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This Safaris title says it all. Uganda is famous as it is the home to the Mountain Gorillas. There is much more to this wonderful country than just its Gorillas. It is also home to Murchison Falls, Rwenzori Mountains, Great Rift Valley Lakes and fantastic Big Game Viewing.
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| Duration: |
8 Day Safari |
| Location: |
Uganda |
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| Category: |
Exploration |
| Tour Code: |
WFL902 |
| Price: |
$ 3195 Gorilla permits extra |
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Travel Recap: |
| Day 1 |
Arrive Entebbe Airport where you will be met by our local representative and transferred to the Lake Victoria Hotel, or the Boma Guest Lodge, Entebbe. Entebbe is a small town, located on the edge of Lake Victoria . Depending on your time of arrival, you may like to spend some time exploring the town on foot. In Entebbe there is the Wildlife Education Center, and you can see close up the large slow-moving Shoebill Stork as well as the Botanical gardens which are great for bird-watching. Depending on your time of arrival, you may be transferred (time to arrange locally) to the Entebbe Pier for your half day trip to Ngamba Island. (This activity can also be done at the end of the safari). Depart from Entebbe Pier on the mainland, after a short briefing and travel by boat approximately 45 minutes by speedboat or 1½ hours by motorized traditional boat), to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary on Lake Victoria, where orphaned chimpanzees have been relocated under the management and guidance of a group of dedicated conservationists including the Jane Goodall Institute. Lunch on the island is optional - to be paid directly to the island staff, and cool drinks, tea and coffee are also available on the island. Please take along some cash for curios etc - all of which helps toward the upkeep of the island and its chimpanzees. Ngamba Island is part of the Koome group of islands located on Lake Victoria 23km south of Entebbe, Uganda. It consists of approximately 100 acres, 98 of which are forested and separated from the visitors area by an electric fence. Ngamba Island was officially opened to visitors in October 1999 and is currently home to 35 orphaned chimpanzees, 15 of which have been confiscated and brought to the island since it's opening. Ngamba Island is a project of the Chimpanzees Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust (CSWCT), established in 1997 by the Born Free Foundation (UK), International Fund for Animal Welfare (USA), the Jane Goodall Institute (Germany and Uganda), The Uganda Wildlife Education Center Trust (UWECT) and the Zoological Board of New South Wales (Australia) and it provides these orphaned chimpanzees with a secure home to live out their lives, since a return to their natural habitat is not possible, while educating visitors and local communities about their remarkable species and the importance of conserving their fragile forest habitat. You can help support this project by visiting. The entrance and activity fees paid goes directly towards helping cover the recurring costs of the island sanctuary and ensuring the well-being of the chimpanzees. Return to Entebbe by boat and transferred to your hotel/lodge.
Lake Victoria Hotel is an old colonial-style hotel with lovely views over Lake Victoria. It has good facilities including a formal dining area with an outside terrace, bars, breakfast room and pool with it's own bar and restaurant area. The meals are varied and the atmosphere quiet and relaxing. Some rooms are around a central garden with some facing the lake. All rooms are en suite, have air conditioning and satellite television.
The Boma is small, family run guesthouse located in the suburbs of Entebbe. A converted residential house, it offers quiet, relaxed accommodation with a homely atmosphere. Each room is uniquely decorated and has en suite facilities. They offer meals as well as a small bar area for guests. There is a large garden and a patio with a view of Lake Victoria.
Overnight: Lake Victoria Hotel or The Boma |
| Day 2 |
Today we will head in a south-west direction to Lake Mburo National park, from Entebbe approx 5 hours drive. Arrive around lunchtime at Lake Mburo, and overnight at Mantana Tented Camp, or Mahingo Lodge. Lake Mburo was gazetted in 1982 as Uganda's fourth national park. It is composed primarily of grassland, wetland, and acacia woodland habitats. At the center of the park lies Lake Mburo, which together with 14 other lakes in the area, forms part of an extensive wetland system. The park has topi, eland, kilpspringer, zebra, buffalo, oribi, sitatunga, leopard, an excellent variety of water and acacia savannah bird species, like crested crane, marabou stork and bronze-tailed starling. During your time at Lake Mburo, you will be able to enjoy game drive and/or a guided walk, or possibly take a local canoe or boat around the actual lake. Lake Mburo is home to many different animal species, including zebra, eland, and impala, who are not found in Queen Elizabeth National Park. It is also a favorite birding spot.
Discuss the options with your guide.
Mantana Tented Camp is situated high up on a hillside within the national park, and off the main route to the park headquarters is this tented camp with views stretching far and wide. Each en-suite tent, on a wooden deck, caters for two persons and has it's own bathroom area with hot showers, an eco friendly toilet and a private dressing area. A central area provides dining and bar facilities. Meals are generally of a high standard with several courses for most.
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. Each luxury tented room is nestled on a private piece of the lodge's property, enabling guests to enjoy the tranquil environment in complete seclusion. Placed in varied settings, some rooms are situated in a forest setting, some with a lake view, and some on rock outcrops.
