Gorilla
trekking, chimpanzee tracking and wild life viewing 21 days
Day 1
– Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
Early Morning after your breakfast, head to Murchison
Falls National Park. This Park is Uganda’s largest national park. It harbors a
chunk of feral African savannah Flora and fauna along side mighty river Nile.
It is named after magnificent Murchison Falls, where the world’s longest river
plunges thunderously through a narrow gorge in the Rift Valley escarpment to
plunge into a fizzing pool 43m below. Wildlife populations have largely
recovered from the poaching of the 1980s; in the rich grassland to the north of the Nile, elephant,
buffalo, giraffe and a variety of antelope are frequently encountered on game
drives, while lion are seen with increasing frequency. In the southeast,
Rabongo Forest is home to chimps and other rainforest creatures. The Victoria
Nile itself harbors one of Africa’s densest hippo and crocodile populations,
and a dazzling variety of waterbirds including the world’s most accessible wild
population of the rare shoebill stork. Dinner and overnight at Paraa safari
Lodge/ Nile Safari Camp (luxury), Red
Chili camp (Budget)
Day 2
– Morning game drive and launch cruise along the River Nile
Take a cup of coffee or tea to warm up for the morning then set off for a
3-5 hours game drive on the northern Bank of the Nile River.Expect encounters
of the Rothschild Giraffe, Jackson Hartebeest,
Elephant, Lions, Waterbucks and a variety of Savannah woodland birds. Return to
your lodge for mid morning breakfast and lunch. In the afternoon, you will go for a launch cruise on the Victoria Nile. The
boat ride takes you to the bottom of the fall. Along the ride you will encounter
hippos , crocodiles, and many other savannah wild life taking water. For those
interested in birds, watch out for the legendary shoe Bill stork if you are
lucky and many other bird species. Return to your lodge for dinner and
overnight at Paraa safari Lodge/ Nile
Safari Camp (luxury), Red Chili camp
(Budget)
Day 3
- game drive and primate tracking at Kaniyo Pabidi
Early morning game drives on the northern Bank. Your
guide will help you spot Elephant, Lion, Cape buffalo, Rothschild’s giraffe,
hartebeest, Waterbuck, Oribi, Bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, hyena and if you are
lucky, the leopard. After a packed lunch picnic, go for a boat safari upstream
the calm Victoria Nile to the base of the falls stopping just tens of meters
from the “Devil’s Cauldron”. En-route, marvel at the toothsome hippos,
crocodiles and over this 17 km stretch you may see elephant, waterbuck and
Uganda Kob. This is also a zone of many bird species like Goliath heron,
Egyptian goose, pelican bee- eater, kingfisher, hornbill, cormorant and the
rare shoebill stork. After taking shots of photogenic Murchison Falls,
return foorr breakfast and lunc and then
in the afternoon you will head to Kaniyo Pabidi for Chimpanzee tracking. The
rangers will help you search for these chimps as they also give you information
about the other primates that you will en counter. Return to your lodge for
dinner and overnight at Paraa safari
Lodge/ Nile Safari Camp (luxury), Red
Chili camp (Budget)
Day 4
– Transfer to Fortportal / Kibale
National Park
After breakfast in the morning, you will transfer to
Kibale Forest. It is the most accessible of Uganda’s major rainforests and yet
home to remarkable 13 primate species,
including the much localised red colobus and L’Hoest’s monkey. You will have
the opportunity to track habituated chimps .These delightful apes, more closely
related to humans than to any other living creature, are awesome to watch as
they bicker and have fun in fruiting trees. A network of shady forest trails
provides much to glee botanists and butterfly lovers, while birders are in for
a fragility with 335 species recorded including the endemic Prirogrine’s ground
thrush
The elusive forest elephant, smaller and hairier than its
savannah counterpart, budges seasonally into the industrial part of the park,
while other earthly mammals include buffalo, giant forest hog and a half dozen
antelope species. Retire for dinner and overnight at Ndali Lodge /Mountains of
the moon Lodge (luxury), Kibale forest
camp mid range, Chimps nest (budget)
After breakfast in the morning, you will spend half of
the day searching for chimpanzees and 10 other primates species including
