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Uganda
Gorilla Trekking
Day 1
Upon arrival in Kigali you are met at the airport by
our local representative and transferred to the
hotel. Following a detailed briefing and an
introduction to your English speaking driver guide,
the afternoon will be spent on a sight seeing tour
of Kigali City, a Genocide memorial site and
Franco-Rwandan cultural centre. Overnight at Hotel
Des Mille Collines on a bed and breakfast basis.
Day 2
After an early breakfast, drive NW to Ruhengeri, the
main base town for gorilla tracking (approximately
90 minutes drive) on a good paved road through the
countryside with its beautiful terraced hills that
are so characteristic of the rural Rwanda. Upon
arrival, there is a briefing by the Volcanoes
National Park's guides on how to behave in the
forest and in the presence of mountain gorillas. You
then enter the park for a gorilla trek which will
take you until around midday depending on where you
find them.
Once the gorillas are located all fatigue is
forgotten, as the experience is often described as
being the most profound natural history experience
in the world. It is important to take plenty of
water. Cameras and plenty of fast speed film is
recommended. It can rain at a few minutes notice,
hence waterproof clothing is a good essential
including zip lock bags for cameras and film. After
the trek, lunch at Gorilla Nest Lodge.
If time permits, visit the markets, villages and
local communities or an optional visit to the little
known by compellingly beautiful twin lakes Bulera
and Ruhondo. Overnight at Gorilla Nest Lodge on a
full board basis
VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK - Virungas Conservation Area
The Volcanoes Park, on the Rwandan side is
definitely the best place anywhere to go gorilla
tracking while also supporting a number of other
localised mammal, bird and plant species. This 13000
hectare national park protects the Rwanda sector of
the Virunga Moutains, a range of six extinct and
three active volcanoes which straddle the border
with Uganda and the DRC. Between 2.500 and 3.500m in
height, where an average annual rainfall of 2000mm
is typical, bamboo forest is interspersed with
alpine moorland, grassland and marsh, a landscape
dominated by other worldly giant lobilia and senecio
plants. In this park, there are four different
gorilla families (Sabyinyo with 113 members, Amahoro,
17 members, Group 13 with 9 members and Susa, 37
members)
GORILLA NEST LODGE
The Lodge offers comfortable rooms with en suite
bathrooms, hot and cold water and a friendly
atmosphere. The dining and bar area is open sided
with a fire on cool evenings. All rooms and the
dining area have views of the volcanoes or overlook
the beautiful valley and the hills beyond.
There are 20 attractive rooms.
Day 3
After breakfast take a short drive back to the Park
Headquarters and meet with the excellent local
guides and trackers who will give another talk on
the etiquette of gorilla trekking. We then hike into
the park for a second gorilla trek, visiting a
different family this time. Again, the trekking can
take from 1 to 6 hours and climb to altitudes in
excess of 7,500 feet. The terrain is rough and at
times muddy.
Although the hike is physically demanding the beauty
of the forest and surrounding scenery make the
trekking worthwhile. Lunch at the lodge and the
remainder of the day at leisure. If possible, there
might be an afternoon guided tour to Dian Fossey's
grave through this rich surrounding forest. (This
needs to be paid for locally) Overnight at Gorilla
Nest Lodge on a full board basis.
Day 4
After a leisurely breakfast, enjoy the scenic
transfer back to Kigali arriving late morning and on
to Kigali for your departure flight .
12 Days Uganda Gorilla Safaris
Day 1
Upon arrival at Entebbe airport, you will be met by
our representative here and transferred to the
Windsor Lake Victoria Hotel. This afternoon enjoy a
trip to the botanical gardens and the Uganda
Wildlife Education Center. Overnight at the Windsor
Lake Victoria Hotel.
WINDSOR LAKE VICTORIA HOTEL
The Lake Victoria is a newly renovated colonial
hotel with beautiful gardens and a swimming pool.
Perhaps after lunch you’ll depart for an afternoon
excursion to Ngamba Island Chimp Sanctuary. (This is
not included in the cost) Located offshore in Lake
Victoria, the sanctuary has 100 acres of forest
where 35 orphaned chimpanzees are given a secure
home. You travel by boat from Entebbe and view the
chimps from an observation platform. Here, you’ll be
introduced to some of the critical issues facing
great apes throughout Africa.
Day 2
Depart after an early breakfast to Murchison Falls
National Park with lunch en-route. This afternoon
visit the top of the falls before crossing the Nile
on the ferry. Overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge.
Day 3
Early morning game drive before returning to the
lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, enjoy a boat trip
to the base of the falls. Overnight at Paraa Safari
Lodge.
Day 4
After an early breakfast, you drive to the Kibale
Forest. The drive is a full day taking approximately
6½ hours. Leaving the Lake Victoria basin, you pass
through Ugandan villages and beautiful agricultural
countryside where you see people tending their
traditional crops of millet, sorghum, beans and
maize. Upon reaching Kyanjojo, in the foothills of
the Rwenzori Mountains (Mountains of the Moon), you
drive through a sea of green tea plantations and
into Kibale Forest, one of the eastern most
extensions of West Africa’s unique forest habitats.
This evening there will be a walk to search for
galagos and pottos primates. Overnight at the Ndali
Lodge on a full board basis.
NDALI LODGE
The owner-run Ndali Lodge is set high above Lake
Nyinambuga and affords breathtaking 360° views. Its
location at 1,500m above sea-level makes for a
cooler climate. Eight individual cottages are
decorated in local crafts and materials and features
high ceilings and four-poster beds with mosquito
netting. The en suite baths have hot and cold
running water and flush toilets. Each cottage has a
private verandah from which to savour the views
towards the Ruwenzori Mountains.
