An 11 Day Uganda Safari tracking the very rare Mountain Gorilla in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Chimpanzees in the Kibale Forest, with wildlife activities in the Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kazinga Channel and Murchinson Falls. Guide price for £2350 per person, including a private English speaking guide, 4x4 vehicle and one gorilla permit.
Flexible departures.
Day One - Arrive at Entebbe Airport where your guide will warmly meet you and transfer you to the Hotel Africana. Journey time approximately 30 minutes.
Day Two - After breakfast and a briefing from the Manager, your guide will collect you from the hotel and set off on the southbound road, with a stop to look at the royal drum makers, to stand on the Equator (be in both hemispheres at once) and then continue to Lake Mburo National Park, with a game drive en-route arriving at Mantana tented Camp in the afternoon. After lunch, you may decide to go for a boat trip or just relax. Lake Mburo is an extension to the Tanzanian plains with large herds of zebra, impala, eland and other savannah species. For birders, this is one of the best place to find the African fin foot, papyrus and bush shrike. Go for an evening game drive and over night at Mantana Tented Camp. Journey time approximately 5 hours.
Day Three - After breakfast, continue to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park passing through the Switzerland of Uganda (Kabale) with beautiful scenery and terrace farming arriving in the afternoon. Best known for its very rare mountain gorillas, the montane forest also attracts some spectacular birds. There are 23 of the 24 Albertine Rift endemics including the African green broadbill and the bar tailed trogon. You may decide to relax in the afternoon or take a nature walk which will lead you to the Munyaga waterfall, with a chance to see primates such as the grey cheeked mangabey and blue monkeys. Spend the night at the Gorilla Forest Camp. The camp has been designed to blend seamlessly into this most atmospheric of environments, carefully appointed towards the misty valleys and looming, forest-clad mountains that protect this fragile eco-system. Accommodation is in 8 double tents, raised on wooden platforms, each with en-suite facilities and hot and cold running water, WC, basin and unusually – a bathtub looking out onto the forest. Each tent has a spacious wooden verandah where guests can relax, enjoy a private meal and absorb the exotic mystery of the surrounding rainforest that provided the inspiration for the animation of Disney’s The Jungle Book. The Gorilla Forest Camp offers a bar and dining cottage overlooking the rain forest, as well as a raised natural platform for open air dining. At night, a traditional African campfire is lit from where a lecture might be given by a visiting primatologist, the gorilla briefings are undertaken or guests simply admire the myriad brilliance of Bwindi’s crystal clear mountain sky. You will need a good night's rest to get ready for the following day's gorilla tracking. Journey time approximately 5 hours.
Day Four - This morning you will have to wake up very early to get ready to track gorillas. Perhaps one of the most exciting wildlife experiences on earth, there are now only 720 left in the world. The tracking may take between 2 and 6 hours but its well worth the effort. There are always park guides with you who interpret the flora and fauna and the lifestyle of the gorillas in the forest. In the afternoon relax at the camp or take a forest walk. Over night at Gorilla Forest Camp.
Day Five - After breakfast, you will depart the Impenetrable Forest for the Queen Elizabeth National Park arriving in the afternoon. Relax around the pool after lunch and later go for an early evening game drive. Its little wonder that Queen Elizabeth boasts one of the highest bio diversity ratings of any game park or reserve in the world. From the open Savannah to rain forest, dense papyrus swamps and brooding crater lakes to the vastness of lake Edward. Almost 100 mammal species are resident here, including lion, hippo, buffalo, leopard, spotted hyena, elephant and the elusive giant forest hog, plus remarkable 606 bird species that include the black chested eagle and the swallow tailed bee eaters. The primates include chimps, black and white colobus monkeys, blue, black faced red colobus, and red tailed monkeys and olive baboons. Reptiles here include the huge rock-python, puff adders, spitting cobras, Gabon rippers, green mambas and turtles. All of these species are regularly sighted on the Mweya Peninsula and makes for a superb safari. Over night at Mweya Safari Lodge. Located on a peninsula within the heart of the spectacular Queen Elizabeth National Park. A Safari lodge with sumptuous accommodation, breathtaking views from every room, an abundance of game and some of the best bird-watching in East Africa. Journey time approximately 4 hours.
