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Bwindi gorilla tracking safari in
Uganda:
3 days (2 nights) Express gorilla
Trek Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
National Park safari in Uganda.
Day One
Early in the morning set off for
Bwindi Impenetrable forest National
Park. This safari will take a
minimum of nine hours. Make a brief
stop at the Equator line.
The drive takes you through the
grasslands of Ankole, a common sight
is the famous long horned cattle;
then to the highlands of Kigezi with
their beautifully terraced hills.
Break off for lunch at any hotel
enroute. Continue with the journey
through beautiful scenery and arrive
Bwindi National Park in the evening.
This park is home of the rare
mountain gorillas. Apart from
gorillas, there are a wide variety
of primates to see including the
blue and red tailed monkeys. The
forest itself is lush and green and
there are streams running through
it.
You will check in at Buhoma
Homestead/Community Bandas, for
dinner and overnight. The Homestead
is a mini resort inside a thick
forest providing clean accommodation
with cold and warm showers, flushing
toilets and solar power lighting.
While the community bandas offer
basic services.
Day Two
After breakfast set off early with
your guide for gorilla tracking. The
thrill of your encounter will erase
the difficulties of the potentially
strenuous trek.
Bring jungle boots and rain jackets
because the park is often wet. Spend
time in awe watching the gorillas go
about their activities. Each
encounter is different and has it’s
own rewards, but you are likely to
enjoy the close view of adults
feeding, grooming and resting as the
youngsters frolic and swing from
vines in a delightfully playful
display.
Return to camp exhilarated to relive
the encounter with friends over a
drink. Dinner and over night at
Buhoma Homestead/Community Bandas.
Day Three
After breakfast, return to Kampala
with a lunch enroute. Make a brief
stop over at Mpambire Drum makers or
at a crafts display centre along the
road, for souvenirs before returning
to Kampala.
All our Uganda tours begin and end
in Kampala. Airport pickups or drop
offs are provided at $50 per
journey. Accommodation of your
choice will be arranged on arrival
and if necessary prior to your
departure. Executive, mid-range and
budget facilities are all available
in Kampala and Entebbe.
We are more than happy to prepare
tailor made itineraries for clients
with specific interests or needs.
Those that wish to combine certain
aspects of our existing tours or
wish to spend additional time in
certain locations on any of these
tours may correspond with us through
our online reservations form on this
site.
5 days (4 nights) Express Gorilla Trek Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
National Park Safari and Queen
Elizabeth National Park.
Day 1
Early in the morning set off for
Bwindi Impenetrable forest National
Park. The park is situated in
southwestern Uganda on the edge of
the western rift valley. It is 331sq
km and on an altitude of 1160m (Ishasha
gorge) 2607m (Rwamunyonyi peak).
This safari will take a minimum of
nine hours drive. The drive takes
you through the grasslands of Ankole,
a common sight is the famous
long-horned cattle; then to the
highlands of Kigezi with their
beautifully terraced hills. Break
off for lunch at any hotel enroute.
Continue with the journey through
beautiful scenery and arrive Bwindi
National Park in the evening. This
park is home of the rare mountain
gorillas. Apart from gorillas, there
are a wide variety of primates to
see including the blue and red
tailed monkeys.
The forest itself is lush and green
and there are streams running
through it. You will check in at
Buhoma Homestead or Community Bandas,
for dinner and overnight. The
Homestead is a mini resort inside a
thick forest providing clean
accommodation with cold and warm
showers, flushing toilets and solar
power lighting. While the community
bandas offer basic services.
Day 2
After breakfast set off early with
your guide to track the gorillas.
The thrill of your encounter will
erase the difficulties of the
potentially strenuous trek. Spend
time in awe watching the gorillas go
about their activities.
Each encounter is different and has
its own rewards, but you are likely
to enjoy the close view of adults
feeding, grooming and resting as the
youngsters frolic and swing from
vines in a delightfully playful
display.
Return to camp exhilarated to
relieve the encounter with friends
over a drink. Have dinner and over
night at Buhoma Homestead or
Community Bandas.
