Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Rwanda and Uganda: Gorillas, Bwindi and the Kazinga Channel
9 days from Kigali to Entebbe: the genocide memorial, a gorilla trek in Volcanoes National Park, a night on Lake Bunyonyi, two nights at Bwindi and two in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
9 days · Kigali to Entebbe · up to 12 guests
Misty slopes at Kinigi, on the edge of Volcanoes National Park Photo: Nina R from Africa, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kinigi,_Ruanda_(32445249318).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 9 days, 8 nights
- Start and end
- Kigali to Entebbe
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Active
The gorilla trek is the hard part: steep, muddy farm tracks and forest at about 2,500 to 3,000 m in Volcanoes National Park, from under an hour to more than four hours each way, with a porter to carry your pack and help on slopes. The optional second trek in Bwindi can be steeper and wetter. The other days are easy: a 3-hour forest walk, a village walk and two boat trips. Days 4, 5 and 7 have 3.5 to 4.5 hours on the road, partly unpaved.
- Meals included
- 8 breakfasts, 8 lunches, 7 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 1,460 (estimated price)
- Season
- June to September and December to February
Highlights
Why this trip
- An hour with a mountain gorilla family on the slopes of the Virunga volcanoes, with a porter at your side
- The Kigali Genocide Memorial at opening, with an audio guide and time to talk it through afterwards
- The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund's Ellen DeGeneres Campus at Kinigi, the afternoon before you trek
- A night on Lake Bunyonyi and a boat among its terraced islands, so the border day is never a slog
- Two nights at Buhoma on the edge of Bwindi, with a second gorilla trek if you want one
- The Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, known for lions that rest in fig trees
- A dawn game drive on the Kasenyi plains and a boat along the Kazinga Channel among hippos
- A short flight from Kasese to Entebbe instead of a seven-hour drive
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 1,460 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Kigali
Kigali International Airport to your hotel in Kigali
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Kigali
- Drive about 30 min
Fly into Kigali International Airport (KGL), about 10 km east of the city centre, where a driver meets you in arrivals for the short ride to your hotel.
Evening
Arrive when you like: nothing is planned before the evening. Kigali spreads over a series of green ridges at about 1,500 m, so the air is mild. Plastic bags have been banned in Rwanda since 2008, so leave them out of your luggage. If you land early, walk to a cafe for a cup of Rwandan coffee or simply rest off the long flight. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing on the days ahead: what to wear on the trek, how gorilla families are assigned, and what the border day involves. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner at a local restaurant, a first taste of brochettes, isombe (pounded cassava leaves) and plantain.
Included
- Pick-up at Kigali International Airport (KGL)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
The memorial, then north to the volcanoes
Kigali to the Kigali Genocide Memorial, then Musanze and Kinigi
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Musanze
- Drive about 2.5 h
We reach the Kigali Genocide Memorial at Gisozi when it opens at about 9 am, usually before the busiest hours. More than 250,000 victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi are buried here, and the exhibition explains how it was planned, how it unfolded in about a hundred days, and how the country has lived with it since. We give it about two hours with an audio guide, through the galleries, the children's room and the gardens. It is hard going, and your guide leaves time afterwards for questions or quiet.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in Kigali at about 11:30 am before we drive about two and a half hours north through terraced hills to Musanze, the town formerly called Ruhengeri, at about 1,850 m, as the chain of Virunga volcanoes fills the skyline. At about 3:30 pm we visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund at Kinigi, near the park headquarters, to learn how researchers follow and protect the gorillas before you meet them tomorrow.
Included
- Kigali Genocide Memorial with an audio guide
- Sit-down lunch in Kigali
- Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Kinigi
- Dinner at the hotel
Activity: The memorial is a sombre visit. Modest dress is respectful, and photographs are not allowed inside the exhibition. It opens only 1 pm to 5 pm on the last Saturday of each month and can close at short notice; dated departures avoid that Saturday, and a closure moves the visit to another slot in Kigali.
Mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park
Musanze to the park headquarters at Kinigi, then on foot into the park
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Musanze
- Drive about 1.5 h
This is the one early start of the trip. We leave at about 6:15 am for the park headquarters at Kinigi, where rangers brief every trekker at 7 am and assign each party of up to eight visitors to one habituated gorilla family. Our group of up to 12 is split across two families. Tell your guide if you would like a shorter walk, and the rangers will try to match you to a family nearer the park edge, though nothing is certain. From the trailhead we walk up through potato fields to the stone park wall, then into bamboo and nettles on the slopes of the volcanoes at about 2,500 to 3,000 m. Reaching the family can take under an hour or more than four. Once with them you have one hour, keeping about seven metres away, while they feed, groom and play under the silverback's eye. Each guest has a porter for the day pack and a steady hand on muddy slopes.
Afternoon
Lunch is packed because return times vary, and the afternoon is free at the hotel.
Included
- Mountain gorilla trek in Volcanoes National Park with park rangers and trackers (permit billed at cost, see exclusions)
- A porter for each guest
- Packed lunch
- Dinner at the hotel
Easier option: Ask at the briefing for a family closer to the park edge; walks to these are often shorter, though the rangers cannot promise it.
Free time: Afternoon free after the trek
Activity: From under an hour to more than four hours each way on steep, muddy ground at up to about 3,000 m. Wear waterproof boots, long sleeves, trousers tucked into socks and gloves for the nettles. You cannot trek with a cold or flu.
Across the border to Lake Bunyonyi
Musanze to the Cyanika border, then Kisoro, Kabale and Lake Bunyonyi
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Lake Bunyonyi
- Drive about 3.5 h
Morning
After breakfast we drive about 25 km west along the foot of the volcanoes to the Cyanika border. Leaving Rwanda and entering Uganda usually takes about an hour, so keep your passport, visa and yellow fever certificate handy. Clocks go forward one hour, and from here traffic keeps to the left. On the Ugandan side our 4x4 safari vehicle and driver take over.
Afternoon
We pass through Kisoro, then climb the winding road over the Kanaba Gap towards Kabale and stop for a sit-down lunch on the way. By mid-afternoon we reach our lodge on Lake Bunyonyi, a long, many-armed lake at about 1,960 m dotted with small islands and ringed by terraced hills. In the late afternoon a local guide takes us by boat among the islands, past tiny Akampene, Punishment Island, telling their stories as the light goes. With about an hour at the border on top of 3.5 hours of road, the day runs to about 4.5 hours door to door, a little over our cap; the formalities cannot be shortened, and lunch breaks the drive. We stop here so the border and the road to Bwindi are two days rather than one long one.
Included
- Cyanika border crossing with your guide
- Sit-down lunch on the way
- Late-afternoon boat trip among the islands of Lake Bunyonyi with a local guide
- Dinner at the lodge
Free time: Time at the lodge before the boat
Activity: About 3.5 hours of driving plus about an hour at the border.
To Buhoma, on the edge of Bwindi
Lake Bunyonyi to Kabale, then north through Kanungu district to Buhoma
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Bwindi (Buhoma)
- Drive about 4 h
Morning
Mist often sits on the lake at first light, and if you are up early you can paddle out in a dugout canoe before breakfast. We leave at about 9 am and drive about four hours north to Buhoma, the gateway to the northern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The road runs through Kabale, then over ridges of tea, bananas and patchwork farms in Kanungu district; the last stretch is unpaved and slow, so we take a break halfway.
Afternoon
Lunch is at our lodge on arrival. Bwindi has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1994, a steep, ancient rainforest at roughly 1,200 to 2,600 m that holds close to half of the world's mountain gorillas. In the late afternoon a community guide walks us through Buhoma village and its small farms; we confirm the stops with your final itinerary.
Evening
Dinner is at the lodge, with the sounds of the forest just beyond the garden.
Included
- Buhoma community walk with a local guide
- Lunch and dinner at the lodge
Optional experiences
- Early canoe on Lake Bunyonyi before breakfast
More active option: Paddle a dugout canoe on Lake Bunyonyi at first light (arranged locally, small fee).
Activity: About 4 hours on the road, the last part unpaved, with a stop halfway. The village walk is gentle, about 2 hours.
