Planning a last-minute honeymoon safari in Uganda and Rwanda

Planning a last-minute honeymoon safari in Uganda and Rwanda. If Uganda and Rwanda are your last-minute honeymoon safari choices, then you have plenty at your disposal to enjoy and make lasting memories of your life. After tiresome wedding preparations and wedding day, you want to relax and make memories that will last forever. 

Selecting where to go and what to see during your honeymoon in Uganda and Rwanda is the number one step.

Most Popular Safaris

5 Day Uganda Gorillas & Wildlife

11 Days Gorilla Tracking Safari

19 Day Best of Uganda Safari

6 Days Nyungwe & Lake Kivu

18 Day Ultimate Uganda Safari

5 Day Gorilla Habituation & Chimps

5 Days Gorillas & Nile River Source

14 Day Uganda Safari via Kigali

4 Days Gorillas & Golden Monkeys

5 Day Rwanda Gorillas & Culture

Uganda and Rwanda have mountain gorillas as their foremost attraction in the Virunga area. To do gorilla safaris in Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park are the only destinations. In Rwanda, Volcanoes National Park is the only home for the mountain gorillas. Even when you make a last-minute honeymoon decision to do a gorilla safari, you must purchase the gorilla permits for Uganda Rwanda or both. 

The gorilla permit is a document that allows you to visit the mountain gorillas either for gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience. The Uganda Wildlife Authority and Rwanda Rwanda Development Board are responsible for selling and regulating gorilla permits in Uganda.

Uganda is a country endowed by nature, so you have plenty of optional activities. While in Uganda, you can do game drives, launch trips, chimpanzee trekking, Uganda birding, visit the source of the River Nile, white water rafting, cultural experience, visit religious grounds, mountaineering, visit places of maximum tranquility like Lake Bunyonyi and Ssese Islands and others.

Rwanda may have limited safari activities options, but it is a home away from home in the land of a thousand hills. Some of the favorite Rwanda safari activities include game drives in Akagera National Park, chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk in Nyungwe National Park, Rwandese cultural experience, Rwanda birding, visit the genocide memorials and others.

When you enquire from us at Encounter Africa Safaris about your last-minute plan to enjoy your honeymoon in Uganda and Rwanda, our experienced safaris consultants are ready to work with you to lay down the most applicable itinerary that soothes your needs and budget. We need to know when you hope to do the honeymoon safari, how long it will take, and what activities you hope to engage in per country. 

If gorilla and chimpanzee safari are part of your choice activities in Uganda and Rwanda, you must secure gorilla or chimpanzee permits as soon as possible. Our safari consultants are ready to take you through all the necessary procedures to book Uganda and Rwanda's gorilla and chimpanzee permits.

We understand that the honeymoon is a couple's special moment to rekindle love and lay down plans in the next part of life.

What To Do On Honeymoon Safari In Uganda And Rwanda

In Uganda

Gorilla safaris 

Gorilla safaris are the topmost activities you can do on a honeymoon in Uganda. You can go gorilla trekking, where only one hour is allowed with the mountain gorillas, or gorilla habituation, where four hours are allowed with semi-habituated mountain gorillas.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park are Uganda's only habitats for mountain gorillas. Currently, 19 gorilla trekking families are open to public booking while two gorilla habituation experience permits are also open.

You must purchase gorilla permits for either activity as this is the only assurance to visiting the mountain gorillas during your honeymoon. Since gorilla permits are limited to a maximum of 8 per gorilla family, they sell out fast, especially during the high season in June, July, August, September, December, and January. Last-minute gorilla safari bookings normally come with limited choice of where to do gorilla trekking of the four Bwindi Impenetrable National Park areas.

As a last-minute choice for your honeymoon safari in Uganda, during the preparations, we advise that every important item availed, like the gorilla permits, accommodation, and others, needs to be secured as soon as possible. During the peak Uganda tourism season, most amenities that support gorilla safaris are sold out.

 Having some level of fitness and packing the right gorilla safari gear is very helpful during gorilla safari because this is an entirely wilderness activity in a rugged area. 

Game Safaris in Uganda

If you are looking for a super honeymoon game safari destination with a limited number of vehicles on the tracks but with plenty to see, Uganda is the ideal destination. Uganda is gifted by nature, and a number of game safari destinations are available in different parts of the country. For game drives in Uganda, you can visit Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, and Kidepo Valley National Park.

Game drives in Uganda happen in the early morning and late afternoon when the wild animals are just out of their night hideouts and when returning, respectively. You need a safari vehicle in good condition because the game parks' roads are sometimes dusty and slippery. A 4x4 vehicle saves you from getting stuck in the wilderness's harsh conditions.

 Some of the animals you may see in the Uganda game parks include lions, elephants, herds of buffaloes, waterbucks, bushbucks, zebras, giraffes, leopards, elands, hippos, crocodiles, and so many others. All these animals are not found in one National Park, but if you want to see a particular animal, you may need to say this upfront. It's best to have an open mind while on safari to avoid getting bored and frustrated in case you do not find the animal you are interested in. Uganda has an unrivaled number of birds in Africa hosting over 1000 bird species. 

Chimpanzee safaris in Uganda

Having a chimpanzee permit for either chimpanzee trekking or habituation experience in Uganda would be best. The topmost chimpanzee safari destination of Uganda is Kibale National Park, which hosts over 1000 chimpanzees; Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park; Kaniyo Pabidi in Murchison Falls National Park; Kalinzu Forest Reserve at the periphery of Queen Elizabeth National Park; Ngamba Chimpanzee sanctuary and others.

