Small group Uganda and Rwanda safari for 10 days

Small Group Uganda and Rwanda Safari: The Ultimate 10 Day Primate and Wildlife Adventure

By Turkana Wildlife Safaris

A 10 day small group safari through Uganda and Rwanda offers one of the most rewarding travel experiences in all of Africa. This carefully curated journey combines two mountain gorilla trekking encounters in two different countries, golden monkey tracking, chimpanzee habituation, classic savannah game drives, and a powerful cultural immersion, all within a single seamless itinerary. Unlike rushed five or six day gorilla only trips, ten days gives you room to breathe, to let the forest sink in, and to experience the remarkable contrast between Uganda’s rugged, adventurous safari style and Rwanda’s refined, accessible one.

Turkana Wildlife Safaris, a tour company based in Uganda specializing in cross border East African adventures, offers this exact experience through its 10 Days Private Luxury Rwanda Uganda Safari. For small groups seeking exclusivity without the cost of a fully private departure, this itinerary delivers the same permits, lodges, and guiding expertise in an intimate group setting.

Why Choose a Small Group Uganda and Rwanda Safari?

Travelling with a small group, typically 6 to 8 travellers, keeps the per person cost down while preserving the quality of the experience. You share the vehicle, the guide, and the lodge infrastructure with a handful of like minded travellers rather than a large coach group. The result is a more personal, flexible, and immersive safari. You can linger at a sighting, ask questions freely, and build genuine connections with your fellow travellers.

Crucially, a combined Uganda and Rwanda safari lets you trek gorillas in two distinct forest ecosystems. Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park protects roughly half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas and offers a dense, rainforest trekking experience. Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, by contrast, features bamboo forest slopes on the volcanic chain, often with more open terrain. Trekking in both countries is not merely a repeat. It is a study in contrast, and for many travellers it is the highlight of the entire journey.

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Kigali and Welcome to Rwanda

Your adventure begins at Kigali International Airport, where a representative from Turkana Wildlife Safaris meets you and transfers you to a luxury hotel. Depending on your arrival time, you can rest or take a gentle stroll through Kigali’s clean, hilly streets. Kigali is widely regarded as one of Africa’s most welcoming and well organised capitals. Dinner is served at the hotel.

Day 2: Kigali City Tour and Genocide Memorial

After breakfast, your private guide leads a city tour covering the Kigali Genocide Memorial, local markets, art galleries, and craft centres. The Genocide Memorial is a profoundly moving experience that provides essential context for understanding modern Rwanda, its tragedy, resilience, and remarkable transformation. You return to your hotel in the afternoon with time to relax.

Day 3: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park

Leave Kigali after breakfast and drive north through Rwanda’s famous terraced hills. As you approach Musanze, the spectacular Virunga volcano chain begins to dominate the horizon. Volcanoes National Park protects the Rwandan portion of the Virunga Mountains and is home to mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, and rich montane ecosystems. You arrive at your luxury mountain lodge in time to rest before tomorrow’s trek.

Day 4: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park

This is the day you have been waiting for. After an early briefing at park headquarters, you enter the bamboo forest with your ranger guide and trackers. The trek can take anywhere from one to several hours depending on where the gorilla family nested the previous night. When you find them, you spend one precious hour in their presence, watching infants tumble, silverbacks feed, and the family go about its daily life just metres away. The permit costs USD $1,500 per person in Rwanda.

Day 5: Golden Monkey Trekking and Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

A shorter, livelier trek awaits in the same park this morning as you track endangered golden monkeys through the bamboo. These acrobatic primates are a delight to observe. After the trek, you cross the Cyanika border into Uganda and continue to Lake Bunyonyi, one of Africa’s deepest lakes, arriving in the afternoon for a relaxed lakeside evening.

Day 6: Lake Bunyonyi Canoe Excursion and Transfer to Bwindi

A morning canoe excursion among Lake Bunyonyi’s 29 islands offers a peaceful contrast to the intensity of gorilla trekking. You then drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, the ancient rainforest that will be your base for the next two nights. Bwindi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most biologically diverse forests in Africa.

Day 7: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Your second gorilla trek takes place in a completely different forest environment. Bwindi’s terrain is steeper, denser, and more rainforest like than Volcanoes. The tracking experience here is often described as more adventurous and immersive. A Uganda gorilla permit costs USD $800 per person, nearly half the Rwandan price for the same hour with a habituated gorilla family. In the afternoon, you may visit a Batwa community to learn about the indigenous forest people who once lived in these mountains.