Bwindi: a second trek or the forest on foot
Buhoma and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Bwindi (Buhoma)
This day is built around a choice you make when you book. If you want a second hour with gorillas, we buy you a Uganda permit and you trek from Buhoma after an early briefing with Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers. Treks here are often steeper and wetter than in Rwanda, through thick forest with a cut path, and the porter we include covers this trek too.
Morning
Everyone else joins the included plan: a ranger-led walk of about three hours on the waterfall trail along the Munyaga River, through tree ferns and tall forest, looking for black-and-white colobus, red-tailed and L'Hoest's monkeys, butterflies and some of Bwindi's many birds, with the forest at its liveliest in the morning.
Afternoon
Both groups meet for lunch at the lodge. The afternoon is free: sit on the deck, sleep, or walk back to the village.
Evening
Your guide is there for anyone who wants to talk through the trek, and the group comes together again for dinner.
Included
- Ranger-led waterfall forest walk in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, park fee included
- All meals at the lodge
Optional experiences
- Second gorilla trek in Bwindi (Uganda permit bought at booking)
Easier option: Skip the forest walk and spend the day at the lodge.
More active option: A second gorilla trek from Buhoma, with a porter included.
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: The forest walk is about 3 hours on a muddy, uneven trail. A Bwindi trek can take from 1 to more than 6 hours in all.
Ishasha and north to the Kazinga Channel
Buhoma to the Ishasha sector, then north through Queen Elizabeth National Park to the Kazinga Channel
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Drive about 4.5 h
Morning
We leave Bwindi after breakfast and drive about two hours north through Kihihi to the Ishasha sector in the south of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Ishasha is known for lions that rest in the branches of fig trees, a habit seen in only a few places in Africa; numbers have fallen in recent years, so a sighting is possible, not promised.
Afternoon
We game-drive the Ishasha tracks for about two hours, among Uganda kob, topi and buffalo, then stop for a sit-down lunch in the sector. From there it is about two and a half hours north across the park to our lodge near the Kazinga Channel. This is the longest day on the road, about 4.5 hours of driving, a little over our usual cap: no shorter road links Bwindi with the north of the park, and the game drive and lunch break it in the middle.
Evening
We arrive by about 5 pm, with the evening to rest.
Included
- Game drive in the Ishasha sector
- Sit-down lunch in Ishasha
- Dinner at the lodge
Free time: Evening free at the lodge
Activity: About 4.5 hours on the road plus a 2-hour game drive, broken by lunch.
Kasenyi at dawn, the Kazinga Channel by boat
Queen Elizabeth National Park: the Kasenyi plains and the Kazinga Channel
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Drive about 2 h
We head out at about 6:30 am, with coffee, to the Kasenyi plains in the north of the park, where herds of Uganda kob graze the open grassland and lions sometimes hunt them in the early light. Elephants, buffalo, warthogs and hyenas are likely; leopards are possible.
Morning
We are back at the lodge for a full breakfast by mid-morning, and the hot middle of the day is free.
Afternoon
After lunch we take a two-hour boat trip along the Kazinga Channel, the natural channel of about 32 km that links Lake George and Lake Edward. Hippos gather in large groups along its banks, with buffalo and elephants coming down to drink, Nile crocodiles, and birds from pied kingfishers to African fish eagles, all at close range from the water.
Evening
The boat is the easy, gentle end to the wildlife days, and dinner is at the lodge with the guide recapping the trip.
Included
- Dawn game drive on the Kasenyi plains
- Kazinga Channel boat trip, about 2 hours
- All meals at the lodge
Optional experiences
- Chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge (priced at booking)
Easier option: Skip the dawn drive and join the group for the afternoon boat.
More active option: Track chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge, a forested gorge in the park, in place of the dawn drive.
Free time: Middle of the day free
Activity: Mostly seated. The Kyambura option is a steep walk down into the gorge and back.
Fly to Entebbe and home
Queen Elizabeth National Park to Kasese, then a domestic flight to Entebbe
- Breakfast and lunch
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
After an early breakfast we drive about an hour to the airstrip at Kasese, crossing the equator on the way, for a scheduled domestic flight to Entebbe of a little over an hour. The same journey by road takes seven to eight hours, which is how many trips end.
