10 Days Rwanda, Congo & Uganda Classic Tour
Multi-country · Nyiragongo, gorillas & savannah
No-obligation proposal with named lodges, included permits and a complete safari price.
Tour overview
The 10-day Rwanda, Congo and Uganda classic tour threads the entire Virunga Massif corridor: mountain gorillas in Rwanda's Volcanoes, low-cost gorilla trekking in DRC's Virunga, and Uganda's savannah finale in Queen Elizabeth National Park with the Kazinga Channel boat cruise and Ishasha tree-climbing lions. Three countries, two gorilla permits, one seamless border-managed circuit.
Rwanda gorilla permits are USD 1,500 (RDB); Virunga permits through ICCN are typically USD 450 — the most affordable mountain gorilla trek in the region. DRC tourist visas and security conditions must be confirmed at booking. See our permit guide for current tariffs across all three countries.
Places you visit
Key stops along this itinerary — customise dates and lodges when you enquire.
- Entebbe (Start, End)
Day-by-day itinerary
Arrive Kigali — transfer to Volcanoes foothills
Your three-country circuit begins at Kigali International Airport, where your guide meets you and briefs the Rwanda–Congo–Uganda routing, visa stamps and gorilla permit confirmations. After lunch in the capital, drive northwest through Musanze's potato and pyrethrum fields to Kinigi at the base of Volcanoes National Park (approx. 2.5 hours).
Evening pre-trek briefing at your lodge: porter hire (USD 10–15), waterproof layers, gaiters and the sector headquarters you will report to tomorrow. The Virunga Massif volcanoes — Karisimbi, Bisoke, Sabyinyo — frame the skyline at sunset.
Drive time: Approx. 2.5 hours from Kigali
Meals: Lunch & dinner
Accommodation: Volcanoes foothills lodge
Day 1 | AccommodationGorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
Report to park headquarters by 07:00 for Rwanda Development Board (RDB) briefing and allocation to a habituated mountain gorilla family on the bamboo slopes of the Virunga Massif. Trekking typically takes 1–6 hours through montane forest; porters are invaluable on steep, muddy trails.
On contact, spend one hour with the group — silverback displays, juveniles tumbling through vegetation, mothers nursing infants. Afternoon rest at the lodge or optional twin-lakes excursion to Lake Burera and Lake Ruhondo.
Trek duration: 1–6 hours round trip
Meals: Breakfast, packed lunch & dinner
Accommodation: Same lodge as Day 1
Safari activity | Mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda
Track a habituated gorilla family on the Virunga slopes with RDB rangers — one hour on contact with mountain gorillas, then your first gorilla certificate on this three-country circuit.Day 2 | AccommodationVolcanoes to Lake Kivu — Gisenyi lakeside
Optional morning golden-monkey trek in Volcanoes (separate permit) or a relaxed lodge breakfast overlooking the volcanoes. Mid-morning drive west to Lake Kivu at Gisenyi/Rubavu (approx. 1 hour) — one of Africa's great rift lakes, shared between Rwanda and DRC.
Afternoon lakeside boat cruise or kayak among pelicans, fishing pirogues and terraced hillsides. Gisenyi's waterfront cafés are a relaxed contrast to tomorrow's border formalities at the Grande Barrière.
Drive time: Approx. 1 hour
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation: Lake Kivu lakeside hotel
Safari activity | Lake Kivu boat cruise
Afternoon boat or kayak among fishing villages, pelicans and terraced hillsides — a scenic buffer before tomorrow's border crossing into the Democratic Republic of Congo.Day 3 | AccommodationLake Kivu to Goma — Virunga National Park, DRC
After breakfast, your guide assists with luggage and documents at the Grande Barrière border (Gisenyi–Goma) — Rwanda exit stamp, DRC entry visa check and ICCN permit verification. The crossing is usually straightforward with pre-arranged paperwork but allow 45–90 minutes. Yellow-fever certificates and printed DRC visa approvals should be in your hand luggage; porters at the barrier help with bags while formalities are processed.
Transfer to your Virunga National Park partner lodge near Bukima (approx. 30–45 minutes from Goma). Evening safety briefing covers armed ranger escort protocols, curfew rules and tomorrow's gorilla sector allocation. Goma's skyline and Nyiragongo volcano are visible on clear days.
Drive time: 30–45 minutes from Goma (plus border time)
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation: Virunga partner lodge near Bukima
Safari activity | Grande Barrière border crossing into DRC
Guided Rwanda–DRC crossing at Gisenyi–Goma with ICCN permit verification and Virunga Foundation escort handover — your first step into the Democratic Republic of Congo on this three-country circuit.Day 4 | AccommodationGorilla trekking in Virunga National Park, DRC
07:00 ICCN briefing at Bukima patrol post. Trek on the slopes of Mikeno volcano through bamboo zones — Virunga gorilla groups are often found in relatively open forest, with typical trekking 1–4 hours. This is the most affordable mountain gorilla trek in the region (ICCN permits typically around USD 450).
One hour with the habituated family, certificate ceremony and return to lodge by early afternoon. Evening at leisure; security conditions are monitored continuously by park authorities.
