The pick-up will be from either; the Hotel in Kigali or from the Kigali Airport upon arrival (before 2pm). The assigned Professional English-speaking Tour Driver-guide will pick/receive you and we shall embark on a transfer to Cyanika Border Post. From Cyanika, you will be received by our Uganda-based Professional Tour Driver-guide who will take over from his Rwanda-based counterpart. You will cross border into Uganda and overnight at a property close to Mgahinga NP where you will undertake golden monkey trekking tomorrow.

When it comes to primates, Uganda is truly rich and one species that you don't want to miss is the golden monkeys. Compared with other monkey species, the golden monkeys are gorgeous in appearance. These attractive primates are in the Mgahinga NP which is part of the Virunga Mountains where they are endemic. This morning, we will embark on a drive of about 45 minutes to an hour to the Mgahinga NP ranger’s post. Once there, we shall receive some briefing and then a ranger-guide will lead you on this adventure into the Mgahinga Forest to encounter golden monkeys. Once located, you will be allowed an hour in their presence. The time with these primates is just so amazing that you won’t realize how time has gone. On return, you will board the car and embark on a transfer to accommodation at the edge of the Bwindi NP where we will have gorilla trekking tomorrow.

Have breakfast and move to the rangers’ post. You will receive some briefing (from a ranger-guide) on the dos and don’ts during gorilla trekking. Thereafter, you will enter the forest for your adventure and encounter. The beauty of this rain forest is spectacular! The area offers dramatic steeply forested landscape and is incredibly dense but crisscrossed by numerous animal trails allowing access to tourists. The time taken (4-8 hours) and the terrain vary with the movements of these great primates. Once you have located a gorilla group, you will be allowed an hour in their presence. The time with these gentle but endangered giants is unforgettable. Return to the lodge, and rest after a strenuous trek. (extra cost): In case you finished early and the body is willing to go out again, you can request your guide to arrange; a community visit, or some short nature walk.

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 lion population. Once there, undertake a game drive in search of this rare species of lions. The chance of spotting these lions stands at about 60-70% but sometimes they are hard to spot (most especially when they are down in the grassland looking for prey). Should you get the chance to spot the lions up in the tree, the sight is picturesque and unforgettable. From Ishasha (south), exit and head to the booked accommodation in the north sector. Check in and take rest. Optional: If interested, you may consider a late afternoon-to-evening game drive/safari in the Kasenyi plains.

Be up early and have your breakfast. Proceed for a morning game drive in the Kasenyi plains and be on the look for Cape buffalos, herds of elephants plus lions, leopards (though hard to spot) among others. Return to the accommodation for some rest time and lunch. After lunch, you will go for a 2-hour boat trip on the Kazinga Channel that connects Lakes George and Edward. During the trip, the sight of wildlife including giant hippos, elephants and crocodiles among others will fascinate you. You will also see many varieties of birds at the water shores. After the boat trip, you can decide either to return to the lodge to rest or first proceed for a brief late afternoon game drive and thereafter, return to the lodge.

Be up early and have your breakfast. Proceed for one last morning game drive in the Kasenyi plains and after the sighting on this game drive, we shall embark (right away) for a transfer that will see us check in at an accommodation at the edge of the Kibale Forest National Park. We hope to have lunch at this property and also rest a bit before going out in the Bigodi. The Bigodi wetland boasts of an extensive array of biodiversity among which are several primates’ species like the black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, L'Hoest's monkey, and baboons. The Bigodi is also a paradise for bird watchers. (extra cost 250$ pp): If interested, you can consider chimpanzee tracking (Kibale Forest) in place of the Bigodi wetlands excursion. After the beautiful time in the Bigodi (or Kibale Forest), we shall return to the lodge where we will enjoy dinner and then overnight.

Have breakfast, check out and embark on the journey to Murchison Falls National Park. The highlights of this park include the roaring rapids of the Murchison, the rolling plains of Uganda’s largest National Park where you will have the chance of viewing lions, leopard, giraffes, hartebeest, buffalo, and elephants among others. For birders, Murchison Falls boasts about 450 bird species including the grey parrot, dwarf king fisher and the Goliath heron among others. Expect lunch en route. The drive is quite long but incredibly scenic. The beautiful scenery will amaze you all the way (with very little/no room to be bored). You can decide to do a game drive first and then finally, proceed to the booked accommodation. Otherwise, we can go straight to the accommodation, check in and stay at leisure.

Today you will have a full packed game viewing opportunity in the park. Murchison Falls National Park is a home to different wildlife species such as; Buffalos, Jackson hartebeests, elephants, Lions, Giraffes, leopards, Hyenas, among others. They are widely spread all over the Savannah grasslands, grazing or hunting for prey. These make the park's landscape so amazing for game viewing/game driving. To avoid the long drive back to the lodge, we can proceed to Red Chilli and enjoy hot lunch there. After the lunch, we can move back for the second leg of our game viewing. After a satisfying day’s encounter, we shall head back to the lodge to freshen up – awaiting dinner and the overnight stay. Optional (extra cost 30$ pp): If interested, you may consider the 11am boat trip towards the bottom of the falls that also offers the opportunity to hike (extra 15$ pp) to the top of the falls.

You will have your breakfast and then drive off to Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary – a successful conservation effort that was set to save the near-extinct rhino population in Uganda. Today, visitors to Uganda have a chance to encounter rhinos thanks to this effort. Once in Zziwa, we will proceed for an hour of on-foot rhino tracking. From the rhino tracking, we will drive off to Entebbe for a drop off at the airport (for flight from 18:00 or later) or hotel of your booking. Thank you for choosing and travelling with us (Gorilla Pathfinders).