Close portrait of a mountain gorilla looking directly at camera, Rwanda
Modern white lodge buildings lit at dusk with landscaping, Hemingways Retreat Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda
Terracotta-roofed lodge nestled in misty mountain valley, Virunga Lodge, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
Modern hotel building with cream facade and red logo, Kigali Marriott Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda
Thatched-roof lodge nestled among trees with mountains beyond, Mount Gahinga Lodge, Mgahinga National Park, Uganda
Illuminated pool area with lounge chairs and dining table at dusk, Hemingways Retreat Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda
Spacious bedroom with four-poster bed and fireplace, Mount Gahinga Lodge, Mgahinga National Park, Uganda
Volcanic mountains rise above forested hillsides and settlement, Virunga Lodge, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
Outdoor dining terrace with umbrellas overlooking gardens, Kigali Marriott Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda
Courtyard with illuminated colonial-style buildings and tropical plants, Hemingways Retreat Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda
Guest observing gorilla in lush forest vegetation, Mount Gahinga Lodge, Mgahinga National Park, Uganda
Spacious bedroom with four-poster canopy bed and fireplace, Virunga Lodge, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
Modern hotel exterior illuminated at dusk with entrance, Kigali Marriott Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda

inspiration

rwanda & uganda: both sides of the virungas

Private Safari
From $11,295 pp
2 guests
7 nights

trip highlights

  • Track the Nyakagezi family, the single habituated gorilla group in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
  • Watch for golden monkeys moving through the bamboo below the three Virunga volcanoes.
  • Stay in hand-built stone-and-thatch bandas looking out at Sabinyo, Gahinga and Muhavura.
  • Take in the long view from a Rwandan ridge set between Lakes Bulera and Ruhondo.
Scroll for the full itinerary
Open-plan lounge with central fireplace and wooden beams, Mount Gahinga Lodge, Mgahinga National Park, Uganda

Rwanda and Uganda by the Volcano Chain

This route runs from Rwanda into south-west Uganda and back, following the Virunga volcano chain. It opens in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, a clean, hill-spread city of memorials, markets and arts. It then crosses to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, the smaller and quieter of Uganda’s two gorilla parks, before returning to a Rwandan ridge above the twin lakes of Bulera and Ruhondo, and closing with a last night back in Kigali.

You travel by road and air transfer between the parks, with the two central stays built around gorilla and golden monkey tracking. The lodges range from a boutique city hotel to hand-built stone-and-thatch bandas at the forest edge and a ridge-top eco-lodge, with the Kigali properties bookending the trip on arrival and departure.

plan your safari

Daily Itinerary Breakdown

Arrival in Kigali

You begin in Kigali, Rwanda's capital, spread across a series of ridges and valleys and widely regarded as the cleanest city in Africa. The night here eases you off a long-haul flight before the drive toward the gorilla parks. Set on a quiet street in the leafy Kiyovu neighbourhood, Hemingways Retreat Kigali is a twenty-room boutique hotel of stone, teak and handcrafted Rwandan design, with a solar-heated saltwater pool and farm-to-table dining at its two restaurants.

Gorilla Tracking in Mgahinga

Crossing into south-west Uganda, you reach Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, the smaller and quieter of the country's two gorilla parks. From here you track the Nyakagezi family, the single habituated gorilla group, along with the golden monkeys that move through the bamboo, with far fewer trackers than Bwindi and a forest that feels unhurried. A short walk from the park gate, Mount Gahinga Lodge holds eight circular bandas hand-built from local volcanic stone under papyrus-thatch roofs, each with a fireplace and a private veranda angled toward Sabinyo, Gahinga and Muhavura.

The Ridge Above the Twin Lakes

Back in northern Rwanda, you settle on a ridge that looks west to the Virunga volcanoes and the Musanze valley and east across the twin lakes of Bulera and Ruhondo, within reach of Volcanoes National Park and its mountain gorillas. Days here run to walking the trails through the grounds, watching birds in the gardens and taking in the long view. Opened in 2004, Virunga Lodge has ten hand-built wood-and-stone bandas spaced along the ridge, each with a private terrace, alongside terraced gardens and a volcanic-stone spa and sauna.

Last Night in Kigali

A final night returns you to downtown Kigali, close to the financial district and a short drive from the Genocide Memorial in Gisozi, the resting place of more than 250,000 victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The one full day here suits the memorial, the markets and the Inema Arts Center. On KN 3 Avenue in Nyarugenge, the Kigali Marriott Hotel has large, quiet rooms with floor-to-ceiling glass, a heated pool, and coffee and baskets drawn from Rwandan women's cooperatives.

Ed Charles photographing wildlife

Ed Charles, BBC Producer

Fitzroy are true specialists in accessing the wilderness. They know where to go and importantly, when to go there. Highly recommended.

Ed Charles

Bafta & Emmy award winning film producer of BBC’s Planet Earth 2 and A Perfect Planet

looking for inspiration?

