Visit to Lake Ihema

EXPLORING LAKE IHEMA https://www.gorillacousinsrwanda.com/rwanda-tour/7-day-gorilla-trekking-and-hiking-in-rwanda.html Lake Ihema is the second largest lake in Rwanda and it is located in the south part of Akagera National park and it is among one of the 23 lakes found in Rwanda. Akagera national park is located in the Eastern province of Rwanda. Lake Ihema is among the protected lakes in Rwanda because is located in the area of Akagera national park and the lake is surrounded by large seasonal and papyrus swamps that make the lake to flow throughout the year. Lake Ihema is home to over 550 bird species which includes jacanas, herons, plovers, malachite kingfisher, the rare shoebill storks, African fish eagles, crowned cranes and marabou storks to mention the few. Lake Ihema is also home to school of hippos and crocodiles. What to do from Lake Ihema Boat cruise in Lake Ihema When you are planning a visit to Akagera national park, don’t miss the adventurous experience in Lake Ihema where you will opt for boat cruise. You will enjoy the sail along the water edge which is covered with beautiful ever green tall trees with view of hippos and crocodiles swimming and enjoying the fresh waters. You will spend 2 hours sailing in the waters, taking photos of the fresh waters, crocodiles, hippos and birds. Bird watching Lake Ihema is haven with more than 500 bird species. When you take trip to Akagera national park make sure you visit lake Ihema for best viewing of different bird species. Some of the bird species found in Lake Ihema include herons, ibises, kingfisher, jacanas, shoebill, papyrus Gonolek, raptors and sandpipers.

One Day Visit to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

1 DAY ZIWA RHINO SANCTUARY TOUR

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary home to white Rhino located along Kampala-Gulu high way at distance of 176 km from Kampala. Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is seated on 70 square kilometers of land and it is on an en-route to Murchison falls National Park. Many visitors visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary on their way to Murchison falls national park and it’s included in the first day activity on the itinerary. Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is the only place to trek wild white Rhinos in Uganda and other place is Uganda Wildlife Education Center in Entebbe. Our company guide will pick you up from your resident/hotel at 7:00am after your morning breakfast for transfer to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to trek Rhino. You will take 3 hours’ drive to reach Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary while passing local homestead, local markets selling fresh fruits and vegetable along the roadside. Upon arrival at the sanctuary, you will driven to sanctuary office for briefing by game rangers on how to behave when with the white Rhinos , we always advise our visitors to follow the rules and regulations being given by game ranger because this white Rhino can be aggressive and they remain as wild animals. After briefing, you will drive to the starting point depending on the location where this white Rhino are found so as to reduce the distance of searching. After finding the Rhino, your game ranger will explain different information on the behaviors of Rhino and you are free to takes photos as many as you can during the trek. After finding the white Rhinos, you will be given a chance to visit different Rhino families and you will get a chance of seeing other animals during the nature walk like Bushbucks, Uganda kobs, leopard [rarely], waterbucks and duikers. Return to the office and check-out of the sanctuary back to Kampala. End of 1 day Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary trekking Rules for White Rhino trekking Carry hiking boots during rainy season Carry sun hat Carry sunscreen Insect repellent You should carry camera without flash light Carry drinking water 1 day tour to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary includes • Park entrance fees • Transportation • Mineral water • Lunch • Rhino trekking • English speaking guide • All activities as mentioned in the itinerary. Excluded in the safari - Insurance - International flight - Tips for porters and guide

Rwanda Safari

3 Days Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda – Parc National Des Volcano

Day 1: Transfer to Volcanoes National park.

Our Gorilla Cousins Safaris Guide will pick you up from your hotel or from Kigali International Airport for your transfer to Volcanoes NationalPark in the Musanze province. Volcanoes national park is home to over 360 mountain gorillas with 7 habituated groups available for visitors to trek. You will check-in to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation options: Muhabura Hotel (Budget]

Day 2: Mountain Gorilla Tracking.

After an early morning breakfast, you will transfer to Kinigi park headquarters for a briefing by the park warden. After you will be allocated gorilla group to trek. By 8:30 am local time all tourists will transfer to various starting points for gorilla trekking. The gorilla trek lasts between 1 to 6 hours before you finally catch-up with the mountain gorillas which are constantly moving about. Upon spotting them, you are free to stay in their presence taking photographs for a maximum of 1 hour. Then return to the point where your vehicle is stationed and you will be transfer back to the lodge for lunch.

After your lunch, you will have an optional opportunity to visit the iby’lwacu cultural village after which you will return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.https://www.gorillacousinsrwanda.com/rwanda-tour/3-day-gorilla-trek-and-musanze-caves.html

Day 3: Transfer to Kigali for city tour & Departure

After breakfast transfer back to Kigali. Your tour guide may take you around the city – visit the Gisozi Genocide Memorial Site and the local handicrafts market, then proceed to the airport for scheduled flight back home.

