Track Golden Monkeys in Rwanda and Gorillas in Uganda
This 4-day private tour pairs two primates and two countries, starting and ending in Kigali. You spend a morning with golden monkeys in the bamboo forest of Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, then cross into southwestern Uganda for one guided mountain gorilla trek in Mgahinga or Bwindi and a full hour with a habituated family.
The days between the treks add conservation and culture: the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, a Batwa cultural performance and a canoe ride on Lake Mulehe. With a single Uganda gorilla permit, it suits travelers who want gorillas and golden monkeys in one short trip at a lower cost than a double gorilla safari.
Why You’ll Love This Safari
Click the tabs to learn more
Trip Details
Trip Details
Price
1 Solo: $3,450
2 Pax Sharing: $2,604
3 Pax Sharing: $2,450
4 Pax Sharing: $2,305
5 Pax Sharing: $2,260
6 Pax Sharing: $2,130
Meeting point
Kigali
Availability
Year-round, 7 days a week
Duration
4 days
Group size
Min. 1 person
Included
- Park fees (for non-residents)
- Uganda gorilla permit (one per person, non-resident)
- Golden monkey permit for Volcanoes National Park (one per person, non-resident)
- All activities (unless labeled as optional)
- All accommodations (unless listed as upgrade)
- A professional driver/guide
- Private safari vehicle: a 4×4 Land Cruiser, Toyota Prado or safari van, depending on group size
- All transportation (unless labeled as optional)
- All taxes/VAT
- Roundtrip airport transfer
- Meals (as specified in the day-by-day section)
- Drinks (as specified in the day-by-day section)
Not included
- International flights (from/to home)
- Additional accommodations before and at the end of the tour
- Tips
- Porter fees
- Personal items (souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
- Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
- Some meals (as specified in the day-by-day section)
What to bring
- Waterproof jacket
- Warm jacket (early mornings can be cold)
- Neutral-colored clothing (avoid bright colors)
- Long-sleeved shirt
- Long pants
- Good hiking shoes
- Gaiters (for muddy forest trails)
- Hat
- Gloves
- Light backpack
- Sunscreen
- Snacks
- Light face mask
- Passport for the Uganda border crossing
Participation requirements
Min. age of 15 years old required to participate in this tour
About your guide
Your safari will be led by an experienced local guide who will share facts about the wildlife, landscapes, and culture. Your guide is dedicated to ensuring your safari is safe, informative, and tailored to your interests.
What You’ll See & Do
Day 1: Kigali to Volcanoes National Park
Your guide meets you at Kigali International Airport, talks you through the plan for the next four days and loads your bags into the safari vehicle. The drive north to Volcanoes National Park takes about two and a half hours, winding past terraced hillsides, farms and busy roadside towns, with the Virunga volcanoes coming into view as you near Musanze.
You check in at your lodge in the afternoon. Use the rest of the day to unpack, lay out your trekking clothes for the morning and settle in over dinner. Before you turn in, your guide confirms the pick-up time for the golden monkey briefing.
Meals included: Dinner
Day 2: Golden Monkey Trek and Crossing into Uganda
After an early breakfast, drive to the park headquarters for a ranger briefing, then follow your guides into the bamboo forest on the lower slopes of the volcanoes. Your goal is a habituated troop of golden monkeys, quick and playful as they feed in the bamboo. Most treks take two to four hours, depending on where the troop is moving.
Next, stop at the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, where exhibits explain the research and conservation work that protects mountain gorillas. After lunch at the lodge, drive to the border and cross into southwestern Uganda, ready for tomorrow’s gorilla trek.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Gorilla Trek in Uganda and Transfer to Lake Mulehe
This is gorilla day. After breakfast, your guide drives you to the park headquarters in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park or the Rushaga or Nkuringo sector of Bwindi, depending on your permit and preference. The briefing starts at 7:30 AM, and rangers assign your group to a habituated gorilla family. The walk through the forest can take two to seven hours, depending on where the family is, and the ground is often steep and muddy. When you reach them, you have one hour to watch the gorillas feed, rest and interact.
In the afternoon, a Batwa community group welcomes you with a cultural performance of song and dance. Then drive on to Lake Mulehe for dinner and a quiet night at your lodge.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Lake Mulehe Canoe Ride and Return to Kigali
After breakfast, head out on Lake Mulehe by canoe for a slow paddle with views of the surrounding hills. Back on shore, start the drive across the border and on to Kigali.
If you reach the city with time to spare, your guide can take you to the Kigali Genocide Memorial for an introduction to Rwanda’s recent history, or to Kimironko Market to browse local crafts and pick up souvenirs. The tour ends with a drop-off at your Kigali hotel or at the airport for your flight home.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Frequently Asked Questions
One. You make a single mountain gorilla trek in Uganda on Day 3 and a golden monkey trek in Rwanda on Day 2. Using one gorilla permit keeps the price below our double gorilla safari. If you would like two gorilla treks, see our 4-day Uganda double gorilla safari, with one trek in Bwindi and one in Mgahinga.
The golden monkey trek on Day 2 is the gentler of the two, usually two to four hours on bamboo slopes. The gorilla trek in Uganda is a moderate to challenging hike of two to seven hours over steep, often muddy ground. A reasonable level of fitness helps. You can hire a porter at the trailhead to carry your bag; porter fees are not included.
The tour is from $2,130 per person, depending on group size. That covers one Uganda gorilla permit, a golden monkey permit for Volcanoes National Park, park fees, three nights of accommodation, meals as listed, your driver-guide, transport and airport transfers. Uganda’s standard gorilla permit is $800. In April, May and November it drops to $600, but those low-season permits cannot be rescheduled.
For how gorilla permits are priced and booked, see our gorilla trekking permit cost guide and our guide to the full cost of a gorilla trek.
For July and August, book about six months ahead, because those are the busiest months for gorilla permits. Other months are usually easier, but earlier booking gives you more choice of dates. A 50% deposit confirms your booking, and we then secure your permits.
Our guide to the best time for gorilla trekking compares the dry and rainy months.
Yes. This tour suits travelers who want both primates in four days, and it is easy to build on. You can add a second gorilla trek, a game drive day in Akagera National Park, or extra nights in Kigali before or after the tour. Tell us your dates and interests, and we will adjust the plan.
