3-Day Uganda (Kigali Start): The Great Primate Run

Your driver-guide meets you at Kigali International Airport or your Kigali hotel in the morning, and after a short briefing you set off north through Rwanda's famous land of a thousand hills, where terraced farms, banana groves and tea gardens cover every ridge.

You cross into Uganda at the Cyanika border near Kisoro, where formalities are usually quick and friendly, then continue through the volcanic highlands of Kigezi with the cones of the Virunga volcanoes on the horizon. The drive from Kigali to the southern sectors of Bwindi takes about four to five hours, plus time at the border.

By mid-afternoon you reach the Rushaga sector on the southern edge of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Settle into your lodge, enjoy the views over the forested hills and turn in early, ready for tomorrow's gorilla trek.

After an early breakfast you head to the Rushaga ranger post for a briefing on gorilla etiquette and safety, before being assigned to one of the habituated gorilla families of the southern sector. With experienced rangers and trackers leading the way, you set off into the steep, tangled rainforest that gives Bwindi its name.

The trek can take anywhere from one to several hours, depending on where the family has moved overnight. When you find them, you spend one unforgettable hour watching the gorillas feed, rest and play: the silverback keeping a calm eye on his group, mothers cradling infants and youngsters tumbling through the undergrowth. Bwindi protects almost half of the world's remaining mountain gorillas, and this hour is a privilege few people ever share.

Return to your lodge for a late lunch and a well-earned rest. In the afternoon you can join an optional community walk through the surrounding villages, or simply relax and watch the mist settle over the forest.

Enjoy a final breakfast with views over the misty forest before setting off back towards the border. The drive retraces the scenic road through Kisoro and the foothills of the Virunga volcanoes to the Cyanika crossing.

Back in Rwanda, you continue through the green hills to Kigali, arriving in the afternoon after about four to five hours on the road plus border formalities. If time allows, your guide can stop at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, a deeply moving introduction to Rwanda's recent history.

You are dropped at Kigali International Airport for your onward flight, or at your hotel in the city.