Uganda: Gorilla & Chimp Safari
(8 days)

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Day 1: Join tour Kampala

Arrive in Kampala, Uganda's colourful capital city, and check-in to hotel. We have a free afternoon for personal exploration. You may like to spend some time exploring the main attractions in Kampala. The National Museum has some fine Ugandan history displays. It houses many musical instruments from all over the continent and also has a large ethnographic gallery. Overnight Standard Hotel (H+)

Day 2: Drive to Hippo Hill in QE National Park

Our route today takes us through varied landscapes from tea plantations crossing the equator to manicured terraces and intensely cultivated fields. We'll pass through several typical villages comprising of mud adobe huts with thatched roofs. These contrast sharply with the lush green vegetation and banana plantations surrounding them. We descend to the savannah plains and reach our tented camp called Hippo Hill because Hippos among other animals are regular visitors to this area. Sunsets are often spectacular from here! Overnight Comfortable Camping (C++) Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 3: In QE National Park; Chimp tracking

During our time in this park we may split into two smaller groups due to restrictions on the number of people tracking chimps at any one time. As a result, our activities are flexible. Several well-marked 'circuits' provide great opportunities for early morning and late afternoon game viewing from our vehicles. The Chambura (or Kyambura) Gorge is home to one large family of chimpanzees that splits into smaller units most of the time which have in recent years become habituated to human presence. We'll take a guided walk through the 100m deep gorge in search of the chimps. Seeing chimps is never guaranteed of course, but the enclosed gorge walls allows easier location than in some other reserves. The forested walls of the gorge are also home to several types of monkey, such as the graceful black-and-white colobus as well as many different bird species. While you are here, there will also be the opportunity to go out into the Kazinga Channel and experience an entirely different perspective of Africa. Overnight Comfortable Camping (C++) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Drive to Bwindi

Our scenic route today takes us on some rough roads through the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, where we might catch a climpse of the rare tree-climbing lions, allowing more opportunity for game viewing before we reach the small village of Buhoma just outside the boundary of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and settle into our permanent tented camp. At night we'll experience the magic of the African rainforest and hope to hear the distinctive forest night sounds. Should you require assistance on the gorilla treks, porters can be hired for approximately US$20 per day. Overnight Comfortable Camping (C++) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Gorilla Search in Bwindi

During the next two days our group may split into two smaller groups as the gorilla tracking is limited to a daily maximum group size of eight people for each habituated gorilla family. On one of our days here we expect to catch sight of gorillas in the wild, although wildlife sightings can never be guaranteed. Our group will be accompanied by a local tracker/ranger who is skilled in recognising the tell-tale signs of gorilla movements. Gorillas live in small troops with several females and their young led by a single dominant male. Unfortunately, mountain gorillas (as opposed to lowland gorillas) are one of the world's most endangered species so the entrance and gorilla tracking fees revenue generated from tourism in protected parks such as Bwindi, offer them their only chance of survival. Distinct from their cousins who live in the open spaces and lowland forests of West Africa, mountain gorillas are found at an altitude of between 1520m and 3650m. Gentle giants and vegetarians, they are normally peaceful unless provoked. Finding them in the dense mountain undergrowth is not easy and may involve steep climbs through thick untracked vegetation. Our groups have been rewarded with the thrill of quite close encounters. Overnight Comfortable Camping (C++) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: In Bwindi

During our other day here, there is the opportunity to follow one of five nature trails from Buhoma, which vary in duration from 1 to 8 hrs, through one of the richest reserves in East Africa in terms of plant and monkey species. A popular trail with our previous groups leads to the 33m high Munyaga River waterfall- approximately 3 hrs walking. Alternatively, if available, you may like to visit the Batwa Development Project which provides an introduction to the Batwa people and their traditional culture. Overnight Comfortable Camping (C++) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Drive to Mbarara

Today is spent making our way to Mbarara. Uganda is primarily an agricultural nation and grows all the food it needs for its population and important cash crops are coffee, tea, cotton, pineapples and tobacco. Mbarara is at the heart of a major agricultural region of Uganda with its plantations providing added scenic interest to our drive today. Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

Day 8: Drive to Entebbe where tour ends

This morning we take a game drive at lake Mburo. Lake Mburo is the best place in the country to see the gigantic eland antelope, as well as zebra, tupi, impala and several acacia associated birds. After lunch we drive back to Entebbe where the tour ends. Included meals: Breakfast