Best of Uganda and Rwanda

The trip starts in Rwanda, so today you're fetched from Kigali International Airport by your local leader and driven to the hotel, where you can relax and recover from what's probably been a long journey. Tomorrow the adventure really gets going!

Today you start your Rwanda adventure by visiting Kigali's Inema Arts Centre. The centre is a showcase for local artworks, traditional handicrafts and dance. Next you visit Azizi Life Studio, which is an exciting space where you'll receive guidance in making a craft or artwork of your choice. It's a great day for sipping cappuccinos, learning about the local art scene, and making a personalised souvenir that will remind you of your time in Rwanda.

Today you drive west to the district of Muhanga. Once there, you spend a day with an artisan making sisal jewellery and baskets. Sisal is a versatile plant and has long been used by Rwandans to make baskets and jewellery. In fact, sisal baskets are all the rage right now as their warm texture coupled with bold designs offer stylish storage solutions. Sisal jewellery is very colourful and all about making a statement. A sisal basket or item of jewellery is the perfect souvenir for your trip – something practical and beautiful that you made yourself!

This morning you travel for four hours to reach Nyungwe Forest National Park in the southwest of the country. This vast high-altitude park is dominated by ancient montane rainforest and is home to 13 primate species, including chimpanzees, owl-faced monkeys and black-and-white colobus monkeys. Excitingly, you can go on a chimp tracking outing to spend time with a troop. Visitors can also stroll the 160 metre-long canopy suspension bridge that offers breathtaking views of the thickly forested hills. It's also a great place for looking for birds (over 320 bird species have been recorded here, including 29 Albertine Rift endemics!). Finally, the park is threaded with many great hiking trails, so you can go on a beautiful nature walk as well.

Today is full of exciting activities, starting with a guided group trek into the forest to see a troop of chimpanzees! They type of chimp you find in Nyungwe Forest is the robust chimp. Later, you climb up to a high walkway and stroll above the canopy of the forest, looking to spot birds and other wildlife. Or just ooh over the incredible view. Finally, you visit a Banda hamlet to learn about their culture and agricultural way of life.

This morning you drive to the city of Gisenyi, Rwanda's second largest, on the northern shore of Lake Kivu. Later in the day you can paddle out into the lake in canoes. Lake Kivu is a massive lake that forms the western border of Rwanda. During your time on the water you'll see local fishermen and traders coming and going, and have lovely views of some islets as well as the surrounding hills, villages and terraced farms. You can also see across the water into the DRC! Fishing and farming sustain the communities living on the shores of Lake Kivu, and there's the option later in the day of visiting a village to learn about local life and culture.

Today you travel north and enter Uganda. It's not far from the border to Bwindi Forest, where tomorrow you go gorilla trekking. This is a beautiful and atmospheric part of the world, as thick rainforest covers seemingly endless hills and there's often mist hiding or threading the canopy. Spend the afternoon relaxing at the lodge or go on an exciting nature hike. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its biological richness and significance. Case in point, the park has 160 tree species, over 100 fern species, around 350 forest bird species, and over 200 butterfly species. Naturalists can't hope for better than this!

Today is your gorilla trek – whoop whoop! First thing in the morning you receive a safety briefing from your trek guide. You then head off as a group into the dense jungle of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to find your designated troop. The hike isn't easy, but the beautiful vegetation and scenery is incredibly rewarding. And then of course, when you find your troop, all puffing is forgotten and you get to relax and just revel in the joy of being so close to these rare primates. You spend an hour quietly watching the gorillas go about their daily business before trekking back to the park gate.

This morning you travel to Lake Bunyonyi, a gorgeous (croc-free!) lake in south Uganda that's dotted with numerous little islands. In the afternoon head out onto the lake in dugout canoes and visit some of the islands. Swimming in the lake is a must. There's also the option to go zip lining into the water if you'd like to inject a little adrenaline into your day! You could also hire quad bikes to zip around the lakeshore and its surrounding farms. And there's the possibility of visiting a village to chat with some locals and learn about their history and culture. Finally, sundowners on the deck of the lodge overlooking Lake Bunyonyi is a truly postcard-perfect moment.

This morning you drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda's most biodiverse reserve. Later in the day you go on a cruise on Kazinga Channel, a 32-km long natural channel that links Lakes Edward and George. This channel is an important habitat for many of the park's inhabitants, including crocodiles, hippos, elephants and various waterbirds (including the incomparable shoebill stork). During your game drive before and after the boat safari you can look for more of the park's various large denizens, like lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, side-striped jackals, buffaloes, Ugandan kobs, bushbucks, topis and Defassa waterbucks. Birders should also keep their eyes peeled as a staggering 610 bird species have been recorded here!

Today is all about going on game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park! There are many animals to look for on a safari here, including lions, leopards, bush elephants, African buffaloes, cheetahs, spotted hyenas, chimpanzees, giant forest hogs, giraffes, zebras, Ugandan kobs, topis, waterbucks, warthogs, Nile crocs and hippos. There are also around 600 species of birds in the park (!), including greater and lesser flamingoes, long-crested eagles, shoebill storks, pin-tailed whydahs, Nubian woodpeckers and southern red bishops.

You head west this morning to reach Lake Mburo National Park. There's time relax at the lodge when you arrive before heading off on an optional night-time game drive. As you may well know, many animals are nocturnal, or at least like to hunt at night (hello, lions), so a game drive at this time ups your chances of seeing wildlife that often remains hidden or inactive during the day. Some of the exciting animals living in Lake Mburo National Park are giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, buffaloes, hyenas, leopards, bush pigs, zebras, topis, reedbucks, oribis, elands and duikers.

Lake Mburo National Park is one of those rare reserves where you can go explore and look for game outside of a vehicle! Today you have some optional activities to choose from, namely a walking safari, cycling safari or horse-riding safari. Each type of safari allows you to experience the landscape and wildlife from a different perspective, and moreover they can take you to parts of the park that vehicles can't reach!

This morning you head to Entebbe International Airport just outside of Kampala, the capital of Uganda, to catch your flight home. But en route you stop at the Equator sign! This is a great photo spot as you can straddle the Equator line, something few people ever get to do!