During the chimpanzee trekking adventure, you visit a fully habituated chimpanzee troop and have just one hour with them. While on the chimpanzee habituation experience in Uganda, you see a semi-habituated chimpanzee community and have four hours with them. Do not be surprised if they show odd behaviors like dashing into hiding.

You can do a chimpanzee safari in Uganda in the morning or afternoon.

Birding in Uganda

Uganda is one of the top African birding destinations, hosting over 1000 bird species, including those on the red list of IUCN.

Keen birders on honeymoon in Uganda can spend their day birding in destinations like Bwindi forest, Mgahinga forest, Kibale forest, Mabira forest, Mabamba swamp, Mpanga forest, and many others.

 Some birds you may see include shoebill stock, rare Albertine rift endemics, grey cuckoo-shrink, Handsome Francolin, Blue-headed sunbird, African golden oriole, and Pink-footed puffback back.

Water activities in Uganda

Launch trips

In Murchison Falls National Park, you get to feel the earth tremble and draw closer to Murchison Falls, the most interesting point of the River Nile. Before Murchison Falls, River Nile stumbles over a bed of rocks for over 80 kilometers, gaining momentum to squeeze through a 6-meter-wide bend and burst out later. The thundering sound is like music to the ears and the River Nile cascades down the 43-meter-high cliff to touch the bottom of the rift valley. Along the way, you see several wild animals feeding from the banks and others quenching their thirst. Private boat trips are available too for exclusive moments.

The launch trip on the Kazinga channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park gives you a relaxing moment. You may spot several birds enjoying the marshy banks' freebies when you look over. The banks of the Kazinga channel are like a magnet to several migrant birds so you may spot some foreign birds, too. A number of wild animals love spending some time at the banks, like herds of elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, sometimes lions, leopards, and others. In the Kazinga Channel water, hippos and crocodiles love to hang out there. You can do a private launch trip on Kazinga channel.

Boat trips

Lake Mburo National Park offers chance for a spectacular boat trip. Lake Mburo is the largest Ugandan lake embedded in a National Park. During the boat trip on Lake Mburo, you may spot various water birds, hippos, crocodiles and other wild animals in the park. Keen birders have an opportunity to spot a wide range of water birds during the Lake Mburo boat trip.

White water rafting in Uganda

The Itanda Falls on River Nile is Uganda's white water rafting spot. In case as a couple you are adventurous and not afraid of rough tides, why not try white water rafting on the longest river in the world? You do not need to have any experience in water rafting because professional instructors are on the ground to take you through all the necessary procedures. 

You must follow the instructions before white water rafting and peddling as advised. Just live in the moment and make memories of your honeymoon experience.

Sports Fishing In Uganda

If you enjoy angling, you can do sports fishing in Uganda. The most stunning sports fishing spots are on the River Nile in Murchison Falls National Park. You can test your luck on the River Nile, where chances of catching fish species like Nile perch, tilapia, catfish, lungfish and others are high. You need to hire a boat and boat captain. Carry your fishing equipment too. It would help if you had a sports fishing permit from Uganda Wildlife Authority too.

Sunset cruise in Uganda

On a clear day, you can privately get to a boat to enjoy the sun casting its rays over Lake Victoria or on River Nile. This requires booking in case you need some snacks to be included. Feel the cool breeze off Lake Victoria or the Nile and take those private moments with your spouse to unwind and wind about the moments of your wedding and beyond.

Cultural experience of Uganda

Uganda is a multicultural country, so you can learn something from the different cultures in Uganda in case you wish to include this in your honeymoon safari activities. You can visit Ganda cultural centers in central Uganda, Tooro Kingdom or Bunyoro Kingdom in western Uganda, Busoga Kingdom in Eastern Uganda, and others. There is plenty to enjoy and learn from the different cultures of Uganda.

What to do in Rwanda as last minute honeymoon Planning

Gorilla trekking in Rwanda

Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is the most sought-after safari activity in Rwanda. Rwanda has 15 gorilla families open for gorilla trekking and living in Volcanoes National Park. Before confirming this Rwanda activity, you must secure a gorilla permit from Rwanda Development Board first.

 Although Rwanda currently has 96 gorilla permits open to public booking, they sell out quickly, especially in the peak season. The peak Rwanda tourism season is normally Jun, July, August, September, December and January.

As last-minute choice for honeymoon safari in Rwanda, as soon as availability of the gorilla permits of your choice is approved, we advise you to purchase them as soon as possible to avoid inconveniences.

Chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda

Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda is the only home to chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda. You need to purchase the chimpanzee safari permits for your honeymoon. The main headquarters of Nyungwe National Park is in Uwinka, but the chimpanzees in this park are still semi-habituated. You can do either the morning or afternoon session.

At Encounter Africa Safaris can purchase the chimpanzee permits in your behalf in case there is availability as per your dates of preference.

Canopy walk over Nyungwe National Park

What a romantic moment when you spend precious time viewing the Nyungwe National Park canopy. This 90-meter suspension bridge is a great spot for making special memories for those not afraid of heights.

Game drives in Akagera National Park

Why not take that time to visit Akagera National Park in Rwanda? This is the only game park in Rwanda still recovering from the effects of post-genocide in Rwanda. While on a game drive in Akagera National Park, you may spot herds of buffaloes, elephants, waterbuck, bushbucks, zebras, etc. The boat trip on Lake Ihema is superb.

Contact us and we will craft the best honeymoon safari for you and your partner today.