Day Six - An early morning drive to the crater lakes in Kyambura Game Reserve to see thousands of colorful lesser flamingoes, as they feed in these soda lakes. Later go for an afternoon boat trip along the Kazinga Channel. Hippos huff and spray mere feet away from the boat, buffalo linger in the shallows, a tremendous variety of birds grace the grasses on the shores. Great White and Pink-backed Pelicans, Great and Long-tailed Cormorants, Open-billed Stork, African Jacana, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers are commonly seen. February and March offer spectacular sightings of some of the migrant birds. Spend the night at Mweya Lodge.
Day Seven - This morning, we will have a game drive to the Kisenyi area to look for lion prides and other wildlife like the Uganda Kob that mate around this area, before heading for Kibale National Park. Kibale forest is a large protected block of rainforest, which has the highest number of primates in Africa, including chimpanzees, grey cheeked mangabey, red tailed monkey and red colobus. You will go for a guided walk, go to Magombe swamp at Bigodi to look for the shinning blue kingfisher, blue throated roller and other rare species, and also find the fruiting trees, which attract narina trogon, pied hornbill, yellow spotted, hairy breasted and yellow-billed barbets. Spend the night at Ndali Lodge, a stunning location over looking a dramatic Crater Lake and the fabled "Mountains of the Moon". Journey time approximately 4 to 5 hours.
Day Eight - This morning we will go chimp tracking in Kibale forest then continue to Murchinson Falls National park, having lunch at Masindi Hotel, arriving at Paraa Safaris Lodge in the evening. This is a long drive as we travel north through the evergreen tea estates. Once we reach the Nile in the heart of the park we will cross on the ferry to Paraa Safari Lodge. The drive from the ferry crossing might reveal blue napped mouse birds, silver bird, and red headed agama.
Over night at Paraa Safari Lodge. Paraa lodge over looks the mighty Nile where hippos wallow in the water. The lodge is located on the north bank, closest to the wildlife in the park. Elevated high above the Falls on the north side of the river, the historical Paraa Safari Lodge enjoys simply astounding views. The now restored Lodge has been host to many dignitaries in its lifetime – including the Queen Mother and Ernest Hemingway. Journey time approximately 5 hours.
Day Nine - After breakfast, you will go for an early morning game drive on to the rolling plains where you can view lions, giraffe, hartebeest, buffalo and elephant as well as many of the other mammals. For the birders amongst you this area supports the secretary bird, black chested snake eagle, tawny and marshal eagles', carmine and swallow tailed bee-eaters, to name just a few. This is a beautiful drive across Borassus palm forest and grassland savannah down to Lake Albert where the Albert Nile heads north to the Sudan.
In the afternoon, go for a boat trip to the foot of the Murchinson Falls where the mighty River Nile thunders through a small 8 meter gap. This is an experience not to be missed! The banks of the Nile are home to many species. You may see huge Nile crocodiles, big pods of hippos and other wildlife that may come down to drink from the river.
Over night at Paraa Safari Lodge.
Day Ten - Early game drive to the top of Murchinson falls where you can have a close look in to the gorge, the most powerful natural water flow on earth. The falls are spectacular and thunderous with a beautiful rainbow on sunny days. Later proceed to Kampala having lunch en-route, arriving at Jinja Nile Resort in the evening. Journey time approximately 5 to 6 hours.
Day Eleven - This morning you will visit the spectacular Bujagali Falls and the source of the Nile, the longest river in the world. In the afternoon, visit Ssezibwa Falls on the way to Kampala, a cultural heritage site, used by the Kabaka's (Kings) for traditional healing. A witch doctor lives on the site and Ugandans from all over the country go and visit the site regularly. Transfer to Entebbe for your onward flight. Journey time approximately 2 hours.
Transportation - Please note that clients will be travelling in 4 wheel drive vehicle, with an experienced English speaking guide.
Please note that the above cost includes all accommodation, all meals apart from Kampala hotels which are B/B, a full time safari guide with his associated expenses, all ground transportation and airport transfers, all fuel, forest guides walks, day and night game drives where possible, 1 gorilla permit, chimp tracking, hire of a boat trip in Queen Elizabeth, other activities while on safari and all applicable government taxes.
Excluded are; Alcohol, personal insurance, personal services like laundry and phone calls.
Itinerary may change slightly due to local road conditions. No changes in accommodation just occasional route alterations when some roads become un-passable.