Why Our East Africa Family Safari Itinerary Was the Perfect Trip for a 15-Year-Old

Originally published on March 5, 2026 | Last updated on April 15, 2026

Three Countries, Eight Days, One Lifetime of Memories: Uganda, Rwanda & Burundi: The Eight-Day East Africa Family Safari Itinerary That Gave Us Gorillas, Canopy Walks, and Lakeside Sunsets.

By S. Gamble Gilbertson

My husband and I have been fortunate enough to travel across Africa many times: Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, and Madagascar. Each trip has left its mark on us. But in June 2025, we took our 15-year-old son along for an eight-day journey through Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi, and I can say without hesitation: this trip was magical.

Rwanda, Part One: A Nation That Cares for Its People

We landed in Kigali and were immediately struck by the city. Rwanda is, by any measure, a country that has been through the unimaginable; the 1994 genocide claimed nearly a million lives in just 100 days. And yet, the Rwanda we encountered in 2025 felt purposeful, proud, and alive with forward motion. The streets were immaculate. The infrastructure was modern. And everywhere we looked, we saw evidence of a government that genuinely cares for its citizens.

One small moment has stayed with me. We saw elderly people working as street sweepers, wearing bright reflective vests. In some places, that image might suggest hardship. Here, it didn’t feel that way at all. These workers carried themselves with dignity. They were visible, respected members of civic life, contributing during what I’ve come to think of as the “wisdom years.

” It was a quiet yet profound statement about how a society can honor its older generations by keeping them engaged and valued.

We checked into the Hôtel des Mille Collines, yes, that hotel. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, perhaps the film Hotel Rwanda will. This is the real building, the actual place where more than a thousand Tutsi and moderate Hutu refugees sheltered during the genocide. Staying there added a layer of weight and reflection to our visit that no guidebook could have prepared us for. It is a beautiful, comfortable hotel and a monument to survival. The two things coexist, as they must in Rwanda.

Our Kigali city tour took us to the Gisozi Genocide Memorial, a sobering but essential stop. The next morning, we set off for Uganda.

Uganda: Eye to Eye with a Silverback

I want to tell you about the moment my husband came face-to-face with a silverback gorilla. We drove to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a name that earns its reputation, crossing into

Uganda without passing through any city. The journey itself felt like a passage into another world: lush, green, impossibly steep hillsides, and the sense that you were entering somewhere that belonged entirely to the forest.

It is clear that Ugandans treasure their gorillas. Our guide, Patrick, and the entire jungle staff were exceptional, knowledgeable, calm, and deeply respectful of the animals they protect.

Before we set off, we were briefed: maintain a respectful distance from the gorillas. The gorillas, however, are under no such obligation.

We were trekking through the Bwindi mountain forest — which can take anywhere from 1 to 4 hours, depending on where the gorillas have decided to be that day — when it happened. A silverback had moved through the undergrowth so silently that none of us had noticed him approach.

He came up directly behind my husband. One moment, my husband was watching the group ahead of us; the next, he turned around and was eye to eye, sharing breath, with a massive silverback gorilla.

I will not pretend it wasn’t terrifying. My heart stopped. But Patrick’s voice was steady and calm, guiding my husband to turn slowly, step slowly backward, and give the gorilla his space. The silverback regarded us for a moment, utterly unhurried, utterly unimpressed, and moved on.

It was one of the most extraordinary things I have ever witnessed.

The family group we spent time with also included a baby, clinging tightly to its mother with that particular grip that babies of all species seem to master perfectly. You could have watched them for hours. The rules allow only one hour with the gorillas, a limit that exists to protect them, and that hour felt like both a lifetime and no time at all.

After trekking, we drove back to Kigali to spend the night, then headed south the next morning.

Rwanda, Part Two: Kings, Forests & Chimpanzees

Returning to Rwanda felt like being welcomed back by an old friend. This leg of the trip took us south from Kigali to Nyanza to visit the King’s Palace, a beautifully restored 19th-century royal residence that offered a vivid window into the Rwandan monarchy. We continued to the Butare Ethnographic Museum, then onward through the extraordinary scenery of Nyungwe Forest National Park.