Chimpanzee sitting among green forest foliage and branches Mountain gorilla in misty forest vegetation landscape Modern lodge building with pool at twilight under palm trees, No.5 Boutique Hotel, Entebbe and Kampala, Uganda Lodge building nestled among forested hills with vegetation, Kibale Lodge, Kibale Forest, Uganda Stone lodge entrance with courtyard at dusk, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda Thatched-roof lodge nestled among trees with mountains beyond, Mount Gahinga Lodge, Mgahinga National Park, Uganda Modern lodge building with tall windows at dusk, No.5 Boutique Hotel, Entebbe and Kampala, Uganda Lodge buildings nestled on hilltop surrounded by lush forest, Kibale Lodge, Kibale Forest, Uganda Mountain ranges at dawn with layered purple mist and forest, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda Spacious bedroom with four-poster bed and fireplace, Mount Gahinga Lodge, Mgahinga National Park, Uganda Swimming pool with loungers and umbrellas in manicured garden, No.5 Boutique Hotel, Entebbe and Kampala, Uganda Illuminated lodge buildings nestled among forested hillsides at dusk, Kibale Lodge, Kibale Forest, Uganda Dining table set on mountain overlook with cloud views, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda Guest observing gorilla in lush forest vegetation, Mount Gahinga Lodge, Mgahinga National Park, Uganda

uganda

gorilla & chimp safari

Nine nights across western Uganda, tracking chimpanzees at Kibale and mountain gorillas at Bwindi and Mgahinga.

  • Private Safari
  • From $11,326 pp
  • 2 guests
  • 9 nights
View Safari
Chimpanzee peering through dense green forest foliage Olympic-length swimming pool with colonial-style lodge building and palm trees, Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort & Spa, Entebbe and Kampala, Uganda Lodge building nestled among forested hills with vegetation, Kibale Lodge, Kibale Forest, Uganda Modern lodge buildings nestled in lush green landscape with mountains, Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Queen Elizabeth NP, Uganda Thatched-roof lodge nestled among trees with mountains beyond, Mount Gahinga Lodge, Mgahinga National Park, Uganda Aerial view of luxury estate with manicured gardens and lake vista beyond, Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort & Spa, Entebbe and Kampala, Uganda Lodge buildings nestled on hilltop surrounded by lush forest, Kibale Lodge, Kibale Forest, Uganda Scattered lodge buildings nestled among green hills and vegetation, Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Queen Elizabeth NP, Uganda Spacious bedroom with four-poster bed and fireplace, Mount Gahinga Lodge, Mgahinga National Park, Uganda Aerial view of pink colonial-style mansion with terracotta roofs and manicured gardens, Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort & Spa, Entebbe and Kampala, Uganda Illuminated lodge buildings nestled among forested hillsides at dusk, Kibale Lodge, Kibale Forest, Uganda Aerial view of lodge bungalows scattered across savanna landscape, Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Queen Elizabeth NP, Uganda Guest observing gorilla in lush forest vegetation, Mount Gahinga Lodge, Mgahinga National Park, Uganda

uganda

the primate parks and the virungas

Eleven nights across Uganda, tracking chimpanzees in Kibale and Kyambura and gorillas at Mgahinga, via Queen Elizabeth's plains.

  • Private Safari
  • From $13,800 pp
  • 2 guests
  • 11 nights
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Group of travelers seated on hillside overlooking scenic lake and mountain landscape Modern hotel building lit at dusk with palm trees, Kigali Serena Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda Thatched-roof lodge with cone structures and manicured gardens, Birdnest at Bunyonyi Resort, Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda Thatched-roof lodge nestled among trees with mountains beyond, Mount Gahinga Lodge, Mgahinga National Park, Uganda Lakeside dining setup on wooden deck at sunset, Mutanda Lake Resort, Lake Mutanda, Uganda Modern lodge building illuminated at dusk with expansive green grounds, Elephant Plains Lodge, Queen Elizabeth NP, Uganda Thatched-roof lodge bungalows overlooking calm lake and hills, Ndali Lodge, Kibale Forest, Uganda Resort pool area at dusk with surrounding buildings and trees, Kigali Serena Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda Thatched-roof bungalows on grassy waterfront overlooking lake, Birdnest at Bunyonyi Resort, Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda Spacious bedroom with four-poster bed and fireplace, Mount Gahinga Lodge, Mgahinga National Park, Uganda Person standing on wooden dock overlooking calm lake and mountains, Mutanda Lake Resort, Lake Mutanda, Uganda Luxury lodge with pool overlooking vast savanna landscape, Elephant Plains Lodge, Queen Elizabeth NP, Uganda Misty forested valleys and rolling hills at dawn, Ndali Lodge, Kibale Forest, Uganda Luxury bedroom with red headboard and balcony view, Kigali Serena Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda

uganda & rwanda

camping the highland lakes

From Kigali across Uganda's highland lakes to gorillas at Mgahinga, savannah game and the chimpanzees of Kibale Forest.

  • Private Safari
  • From $9,950 pp
  • 2 guests
  • 15 nights
View Safari

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Planning a journey together

our approach

remote, exclusive
& personal

Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.

Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.

Every journey starts with a conversation. We favour a direct, personal approach: understanding your vision before anything else.

Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape a journey that is both thoughtfully considered and expertly delivered.

Get in touch to start planning yours.

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