5 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking and Rwanda Golden Monkey Safari
*price p.p. incl. guide, safari-jeep, hotel and park entrance fees, excl. international flight (Based on 6 persons)
Note: We have discounts for kids 12 years old or younger.
5 Days
Private or Group
Safari
At Friendly Gorillas, we recommend this tour for travelers who are already in Rwanda, you who want a shorter route to Uganda’s gorillas, primate lovers, couples, photographers, and visitors who want to compare Uganda and Rwanda in one trip. It is not the best option for travelers who want a full Big Five safari, you with very limited budgets, or visitors who dislike early starts and border-crossing logistics.
DURATION
5 Days
TOUR TYPE
Lodge Safaris, Private Safaris, Fly In Safari
ACTIVITIES
Game viewing, Chimpanzee Trekking, Community Experience, Bird watching, Nature walk
TRANSPORT
Private 4×4 Safari Vehicle
Overview
The 5 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking and Rwanda Golden Monkey Safari is a smart cross-border primate itinerary for travelers who want Uganda’s mountain gorillas and Rwanda’s golden monkeys in one short trip.
It starts and ends in Kigali, which helps reduce the driving time to southwestern Uganda compared to starting from Kampala or Entebbe.
This safari gives you two different primate experiences without making the trip too long. Uganda gives them the rare and emotional mountain gorilla encounter in Bwindi or Mgahinga, while Rwanda gives them the lively golden monkey experience in Volcanoes National Park. The route also adds Kigali, border crossing, highland scenery, local culture, and optional relaxation around Lake Bunyonyi or Kisoro.
5 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking and Rwanda Golden Monkey Safari
BUDGET Accommodation
2 Persons
4 Persons
6+ Persons
STANDARD Accommodation
2 Persons
4 Persons
6+ Persons
LUXURY Accommodation
2 Persons
4 Persons
6 Persons
* Indicative costs per person, excluding international airline tickets
Price includes
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Golden monkey trekking permit
- Private safari vehicle and fuel
- Professional English-speaking driver-guide
- Airport or hotel pickup in Kigali
- Airport or hotel drop-off in Kigali
- Accommodation during the safari
- Meals as agreed in the confirmed itinerary
- Park entrance fees where applicable
- Border-crossing assistance
- Bottled drinking water during travel
- Gorilla trekking arrangement and briefing support
- Golden monkey trekking arrangement and briefing support
- All planned transfers between Kigali, Volcanoes National Park, Uganda gorilla region, Lake Bunyonyi or Kisoro, and return
- Government taxes included in the package
Price Excludes
- International flights
- Uganda visa fees
- Rwanda visa fees
- Travel insurance
- Personal expenses
- Tips and gratuities
- Alcoholic drinks and premium beverages
- Laundry services
- Optional Kigali city activities unless included
- Optional Batwa cultural experience unless included
- Optional Lake Bunyonyi activities unless included
- Porter fees during gorilla trekking unless included
Where you shall visit
.
Highlights
- • Start and end the safari in Kigali for easier access to southwestern Uganda.
- • Track mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
- • Spend one hour with a habituated gorilla family after finding them.
- • Track golden monkeys in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.
- • Enjoy Kigali city highlights, depending on arrival time and final routing.
- • Travel through Rwanda and Uganda’s scenic highlands.
- • Add Lake Bunyonyi, Batwa cultural experience, or local community visit if timing allows.
- • Get two countries and two primate experiences in only five days.
- • Enjoy a practical route planned by us around permits, border timing, lodges, and you comfort.
Detailed Itinerary
- Day 1: Arrival in Kigali and Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Your guide from Friendly Gorillas welcomes you at Kigali International Airport or picks you up from your hotel in Kigali. After a short briefing, you may start with a brief Kigali city experience depending on arrival time.
Kigali gives you a clean, calm, and organized beginning to the safari. If time allows, you may visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial, local markets, craft shops, or selected city viewpoints before driving toward Volcanoes National Park.
The drive to the Musanze area is scenic, with rolling hills, farms, villages, and mountain views. This route introduces you to Rwanda’s highland beauty before the primate experiences begin.
Arrive near Volcanoes National Park, check in, have dinner, and rest before golden monkey trekking the next morning.
Isange Paradise Resort (Budget)
Volcanoes Eco Lodge( Standard)
Virunga Lodge (Luxury)
- Day 2: Golden Monkey Trekking in Rwanda and Transfer to Uganda
After an early breakfast, your guide transfers you to the Volcanoes National Park headquarters for golden monkey trekking briefing.
