5-Day Uganda (Kigali Start): Gorillas Roam, Plains Stretch & Lakes Shine

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 lunch, then drive for about two hours through the hills to Lake Bunyonyi, arriving in time to watch the evening light settle over the terraced slopes and islands from your lodge.

Wake to mist drifting across the lake and enjoy an early canoe paddle or motorboat ride among the islands, passing Punishment Island and Sharp's Island while your guide shares the stories of the Bakiga people who farm these steep hills.

After breakfast you drive east via Kabale and Mbarara, through rolling pastures grazed by long-horned Ankole cattle, reaching Lake Mburo National Park in the early afternoon after about four to five hours on the road.

Later in the afternoon you set out on a boat trip on Lake Mburo, watching hippos, crocodiles, fish eagles, pelicans and perhaps the shy African finfoot, before a short game drive back to your lodge.

Head out early for a morning game drive across the open plains and acacia woodland, where Lake Mburo's high density of impala mingles with Burchell's zebra, eland, topi, buffalo and defassa waterbuck. Leopards and hyenas are present too, and the birding is excellent, with around 350 species recorded.

After lunch and a rest, you join an armed ranger for a guided nature walk. With no elephants and very few lions, Lake Mburo is one of the few parks where you can walk among zebra and antelope, learning about tracks, plants and the smaller details of the bush.

End the day with a sundowner drive along the ridges, watching the savanna glow as the sun sets, before dinner at your lodge.

Rise early for a final morning in Lake Mburo, with a short game drive or guided walk while the light is soft and the zebra, impala and eland are most active. Then return to your lodge for breakfast.

You drive south via Mbarara and cross back into Rwanda at the Katuna (Gatuna) border, continuing through the green hills to Kigali. The journey takes around five to six hours, including border formalities and a lunch stop on the way.

On arrival your driver-guide drops you at Kigali International Airport for your onward flight, or at your Kigali hotel, bringing your Uganda safari to a close.