On this safari we experience in only a few days a huge variety of wildlife on foot, by boat and on game drives, and we track Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi. Queen Elizabeth National Park for game drives, boat trip on the Kazinga Channel, chimpanzee tracking, bush walks Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for gorilla tracking Lake Mburo for game viewing drives
Day 1 ARRIVAL – QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
We are met at the Entebbe airport, from where we a briefed over a welcome drink at a nearby hotel. Later, we drive west to the Queen Elizabeth National Park, traveling through varied countryside. The final approach to the park is breathtaking as we see it from the Rift Valley escarpment – the park, laid out before us in a vast savannah plain, its great lakes to either side of us, joined by the silver ribbon of the Kazinga Channel. In the distance we see the faint outline of the Rwenzori Mountains, normally cloud covered at this time of day. We arrive at our lodge in time to check in and prepare for our game drive this evening
Overnight: Mweya Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 2 QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
This morning, we will go on another game drive. It’s an early start, and we will enjoy coffee and tea out on the rolling plains of the park. We return to the lodge for breakfast, and in time to prepare for our launch trip on the Kazinga Channel. This water system hosts the highest concentration of Hippo in the world, and this excursion brings us up close to them. We will also see crocodile, buffalo, and other game that drink from the Channel, and experience the profusion of bird life that is supported here. We return in the late afternoon, and transfer to our lodge. As dusk falls, we prepare for dinner and a good night’s rest.
Overnight: Mweya Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 3 QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
Our adventure necessitates a very early (and hearty!) breakfast this morning. We drive to the top of the Chambura Gorge, a deep natural ravine in the surrounding plains. We descend into the floor of the gorge, where a riverine forest very different from what we have so far seen awaits us. The gorge is home a number of bird and mammal species. We drive back to the lodge for lunch, followed by a late afternoon game drive. On the game drive, we may run into Waterbuck, Elephant, Giant Forest Hog, Bushbuck, Buffalo, or even Lion or Leopard. Then it’s back to our lodge for our usual evening wind-down.
Overnight: Mweya Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 4 QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK – BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK
Another early start for a bush walk through the Maramagambo Forest. This is one of the largest forests in Uganda, and forms a habitat for a number of primates and forest dwellers. Due to its location, Maramagambo also has a high diversity of butterflies and birds. Our walk culminates in a visit to volcanic caves that are home to thousands of bats, and often, several reptile species. Later, we travel further south to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. This is a leisurely drive, taking most of the day. We climb out of the Rift Valley at first, and then travel through the Kigezi Highlands of South-Western Uganda. The scenery gets increasingly breathtaking as we switchback up and down the hills. Thirty kilometers (18 miles) before the end of our journey, we see our objective – the mist-swathed mountains of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world. On arrival, we are welcomed to the luxurious Gorilla Forest Camp with hot towels and a welcome drink. We retire to our enormous tents for a hot shower (or a hot bath if you prefer), and meet later around the campfire to recount the day’s activities. After dinner, we retire for the night, lulled to sleep by the sounds of one of Africa’s most incredible natural environments.
Overnight: Gorilla Forest Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 5/6 BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK
These two days activities may be the most exciting and challenging of our entire expedition. The Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi are part of a worldwide population of just 600 individuals. The gorillas we are allowed to track belong either one of two habituated family groups. For up to five years each, these groups have undergone an extremely delicate process that has gradually brought them to tolerate the presence of humans for a brief period every day and allowed a few privileged visitors to interact with them in the wild.
The gorillas are by no means tame, and are completely wild animals. However, experienced guides will accompany us on our tracking, many of who have been involved in the habituation process themselves. The guides will use their knowledge of the gorillas’ habits and information from the previous day to locate the group’s whereabouts.
Because of this, the time taken to track the gorillas varies enormously, from as little as half an hour to as much as 9 hours before one returns to camp. Once the gorillas are located, our group will be allowed a maximum of one hour with them. This is one of the world’s truly memorable experiences – a look into one of these magnificent creatures eyes brings home the bond that exists between them and us. It also brings home the poignant fact that they are on the edge of extinction, and that our presence here contributes to ensuring their continued survival. The hour is often over all too quickly, and we slowly make our way back to camp to recount the day’s adventures.
Overnight: Gorilla Forest Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 7 BWINDI IMPENENTRABLE NATIONAL PARK – LAKE MBURO
Today we will travel eastwards to Lake Mburo National Park. After lunch in Mbarara, we drive to the park and check in to our camp. We enjoy an evening game drive to view the parks plains game species and birds, followed by a return to the camp to freshen up for dinner.
Lake Mburo Tented Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 8 LAKE MBURU – ENTEBBE
After an early morning game drive, we return to Entebbe and vist Ngamba Island. After which we prepare for our evening flight out.
Day Rooms Imperial Resort Hotel/Boma
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch
Above costs include
- Full board accommodation on safari Bed & breakfast
- Park entrance fees
- Game viewing drives as shown
- All transfers as shown
- Porterage of 2 pieces of luggage per person
- Government taxes and levies
Above costs exclude
- International airfare
- International airport departure taxes
- All expenses of a personal nature such as all drinks, laundry, telephone calls,
- Tips and gratuities for Driver/guide, hotel staff etc
- Entry visa fees
- Travel and medical insurance
SEE MORE RELATED SAFARI PACKAGES BELOW!
- JEA28: Bwidi Gorilla Tracking(3 days 2 nights)
- JEA29: Queen Elizabeth National Park(4 days 3 nights)
- JEA42: A week on the wild side
- JEA43: Africa’s Great Apes
- JEA44: Gorilla Tracking in Uganda – 7 Day Safari
- JEA45: Gorilla Tracking in Uganda – 4 Day Safari
- JEA46: Gorillas and Chimpanzee Tracking
- JEA47: Kidepo Extension
- JEA48: Explorers Trail