The ranger guides explain the trekking rules, forest conditions, and how to behave around the golden monkeys. After briefing, you enter the forest and bamboo zones with your guide.
Golden monkeys are active, quick, and playful. They move through bamboo, feed in groups, jump between branches, and often give you good photography moments. The experience feels lighter and more energetic than gorilla trekking, which makes it a good first primate activity.
After the trek, return to your lodge for lunch or continue with lunch along the route depending on timing.
You then cross from Rwanda into Uganda. The border process requires patience, but the reward is access to Uganda’s gorilla trekking regions, which often gives you a more affordable gorilla permit option than Rwanda.
Continue toward Bwindi or Mgahinga, depending on your confirmed gorilla permit sector. If the permit is in Mgahinga, the route usually stays around Kisoro. If the permit is in Bwindi, the final lodge depends on the confirmed sector.
Arrive in the evening, check in, have dinner, and rest before the gorilla trek.
- Day 3: Uganda Gorilla Trekking and Optional Community Experience
Wake up early, have breakfast, and transfer to the park headquarters for gorilla trekking briefing. This is the main highlight of the safari.
The ranger guides explain the trekking rules, forest safety, gorilla behavior, and how you should act once they meet the gorilla family. After briefing, you enter the forest with ranger guides and trackers.
The trek may take a shorter or longer time depending on where the gorilla family moved overnight. In Bwindi, the forest can feel steep and thick. In Mgahinga, the scenery includes forest and volcano slopes. Both areas offer a powerful gorilla trekking experience.
When you find the gorillas, you spend up to one hour with them. You may watch a silverback resting, mothers feeding, young gorillas playing, or the family moving through the forest.
This is the reason many you choose this itinerary. They get the rare gorilla experience in Uganda while still enjoying Rwanda’s golden monkeys and easier Kigali access.
After the trek, return to the park offices and receive your gorilla trekking certificate. Your guide then transfers you back to the lodge for lunch and rest.
If time and energy allow, you may add a Batwa cultural experience or community visit. At Friendly Gorillas, we recommend this for you who want a deeper connection to the people living around the gorilla parks.
- Day 4: Lake Bunyonyi Relaxation or Kisoro Highlands Experience
After breakfast, you enjoy a slower day after the gorilla trek. This day adds comfort to the itinerary and keeps you from rushing back to Kigali immediately after a physically demanding forest experience.
If your gorilla trek is in Bwindi, you may transfer to Lake Bunyonyi for relaxation. The lake is known for calm water, terraced hills, island views, birds, and a peaceful highland atmosphere. You may relax at the lodge or add a canoe ride, boat trip, island visit, or community experience.
If your gorilla trek is in Mgahinga, you may spend more time around Kisoro and the Virunga highlands. This can include scenic views, local community experiences, coffee visits, or a relaxed lodge stay depending on the final plan.
This day gives the itinerary better value. You are not only moving from activity to activity. They get time to rest, enjoy the scenery, and process the gorilla experience before returning to Rwanda.
Africa Tent Resort (BUdget)
- Day 5: Transfer Back to Kigali and Departure
After breakfast, start the journey back to Kigali. The drive takes you through Uganda’s southwestern highlands, border crossing, and Rwanda’s rolling hills.
This final transfer should be planned carefully around flight timing. At Friendly Gorillas, we recommend booking an afternoon or evening departure from Kigali, or adding one extra night in Kigali if the flight schedule is tight.
Depending on timing, you may enjoy a short Kigali stop before airport drop-off. This can include a meal, craft shopping, or a brief city visit if not done on Day 1.
Your guide drops you at Kigali International Airport or your Kigali hotel.
This marks the end of your 5 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking and Rwanda Golden Monkey Safari with Friendly Gorillas Safaris.
Why book this 5 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking and Rwanda Golden Monkey Safari
FLEXIBLE CANCELATION
Cancel up to 60 days before departure.
EXPERT LOCAL GUIDES
Only guides with 10+ years of Guiding experience.
NO HIDDEN FEES
All prices are final. No suprises at all.
24/7 SUPPORT
We're always available throughout and after the trip.
Sofia
Absolutely phenomenal, from start to finish!!
