Chimps & Gorillas of Uganda

The group flight is an overnight flight.
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Day 2

Those on the group flights arrive early this morning and we depart on the
drive to Kibale Forest. The length of the drive does depend, in large part,
to traffic in Kampala but should take approximately 6 hours. Upon arrival at
Kibale Forest we can relax at our lake-side eco-lodge.

Accommodation: Kibale Guest Cottages or similar
*Standard Hotel*

Day 3

Today we will explore the Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary located in the Magombe
wetland. The sanctuary is a major eco-tourist attraction in the Kibale Forest
area and is operated by the Kibale Association for Rural and Environmental
Development (KAFRED), a local community based organisation. We will also go
on a forest walk in search of primates. Whilst trekking in the depths of the
lush green forest, you will be surrounded by bird song and can expect to see
at least 5 or 6 other types of primate, most probably the Grey-cheeked
mangabey and the Red-tailed monkey and of course the chimpanzee. The walking
is fairly easy due to the well-maintained trails and reasonably flat terrain.
The order in which we do these activities may vary.
Accommodation: Kibale Guest Cottages or similar
*Standard Hotel*

Day 4

There is the option of doing a second chimp trek this morning in order to
increase the probability of seeing them (due to limited permit availability
we recommend you pre-book the second chimp trek). In the afternoon, we drive
to Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP). The drive goes south along the
eastern length of the Rwenzori Mountains, where, weather permitting, we can
see the glaciated peaks. We gently descend into The Great Rift Valley and
QENP. The park resides in a fertile, equatorial area and has beautiful
scenery. It is Uganda’s most popular and accessible savannah reserve, with
a total area of 1978 square kilometres. It is primarily associated with
grassy savannah plains, but this impressive park also includes within its
boundaries leafy rainforests, dense papyrus swamps and natural volcanic
crater lakes. As a result it has one of the highest biodiversity ratings of
any game reserve in the world, including a total of 95 recorded mammal
species and more than 610 species of birds.
Accommodation: Park View Safari Lodge or similar
*Standard Hotel*

Day 5

This morning we will explore QENP on a game drive in search of wildlife
including elephants, lions, buffalo, leopard, hyena, jackal, topi, kob, bush
buck and various others. In the afternoon we have a boat trip of about two
hours along the Kazinga Channel to view some of the largest concentration of
hippo in the world (reported to be about 30,000) and other game with
excellent birding.
Accommodation: Park View Safari Lodge or similar
*Standard Hotel*

Day 6

Today we drive through the park to the Ishasha region. We game drive in
search of tree climbing lion and other wildlife. This afternoon we head to
Bwindi Impenetrable National Forest, a World Heritage site, passing through
the scenic area known as 'The Switzerland of East Africa'. The driving today
is about 5 1/2 hours (not including game drives).
Accommodation: Gorilla Mist Lodge or similar
*Standard Hotel*

Day 7

For many, coming toe-to-toe with a Mountain gorilla is one of the most
emotional wildlife experiences possible. Tracking these gentle giants can
take anything from under an hour to over six hours depending on where the
family is located. The number of permits allocated daily are limited so we
recommend early booking. Should the permits for gorilla families close to
where we stay be unavailable, there are more permits for another area of the
park, though this will mean a long drive to the starting point of the trek.
The trek itself can be along steep, slippery trails and through the bush so
you should be in reasonable physical condition, but the rewards of spending
an hour with our close cousins more than makes up for the effort of getting
to them.
Accommodation: Gorilla Mist Lodge or similar
*Standard Hotel*

Day 8

Today is a free day and there is the option of getting a second gorilla
permit for this day, though due to the limited number of permits, this should
be obtained at time of booking. For those who choose not to go on a second
gorilla trek, there are other walks which you can do nearby or you can relax
at our lodge, reminiscing about the previous day’s encounters.

Please note that on some departures, due to the availability of permits, we
may have to swap these two days over with the free day (and optional second
gorilla trek) on day 6 and the included gorilla trek on day 7 or we may have
to split the group to trek with gorillas across both days.
Accommodation: Gorilla Mist Lodge or similar
*Standard Hotel*

Day 9

Leaving the forests behind we head towards Lake Mburo National Park. En route
we will stop in Kabale near the Rwandan border for lunch. The drive time
should be about five hours (not including stops). Lake Mburo is the only
place in southern Uganda where you can see zebra, giraffe and impala and is a
great place to try and see leopards. It is also home to over 300 species of
birds and offers the possibility of game walks as well as game drives.
Accommodation: Mburo Safari Lodge or similar
*Standard Hotel*

Day 10

Today we go on a final game drive looking for plains wildlife. The park has a
network of game tracks in the eastern part of the park passing a variety of
landscapes; acacia woodland, wetlands, grassy hillsides, rock outcrops and
seasonally flooded valley floors. The early morning and late afternoon are
the best times to roam the park in search of wildlife.
There is also the option of tracking game on foot through the savannah and
going on a boat excursion, particularly good for birdlife. You have the
option of going on an early morning game walk this morning. Accompanied by a
ranger guide, you will walk to a salt lick where many animals are attracted
to the salty rocks. At this time of day you may encounter hyenas returning to
their dens and hippos retreating to the lake The lake itself is rich with a
diversity of animal and plant species, and these can be viewed clearly while
on a boat trip. These include crocodiles, hippos and birds such as pelicans,
Black crake, heron, cormorant and Fish eagle, but you may also see the rare
Shoebill stork if you are lucky.
Accommodation: Mburo Safari Lodge or similar
*Standard Hotel*

Day 11

Today is our final day and we make our way back to Entebbe and the shores of
Lake Victoria. The driving time will depend on the amount of traffic in
Kampala, but we will make regular stops to break up the journey.
En route back to Entebbe we will visit the Mabamba Swamp (Mabamba Bay Wetland
System), which lies about 40 km from Entebbe. This swamp is the perfect spot
in Uganda for watching the globally threatened Shoebill stork and the Papyrus
yellow warbler. The Mabamba Swamp is said to support over 190,000 birds.  
Our adventure ends in the afternoon in Entebbe. Those on the group flights
will return to the airport in time for their overnight flight.

Day 12

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