End of Tour

Safari is inclusive of,

Transportation to and from

Gorilla permit

Accommodation

Meals full board

English speaking guide

Guide’s allowance

Mineral water

You can reach us on info@gorillacousinsrwanda.com or gorillacousinsrwand@gmail.com or https://www.gorillacousinsrwanda.com/

Double gorilla trekking Rwanda and Uganda

4 Days Gorilla trekking Uganda and Rwanda

This 4 days gorilla trekking will take you to most visited parks both Uganda and Rwanda. It is double trekking, you will start off from Rwanda in Volcanoes National Park well known for mountain gorillas and golden monkeys, then transfer to Uganda to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Bwindi impenetrable National Park has half of remaining mountain gorillas in the world and having different trekking families hence it is easy to allocated the mountain gorillas while on trek in Bwindi.

When trekking gorillas not only will you see gorillas but you will be rewarded with view of plenty of  wildlife, fauna, lush green vegetation, forest and a lot of bird species.

Safari breakdown

Day 1: arrival and transfer to Volcanoes National Park

Day 2: trekking gorillas and transfer to Bwindi impenetrableNational Park

Day 3: gorilla trekking

Day 4: departure

Day 1; arrival and transfer to Volcanoes National Park

Upon arrival to Kigali international airport, our English speaking driver/guide will welcome you to the Republic of Rwanda with warm welcome. He will introduce himself to you and then transfer you to Volcanoes National Park where you will check-in at Volcanoes safari lodge. He will brief you about your safari and you will have dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Distance= 80 kilometers [2.5 hours]

Day 2: trekking gorillas and transfer to Bwindi impenetrable National Park

Wake up early and have cup of coffee before heading for gorilla trekking. After breakfast you will pack you trekking equipment's, packed lunch and enough drinking water. Report to the headquarters for briefing, on the dos and don’ts of mountain gorilla trekking and you will be allocated a trekking group of 8 members per group. The ranger guide will lead the group into the jungle in search of endangered mountain gorillas. Trekking time depends on how fast the group allocates the gorilla family but it can take 1 hour to 6 hours. After finding the gorillas you will be allowed only one hour with the gorillas, so you will take photos, interact with gorillas and learn more about gorillas from game rangers.

After your gorilla trekking in Rwanda, you will be transfer to Bwindi impenetrable National Park where you have your second trekking. You will check-in at chameleon hill lodge for dinner and overnight.

Distances = 78.1 kilometers [2.18 hours]

Day 3: gorilla trekking

Be a wake so early and have cup of coffee before heading for gorilla trekking. Carry your trekking equipment, packed lunch and enough drinking water. Head to the headquarters for briefing on the don’ts and dos of gorilla trekking, the ranger guide will lead the group into the jungle in search of our close relatives the mountain gorillas. Trekking time start from 1 hour to 6 hours depending on how fast you allocate gorilla family. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight at chameleon hill lodge.

Day 4; departure to Kigali international airport

Have early morning breakfast, and then prepare for your departure back to Rwanda to Kigali international airport. You will have en-route lunch from Kigali capital. End of 4 days gorilla trekking in Rwanda and Uganda.

Included in the safari

Airport pick-up and drop

Transportation on the safari vehicle

Professional English speaking driver/guide

Accommodations

Gorilla permits

Mineral water

Excluded on the safari

International flights bills

Accommodation on arrival

Laundry services

Visa

Extra expanses which are not included in the itinerary

Virgin Aruu Falls

Virgin an touch attraction Aruu Falls

Aruu waterfalls are suited in Northern Uganda in the district of Pader. The Aruu waterfalls are located about 4 and half kilometers from the highway of Pader-Kitugum. The local people leaving near Aruu waterfalls are Acholi and Langi people who are peasant farmers.

The waterfalls are found in the hidden treasure deep in the forest zone and Aruu waterfalls are eye catching to all people who visit Northern Uganda. The waterfalls in Aruu are truly breathtaking and the flow of the water on the rocks makes the slippery cascading rocks naturally arranged into a series of steps will definitely relax and are stress killing.

Aruu waterfalls can be an optional stopover when you’re having trip to kidepo valley national park. Aruu waterfalls are rarely visited despite being it is breathtaking beauty.

 

Chimpanzees Habituation in Kibale Forest National Park

Chimpanzees Habituations in Kibale.

Chimpanzees Habituation experience is the process of training wild chimpanzee to get used to human presence and they are being trained by researchers. It is one experience that makes you to spend the whole day with chimpanzees. Actually you can choice to come for chimpanzee’s trekking or chimpanzee’s habituation, but for chimpanzees habituation you have to book the permits in advances like one month before. This will enable us to make payment earlier to Uganda Wildlife Authority so as to get trekking group. Uganda has 4950 chimpanzees and 1500 chimpanzees are found in Kibale forest National Park.

The best month for chimpanzee habituation experience is around March, April, May and November because there is less tourist congestion in the park. The permits cost $220 for foreign non-residents, $150 for foreign residents and $70 for East Africans and the permits are only sold from Uganda wildlife authority [UWA]. For chimpanzee habituation experience the maximum number allowed per day is small group of eight people with the game ranger and the researchers only. With chimpanzee habituation clients should be assured of having whole day with the chimpanzee, taking much photography, getting more formation about the chimpanzees and knowledge.

