Gorillas, Chimpanzees & Forest Birds | Uganda | Uganda

Travelling through tropical forests, papyrus swamps, savanna and rural, rolling countryside, this is a leisurely exploration of the birdlife, wildlife, ecosystems and communities of Uganda. Game viewing is undertaken variously by boat, by vehicle and on foot, as you will be tracking both chimpanzees and gorillas in the dense equatorial forest. Swim in crater lakes and rockpools, visit local communities, schools and workshops, walk among myriad butterflies and watch the sun set over the Rwenzori Mountains.

Meals	Full Board and Activities
Accommodation	Comfortable, small high-end lodges and permanent luxury camps with en suite facilities
Departure Dates	On Request, subject to permit availability
Transport	Road transfers
Price Includes	Meals as shown above, accommodation, transfers, tours, all game activities on safari, gorilla trekking permit.
Price Excludes	International flights, visas, items of a personal nature, meals not specified
Minimum Number	2
Climate	Equatorial climate so temperatures are fairly constant all year and governed more by wind and altitude.
Best time to go	You might try to avoid the rains from March to April and October to November, but views are often better then.
Health Requirements	Anti-Malarial precautions essential
Combines well with	Kenya beach extensions; white water rafting on the Nile
Other Ideas
Notes

Day 1 : Meet from airport and transfer to lakeshore. 1 night Lake Victoria Hotel, Bed & Breakfast.
On arrival you are met and transferred the 4km to the lakeshore, to stay at the Lake Victoria Hotel. Perhaps visit the famous Entebbe Botanical Gardens, or take a boat trip to the Jane Goodall Chimpanzee Sanctuary on Ngama Island.

Day 2 : 2 nights Nile Safari Camp, Murchison Falls, Full Board.
Drive a full day to Murchison Falls, where the Nile is forced through a seven-metre-wide crack in the Rift Valley escarpment. Watch hippo, elephant and even shoebill storks, from lodge deck and take the memorable game and birding cruise to the base of the falls. 'Specials' of the National Park include Rothschild's giraffe, Uganda kob, buffalo and elephant. Nile Safari Camp is just outside the park, in a stunning location. You can see huge pods of hippo, elephant and even resident shoebill storks, right from the deck of the lodge.

Day 4 : 3 nights Semliki Safari Lodge, Wasa River Valley, Full Board.
In the reserve, diverse habitats include Riparian forest, gallery rain forest, borassus palm forest, and short and high grass savannas. Chimpanzees exist next to elephant, lion and buffalo as well as the usual western Uganda species.

Day 7 : 1 night Ndali Lodge, Full Board
A day's drive to the Kibale Forest area, passing through fertile farming areas to the lower foothills of the 'Mountains of the Moon'. Then continue through beautiful tea plantations and into Kibale tropical rainforest to a working farm between two crater lakes. Take guided forest and swamp walks to see the rain forest and view birds and primates, including chimpanzees.

Day 8 : 3 nights Jacana Lodge, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Full Board
Drive to the Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda's finest birding destination, where 296 species of the 560 present were once recorded in 24 hours. Here, the grasslands of East Africa meet the eastern edge of the rainforest and magical scenery combines with abundant wildlife. 95 animal species are found here, including 10 primates, 20 predators, sitatunga, topi, Uganda kob, a vast concentration of hippo and the tree-climbing lion. Chimpanzee tracking is also possible here, at Chambura Gorge. Stay at Jacana Lodge, overlooking Lake Nyamusingiri.

Day 11 : 2 nights Forest Camp, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Full Board
Take an optional morning walk to the bat caves where you can see
thousands of bats, python and monitor lizard. Then game drive through Ishasha, with possible sightings of the renowned tree-climbing lion en route to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. 2 nights are spent here at a tented forest camp.

Day 12 : Gorilla Trekking
Gorilla tracking through the jungle of bamboo, creepers, orchids and heliconia, followed by a welcome time to relax back at the lodge, possibly with a bath or massage or maybe in the bar!

Day 13 : 1 night Mantana Lake Mburo Tented Camp, Full Board.
Drive via Kabale to Lake Mburo.

Day 14 : 1 night Lake Victoria Hotel, Bed & Breakfast.
Drive back to Entebbe, stopping to visit the Royal Mpigi drum makers. Lunch is taken en route and you arrive in the late afternoon.

Contact us for more information or book your trip by clicking on the appropriate button below. One of our consultants will gladly help you with any questions you may have.