8 Days Akagera and Queen Elizabeth Wildlife Safari
8 Days Akagera and Queen Elizabeth Wildlife Safari : This is an 8 days Akagera and Queen Elizabeth wildlife safari and this trip enables you to visit both Akagera National Park in Rwanda and Queen Elizabeth national park in Uganda. You will carry out a number of activities at these parks which include the chimpanzees trekking, game drives, cultural tour, boat cruises, lion tracking and a crater lakes tour.
Safari highlights
Day 1 : Transfer from Kigali airport to Akagera National Park
Day 2 : Morning game drive and a boat cruise at lake Ihema
Day 3 : Cultural tour and evening game drive
Day 4 : Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
Day 5 : Lion tracking and a boat cruise at kazinga channel
Day 6 : Chimpanzee trekking
Day 7 : Morning game drive and crater lakes tour
Day 8 :Transfer back to Kigali airport
Detailed itinerary
Day 1 : Transfer from Kigali airport to Akagera National Park
A guide will link up with you at Kigali Airport and take you far a tour in Kigali to places like Kigali genocide memorial, Rwanda art museum and you will also visit Kimironko market. You will have lunch at a hotel and then you head to Akagera National Park. At Akagera National Park, you will get a lodge and you settle in and have dinner. After dinner, you will retire to bed.
Accommodation options
Luxury : Akagera game lodge
Midrange : Magashi safari camp
Budget : Karenge bush camp
Day 2 : Morning game drive and a boat cruise at lake Ihema
You will have breakfast at the lodge and then have a briefing session at the park headquarters. You will then head for a morning game drive with a ranger guide. You spot a number of wildlife while on the drive and this drive will take approximately 5 hours and after you will return to the lodge for lunch.
You will conduct a boat cruise at 3pm after briefing and this boat cruise will be conducted at Lake Ihema which will also grant you the opportunity to see the various wildlife at this lake. You will then return to the lodge and relax as you wait for dinner. You will head to bed after dinner.
Day 3 : Cultural tour and evening game drive
A guide on the 3rd day of the safari will pick you from the lodge after breakfast and you head for a cultural visit at hemure refugee village after being briefed. You will interact with the locals that reside in this village and the interaction with then gives you the opportunity to know about their culture, traditions and how they prepare their local dishes. You will get to know Rwanda’s history from these people and later after the visit, you will head to the lodge for a lunch meal.
You will rest after lunch and then in the evening you will have a briefing at the lodge and you will set off for an evening game drive rake will be conducted for about 3 hours and you will get the opportunity to see nocturnal animals like the lions, leopards, hyenas, civets, nightjars and many more. You will after head to the lodge for dinner and then head to bed and sleep.
Day 4 : Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
At Akagera National Park, you will have breakfast at the lodge, check out and then a guide will pick you from there and you embark on the journey to Queen Elizabeth national park. On your way to Queen Elizabeth national park, you will have a stopover for lunch and then you proceed. When you arrive at Queen Elizabeth national park, you will get an accommodation, check in and relax as you wait for dinner. After dinner, you will retire to bed for your night rest.
Accommodations at Queen Elizabeth national park
Luxury : Mweya safari lodge
Midrange : Kasenyi safari camp
Budget : Topi lodge
Day 5 : Lion tracking and a boat cruise at kazinga channel
After breakfast, you will get a transfer by the guide from the lodge to the park headquarters for briefing. You will be briefed about lion tracking and then you will be give a ranger guide to take you to this activity that will take approximately 1 to 3 hours. Lion tracking will be carried out in kasenyi plains in Queen Elizabeth national park. Apart from the lions, you will also spot other wildlife species in your search of the lions. After the experience, you will head back to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, a guide will transfer you from the lodge to the park headquarters and you be briefed. You will then head for a boat cruise along kazinga channel. Kazinga channel connects lake Edward and lake George. The boat cruise will take you about 2 hours. While on the boat cruise you will see a numerous animals like the buffaloes, elephants, crocodiles, hippos and many more plus bird species. You will after head back to the lodge for dinner and you will then retire to bed.
Day 6 : Chimpanzee trekking
After an early morning breakfast, a guide will transfer you for briefing to the park headquarters and the briefing will be conducted by the park wardens. You will conduct a chimpanzee trek that will take place in kyambura gorge. You will be accompanied by a guide and you will take approximately 30 minutes to 4 hours while searching for the chimpanzees and once you spot them, you will have one hour with them to capture moments and also make your observations. The guide will tell you more about the chimpanzees and then you will be transferred to the lodge for lunch. After lunch, you will rest and wait for the evening time. In the evening, you will have dinner and retire to bed.
Day 7 : Morning game drive and crater lakes tour
On day 7 while at Queen Elizabeth national park you will conduct a morning game drive in the Ishasha sector after you have had breakfast at the lodge. You will start with briefing at the park headquarters and you will then proceed to the southern part of the park where this game drive will be conducted rewarding you with different views of wildlife which include the elephants, buffaloes and many more. The morning game drive will also grant you the chance to spot the tree climbing lions at Queen Elizabeth national park. You will then head back to the lodge for lunch.
A guide will transfer you from the lodge after lunch and you head to the park headquarters and be briefed. After, you will head for a crater lakes tour at lake katwe and you will have a chance to interact with the locals there and get to know more about them and also have amazing views of the crater lakes. Lake Nyamunuka is also another lake that you will see while on the crater lakes tour. You then head to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay after the visit to the crater lakes.
Day 8 :Transfer back to Kigali airport
The guide will pick you from the lodge at Queen Elizabeth national park after you have finished having breakfast and checking out. You will set off to Rwanda with an enroute lunch before reaching Kigali airport fir your flight
Safari includes
- Mineral Bottled water
- 4WD safari vehicle
- English speaking driver guide
- Pick up and drop off
- Meals
- Accommodation
- Park entrance fees
- Chimpanzee trekking permit
- Lion tracking permit
Safari excludes
- Visa fees
- Air ticket
- Personal expenses
- Life insurance
- Tips