Afternoon
Light aircraft take about 15 kg per person in a soft bag, so your main bag travels by road in our vehicle, which leaves the park at dawn and reaches Entebbe in the afternoon. Entebbe sits on the shore of Lake Victoria. We have lunch together there, and if you want to stretch your legs, the Entebbe Botanical Gardens, with monkeys in the old trees by the lake, are a short ride away. From mid-afternoon, once your bag arrives, a day room near the airport lets you shower and repack before the long flight; keep what you need until then in your soft bag. Your guide sees you to Entebbe International Airport (EBB).
Evening
Book a flight leaving after about 7 pm; many long-haul flights leave Entebbe in the evening or overnight.
Included
- Scheduled domestic flight from Kasese to Entebbe
- Lunch in Entebbe
- Day room near the airport
- Drop-off at Entebbe International Airport (EBB)
Free time: Afternoon free in Entebbe
Activity: Book a flight leaving Entebbe after about 7 pm. Your main bag arrives by road in the afternoon. Flight times from Kasese are confirmed with your final itinerary.
- Kigali1 night
- Musanze2 nights
- Lake Bunyonyi1 night
- Bwindi (Buhoma)2 nights
- Queen Elizabeth National Park2 nights
- Entebbeend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: June to September and December to February are the drier months, with firmer trails on the trek. March to May and October to November bring heavier rain and muddy slopes, though the gorillas are there all year and Bwindi, a rainforest, can rain any day. Mornings at Musanze, Bunyonyi and Bwindi are cool; Queen Elizabeth National Park, lower down, is warm.
Want this plan in your inbox?
Get the day-by-day itinerary by email, or ask us anything about this trip. A trip planner replies the same or next business day.
Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers whose main wish is an hour with mountain gorillas, with the option of a second
- People who want Rwanda's recent history explained with care, not skipped
- Those who want a game drive and a boat trip after the forests
- Solo travellers who want company on a trek that is better shared
Not for you if you want
- Anyone who cannot walk several hours on steep, muddy slopes at up to about 3,000 m: the trek is the point of the trip
- Children under 15, the minimum age for gorilla trekking in both countries
- Travellers after a big-five safari: Queen Elizabeth is good for hippos, elephants and kob, but it is not the Masai Mara
- Those who mind long days on rough roads: days 5 and 7 have about 4 to 4.5 hours of driving
Minimum age: 15
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
8 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Kigali1 night
- Musanze2 nights
- Lake Bunyonyi1 night
- Bwindi (Buhoma)2 nights
- Queen Elizabeth National Park2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 8 nights: 1 in central Kigali, 2 in Musanze near Volcanoes National Park, 1 at a lodge on Lake Bunyonyi, 2 at a lodge at Buhoma on the edge of Bwindi, 2 at a lodge near the Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park
- A day room near Entebbe airport on day 9
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Kigali International Airport (KGL) and drop-off at Entebbe International Airport (EBB)
- Our own vehicle and driver in Rwanda, then a Ugandan 4x4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof and driver from the Cyanika border
- Scheduled domestic flight from Kasese to Entebbe, with your main bag carried by road
- Boat trip on Lake Bunyonyi
- Boat trip on the Kazinga Channel
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip, from Kigali to Entebbe
- Park rangers and trackers on the gorilla trek, Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers in Bwindi and Queen Elizabeth, local guides in Buhoma and on Lake Bunyonyi
- A porter for each guest on the gorilla trek, and on the optional Bwindi trek
Activities
- Kigali Genocide Memorial with an audio guide (confirmed at booking), Kigali
- Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Kinigi
- Mountain gorilla trek in Volcanoes National Park (the permit is billed at cost, see exclusions)
- Boat trip among the islands of Lake Bunyonyi
- Buhoma community walk, Bwindi
- Ranger-led waterfall forest walk in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Game drive in the Ishasha sector, Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Dawn game drive on the Kasenyi plains, Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Kazinga Channel boat trip, Queen Elizabeth National Park
- National park entry fees for every day in the plan
Meals
- 8 breakfasts, 8 lunches and 8 dinners
- Welcome dinner in Kigali
- Full board at the lodges on Lake Bunyonyi, at Bwindi and in Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Packed lunch on the gorilla trek
- Drinking water in the vehicles
Not included
- International flights to Kigali and from Entebbe
- Rwanda mountain gorilla permit for the day 3 trek: a government fee of USD 1,500 per person at the time of writing, which we buy in your name when you book and charge at cost
- Optional second gorilla trek in Bwindi: a Uganda permit of about USD 800, bought when you book
- Visas (the East Africa Tourist Visa covers both countries)
- Vaccinations, including yellow fever, and malaria tablets
- Travel insurance, which should include medical evacuation
- Drinks, except water in the vehicles
- Tips for drivers, rangers, trackers, porters and lodge staff
- Optional activities: chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge, canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi
- Laundry and personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 1,460 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 15% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 7,305 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 7,905. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 8,595.
