Bwindi gorilla trekking with Queen Elizabeth National Park｜Rwanda

Day 1: Arrival & Journey to the Gorilla Highlands
Option A: Kigali International Airport (KGL)
The Drive: abt. 4 to 5 hours (depending on border customs).

You will cross into Uganda via the Cyanika or Katuna border post. Once in Uganda, the tarmac gives way to dirt roads that climb into the misty, terraced Kigezi Highlands until you reach your lodge on the edge of the ancient rainforest.

Option B: Starting from Entebbe International Airport (EBB)
The Drive: abt. 8 to 9 hours.

The Experience: This is a full-day road trip across the equator. You'll drive west through the flat savannahs of Mpigi and Masaka (stopping at the Equator monument for photos), bypass Mbarara town, and then climb steeply into the Kabale hills before plunging into Bwindi.

Evening: Check into your lodge, enjoy a warm meal, and listen to the nighttime symphony of the dense, prehistoric jungle. Pack your gear and get an early night's sleep ahead of trekking day.

Day 2: Gorilla Trekking & Transit to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Morning: The Gorilla Encounter
07:45 AM: Arrive at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) park headquarters for a safety briefing, coffee, and assignment to a specific gorilla family group.

The Trek: Led by armed rangers and trackers, you will plunge into the thick undergrowth. The trek can take anywhere from 2 to 5 hours depending on where the gorillas nested the previous night.

Afternoon: Journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park
The Drive: ~4 to 5 hours.

The Route: After the trek, grab a quick lunch or a packed pocket-meal and head north toward Queen Elizabeth National Park.

The Ishasha Sector: If weather and road conditions permit, you will enter the park through its southern Ishasha Sector. Keep your eyes glued to the massive fig trees this region is famous for its unique population of tree-climbing lions who lounge on branches to escape the midday heat and tsetse flies.

Evening: Drive onward to the central sector of the park (Kasenyi/Mweya area). Watch the landscape dramatically shift from dense mountain rainforest to sweeping, golden acacia savannahs. Check into your safari lodge for dinner overlooking the craters or the savannah.

Day 3: Morning Savannah Safari, Kazinga Channel, & Departure
Morning: Game Drive & Quick Cruise
06:30 AM: Head out for a sunrise game drive across the Kasenyi Plains. This is prime time to spot lions on the hunt, solitary leopards, then follwed by Kazinga channel boat cruise hosting one of the world's highest concentrations of hippos, massive Nile crocodiles.

Afternoon: The Return Journey
Heading back to Entebbe (~6–7 hours): You will drive east out of the park via Fort Portal or Mbarara, winding past tea plantations and rural villages, hitting the highway back to Entebbe Airport for an evening flight.

Heading back to Kigali (~6–7 hours): You will drive south, skirting the edge of the mountains, crossing back over the Rwanda border, and heading straight to Kigali International Airport.