-4 hour adventure starts with a short briefing, after which you will enter the jungle for a trek of a lifetime. Having been habituated for a long time now, the golden monkeys are not bothered by the presence of humans.
There is an excellent chance that some of their members will draw so close to you, especially the babies. Don’t panic. Get along. You are also likely to run into several families of both old-world and new-world monkeys as they roam around the park. Afterwards, return to the accommodation for lunch. After lunch, drive off to Cyanika Border Post to cross into Uganda. You will have a sightseeing tour of Lake Bunyonyi and its scenic 29 islands, then retire at your lodge.
Overnight stay at Lake Bunyonyi Resort (FB).
Activity duration may vary.
Day 7 :
Lake Bunyonyi - Queen Elizabeth National Park
Be up early, have breakfast, and embark on a transfer to the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park—famously known for its tree-climbing lions. You will have a brief game drive on your way to the lodge. Queen Elizabeth NP is a Big 5 wildlife estate that has it all.
Besides over 40 animal species and 600 bird species, the park features some astonishing landscapes and gorges, rolling hills, crater lakes, woodland, and open savannahs. Among the activities you will pursue during this adventure include boat cruises, game drives, hiking and community visits. But for today, check into your lodge before going out for an evening game drive. This will be brief but it will give you an idea of what to expect on the full game drive the following morning. You could also choose to just stay at the lodge this evening and rest as you enjoy the views of the park. The swimming pool at the lodge offers a great way to cool off and relax.
Overnight: Irungu Forest Safari Lodge (FB)
Activity duration may vary
Day 8 :
Game Drive & Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise
Early breakfast, and pack your picnic lunch boxes. The game drive will start very early in the morning in the open Savannah. Here, predators like leopards and lions camouflage to stalk prey grazing in the breeding grounds. Herds of elephants and buffalos majestically stroll on the plains. Our guides know the vantage points for the best wildlife viewing. After lunch, transfer to the pier/dock for your afternoon boat-ride on Kazinga Channel. The boat cruise on Kazinga, a thread of water that joins lakes George and Edward, is simply breathtaking.
The channel is both home and playground for the Nile Crocodiles, and it has arguably the highest concentration of Hippos on the planet. Throw elephants and buffaloes into that mix and the stage is set for some wild action. You will also encounter the majestic African Fish Eagle, Goliath Herons, Saddle-billed Storks, Egyptian Gees, different species of Egrets, and Cormorants among other bird species. Don’t forget to get your camera out for the magnificent sunset against the Rwenzori Mountain ranges from the Mweya Peninsula. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Overnight: Irungu Forest Safari Lodge (FB)
Activity duration may vary
Day 9 :
Queen Elizabeth NP - Bigodi Wetland
fter your breakfast, depart Queen Elizabeth NP for Fort Portal Tourism City where you’ll embark on a tour of the traditional palace of Tooro, a prolific Bantu Kingdom at the foothills of Mountain Rwenzori. Once done with lunch in Fort Portal, you will continue with the journey towards Kibale Forest National Park for a nature walk in its surrounding wetland, Bigodi. Owned by the local community that neighbors the park, Bigodi boasts of an extensive array of biodiversity among which are several primates’ species like the baboon, black and white colobus monkey, etc. Bigodi is also a paradise for bird watchers. The most famous species within the wetland is the Great Blue Turaco.
Overnight at Kibale Forest Camp (FB)
Activity duration may vary
Day 10 :
Kibale - Crater Lakers - Hoima City
Have breakfast and move out to explore the Kibale crater lakes, crowned with a hike to the “top of the world” – a vantage point with sweeping panoramic views of scenic small lakes, rolling hills and mountain ranges. Take a hike to Lake Nkuruba where you will encounter different species of primates and birds. Along the way, you will meet locals who will tell you beautiful stories of their locale. Return to the lodge for some rest and lunch. After lunch, you will transfer to Hoima City to break the long transfer (Kibale-Murchison Falls NP). Reach Hoima, check into the accommodation, and relax.
Overnight stay at Kontiki Hotel (FB)
Activity duration may vary
Day 11 :
Murchison Falls National Park
Depart Hoima for Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s oldest and biggest game reserve. You will arrive on time for lunch at the lodge. Later, move out for an up-close encounter with the spectacular waterfall, after which the park is named. Here, you will pursue a 45-minute hike that offers different viewpoints of the most powerful waterfall on the planet — as the Mighty River Nile funnels itself through a 7 – 8-meter gorge. Our guides will often take you to strategic vantage points to get the best views of the entire park.
Murchison Falls National Park is not only the biggest national park in Uganda but it also has one of the best savannahs where you can encounter over 76 mammal species including buffalos, lions, elephants, leopards, giraffes, etc. The birdlife here is just as impressive, with water dwellers such as shoebills and fish eagles found alongside more unusual species such as the Secretary Birds. In total, the park has 476 recorded species. After the hike, return to your lodge for an overnight stay.
