Wildlife Safari Locations in Rwanda and Uganda
Rwanda and Uganda sit at the heart of the Albertine Rift, home to more than half the world’s remaining mountain gorillas plus classic savanna game. Here’s a detailed rundown of the major parks in each country.
Rwanda
Volcanoes National Park (Parc National des Volcans)Location: Northwest Rwanda, part of the Virunga Massif shared with Uganda and DR Congo. About 2.5–3 hours by road from Kigali — the most accessible gorilla park in Africa.
Highlight: Mountain gorilla trekking. This is Dian Fossey’s old research ground (the Karisoke Research Center is here), and it’s now Rwanda’s flagship attraction. The park has around a dozen habituated gorilla families open to tourists, and treks last anywhere from under an hour to several hours through relatively open, less dense terrain than Uganda’s Bwindi, followed by one hour observing the family.
Cost and logistics:
- Gorilla permit: $1,500 per person for foreign non-residents (unchanged for 2026); $500 for foreign residents; $200 for Rwandan/East African citizens.
- Only 8 visitors per gorilla family per day, so permits sell out months ahead — book 3–6 months in advance for June–September and December–February peak seasons.
- Minimum age 15; permits are non-refundable if you miss your date.
- A 30% low-season discount ($1,050) applies Nov–May if you also spend nights visiting Akagera and Nyungwe.
Other activities: Golden monkey trekking (a separate, much cheaper permit, roughly $100), hikes up Bisoke and Karisimbi volcanoes, and the Dian Fossey tomb hike.
Where to stay: Everything from mid-range lodges to some of the most talked-about luxury properties in Africa — Bisate Lodge, Singita Kwitonda, One&Only Gorilla’s Nest — most within 10–20 minutes of the park gate.
Nyungwe National ParkLocation: Southwest Rwanda, roughly 5–6 hours from Kigali (or a short flight to Kamembe).
Highlight: One of Africa’s oldest and best-preserved montane rainforests, and East Africa’s premier chimpanzee-trekking destination alongside Kibale in Uganda. It also holds around 13 species of primates, including large troops of Angolan colobus monkeys, and over 300 bird species, making it a serious birding destination.
Signature experience: The Canopy Walkway — a 200m suspension bridge strung 50–70m above the forest floor, one of the only such walks in East Africa.
Cost: Chimp permits are far cheaper than gorilla permits, generally in the $100–150 range, plus separate fees for canopy walk and other guided hikes.
Best time: Chimp tracking is most reliable in the dry seasons (June–September and December–February), though the forest stays lush and green year-round.
Akagera National ParkLocation: Eastern Rwanda along the Tanzanian border, about 2.5 hours from Kigali.
Highlight: Rwanda’s only “classic” savanna safari park, and a genuine conservation comeback story. Lions were reintroduced in 2015 (after being wiped out during the 1994 genocide period) and eastern black rhinos in 2017–19, so Akagera is now a Big Five park — lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and both black and white rhino.
Landscape: A mix of savanna, woodland, and wetlands centered on Lake Ihema, Rwanda’s second-largest lake, which offers excellent boat safaris for hippos, crocodiles, and waterbirds (including the rare shoebill stork in some areas).
Cost: Much more affordable than gorilla trekking — park entry and game drives run well under $100/day, making it a good value add-on.
Best combined with: Volcanoes and Nyungwe as part of a multi-park Rwanda itinerary (and it’s the park that unlocks the 30% gorilla permit discount mentioned above).
Uganda
Bwindi Impenetrable National ParkLocation: Southwest Uganda, near the DRC border. It’s a long drive from Entebbe — 8–10 hours by road, or about an hour by charter flight.
Highlight: Uganda’s premier gorilla-trekking destination and home to roughly half the world’s mountain gorilla population. Bwindi (“Impenetrable” for good reason) is dense, ancient rainforest on steep terrain, so treks tend to be more physically demanding than in Rwanda, but many find it more atmospheric — genuinely wild, tangled jungle rather than open volcanic slopes.
Cost: Gorilla permit is $800 per person for foreign non-residents — roughly half Rwanda’s price — which is the main reason many travelers choose Uganda.
Sectors: Bwindi is split into four trekking sectors (Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, Nkuringo), each with its own habituated families and lodges; Rushaga also offers a gorilla habituation experience (more hours with a semi-habituated family, at a higher fee).
Other draws: Excellent birding (over 350 species, including many Albertine Rift endemics) and forest walks.
Queen Elizabeth National Park- Location: Western Uganda, in the Great Rift Valley between Lake Edward and Lake George.
Highlight: Uganda’s most popular savanna park, famous for the tree-climbing lions of the Ishasha sector, one of only two places in Africa where lions regularly climb and lounge in fig trees. The park also has huge herds of buffalo, elephant, Uganda kob, and hippo, plus around 95 mammal species and over 600 bird species.
Signature experience: A boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, a natural waterway connecting Lakes Edward and George, which concentrates enormous numbers of hippos, crocodiles, elephants, and waterbirds along its banks — often rated one of the best wildlife boat trips in Africa.