Day 3
After breakfast, depart northwards
for Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The drive takes you through the
unique western rift valley
escarpment. Carry out a game drive
in Ishasha sector in search of tree
climbing lions before proceeding to
the Mweya Peninsular; park
headquarters. Arrive in the evening
and check in at your Lodge.
The park boasts of a variety of big
game like; lions, buffaloes, kobs,
elephants, bushbucks, and the rare
occasional leopard. Have dinner and
over night at Mweya Safari Lodge/
Camp/Hostel on the peninsular
overlooking Lake Edward and the lush
Kazinga channel.
Day 4
Rise before the sun and drive to
Kyambura Gorge for a thrilling
Chimpanzee safari. The gorge is the
natural home of habituated
chimpanzees. Your guided walk may
last three to five hours and in
addition to seeing the chimps, the
trip may yield sightings of the
colobus monkeys, baboons, red tailed
and velvet monkeys, and other
primates. It is important to note
that the chimpanzee safari is
subject to availability of permits
and good weather because occasional
flooding can make the trails
impassable. After lunch, drive to
the dock, for an afternoon launch
cruise on the Kazinga Channel, which
joins Lakes Edward and George. It is
a waterway that is filled with
schools of hippos, buffaloes, and
elephants, which can be seen at the
banks. There are also a rich variety
of birds on the channel. Retire to
the lodge for dinner and over night.
Day 5
Before sunrise go for the early
morning game drive to catch-up with
the early risers and predators
returning to their hideouts. You are
likely to meet grazing hippos,
elephants, lions, spotted hyenas and
leopards, bushbuck, water buck and
stripped jackal and of-course the
several warthogs.
Visit a Salt Lake (salt explosions)
to see how salt is mined locally and
its different grades. You learn the
participation of the local people,
especially the women, in salt mining
and the relationship between the
park Authorities and the local
community in the area.
Return to Kampala with packed lunch
enroute. Along the way you will see
banana plantations, long horned
cattle and the undulating hills of
Ankole. Stop over at the Equator in
Masaka, Mpambire drum makers or any
craft display centre before
proceeding to Kampala.
Uganda Gorilla Safaris DAY 1 : ENTEBBE
Upon arrival into Entebbe you will
be met at the airport and be
transferred to your hotel for an
overnight stay. If you arrive early
in the day, a visit to the Entebbe
Botanical Gardens is possible. Lake
Victoria Hotel [meals on own]
DAY 2 : KIBALE FOREST-NDALI LODGE
Morning drive westward to Kibale
Forest (approximately 7.5 hours).
The route slowly ascends from the
Lake Victoria basin into the lush
rolling foothills of The Ruwenzori
Mountains (Mountains of the Moon).
Pass through villages and farmland
where every imaginable fruit and
vegetable of the tropics can be seen
growing. Birding is excellent with
varying ecosystems including rain
forest, agricultural land, papyrus
swamps, scrub land, and the famous
tea growing area around Fort Portal
and Kyanjojo. Overnight at Ndali
Lodge. [BLD]
DAY 3 : KIBALE FOREST
Spend a full day exploring on foot
in the Kibale Forest and Bigodi
Wetland Sanctuary. Our Kibale guides
trek in this forest every day and
many have helped researchers in
their work. These expert guides know
the life history of many of the
different individuals and you'll
learn about communication between
chimpanzees and the importance of
dominance in the families. This
afternoon visit the Bigodi
Sanctuary, created in 1992 by a
community environmental group as a
way to effectively use natural
resources. Hike on well-maintained
footpaths with community guides to
look for 138 species of birds and
eight species of primates including
the black and white colobus and
red-tailed monkey. Overnight at
Ndali Lodge. [BLD]
The Kasinga Channel plays host to
one of the largest hippo populations
in East Africa.
DAYS 4-5 : QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL
PARK
Scenic morning drive (approx. 3.5
hours) to the Queen Elizabeth
National Park, situated in the
western region of the Great Rift
Valley. This park includes a
remarkable variety of eco-systems
from semi-deciduous tropical forests
to green meadows, savannah, crater
lakes and swamps. Within the park a
vast array of wildlife can be found
including elephant, buffalo, hippo,
leopard, hyena, bush hogand the
famous tree-climbing lions of
Ishasha. Ugandan cob, endemic to
Uganda, are plentiful here.With few
vehicles in the park the game
viewing is incredibly private,
allowing you to take your time and
view animal behavior. On day 5 we
include a cruisealong the shores of
Lake Edward and the Kasinga Channel.