l’hoestes, red colobus, blues, red tailed and gray-cheeked mangabey. The guide
will provide detailed explanations, not only on primates, but on all the forest
fauna and flora and will ensure that your walk is both informative and
enjoyable. This walk is excellent for viewing bird life and seeing primates at
close quarters. Take lunch and then in the afternoon, you will go for a swamp
walk in Bigodi swamp a community owned incentive .Retire for dinner and overnight
at Ndali Lodge /Mountains of the moon Lodge (luxury), Kibale forest camp mid
range, Chimps nest (budget)
Day 6
– Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National
Take breakfast and then transfer to Queen Elizabeth
National Park. A game drive en route may be rewarded with views of lion,
elephant, leopard, buffalo, hyena and a variety of antelope species. Check in
and relax as you wait for time for a unique 2 hour boat cruise on the Kazinga
Channel and into lake Edward. This trip passes through possibly the highest
concentration of hippos and many animals may be seen drinking at the water’s
edge. This launch cruise offers an excellent platform for photography, bird
watching and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colorful and stupendous
with well over 550 resident species. Dinner and overnight stay at Mweya safari
lodge/ Kyambura wild life lodge (luxury), Queen Elizabeth bush camp/King fisher
(mid range)
Day 7
- Morning game drive and a launch cruise
Wake up early in the morning for a game drive to search
for the early risers. Queen Elizabeth National Park’s diverse eco-system of
grassy plains, tropical forest, rivers, swamps, lakes and volcanic craters is
home to an incredible abundance of wildlife. Game drives in this park, with the
massive Rwenzoris as a backdrop provides excellent opportunities to see lion,
leopard, giant forest hog, Cape buffalo, elephants, defassa waterbuck, Uganda
Kob, Topi and bush buck. In the evening go for a launch cruise along kazinag
channel in searching of Hipos, crocodiles, bird species like the King fisher
etc. Dinner and overnight stay at Mweya safari lodge/ Kyambura wild life lodge
(luxury), Queen Elizabeth bush camp/King fisher (mid range)
Day 8
– Chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge
Queen Elizabeth National Park’s diverse Eco-system of
grassy plains, tropical forest, rivers, swamps, lakes and volcanic craters is
home to an incredible abundance of wildlife. An early morning walk in the
spectacular Kyambura Gorge provides excellent opportunities to see chimpanzees,
l’hoestes, red colobus, black and white colobus and more. After lunch, return
to the Mweya Area for another exciting and scintillating game drive. Dinner and
overnight stay at Mweya safari lodge/ Kyambura wild life lodge (luxury), Queen
Elizabeth bush camp/King fisher (mid range)
Day 9
– Drive to Ishasha
Early morning transfer to Ishasha Area of Queen Elizabeth
National Park. Ishasha is home to the famous tree-climbing lions and the large
herds of game. The scenic beauty, the size of the euphorbias and combination of
riverine forest, Savannah plain and equatorial forest makes this a memorable
day, only found in Africa. Dinner and overnight stay at Ishasha wilderness camp
(luxury), Lodge in Ishasha (budget)
Day
10 - Game drives
Morning and afternoon game drives in the Ishasha plains.
Search for tree climbing lions and then latter have Dinner and overnight stay
at Ishasha wilderness camp (luxury), Lodge in Ishasha (budget)
Day
11 - Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Park Home to the Mountain Gorillas.
Day
12 - gorilla trekking
Early morning entry into Gorilla sanctuary. This
rainforest is spectacular. It offers a dramatic steeply forested landscape and
is incredibly dense, but criss-crossed by numerous animal trails allowing
access to tourists. Mammals recorded include the endangered mountain gorilla,
rare golden monkey, buffalo, elephant, black-fronted duiker, bushbuck, leopard,
giant forest log and others. This park is best known for the fascinating
gorillas. The time taken and the terrain varies according to the movements of
this marvelous primates. The thrill of spending time and observing the gorillas
is a rare, moving, awesome and exciting adventure. The gorilla is a shy and
peaceful animal and it is unforgettable experience to watch and photograph them
as they interact. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.