There is no electricity at the lodge, but ample
candle and oil lamps are provided in the evening,
creating a romantic feel of "old Africa".
Day 5
After breakfast, enjoy a trek exploring Kibale
forest and the surrounding area for chimps and other
primates. After lunch back in camp, there will be a
guided walk in the Bogodi Swamp. Overnight at the
Ndali Lodge on a full board basis.
KIBALE FOREST
Kibale Forest is one of central Africa’s most
researched and best-known regions. Of the eleven
primate species of Kibale, most have been well
studied and are therefore accustomed to human
observation. Well-marked trails make the forest
easily accessible. Today’s explorations include
walks into the rainforest in search of primates.
Commonly seen species include red-tailed monkey,
grey-cheeked mangabey and both red colobus and
black-and-white colobus monkeys. As you walk the
trails, it is important to remain alert, listening
for the distinctive pant-grunts that signal the
presence of chimpanzees. Chimps are abundant here,
and there is a high likelihood of observing them as
they make their nomadic treks along forest trails
and forage for fruit in the canopy above. Your day
in the forest is conducted at a leisurely pace.
Black-and-white-casqued hornbill, great blue turaco,
grey parrot and Narina’s trogon are just a few of
the many colorful central African birds you might
find here. After lunch you’ll explore a
nearby-forested swamp that is excellent for viewing
birds, primates and magnificent butterflies.
Day 6
After breakfast, you depart for Queen Elizabeth
National Park, with a short gamedrive en route.
After lunch there will be an afternoon game drive.
Overnight Jacana Safari Lodge.
QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
Game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park include
a launch trip of about two hours on the Kasinga
Channel to view one of the largest concentrations of
Nile hippopotamus in the world.
In addition to these giant semi-aquatic mammals, the
launch affords unique opportunities to view a host
of other mammals and birds as they come to the
water’s edge to drink or bathe. Birding from the
launch is excellent as QENP is one of best birding
parks in Africa, with over 560 recorded species and
a record of 296 bird species seen in one 24 hour
period.
On game drives, you’ll see that the kob occur in
their thousands, and you’ll expect to see Defassa
waterbuck, bushbuck, African buffalo, topi, warthog,
and herds of elephants as well. Giant forest hog are
fairly common, and lion and leopard are by no means
rare.
Day 7
After a morning game drive and lunch, the rest of
the afternoon will be spent on the Kazinga Channel.
Overnight Jacana Safari Lodge.
Day 8
After an early breakfast, you’ll depart for the
Bwindi and the Buhoma Lodge. En route, you’ll stop
at the Maramagambo Forest. On foot, you’ll visit bat
caves where one can see thousands of fruit bats and
potential bat predators like reticulated pythons and
monitor lizards. Afterwards, you’ll wind up, down
and over high-forested hills and through deep-farmed
valleys. The drive is reminiscent of travelling
through central Europe. The journey is only around
sixty miles, but may take several hours because of
the region’s beauty and frequent stops along the
way. Overnight at the Buhoma Lodge on a full board
basis.
BUHOMA LODGE
Buhoma Lodge is one of the original camps at Bwindi
and has been recently upgraded. The camp is located
opposite the entrance to the park and enjoys views
over the forest canopy. There are just 9
self-contained cottages, each with private verandah.
Some have en suite facilities. Lighting is provided
by solar energy. Meals are served in a central
dining area where a fireplace warms the cool
evenings. Though simple, the camp provides an
excellent standard of service.
Day 9
After an early breakfast, you depart to the national
park boundary to meet the guides and begin a hike
into the forest for your first gorilla trek.
Overnight at the Buhoma Lodge on a full board basis.
BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST
Well-trained guides lead you to the site where the
gorillas were encountered the day before and from
here the tracking begins. The gorillas, whose
continuous search for food requires a nomadic
lifestyle, determine the duration of the hike. The
trek can take between one and six hours, sometimes
more, at elevations in excess of 7,500 feet and over
rough terrain. Although the hike can be physically
demanding, the anticipation of the exciting
experience ahead is invigorating, and the beauty of
the forest and its inhabitants are fascinating.
When the gorillas are encountered, any fatigue is
quickly forgotten. Observing a wild gorilla family
in its natural habitat and on its terms is
considered by many naturalists to be the most
profound natural history experience in the world.
Few who have had this rare privilege would disagree.
It is important to recognize that these gorillas
have only recently been habituated to tourists.
Their curiosity is obvious, but they have only begun
to grow accustomed to humans. Each strictly
regulated 60-minute visit passes all too quickly,
and you depart leaving the gorillas to their fragile
existence.
After time with the gorillas and a picnic lunch, you
return to camp with hopefully a few unforgettable
memories of a rare and wondrous experience. If the
gorilla groups are relatively close, you’ll also
have the chance to hike nearby forest trails to
obtain a better understanding of the forest and its
other inhabitants. These hikes provide the
opportunity to observe smaller primate species and
regional, endemic birds.
Day 10
Following an early breakfast, depart for a second
gorilla trek, and return to camp in the late
afternoon. Overnight at the Buhoma Lodge.
Day 11
Early morning departure for lake Mburo with a
gamedrive through the park. Overnight Mantana Lake
Mburo Tented Camp.
Day 12
After a leisurely breakfast, enjoy the scenic
transfer to Entebbe to connect with your onward
travel arrangements
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