The chimpanzee tracking that followed was inspiring in its own right. We didn’t get quite as close as we had with the gorillas, but we were close enough to observe them at length — eating, interacting, climbing, squabbling. This group also had youngsters, and watching the dynamics of chimpanzee family life felt like being granted a rare and generous glimpse into something ancient. There was also a canopy walk — suspended 60 meters above the forest floor — offering a panoramic view of the fauna and flora and some excellent birdwatching.

Our accommodation during this portion of the trip deserves its own paragraph, maybe its own essay. Munazi Lodge was in its soft-opening phase when we stayed, which meant we were among the first guests to experience modern, sustainably designed A-frame cottages beautifully situated in the forest. At altitude, the nights turn genuinely cold, and the staff had placed hot water bottles. lovingly called “bush babies, ” in our beds. I cannot overstate how perfect that was after a long day in the forest.

But here is what truly surprised us: the food. I don’t use the phrase “world-class” lightly, but I have no other words for it. The meals were extraordinary — thoughtfully composed, beautifully presented, on par with any Michelin-caliber restaurant we have ever visited. In the middle of a forest in Rwanda, at a lodge in its first weeks of operation, we had one of the finest dining experiences of our lives. That was an unexpected highlight of the entire trip.

Burundi: The Beat of the Drum

Burundi is the most economically challenged of the three countries we visited, and it is important to acknowledge that openly and honestly. Many people live off the land and rely on barter. There is no established wildlife tourism infrastructure comparable to that in Uganda and Rwanda.

What Burundi has is different: natural beauty, warmth, and a cultural heritage that stopped us in our tracks.

We flew into Bujumbura, Burundi’s largest city, staying at the Hotel Club du Lac Tanganyika, a lovely property on the shores of one of Africa’s Great Rift Valley lakes. Lake Tanganyika is vast and shimmering, one of those bodies of water that makes you understand why people have always built their lives beside it.

The defining experience of our time in Burundi was our visit to the Gishora Drum Sanctuary.

The Burundian royal drum tradition, karyenda, is a UNESCO-recognized cultural heritage, and at the sanctuary we saw it performed by drummers ranging from a “spry senior” all the way down to a nine-year-old whose energy and precision were jaw-dropping. The drummers don’t just drum. They dance. The performance is a full-body, deeply physical, joyful act of cultural expression.

On the day of our visit, several schools from the surrounding region had also come to watch.

The children were cheering, laughing, and leaning forward in their seats. We were sitting among 60-ish students who were witnessing and celebrating their own heritage, and we got to witness that. Who could not be moved, sitting in that crowd, hearing those drums, watching those children’s faces?

Our final morning in Bujumbura included a city tour: a boat trip through Rusizi National Park where hippos surfaced near the boat, the Explorers’ Memorial, a large rock commemorating the legendary meeting between Livingstone and Stanley, the Unity Monument, and Belvedere Hill, which offers a sweeping view of Lake Tanganyika and the city spread below it.

Eventually, reluctantly, we drove to the airport. I am not someone who struggles to go home (usually). But this time, my mind was still in the forests, still with the gorillas, still with the drums.

Traveling with a Teenager on our Africa Family Safari Itinerary(and Why You Should)

Our son was 15 for this trip, and I want to say something directly to parents who might be wondering: take them. Take them while they’re old enough to remember and young enough to still be traveling with you. Watching him absorb all of this: the history, the wildlife, the culture, the complexity was its own kind of wonder.

Practical Notes

We traveled with Augustine Tours, a company based in both Kigali and Germany that specializes in East and Central Africa. Our full-time guides handled everything seamlessly —including the flexibility to adjust the itinerary when conditions on the ground made that the smarter choice. All ground transportation, accommodation in 4-star hotels and deluxe lodges, most meals, gorilla and chimpanzee permits, and entrance fees were included. Flights, tips, visas, and personal expenses were our own responsibility.

Final Thought

We have traveled to many places. We have seen extraordinary things. But this journey through Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi will remain one of the highlights of my life, and I suspect, of my son’s too, though teenagers rarely admit such things.

Go. If you ever have the chance, go.

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