Buffalo crowd the banks along with
hippo andover five hundred bird
species, including the Shoe-bill
stork, black bee-eater, eleven
different species of kingfisher and
several eagles and other raptors.
Two nights accommodations at Mweya
Lodge or similar. [BLD]
DAY 6 : MARAMAGAMBO FOREST
Delve deep into the Chambura Gorge
this morning on a search for
chimpanzees, which live in the
gorge. After your trek, enjoy a
scenic drive to the Maramagambo
Forest (still within QENP). On this
short walk, view secondary forest,
waterfalls and bat caves where one
can see thousands of bats and
possibly pythons and Monitor Lizards
catching bats. Game drive on the way
back to your lodge. Overnight Mweya
Lodge or similar. [BLD]
The steep slopes of Bwindi
challenges trekkers in search of
gorillas.
DAYS 7-9 : BWINDI IMPENETRABLE
FOREST
Proceed by vehicle approximately 4.5
hours to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest,
home to half of the worlds
population of mountain gorillas and
designated as a World Heritage Site.
Some of the gorilla families have
been habituated to human presence,
and it is possible to visit them in
their natural habitat. Bwindi also
contains many other primate species
and offers more relaxing walks for
visitors around the lower levels of
the forest.
Prior to trekking, you will have an
orientation at the park headquarters
to become familiar with gorilla
tracking ethics. It is very
important that under no
circumstances are the gorillas to be
touched by humans. This is to
protect the animals from
communicable diseases to which they
are very susceptible.
Spend your days in the Bwindi
Impenetrable Forest on two full day
treks to view two different families
of mountain gorillas. The search,
with experienced trackers leading
the way, can take up to eight hours
although the gorillas are usually
found after two to four hours. Some
hiking areas lie at altitudes above
7,500 feet over rough and muddy
terrain. Although the hike can be
physically demanding, the beauty of
the forest and surrounding scenery
make the trek worthwhile. Once the
gorillas are located all fatigue is
forgotten, as the experience is
often described as the most profound
natural history experience in the
world. Picnic lunches are provided
and it is important to take plenty
of water. Cameras and plenty of fast
speed film are recommended. It can
rain at a few minutes notice, hence
water proof clothing is a good idea,
also zip lock bags for cameras and
film. Return to camp for the evening
meal and relaxation. Three nights
accommodations at Gorilla Forest
Camp or similar. [BLD]
DAY 10 : LAKE MBURO
Morning departure and drive (approx.
6-7 hours with stops) through
southwestern Uganda, a stunning
scenic area, to the Lake Mburo
National Park. Lake Mburo is
comprised of five different lakes,
and is home to zebra, topi, and
eland. A game drive in the Park is
an option for this afternoon, or you
might just want to rest at Mihingo
Lodge and watch wildlife at the
watering hole and salt lick below
the pool. Mihingo Lodge is a
peaceful and luxurious retreat
adjacent to Lake Mburo National
Park. Situated on over 200 privately
owned acres, it features ten rooms
which are built on wooden platforms
and stilts, covered by a thatched
roof. Suspended under the thatched
roof is a spacious and comfortable
tent equipped with en-suite
bathrooms, including hot and cold
running water, showers, and flush
toilets. The main dining area is a
large thatched structure built from
rocks, the wood of olive trees, and
native grasses. Below the dining
area, an infinity swimming pool
stretches out from the rocks and
seems to disappear into the vast
landscape beyond. Overnight at
Mihingo Lodge [BLD]
DAY 11 : DEPARTURE
You have an opportunity for a
morning game drive before continuing
the drive (approx. 5 hours) to
Entebbe. A dayroom at the Lake
Victoria Hotel is provided in
anticipation of an evening transfer
to the airport for your
international flight. Overnights at
the Lake Victoria Hotel available at
additional cost upon request. [BLD]
Uganda Gorilla Safari |
Kenya
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