12 Day Uganda Gorilla Trek & South Sudan Cultural Immersion
Overview
Embark on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure through East Africa, where unforgettable wildlife encounters meet rare cultural immersion. This expertly guided 12-day itinerary takes you from the lush volcanoes of Rwanda and Uganda—home to endangered gorillas and golden monkeys—to the remote cattle camps of South Sudan’s Mundari people. With expert guides, comfortable lodges, and immersive experiences, this journey offers an extraordinary blend of nature, heritage, and heart.
Included/Excluded
- 1X Ugandan Gorilla Trekking Permit
- 1X Chimpanzee Trekking Permit
- Ground transportation in a standard safari Vehicle
- Accommodation listed on the Itinerary or similar
- Meals (11 Breakfasts, Lunches & Dinners)
- Park entrances fees
- Services of English speaking guide driver
- Boat cruise
- Mundari Community experience
- Game drives
- Interstate flights (Ebb - Juba)
- Visas
- International Flights to/from
- Gratitude’s
- Porter hire
- laundry
- Personal insurance
- Bar bills
- Phone calls
Tour Plan
Day 1: Kigali - Volcanoes National Park/Gorilla Museum Tour
Your private guide and safari 4WD vehicle will meet you at your hotel in Kigali. Begin your journey with a meaningful visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial, a powerful tribute to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. From here, drive northwest through Rwanda’s lush hills and lively market towns (approx. 2.5 hours) to the breathtaking Volcanoes National Park, famed for Dian Fossey’s pioneering work with mountain gorillas. After you’ve checked in at the lodge, have lunch and later go to visit the gorilla museum the Ellen Degeneras Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla fund. Overnight atMountain Gorilla View Lodge or similar
Day 2: Golden Monkey Trekking, Volcanoes NP Rwanda - Bwindi/Mgahinga Gorilla NP.
After an early breakfast, head to Kinigi Park Headquarters for a briefing before your Golden Monkey Trek. These lively and agile primates are a delight to watch as they leap through the bamboo forest.
Optional Upgrade: You may choose to upgrade to a Rwanda Gorilla Trekking experience that has an additional cost of USD $1,500 for the trekking permit.
Later in the day, cross the border into Uganda and continue to Bwindi/Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Overnight Travelers Rest Hotel or similar
Day 3: Gorilla Trekking, Bwindi/Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Begin with an early breakfast before transferring to the park headquarters for a gorilla trekking briefing. Accompanied by expert rangers, trek through dense rainforest in search of a habituated gorilla family. Upon finding them, you’ll spend an unforgettable hour observing these majestic creatures in their natural habitat – a profound wildlife encounter. Overnight Travelers Rest Hotel or similar
Day 4: Bwindi/Mgahinga Gorilla National Park - Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of Uganda’s most diverse ecosystems and home to elephants, buffaloes, hippos, baboons, and the rare tree-climbing lions. Arrive in time for an afternoon game drive. Overnight Bush Lodge or similar
Day 5: Game Drives & Boat Cruise Safari, Queen Elizabeth National Park
Start the day with a morning game drive across the Kasenyi Plains, a hotspot for predator-prey action. You may spot lions, elephants, kob, jackals, and more.
In the afternoon, enjoy a scenic boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel, famous for its dense concentration of hippos, crocodiles, and over 600 species of birds. Overnight Bush Lodge or similar
Day 6: Queen Elizabeth National Park - Lake Mburo National Park.
After breakfast, track chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge or Kalinzu Forest, immersing yourself in the calls and movements of our closest relatives. After the trek, continue to Lake Mburo National Park, a compact gem offering unique landscapes and wildlife experiences. Overnight Rwakobo Rock or similar
Day 7: Lake Mburo National Park - Entebbe
Begin the day with a guided walking safari, a peaceful and intimate way to observe wildlife such as zebras, warthogs, bushbuck, topi, and more. The lack of engine noise allows you to fully connect with the bush. After breakfast, transfer to Entebbe. Overnight Airport View Guesthouse or similar
Day 8: Kampala, Uganda - Juba, South Sudan
After breakfast, transfer to Entebbe International Airport for your flight to Juba, South Sudan. Upon arrival, meet your local guide and transfer to your hotel for rest and acclimatization. Overnight Royal Palace Hotel or similar
Day 9: Juba – Telekeka (Mundari Territory)
Depart Juba after breakfast for the Mundari region, located near Telekeka. The drive takes approximately 2–3 hours, depending on road and weather conditions. Upon arrival, set up camp near a traditional Mundari cattle settlement.Overnight: Wilderness camping with Mundari community
Day 10: Mundari Cultural Immersion
Spend the entire day immersed in the unique culture of the Mundari people. Explore their vast cattle camps, interact with community members, and photograph their striking traditions—ashes used for body adornment, horned Ankole cattle, and more. This is one of Africa’s most visually and culturally distinct experiences. Overnight Wilderness camping with Mundari community
Day 11: Final Morning with the Mundari – Juba
Spend your final morning with the Mundari people, observing their early-morning cattle rituals. Later, return to Juba for your final evening in South Sudan. Overnight Royal Palace Hotel or similar
Day 12: Juba, South Sudan - Entebbe, Uganda
After breakfast, transfer to Juba Airport for your flight back to Entebbe, Uganda. Upon arrival, connect with your international flight or onward travel. End of Tour
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Communication via WhatsApp to make arrangements went very smooth with Aron being quick and clear in his responses.
Aron drove us most of the time, but we also had a ride with driver Barnice. Every time they were in time, most of the times even early to make sure we could leave whenever we wanted. The service was more than just a private taxi service: Aron told us many interesting things about Uganda and let us taste some local food. That really made our trip more colourful and interesting.They know a lot of good places all over the country, like restaurants and accomodation. Although we organized our trip by ourselves, that was still an advantage. Above that, Aron uses his business in Uganda to help other Ugandans as well.
We would definitely recommend to travel with Safari 2 Gorilla Tours.