Day
13 – Cultural walk in Bwindi and later transfer to Lake Mutanda
After breakfast, you will proceed on a forest walk to see
more of what Bwindi Impenetrable Forest has to offer. Later travel to Kisoro
for dinner and overnight stay at Nkuringo safari lodge /Clouds lodge(luxury), Nkuringo
safari Centre (budget)
Day
14: Hike the Gahinga-Transfer to Rwanda- Perc des Volcanoes
You will have to hike the Gahinga and Virunga . Then
later transfer to Rwanda. Lying in the northern part of Rwanda Parc National
Des Volcans are looms up to almost 15,000 feet, and nearly covered with rich,
green rainforest. Situated in the far northwest of Rwanda the most notable
amongst these is the “the Virungas”, and is inhabited by Rwanda’s most prized
endowment- the endangered mountain gorillas. Half the world’s population of
gorillas can be found in these mountains .The 1994 genocide and war greatly
hurt the tourism sector of the economy, however due to diligent work by the
government this has first become the leading industry. Dinner and over night at
Virunga lodge(luxury), Gorilla nest
lodge(mid range), Kinigi /Muhabura lodge(budget)
Day
15: Gorilla tracking
Gorilla tracking in Parc Nationales des Volcans in
Rwanda. Two amazing chances to see the fascinating, but seriously endangered
gorillas. Dinner and overnight stay at Mgahinga Safari Lodge.
Day
16 – Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi. This mountain tarn is
surrounded by terraced hills. The setting is truly beautiful. Relax as you wait for the sunset. Dinner and
overnight stay at the bunyonyi overland camp (luxury), Arccadia cottages (mid
range), Amagara café and restaurant kabala (budget)
Day
17 - Enjoy Lake Bunyonyi Surrounding
Enjoy Bilharzia- free swimming, dug out canoeing,
sunbathing, hilly walks
A visit to Batwa pigimies(optional) . Dinner and
overnight stay at the bunyonyi overland camp (luxury), Arccadia cottages (mid
range), Amagara café and restaurant kabala (budget)
Day
18 – Transfer to lake Mburo National Park
Day
19 - Game drive and Canoe Ride along Lake Mburo
After breakfast, proceed for a game drive or a safari
walk under the escort of an armed ranger. The Kopjes are particularly
interesting and camouflage kilpspringers and topis. Due to cattle herding in
the area it is amusing to see zebra grazing alongside the long horned Ankore
Cattle peaceably. Return for lunch which should be taken leisurely enjoying the
view of the lakes in this park. Enjoy the boat ride on Lake Mburo and get quite
close to crocs and hippos. This is the only park where you are not entirely
imprisoned in a vehicle. Rather refreshing! for Dinner and overnight at Mihingo Lodge/Mantana luxury tented(luxury), Arcadia
cottage (mid range), Rwonyo camp (budget)
After breakfast, go for one more game drive. After lunch,
drive back to Kampala stopping at the Mpigi Royal Drum Makers en route where
you will able to watch the ceremonial drums being crafted using methods passed
down through generations. There will also be time to stop at the equator for
photographs. Proceed to Entebbe for overnight stay at Windsor Lake Victoria
Hotel/ Imperial Botanical Beach hotel (luxury), Boma Guest house(mid range), Central Inn Hotel (budget)
Day
21- chimpanzee tracking at Ngamba Island
Morning at leisure, transfer to UWEC or Uganda Wild life Educational Centre to view
different types of Animals including Pythons and different types of snakes. It is the former zoo.
Later on transfer to Entebbe Airport for your flight.
This safari includes,
- Transportation in a 4x4 wheel drive
- Full board Accommodations
- En route meals
- Gorilla permits
- Chimpanzee permits
- Launch cruises
- Boat trips
-Game drives
- Cultural walks
- Park entry fees