Overnight: Fort Murchison (FB)
Activity duration may vary
Day 12 :
Game Drive in Murchison
Start your day with a very early breakfast and proceed for a morning game drive. The massive herds of elegant giraffes in Murchison’s savannah are a sight to behold, and the birdlife in the swampy areas of the park is both colorful and plentiful. But it’s the lions that steal the show as they hunt for prey. Great herds of elephants and buffalos graze alongside the herds of several Uganda kobs and other antelopes. Later in the day, return to the River Nile for a second boat cruise. This 2-hour sightseeing boat cruise takes place along the shoreline of the River Nile, offering up-close views of hippos and crocodiles sunbathing. As the day gets hotter, different mammal species conglomerate here to quench their thirst and take a shower as well. It's your opportunity to pull out your camera.
Overnight stay at Fort Murchison (FB) Day
Activity duration may vary
Day 13 :
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary - Departure
Have your breakfast and drive to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, the main stopover of the journey to Entebbe International Airport ahead of your departing flight. At Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, you will have a bushwalk in pursuit of the Southern white rhinoceros. 25 of them reside here. They are currently undergoing rebreeding ahead of their reintroduction into the savannah game parks across the country. From the rhino tracking, you will embark on a transfer to Entebbe Airport to catch your flight (recommended for 6:00 pm or later) otherwise, you can choose to check into a hotel in Kampala or Entebbe for the night for an extra fee.
End of service.
Activity duration may vary
Cost
The Cost Includes
- Kigali airport meet and greet services
- 2 Night stay in Kigali on a bed and breakfast basis
- Kigali city excursion; visit Kigali genocide memorial center, crafts places, and Kimironko market excluding individual entry fees
- 2 Nights stay in Nyungwe on a full board basis
- 3 Nights stay in Volcanoes on a full board basis
- 1 gorilla permit in Volcanoes NP Rwanda
- Golden Monkey trekking permit
- Road transfer from Rwanda to Uganda
- Lake Bunyonyi island experience
- 1 Night stay in the Lake Bunyonyi area on a full board basis
- Transfer from Lake Bunyonyi to Queen Elizabeth NP
- Customized safari vehicle with services of an experienced English-speaking driver guide throughout the safari
- 1 Night stay in Queen Elizabeth NP on a full board basis
- Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise
- Tooro Kingdom palace tour
- Bigodi wetland nature walk
- 1 Night stay in Kibale Forest on a full board basis
- Crater Lakes tour
- Transfer from Kibale to Hoima City and crossing into Murchison
- 1 Night stay in Hoima town on a full board basis
- Private game drive within Murchison Falls NP with a 4×4 customized safari minivan with pop up roof for game viewing
- Private transport in a customized safari vehicle with services of an experienced English speaking driver guide throughout the safari
- Boat Cruise on River Nile
- 2 Nights stay in Murchison Falls NP on a full board basis
- Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary excursion
- Road transfer from Queen to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and eventually to Entebbe International Airport
- All individual Park / Conservancy fees for all the game parks
- Drinking water throughout the safari
- Mentioned return airport transfers
- All Applicable government taxes
The Cost Excludes
- Visa
- International Flights
- RT-PCR Tests (if required)
- Tips/gratuities to Driver/Guide (budget approximately $8.00 – US$ 10.00 per person per day)
- Extras
- Items of a Personal Nature
- Beverages not stated in the Itinerary
FAQs
How fit do I need to be to do this trek?
Annapurna Base Camp is a Grade B or a moderately difficult trekking route. So any fit person can do this trek, even if you do not have any previous experience. You should be aware of what to expect and mentally prepare for it. Then, as long as you will too, you can.
How long do we walk every day when doing the trekking?
On average, you walk about 4 to 6 hours per day. One or two days can be as less as 3hrs and one or two days can be as long as 7hrs.
What is the highest altitude reached in this trek?
The highest altitude reached is 4190m. This is the elevation of Annapurna Base Camp. ABC is the highest we will climb in this trek.
What about battery charging and hot shower facilities?
Yes, you can charge batteries en route. Charger should be brought. There are hot shower facilities as well. You may have to pay a certain amount for both ($1-$2). Negotiate. Also, a hot water facility could be free at a lower elevation.
Are there ATMs
No. There are no ATMs on this trek route. You will have to draw enough cash in Pokhara or Kathmandu. There are a number of ATMs in these cities. Everything is paid in Nepali rupees. So money should be exchanged before the start of the trek.
What about internet access?
Yes. The Internet can be accessed in most places. Sometimes, there might be some technical problems. The Internet in Nepal is not as fast as you are used to and at times you can just lose connection.
Is it necessary to hire Guides/trekking agency for Annapurna Base Camp trekking?
Not really. It depends on you. If you want, ABC trekking can be done independently. You could hire a guide and a porter by yourself instead of going through an agency or not hire a guide at all. Although, not having a guide can be a little problematic during the offseason.
It really depends on you. Is it your first time in Nepal? How confident are you of being able to find your way around? How pressed on time are you? If you go through an agency, it will be costlier but everything will be planned. You will only have to come, trek and return.
How much do guides and porters cost?
For the Annapurna region, pay for guides range from $20 to $30 per day and porters take $15 to $25 per day.
Map
Map