Trek duration: 1–4 hours typical
Meals: Breakfast, packed lunch & dinner
Accommodation: Virunga partner lodge
Safari activity | Gorilla trekking in Virunga, DRC
Track a habituated mountain gorilla family on Mikeno volcano slopes with ICCN rangers and armed escort — one hour on contact, certificate ceremony, then return to lodge.Day 5 | AccommodationVirunga to Uganda — Queen Elizabeth National Park
Early departure from DRC — exit via Bunagana border (direct into Uganda) or back through Rwanda and Katuna/Cyanika depending on security routing confirmed at booking. Your guide handles all customs formalities; total transit to Queen Elizabeth National Park Mweya Peninsula is 6–8 hours including border stops. East Africa Tourist Visa stamps simplify multi-country clearance when routing via Rwanda.
Landscape shifts from volcanic forest to Uganda's western rift savannah. Check in at your bush lodge overlooking the Kazinga Channel — hippos grunt below the terrace as you recover from the long transfer day.
Drive time: 6–8 hours total with borders
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation: Queen Elizabeth bush lodge
Safari activity | DRC–Uganda cross-border transfer
Exit Virunga via Bunagana or Katuna/Cyanika with guide-managed customs — landscape shifts from volcanic forest to Queen Elizabeth's western rift savannah on one of East Africa's longest overland transfer days.Day 6 | AccommodationKasenyi Plains game drive & Kazinga Channel boat
Pre-dawn tea, then a morning game drive on Kasenyi Plains — Queen Elizabeth's prime predator territory. Lion prides stalk Uganda kob at first light; leopard, spotted hyena, elephant and warthog are regular. Return for breakfast at the lodge.
Afternoon 2-hour Kazinga Channel boat cruise among yawning hippos, Nile crocodiles and elephant herds drinking at the banks. African skimmer and malachite kingfisher are common along the papyrus edges.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation: Same lodge as Day 6
Safari activity | Kazinga Channel boat safari
Two-hour afternoon cruise on the channel linking Lakes George and Edward — one of Africa's densest hippo populations, with elephant, buffalo and pied kingfishers along the banks.Day 7 | AccommodationIshasha tree-climbing lions — transfer to Bwindi
Morning drive south to the Ishasha sector (approx. 2 hours from Mweya), scanning giant fig trees for tree-climbing lions — a behaviour documented in only two places in Africa. Topi, elephant and buffalo graze the Ishasha plains alongside the lions.
Afternoon continue through the terraced Kigezi highlands to your Bwindi Impenetrable National Park sector lodge (another 3–4 hours). Evening gorilla etiquette briefing and gear check for tomorrow's third gorilla trek.
Drive time: 5–6 hours total with Ishasha stop
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation: Bwindi sector lodge
Safari activity | Ishasha tree-climbing lion tracking
Morning game drive in Queen Elizabeth's southern Ishasha sector scanning fig trees for lions — then afternoon transfer through the terraced Kigezi highlands to Bwindi for your third gorilla trek.Day 8 | AccommodationMountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi, Uganda
Early breakfast and transfer to park headquarters for UWA briefing. With rangers and trackers, begin your mountain gorilla trek into Bwindi's montane forest — your third gorilla country on this route (Rwanda, DRC, Uganda). Trekking can take 2–8 hours depending on the assigned family's location.
One hour with the habituated family, certificate on return. Afternoon rest at the lodge or optional Batwa pygmy cultural visit — the forest's original inhabitants share traditional fire-making, hunting lore and dance.
Trek duration: 2–8 hours round trip
Meals: Breakfast, packed lunch & dinner
Accommodation: Bwindi sector lodge
Safari activity | Mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi
Track a habituated gorilla family through Bwindi's impenetrable forest with UWA rangers — one hour on contact, then your gorilla trekking certificate. Optional afternoon Batwa cultural experience.Day 9 | AccommodationBwindi to Entebbe or Kigali — departure
Breakfast at the lodge, then choose your exit routing. Kigali via Cyanika border (Kisoro–Cyanika, approx. 3–4 hours) is fastest for Rwanda departures — your guide handles Uganda exit and Rwanda entry stamps. Entebbe via Kampala (approx. 8–9 hours) suits Uganda flights — Equator photo stop at Kayabwe en route.
Airport drop-off at Kigali or Entebbe International Airport for evening flights. Your guide confirms all three-country permit stamps and travel documents are in order.
Drive time: 3–4 hours to Kigali; 8–9 hours to Entebbe
Meals: Breakfast & lunch
Accommodation: None (departure day) — overnight Entebbe/Kigali hotel available on request
Day 10 | AccommodationWhat's included
- Private 4×4 and English-speaking guide throughout three countries
- Three gorilla permits (Rwanda RDB, Virunga ICCN, Uganda UWA — confirm count at booking)
- Volcanoes, Virunga and Queen Elizabeth park fees; Kazinga boat cruise
- 9 nights lodge accommodation
- Border crossing assistance (Grande Barrière, Bunagana/Cyanika/Katuna)
- Meals as indicated; bottled water in vehicle
What's not included
- DRC tourist visa (approx. USD 100), Rwanda/Uganda visas or East Africa Tourist Visa
- Golden monkey permit (optional Day 3)
- International flights and travel insurance
- Porter fees, tips, drinks
- Security situation surcharges if routing changes
Accommodation & comfort level
Volcanoes lodge 2N, Lake Kivu hotel 1N, Virunga partner lodge 2N, Queen Elizabeth bush lodge 2N, Bwindi sector lodge 2N.
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