Day 8: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

After breakfast, drive north to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda’s most popular savannah park. The journey passes through the dramatic Ishasha sector, famous for its tree climbing lions. You arrive at your lodge in time for an afternoon game drive, where elephants, buffalo, Uganda kob, and possibly lions may be spotted.

Day 9: Game Drives and Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise

Begin with a morning game drive in the Kasenyi Plains, the park’s prime wildlife viewing area. After lunch, enjoy a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, a natural waterway connecting Lake George and Lake Edward. The channel supports one of the highest concentrations of hippos in Africa, along with crocodiles, buffalo, elephants, and a spectacular array of waterbirds.

Day 10: Return to Kigali and Departure

After a final breakfast, drive back to Kigali, crossing the border one last time. Depending on your flight schedule, you may have time for last minute shopping or a farewell lunch before your transfer to Kigali International Airport for departure.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a 10 day Uganda and Rwanda small group safari cost?

Pricing varies by group size, season, and accommodation level. As a reference, the 11 day version of this itinerary through Turkana Wildlife Safaris is priced at USD $4,403 per person for two people sharing. A 10 day small group departure with fixed dates typically offers better value than a fully private trip. Gorilla permits alone account for USD $2,300 per person, with Uganda at $800 and Rwanda at $1,500, so the per day cost of the remaining logistics, vehicles, guides, lodges, meals, and park fees, is remarkably reasonable.

Do I need a visa for Uganda and Rwanda?

Most nationalities can obtain a visa on arrival, but the most convenient option is the East Africa Tourist Visa at USD $100, which covers Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya with a single visa. A valid passport and a yellow fever vaccination certificate are required for entry.

What is the best time to go?

The dry seasons, June to September and December to February, offer the easiest trekking conditions, with drier trails and clearer forest paths. That said, gorilla trekking is possible year round. The rainy months of March to May and October to November bring lush green landscapes, fewer crowds, and sometimes lower permit prices in Uganda, as low as USD $600 in April, May, and November.

How physically demanding is the gorilla trekking?

Gorilla trekking can range from moderate to demanding. Treks in Bwindi may involve steep, muddy slopes and dense undergrowth. Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park treks are often on more open bamboo slopes. A reasonable level of fitness is helpful, but porters are available for hire, typically USD $20 plus tip, and can carry your daypack, allowing you to focus on the experience. Trekkers must be at least 15 years old.

What should I pack for this safari?

Essential items include sturdy waterproof hiking boots, long sleeved shirts and trousers in earth tones such as khaki, olive, and beige, a waterproof rain jacket, gardening gloves for gorilla trekking, gaiters, insect repellent, sunscreen, a wide brimmed hat, and a power bank. Uganda and Rwanda use 240V with UK style three pin sockets in Uganda and European two pin sockets in Rwanda, so bring a universal adapter.

Is travel insurance required?

While not mandatory, comprehensive travel insurance covering medical evacuation, trip cancellation, and gorilla trekking activities is strongly recommended.

Can Turkana Wildlife Safaris customise this itinerary?

Yes. Turkana Wildlife Safaris specialises in customised safari experiences tailored to your interests, whether you want more gorilla trekking, additional birding, cultural immersion, or a different pace.

Conclusion

A 10 day small group safari through Uganda and Rwanda is more than a holiday. It is a journey through two of Africa’s most extraordinary ecosystems and cultures. You will stand in the presence of mountain gorillas twice, in two different forests, and feel the profound stillness of the moment when a silverback looks directly at you. You will glide across Lake Bunyonyi in a canoe, track golden monkeys through bamboo, and watch hippos crowd the Kazinga Channel. You will confront Rwanda’s painful history at the Genocide Memorial and witness its remarkable recovery. And you will do all of this with a small group of fellow travellers, sharing the experience in a way that a private trip cannot replicate.

Turkana Wildlife Safaris, with its deep local expertise and commitment to sustainable, responsible tourism, is an ideal partner for this journey. Their 10 Days Private Luxury Rwanda Uganda Safari serves as an excellent framework for a small group adaptation, and their team can tailor every detail to your group’s preferences. For those seeking a broader East African adventure, the company also offers a 5 Days Kigali to Bwindi and Lake Bunyonyi Safari as a shorter alternative, as well as a 7 Days Birding and Cultural Uganda Rwanda Safari for travellers with a passion for avian wildlife.

To begin planning your small group Uganda and Rwanda safari, visit turkanawildlifesafaris.com, email info@turkanawildlifesafaris.com, or call +256 785575165. The gorillas are waiting.