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
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
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.
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.
- Accommodation at Hemingways Retreat Kigali
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.
- Accommodation at Mount Gahinga Lodge
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.
- Accommodation at Virunga Lodge
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.
- Accommodation at Kigali Marriott Hotel
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.
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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
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
rated five stars by our clients
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.