Combining gorillas and golden monkey trekking at Virunga and chimpanzee trekking and birding at Kibale.
2026 Rates from $7,240 per person in low season for this all-inclusive 7-night safari. As a special offer, book before 30 June 2026 and receive a complimentary night at Virunga Lodge worth up to $1,220.
Trekking mountain gorillas in dense African forests is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Groups of eight visit per day, maintaining a 10m distance to protect the gorillas. Treks last 3-8 hours, requiring some fitness, but all levels are accommodated for this unforgettable adventure.
Experience the thrill of trekking chimpanzees in Kibale Forest, the ‘Primate Capital of the World’. Spend a morning or afternoon observing the dynamic chimp families swinging through the canopy and filling the air with their vibrant calls, all in their natural habitat.
Golden monkeys, with their striking golden fur and playful nature, inhabit the volcanic foothills of Mgahinga National Park in Uganda and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Treks lead through bamboo forests and moorlands, offering a chance to observe these rare primates in their natural habitat.
Join a veterinarian from Gorilla Doctors for an enlightening briefing on gorilla health and conservation strategies. Learn about their unique One Health approach and life-saving veterinary practices dedicated solely to the conservation of endangered mountain and eastern lowland gorillas.
Attend a fascinating lecture by Emily Otaali, primatologist and Field Director of the Kibale Chimpanzee Project. Gain valuable insights into chimpanzee behavior, tracking expectations, and conservation importance.
Experience the vibrant Intore dancers in the afternoon, a local troupe supported by the Volcanoes Safari Partnership Trust since 2004. With 18 performers, they showcase Rwanda’s traditional ballet, ‘The Intore,’ a powerful courtly dance honoring the victory rituals of the Rwandan kings.
Established in 1967, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund is dedicated to protecting and studying gorillas and their habitats, as well as empowering the communities that live near these forests. With a team of nearly 300 professionals working in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Fossey Fund is the world’s longest-running and largest organization focused entirely on gorilla conservation.
In 2014, Virunga Lodge launched the “One Sheep per Family” project, providing sheep to families in nearby villages. The sheep produce manure for crops and offspring for income. With support, hundreds of families in Sunzu, Bugeyo, Kigugu, and Nyagatoki villages have benefited, fostering sustainable farming and community growth.
Virunga Lodge provides water tanks to local communities facing water shortages despite heavy rains. Since 2016, tanks have been donated to all households in Sunzu and many in Bugeyo village, improving access to clean water for drinking and farming. The project aims to support more families by 2024.
The Rwenzori Sculpture Foundation, located near Kibale and Kyambura Gorge Lodge, features a gallery and bronze foundry showcasing world-class sculptures inspired by Uganda’s clan totems. In 2024, VSPT partnered with the Foundation to support local artists. Guests can view sculptures at Kibale Lodge and visit the Foundation.
Sadhguru School near Kibale Lodge offers world-class education, focusing on arts and culture to inspire children as changemakers for communities and the environment. In 2024, Volcanoes Safaris is supporting the school by building a new vocational center. Guests can visit to learn about its unique philosophy.
Join expert-guided birding walks around Kibale Lodge’s 150-acre site, including Lake Lugembe. This vibrant habitat hosts over 100 bird species, such as Ross’s Turaco and Black Crowned Waxbill, with new sightings frequently added. The site also serves as a training ground for community members in birding and guiding.
Arrive in Rwanda at Kigali International Airport where you will be welcomed by your expert safari guide who will provide knowledge and assistance throughout your safari. Explore Kigali with an afternoon city tour.
Overnight in Kigali at The Retreat (breakfast).
Enjoy a city tour and a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial. A visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial is a moving testimony to this country’s past that it has courageously overcome (guests to pay/donate entrance fees directly).
Drive through Rwanda’s magnificent landscape (known as the land of the thousand hills) on your journey to Virunga Lodge near the Virunga volcanoes.
Before dinner join our conservation partners, Gorilla Doctors or Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, for drinks and a fireside chat in the Virunga Map Room to learn about the conservation and health of mountain gorillas and reminisce on your gorilla experience.
Driving time approximately 3 hours. Overnight at Virunga Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
Wake up early and have breakfast before setting off for gorilla tracking in Parc National des Volcans.
Hike through the enchanting bamboo forest on the slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes. After a climb of between one and three hours, you will spend one hour in the company of the majestic and gentle mountain gorillas before returning to the lodge in time for a late lunch. Some gorilla families can be more elusive, and tracking can take a full day, especially if it is wet and muddy.
Visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, near Kinigi.
Relax after your trek and enjoy complimentary spa treatments and massages, including the famous Rungu massage at Ikirunga Spa and Sauna.
Overnight at Virunga Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
After enjoying an early breakfast, set off to track the rare golden monkeys through the bamboo forests of the mountains. The monkeys travel in large groups and are as energetic as they are photogenic, often seen playing in the high branches or foraging on the ground for bamboo shoots.
Overnight at Virunga Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
Drive across the border to Kisoro Airstrip in time for the 08:10 AM flight to Kasese, where you will be welcomed by your expert Volcanoes Safaris guide who will provide knowledge and assistance throughout your safari.
Drive for approximately 1 hour to Kibale Lodge, near Kibale National Park. Visit the Rwenzori Sculpture Foundation on the way and learn about the cultural partnership with Volcanoes Safaris to display sculptures relating to the traditional clans of Uganda around the lodge.
Kibale lodge has stunning panoramic views of the snow-covered peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains to the west, and the Queen Elizabeth plains and the Kazinga channel to the south. In the afternoon visit a local school as part of the Roots and Shoots program which aims to build women leaders in conservation, in partnership with Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust and the Jane Goodall Institute.
Enjoy pre-dinner cocktails and a fireside chat with a vet from a primatologist and learn about their daily work looking after the health of the chimpanzees.
Flying time between 1 to 1.5 hours, driving time 1 hour. Overnight at Kibale Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
In the morning, go birding in the Bigodi Wetland. The reserve is abundant with butterflies, plants, animals and birds, including the elusive Red Colobus monkeys and Sitatunga antelope. Spectacular species including the Great Blue Turaco and rare Papyrus Gonolek will be of great interest to birders.
Spend the afternoon trekking the exuberant chimp families in Kibale forest, the Primate Capital of the World. Seeing the chimpanzees in their natural habitat, as they swing from the branches in the canopy high above is a thrilling experience. The forest quickly becomes alive with their noisy calls.
Overnight at Kibale Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
After breakfast, go for a second chimpanzee trek in Kibale. Look out for the other wonderful primates, mammals and birds, including Olive Baboons, nocturnal Bushbabies and the elusive Red Colobus monkey. The dense forest is famous for some of the world’s best birding, with a vast diversity of species including the Great Blue Turaco, the beautiful Papyrus Gonolek and the rare Green Breasted Pitta.
Return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon visit the nearby Sadhguru School, supported by Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust.
Overnight at Kibale Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Transfer to Kasese Airstrip for an early morning flight to Entebbe and connect to your international flight.
Approximate Travel Times; Flying time between 1 to 1.5 hours, driving time 1 hour.
Please book international flights departing after 8pm
(Breakfast at the lodge)
To make a booking, please complete this form or click here to chat to one of our sales consultants via our live chat. Alternatively, send us an email on enquiries@volcanoessafaris.com.
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