Overnight: Mantana Tented Camp or Mihingo Lodge [B, L, D] |
| Day 3 |
After breakfast, drive to the west of Uganda, along mountain roads to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest - where permits are held. Stop for lunch en route. The road to Kabale and on to Bwindi takes you into the Uganda Highlands - the Switzerland of Africa - with great views and vistas of this lush green area. Situated on the original "homestead" site at Bwindi, inside the National Park, this exclusive lodge has been extensively renovated and upgraded to take full advantage of the convenient location, opposite the park entrance, with uninterrupted views towards the pristine rain forest canopy.
The lodge has a total of eight beautifully appointed, large cottages, spaciously set out along the mountainside. Each cottage has large windows fully netted and its own private verandah to take advantage of the spectacular views. Large comfortable beds ensure a good nights rest after a tiring day of gorilla tracking! The en-suite bathrooms are spacious with flushing toilets and excellent showers and the honeymoon cottage even has its own 'cuddle-tub'. Lighting throughout the lodge is by solar. The spacious upper level lounge, bar and dining area has fireplaces to provide warmth in the cool evenings, where guests may dine and relax discussing the day's events. As part of commitment to the local infrastructure, staff are recruited from the local communities of the area and they provide a welcoming environment and excellent service levels for guests. Whenever possible, supplies including local fresh produce, are purchased through arrangements with local residents and businesses in the area.
Overnight: Buhoma Lodge [B, L, D] |
| Day 4 |
After breakfast you will be escorted to the National Parks headquarters to meet your guides for the day for your gorilla trekking experience. An early morning trek into the forest on the slopes of the volcanoes, led by experienced trackers will bring you amongst a family of Mountain Gorillas. These massive primates are extremely rare, with less than 700 remaining. The trekking may be fairly strenuous; up to six hours or longer is not uncommon - at relatively high altitude. Mountain Gorillas are wild animals, as such sightings cannot be guaranteed, even so the success rate is well over 90%. You will get within meters of the family, and be privileged to spend time amongst them. Time permitting return to the camp for a late lunch, we have an opportunity for forest walks with the guides, or just to relax.
Overnight: Buhoma Lodge [B, L, D] |
| Day 5 |
Today you may enjoy a community walk which will include some curio shopping, visiting the Batwa pygmy tribes, the local orphanage and school. Or, enjoy an early morning forest walk to look for the local bird life and other forest species found at Bwindi. For those with pre-purchased permits, a second gorilla tracking experience will be undertaken today. Please discuss the day's activities with your guide.
Overnight: Buhoma Lodge or Ishasha Wilderness Camp [B, L, D]
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| Day 6 |
Today we enjoy a short drive (2-3 hours) to the southern part of the Queen Elizabeth National Park to the Ishasha sector to be welcomed at our newly established luxury tented camp nestled under trees alongside a river. The park lies in the western arm of the Great East Rift Valley. It is a home to a variety of wildlife including elephant, lion, hippo, buffalo, and Uganda kob, baboon, and birds, all typical of riverine and savannah habitats. In the southern part of the park is the Ishasha are with tree climbing lions and the Maramagambo, one of the largest surviving natural forests in Uganda. The northern part of the park is traversed by the equator and is dominated by the scenery of crater lakes often with flamingos on some of them. A launch trip from Mweya along the Kazinga channel, which joins Lake Edward and Lake George, provides one of the most memorable experiences of the park.
This exclusive tented camp offers the only quality accommodation in this un-spoilt remote southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park famous for it's tree climbing lions that can sometimes be spotted resting in the branches of the large fig trees in the area. Combined with excellent game viewing for buffalo, elephants, kob, topi and other species of antelope, the camp provides the ideal location between gorilla viewing in Bwindi and the Mweya area of QENP. On a clear day views from the area stretch to the ice-capped Rwenzori Mountains to the north, and the Virunga volcanoes to the south, there are few places on earth to rival the scenery in this park. 'Birders' wont be disappointed with the enormous range of species in the area.
Overnight: Ishasha Wilderness Camp [B, L, D] |
| Day 7 |
Today, apart from enjoy game drives, you will also be able to take a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel - where you will often see hippos, buffalo and a large array of water birds. It is also possible to visit the Maramagambo Forest, for a short walk, and to visit the bat caves in the area - home to a rather large python! Nearby Chamburu Gorge offers chimpanzee tracking which is generally a morning's activity - and should ideally be booked in advance.
Mweya Lodge is located on a peninsula overlooking the Kazinga Channel on one side and with spectacular views towards the Ruwenzori Mountians on the other, this recently upgraded and renovated lodge now provides some of the best accommodation and service facilities in Uganda. Amenities include a swimming pool, the Tembo bar and an elegant air-conditioned restaurant with a global cuisine. Breakfast is taken on the alfresco terrace adjacent to the Kazinga Channel. Tonight we may overnight at either Ishasha Wilderness Camp, or at Mweya Lodge, with all meals included.
Overnight: Ishasha Wilderness Camp or Mweya Lodge [B, L, D] |
| Day 8 |
Return to Entebbe, via the equator, stopping en route to shop for curios and at the Royal Drum makers at Mpigi if desired. Connect to your onward arrangements. |
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