Cannot recommend this company enough!!! Anthony and Brenda are fantastic and worked with us to ensure we had the trip of a lifetime. All expectations were not only met, but greatly exceeded! From our exhilarating itinerary to the memorable accommodations, every part of the experience was extraordinary.
All the activities including river rafting, game drives, gorilla/chimp/rhino treks and boat rides were spectacular, with stunning views and incredible wildlife sightings, and the food was fantastic throughout. Accommodations were wonderfully planned, and each place we stayed offered something different, but all were so lovely. The warmth and hospitality from everyone we met in Uganda is indescribable. What truly made this trip special, though, was our guide, Eddie. He was knowledgeable, professional, passionate, joyful, and also so attentive to our group’s needs.
We could not have asked for a better driver/guide – he went above and beyond to ensure we had a life-changing adventure every step of the way while simultaneously feeling like a member of the family. It was clear he genuinely cared about making sure we had the BEST time possible. This was more than a vacation – it was an adventure I’ll never forget, and I’m still majorly struggling with post-Uganda depression! Thank you Anthony, Brenda and Eddie for the most unforgettable experience ever. We miss you all!
Ferreira Family
Top Notch Company and Guide, Eddie
From the planning stages to the first meet and greet, Anthony, Brenda and their team went above and beyond to ensure we had the trip of a lifetime! Friendly Gorilla Safaris gave us everything we asked for while keeping in mind our mid-range budget.
They are excellent with communication, professional, patient, and were able to answer all our questions. Our itinerary was amazing with river rafting, game drives, chimp trek and of course the gorilla trek. Accommodations were great, food delicious and Eddie our driver/guide was fantastic! Highly recommend this company.
MIranda N
LOVED our Akagera Safari
We had such a great time on our 2 day / 1 night Safari tour to Akegara National Park in Rwanda. Jado was our AMAZING tour guide who made sure we were cared for and had everything we needed during our time!
Prior to the trip, I had seamless communication with the Safari group who helped figure out exactly what Safari tour I wanted (1 day or more). They sent an example schedule as well as several lodging options. We ultimately chose the “budget” option which was the Rhino Lodge — it did not feel budget at all! It was GORGEOUS and the food was amazing. We even asked if we could adjust the schedule and they were more than happy to accommodate.
We had a fabulous time traveling to the park with Jado, getting settled and eating at the Rhino Lodge, participating in a half day safari that also included a water tour where we saw Rhinos, Crocodiles, Buffalos… and lots of birds! As soon as we drove into the park we saw an elephant and as we were leaving we saw Baboons. We slept and ate well and then the adventure began early the next day, where we had a full day of Safari through the park. We were able to see more Buffalos, impala, Baboons, Giraffes, rhinos, zebras, warthogs and even a rogue hippo wandering around on land. We unfortunately did not see any big cats (leopards or lions) but Jado certainly tried his best to find them.
Once we paid the initial fee prior to the tour, everything was included. This was an amazing trip, we felt very safe, and I would absolutely book again with this company. Thank you guys so much for being so great and easy!!!
Ismatic C
Incredible Gorilla trekking
It was a solo yet memory filled experience right from my first inquiry to the last day of the trip. Everything was smooth. My tour guide Eddie was beyond friendly and had an eagles eye for even the smallest animals.
The most memorable moment was my first sight of the mighty Gorillas in Bwindi.
I highly appreciate and recommend friendly Gorillas safari
Flavia
Excellent organization :)
Excellent organization considering that Tony managed to plan the entire tour, permits for gorillas and chimpanzees included, just one day before departure. This is not taken for granted since the tour operator we had contacted months earlier canceled our trip 3 days before departure!
Our driver Tony, who also served as our guide, was always caring and attentive to our needs. Uganda is a country full of natural wonders, and being able to enjoy it peacefully with the right quality-price ratio allows for a full experience of all the activities
Noak H
The best 5 days Uganda gorilla tour
we had the most amazing time in Uganda accompanied by our very Friendly tour guide Elias.
The support team that handled tour preparations were very kind and responded to every question we had in time. Bliss even went an extra mile to give us a video call during some of the sessions.
We were very lucky to see the rare tree climbing lions in the Ishasha sector or Queen Elizabeth while exiting for Bwindi.
I highly recommend this company because they met all our expectations and even delivered more than we imagined.
Don’t wait,
book this adventure safari today
Low season
Oct, Nov, Mar, Apr, may
Peak season
Jun, July, Aug, Sept, Dec
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