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Uganda & Rwanda Luxury Tours

Nothing can really prepare someone for the emotional impact of encountering a fully-grown silverback gorilla in the wild.  For most, it is a humbling and even spiritual experience.  Indeed, to spend even a short time in the presence of a family of mountain gorillas; to see them move through their world is a rare privilege.  With only about 700 gorillas remaining in the wilderness, only a handful of people will ever have the chance to encounter gorillas in their natural habitat.  The Western Rift Valley is edged by some of the highest mountain ranges in Africa.  In the lush volcanic Virunga Mountains, Uganda and Rwanda share a border and so, too, share some of the last remaining mountain gorillas on the planet.  Three national parks – Bwindi and Mgahinga in Uganda, and Parc National des Volcans in Rwanda, are home to these highly intelligent creatures.  Uganda sits on a plateau that encompasses several large lakes including Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga and Lake Victoria, which at 26,560 square miles, is the second largest tropical lake in the world.  This lake is also the longest branch of the River Nile, the White Nile.  It has 2,138 miles of shoreline and more than 3,000 islands.  In Queen Elizabeth National Park, elephant, lion, buffalo, hippo and leopard inhabit the savannas.  Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s largest and is known for its enticing scenery, magnificent falls and concentration of game.  Rwanda, too, is a land of great physical beauty with extravagant mountains, volcanoes and dense tropical forests in the north, and rolling hills, verdant valleys, quiet lakes and savannas in the rest of the country.  Rwanda boasts a staggering 670 different bird species.  It possesses a wealth of plant life, including more than 100 varieties of orchids.  Lake Kivu, at an altitude of 4,829 feet, is the highest lake in Africa, and Karisimbi Volcano is Rwanda’s highest point at 14,187 feet.  Travel to certain areas still requires some caution, but both Uganda and Rwanda continue to attract travelers with stellar landscapes, priceless and irreplaceable wildlife and resilient people.