While hiking the chimpanzee habituation experience you should expect to see other wildlife in the park like baboons, red tailed monkeys, elephants, black and white colubus, warthogs, buffaloes, bush pigs, leopards, African golden cats and many others. The bird species and butterflies will be observed and the beauty of the forest in generally will be enjoyed.

Chimpanzee habituation experience always starts very early in the morning because it gets when the chimpanzees are still at the nests. So the tourists should set off at 6am to forest and the meet the chimpanzee family and then follow them and view them the all day as they go about their lives, till late in the evening when they make a new nest to rest. Actually chimpanzees can over move thus they are so mobile, so tourists should come early enough so as to catch up with them before they leave to search for food in the forest.

Requirement for chimpanzee habituation.

The tourists should carry packed lunch, drinking water but went eating should not be near the chimpanzees. The clothes should be water proof, hiking rubber boots, long trousers, long sleeved shirt \ blouse ,insect repellent, rain jacket, camera plus its bag and extra batteries for photography since  you will have whole day with the chimpanzees.

Rules and regulation to consider before doing chimpanzee’s habituation and trekking

Ø  Access to the forest should be done with help of game ranger / guide but not only the tourists.

Ø  Children under the age of 12 years below are not allowed to accessing the park.

Ø  Always don’t carry cameras with flash light it can scare away the chimpanzees.

Ø  Eating near the chimpanzee is prohibited.

Ø  Give the chimpanzee distance of 8m

Ø  Anyone with communicable disease like flue and diarrhea are not allowed to trek.

 

Comparing between chimpanzee Habituation and chimpanzee trekking.

Chimpanzee Habituation experience is the process of training wild chimpanzees to get used to the presences of human being and the method was started by researchers. Chimpanzee trekking is an amazing wildlife experience of going into the jungle in search of wild chimpanzees with help of tour guide and game ranger from Uganda wildlife Authority.

Chimpanzee habituation permit cost $220 per permit and chimpanzee trekking permit cost $150 per permit.

Chimpanzee habituation takes whole day hiking the chimpanzees and chimpanzee trekking takes only 1-3 hours.

Chimpanzee habituation experience permits are booked one month in advance while chimpanzee trekking permits are can be booked three days  to the trek.

Booking Chimpanzee Habituation Permits

Chimpanzee Habituation experience permits are booked from Uganda wildlife authority main office which is located in Kampala kamwokya. The permits are booked month in advance because of the limited number of tourists who are allowed to visit chimpanzee habituation per day.

Some of the near accommodation in kibale national park

 Primate Lodge kibale

Kanyanchu River camp

Sebitoli camping ground

Kibale safari lodge

Kibale forest camp

3 days Chimpanzee trekking Kibale Forest National Park

This 3 days chimpanzee trekking takes you to Kibale forest National Park. The park covers an area of 776 square kilometers. Kibale forestNational Park is only 26 kilometers southwest of Fort Portal town and it takes only one hour drive from Kasese town to Kibale forest National Park.

Kibale forest National Park is home to 13 different species of primates that include Chimpanzees, blue monkeys, Blue & Red-tailed monkey and Mangabeys to list the few. Kibale forest National Park is most visited park for chimpanzee trekking lovers.

Safari breakdown

Day 1: transfer to Kibale forest National Park

Day 2: chimpanzee trekking and nature walk

Day 3: Kibale national-Kampala

Day 1: transfer to Kibale forest national park

After breakfast Gorilla cousin’s guide/driver will collect you from the hotel or place of residence for transfer to Kibale forest NationalPark. The driver will drive toward south west via Fort Portal with beautiful view of open grassland, tea plantation and traditional homestead. You will have lunch from Fort Portal and then proceed to Kibale forest National Park.

Traveling distance: 4 hours 53 minutes

Accommodation options

Kibale forest camp-midrange

Ndali lodge-luxury

Chimpanzee forest Guesthouse-budget

Meal: full board

Day 2: chimpanzee trekking and nature walks  in Biogodi swamp

Enjoy cup of coffee early in the morning before heading for chimpanzee trekking point for briefing. You will enter the jungle in search of chimpanzees and you will get chance of coming cross other primate like Red-colobus monkeys, Blue & Red-tailed monkeys to list the few. After allocating the chimpanzees you will spend only one hour with them then return to the lodge for lunch before embarking for evening nature walks. Go for nature walk at Biogodi swamp where you will spot different bird species.

Accommodation

Kibale forest camp-mid range

Ndali lodge-luxury

Chimpanzee forest Guesthouse-budget

Meals: full board

Day 3: Kibale national park-Kampala

Have breakfast and the driver will drive you back to Kampala with en-route lunch on the way to Kampala. On arrival you will drop at Entebbeinternational airport to catch up with your flight back home. End of the 3 days safari to Kibale forest national park.

Meals: half board

Included on the safari

Transportation on safari van with pop

Accommodation

Meals full board

Mineral water

Chimpanzee permits

English speaking driver

Nature walk fees

Excluded on the safari

International flight

Visa

Tips

Extra expanses that is not included in the itinerary