Jon Peters
USA


In my iniitial email to him I had explained that I'm Kenyan and would be travelling to Rwanda from Nairobi, Kenya. As an east African citizen I thought this information was useful in terms of national park fees and so on; little did I know that it would affect my whole Gorilla trek experience.
I'd settled the balance of my invoice in November 2019 and Aron emailed to confirm full payment. I never heard from Aron again except when I emailed him to find out the arrangements for when I arrived in Rwanda. At the time I didn't think much of it as I'd read so many glowing reviews of Aron and his tour company; his attentive nature, professionalism and general good nature. A fortnight or so before my arrival I'd still not heard from him so I emailed to find out the itinerary for when I arrived in Rwanda - nothing. Just a curt response confirming that he had the number for my hotel and presumably (Aron did not confirm) that he would call me at my hotel to arrange a time to pick me up from my hotel.
I arrived at the hotel, following a 10 hour flight from London on Friday, 24 January to find there was no message was left by Aron advising when I'd be picked up the following day. On Saturday, 25 January at about 9 am the receptionist knocked on my door to inform me that a driver had arrived to pick me up and drive me to Uganda. As I'd not had any advance information of this arrangement I was not ready; i hadn't showered or eaten breakfast. And so we did not set off until gone 10 am. This was the first poor service i'd received.
I'd paid for a 3-day Gorilla trek etc which included on the first day a visit to the Rwanda Genocide memorial. When the driver set off we'd been driving and passed a sign to the memorial site, after almost an hour I asked if we were still going to the memoial site, and only then did the driver inform me that due to the late departure he had decided to postpone the visit to the memorial until the return leg of my three day trip. The second poor service i'd received.
Bwindi national park is in Uganda and so I was driven through Rwanda to Uganda via a land border, an eight hour journey that ordinarily shouldn't have taken that long. The third poor service.
During the drive Aron maintained constant communication with the driver - whose name escapes me - and not once did he ask the driver to pass the phone to me so that he could speak to me. By that I mean even welcoming me, asking me how my trip was, finding out if there was anything I needed, any issues or problems with the trip I'd paid for. The fourth poor service I received
When we arrived at Rushaga camp each visitor at dinner was assigned a table with the name of their guide on it; stupidly I immediately thought Ohhh so Aron had sent a driver to pick me up from Rwanda and that now I was going to meet him! How wrong i was. When i sat down expecting to meet Aron who should turn up? but the driver! Cheekily I asked if he was Aron and offended he curtly replied no!. When i asked what happend to Aron he informed me that Aron had been in constant communication throughout the day! When I asked why Aron hadn't even said hello or welcomed me he just said that Aron was on another tour. At that moment I realised what was happening and why. In Aron's eyes I was a black African tourist that yes, had paid for the same service and support that my white counterparts had received but due to his low perception of me and fellow black Africans I did not warrant the same service, attention, or even respect. I did not speak to the driver again for the rest of the evening. I was surrounded by fellow travellers that were accompanied by guides who made them feel welcome, valued and respected; they sat together sharing stories from their travels whilst I and the driver sat silently. Even as I tried to get the driver to understand how insulted and disrespected I felt he just didn't get it. A part of me feels if i was white he wouldn't have found it so hard understanding how poorly I'd been treated. But as a black African what reason did I have to complain? The fifth poor service I'd received
On the second day i was due to visit Mgahinga national park almost a two hour drive away. As debrief started at 8 am we arranged to leave Rushaga Gorilla camp by 6 am; arranging to meet for breakfast at 05:30 am. 06:00 am the driver was nowhere to be found. Finally at 06:30 he appears in the dinning room feigning an alarm malfunction. I had to demand an apology from him. The sixth poor service i'd received.
We arrived at the national park at 08:25. I was the only black tourist and when I asked the guide to summarise the debrief he audibly commented that as I'd arrived late he'd not be able to repeat it for me. Cynically I felt that If I was white he'd problably have ignored the fact that the driver had got me to the debrief late and still gone through the key points. The seventh poor sevice I'd received.
I could go on and on but I won't. I think you get the gist. I never once spoke to Aron, met him or communicated with him during my time in Rwanda and Uganda. I left Rwanda on Tuesday, 28 January 2020 and have delayed posting this review until now to see whether or not I'd hear from Aron. I haven't and I know I never will.
I would never recommend this company to anyone regardless of who you are. I pity and despise racists and would never support a business that openly discriminates against black Africans.

Would absolutely recommend Safari 2 Gorilla Tours! Thanks Aaron and Martin for an unforgetable trip!

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Makanga Hill,
P.O.BOX 568 Kabale