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
trip highlights
- Lake Bunyonyi holds 29 islands and more than 200 recorded bird species, crossed by dugout canoe at an unhurried pace.
- Mgahinga holds a single habituated gorilla family, the Nyakagezi group, tracked below the volcanoes of Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo.
- The Nkuringo sector of Bwindi has four habituated gorilla families and steep, demanding terrain, with the briefing point about 300 metres from the lodge door.
- Buhoma sits on the edge of a forest that holds close to half the world's remaining mountain gorillas.
Scroll for the full itinerary
From Kigali to Uganda's Gorilla Forests
This 11-night trip begins in Kigali, Rwanda’s hill-spread capital, then crosses into south-western Uganda to Lake Bunyonyi, a lava-dammed lake of 29 islands. From there you walk the Kigezi highlands toward Lake Kayumbu, before tracking gorillas at Mgahinga, the country’s smallest gorilla park, beneath three Virunga volcanoes. The route then continues on foot to the Nkuringo ridge and finishes at Buhoma on the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
You travel by road and on foot, with two multi-day walks linking the lakes and the forest. Days hold canoe crossings, community walking, golden monkeys in the bamboo and gorilla treks governed by Uganda Wildlife Authority permits. Accommodation runs from a boutique city hotel and a Belgian-run lakeside lodge to stone bandas by the park gate, a ridge-top lodge above the Kashasha Valley and a forest-edge lodge at Buhoma, with a lightweight mobile camp on the highland walk.
Daily Itinerary Breakdown
Kigali, Arrival in the Capital
You arrive in Kigali, Rwanda's capital, spread across the ridges and valleys at the centre of the country. There is time to walk the textile stalls of Kimironko Market, visit the Inema Arts Center or spend a quiet few hours at the Kigali Genocide Memorial at Gisozi. A boutique hotel of stone and teak in the leafy Kiyovu district, Hemingways Retreat Kigali holds twenty rooms and suites, a solar-heated saltwater pool and two restaurants, a calm base at either end of a Rwandan trip.
- Accommodation at Hemingways Retreat Kigali
Lake Bunyonyi, Islands and Birds
From Kigali you cross into south-western Uganda to Lake Bunyonyi, a high lava-dammed lake fingered by 29 islands and ringed by terraced hills. The water is safe to swim and holds no hippos or crocodiles, and days move at the pace of the dugout canoes that cross between the islands. Grey-crowned cranes, weavers and herons work the reeds, part of more than 200 recorded bird species. On a terraced hillside above the water near Kabale, Birdnest at Bunyonyi Resort is a Belgian-run lodge of fourteen rooms, known for lake crayfish and terrace dining over the islands.
- Accommodation at Birdnest at Bunyonyi Resort
Hiking to Lake Kayumbu, Kigezi Highlands
On foot you leave the lakeshore and walk the Kigezi highlands toward Lake Kayumbu, crossing the terraced ridges the Bakiga have farmed for generations. The route is built from village-to-village walking rather than a single signposted trail, with arms of water crossed by dugout canoe and daily life close at hand. Nights are spent under canvas at Simple Lightweight Camp, a mobile camp set up along the walk rather than a permanent lodge.
- Accommodation at Simple Lightweight Camp
Mgahinga, Gorillas Below the Volcanoes
You reach Mgahinga, Uganda's smallest gorilla park, where a single habituated gorilla family, the Nyakagezi group, lives against the backdrop of Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo. Because the park holds one family and receives few trackers, the forest feels unhurried; treks are strenuous at altitude, and golden monkeys move through the bamboo. A short walk from the park gate, Mount Gahinga Lodge holds eight stone-and-thatch bandas that look out at the volcanoes, each with a fireplace and a private veranda.
- Accommodation at Mount Gahinga Lodge
Hiking to Nkuringo, Southern Bwindi
On foot again you make your way to Nteko Ridge in the southern Nkuringo sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, at roughly 2,160 metres. Four habituated gorilla families live in this sector, and the trekking drops steeply into the forest and climbs back out, among the more demanding terrain in Bwindi. The briefing point sits about 300 metres from the door of Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge, a Ugandan-owned, family-operated lodge of volcanic-stone and timber cottages, each with a veranda and fireplace, looking across the Kashasha River Valley.
- Accommodation at Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge
Bwindi, Mountain Gorillas at Buhoma
You move north to Buhoma, the first sector of Bwindi opened to trekking and the base for walks into a forest that holds close to half the world's remaining mountain gorillas. Rangers lead you in to a habituated family, with eight visitors permitted per group and a strict hour in their company. On the forest edge above the Munyaga River, Bwindi Lodge is owned and operated by Volcanoes Safaris; every banda balcony looks onto the forest, and the Rushegura group frequently visits the grounds.
- Accommodation at Bwindi Lodge
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 & kenya
gorillas, riding and laikipia rhino
Fourteen nights linking Uganda's gorilla forests with riding and rhino country on Kenya's Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.
- Private Safari
- From $19,380 pp
- 2 guests
- 14 nights
rwanda & uganda
both sides of the virungas
Seven nights from Kigali into Uganda's Mgahinga and back to a Rwandan ridge, tracking gorillas along the Virunga chain.
- Private Safari
- From $11,295 pp
- 2 guests
- 7 nights
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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.