What does the price include?
Eight nights in hotels and lodges, 8 breakfasts, 8 lunches and 8 dinners, transfers, our vehicles and drivers, the Kasese to Entebbe flight, an Entebbe day room, your See Sight Tours guide, a trek porter, park fees and every visit in the day plan, including both boat trips. The gorilla permit is extra.
Is the gorilla permit included in the price?
No, it is listed separately. The Rwanda permit is a government fee, USD 1,500 per person at the time of writing. We buy it in your name as soon as your trip is confirmed and charge it at cost, so you see exactly what goes to the park. Permits are non-refundable once bought.
How fit do I need to be for gorilla trekking?
Fit enough to walk uphill on steep, muddy ground at about 2,500 to 3,000 m, for anything from under an hour to more than four each way. A porter carries your pack and helps on slopes, and rangers try to give slower walkers a nearer family. If you can walk 3 to 4 hours on hilly trails, you will manage.
Can I do a second gorilla trek in Uganda?
Yes. Day 6 at Bwindi is kept free for it. Tell us when you book and we buy a Uganda permit, about USD 800 at the time of writing, for a trek from Buhoma with a porter included. Permits are limited, so the earlier you decide, the better. Everyone else does a ranger-led forest walk.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. Each gorilla family takes at most eight visitors a day, so on the trek the group splits across two families, each with park rangers and trackers. Everyone treks on the same morning, and your guide briefs both parties.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the Kigali airport pick-up to the Entebbe airport drop-off. Park rangers and trackers lead the gorilla trek, Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers lead the forest walk and game drives, and local guides lead the Buhoma village walk and the Lake Bunyonyi boat.
I am travelling solo. Do I pay more?
Only if you want a room of your own, from CAD 1,460 more, shown before you book. Otherwise you pay the same per-person price as everyone else and we pair you with a guest of the same gender where we can. Solo travellers join every part of the trip, including the trek.
When is the best time to go gorilla trekking?
June to September and December to February, the drier months, when trails are firmer. Gorillas can be seen all year, and Bwindi is rainforest, so rain is possible any day. March to May and October to November are wetter and muddier; we run those months as private trips only.
Do I need a visa for Rwanda and Uganda?
Uganda needs a visa for US and Canadian passports: a Uganda e-visa, or the East Africa Tourist Visa, about USD 100 online, which covers Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya. Rwanda's rules for your passport are confirmed when you book. Uganda also asks for a yellow fever certificate. We check your documents before you fly.
How long are the drives?
Most are under four hours. The longest is day 7, about 4.5 hours from Bwindi to the Kazinga Channel, broken by a game drive and lunch in Ishasha. Day 4 adds about an hour at the Cyanika border. At the end we fly from Kasese to Entebbe rather than drive seven to eight hours.
How does booking work?
Pick your start date and request to book. We confirm your trip within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until then. Once confirmed we buy your gorilla permit straight away, because permits for popular months sell out. The small group starts from CAD 8,595 per person sharing, about CAD 10,665 with the Rwanda permit.
Can I travel privately or on my own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, which suits permit dates that do not match ours. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same lodges, permits and drivers.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
Book your Tour
Get in Touch
- Toll Free1-888-961-6584
- Local1-289-271-9767
© 2026 See Sight Tours. All rights reserved.