Bonus activity: Chimp tracking in the nearby Kyambura Gorge (“Valley of Apes”), a dramatic river gorge cutting through the savanna.
Murchison Falls National ParkLocation: Northwest Uganda, about 4–5 hours from Kampala/Entebbe.
Highlight: Uganda’s largest national park, bisected by the Victoria Nile, which is forced through a narrow 7-meter gorge to create the thunderous Murchison Falls itself. Boat trips to the base of the falls are a highlight, passing huge pods of hippos, Nile crocodiles, and abundant birdlife (including the elusive shoebill in the delta area).
Wildlife: Classic big game on the savanna above the falls — elephant, giraffe (the Rothschild’s giraffe subspecies, reintroduced here), lion, buffalo, and Uganda kob — plus chimp tracking in the adjacent Budongo Forest.
Good for: Combining a classic game drive/boat safari experience with real wilderness scale; it’s less crowded than many East African savanna parks.
Kibale National ParkLocation: Western Uganda, near Fort Portal.
Highlight: Widely called the “chimpanzee capital of the world” — the highest density and diversity of primates in East Africa, with 13 species including chimpanzees, red colobus, and L’Hoest’s monkeys. Chimp tracking success rates are very high, and a “Chimpanzee Habituation Experience” lets visitors spend a full day with a group being habituated to human presence.
Nearby: The Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary for birding, and the crater lakes region for a scenic add-on.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Location: Far southwest Uganda, at the meeting point of Uganda, Rwanda, and DRC — part of the same Virunga volcano chain as Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.
Highlight: Uganda’s smallest park, and its second gorilla-trekking site (usually just one habituated family, so it’s far less crowded than Bwindi). Also the best place in Uganda for golden monkey trekking, and offers volcano hikes up Mt. Muhabura, Mt. Gahinga, and Mt. Sabyinyo.
Lake Mburo National Park
Location: Western Uganda, conveniently between Kampala and Bwindi/Queen Elizabeth — a good stopover park.
Highlight: Uganda’s smallest savanna park, notable for zebra, eland, impala, and it’s the only Uganda park where you can do walking safaris and horseback safaris among plains game (no dangerous predators like lion are present). Good value, low-key, easy to combine with a longer gorilla-focused itinerary.
Planning notes
- Gorilla permits are the pinch point for both countries — book several months ahead regardless of season.
- Rwanda vs. Uganda for gorillas: Rwanda is pricier ($1,500) but far more accessible from the capital (2.5–3 hrs) with easier terrain and more polished infrastructure; Uganda is cheaper ($800) with tougher, denser trekking and more habituated families spread across more sectors.
- Combining countries: Kigali and southwest Uganda (Bwindi/Mgahinga) are close enough that many itineraries cross the border overland in a few hours, pairing Rwanda’s gorillas/Akagera with Uganda’s savanna parks.
- Best overall dry-season windows for both countries: June–September and December–February.
Best Gorilla Safari Packages
Mountain gorillas exist in only two isolated populations, found nowhere else on the planet. Here are the best Gorilla trekking safari packages to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Bwindi and Mgahinga National Parks in Uganda.
- 1 Day Rwanda Gorilla trekking
- 1 Day Bwindi Gorilla safari
- 2 Days Volcanoes Gorilla Tour
- 3 Days Rwanda Gorilla Adventure
- 4 Days Double Gorilla Trekking
- 5 Days Safari to Bwindi NP
- 7 Days Rwanda & Uganda
- 8 Days best of Rwanda Safari
Combined Safari Packages
These gorilla trekking safari packages take travellers to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, as well as Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks in Uganda. Each itinerary can be paired with wildlife viewing and chimpanzee tracking experiences for a more comprehensive safari.
- 1 Day Rwanda Gorilla trekking
- 1 Day Bwindi Gorilla Safari
- 2 Days Volcanoes Gorilla Tour
- 3-Day Rwanda Gorilla Adventure
- 4 Days Double Gorilla Trekking
- 5-Day Safari to Bwindi NP
- 7 Days Rwanda & Uganda
- 8 Days Best of Rwanda Safari
Gorilla permits (in Uganda, Rwanda, or the DRC) are fixed-cost, government-set fees that everyone pays regardless of budget. Since that cost is constant, the accommodation category chosen becomes the main lever that pushes a package from “budget” to “midrange” to “luxury.” We offer apealing quotes because we havs special deals on accommodations leaving your package under your budget.
- Budget/community lodges — simple rooms, shared facilities, basic meals
- Midrange lodges — en-suite rooms, decent service, set menus
- Luxury lodges/camps — private cottages, personalized service, premium dining, sometimes even private guides or viewing decks
Adventure Gorilla Tours
From exclusive one-day gorilla trekking excursions in Rwanda and Uganda to comprehensive safari experiences across East Africa’s premier wildlife destinations, we specialize in crafting unforgettable African journeys tailored to your needs.
Every itinerary we design reflects careful attention to our clients’ unique preferences and travel goals. Reach out to our team today, and let us create a bespoke travel experience designed exclusively around what matters most to you.
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22 Days best of Uganda Safari
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