UGANDAN EXPLORER
A Small Group Gorilla Safari from £1,940 per person sharing
Day One – Hotel (BB)
Arrive Entebbe, you will be met at the airport and transferred to the Lake Victoria Hotel,
Entebbe. Bed and Breakfast.
Windsor Lake Victoria Hotel
This is an old colonial-style hotel with views over Lake Victoria. It has good facilities including a formal dining area with an outside terrace, 2 bars, breakfast room and pool with it’s own bar and restaurant area. The meals include European style food, an Indian and Chinese menu. The atmosphere is quiet and relaxing.
The rooms are in a quadrant around a ventral garden with some facing the lake and on two levels. All rooms are en suite, have air conditioning or fans, and satellite television. A complementary shuttle service operates to and from the airport for all flights – about 8 minutes drive away.
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, or you can take a taxi in to Kampala and visit the craft and curio markets there, the Kasubi Tombs and Museum. In Entebbe there is the Wildlife Education Centre, and you can see close up the large slow-moving Shoebill Stork, or you can try your hand at golf on the local 9-hole course.
Also included in our safari, subject to flight times allowing on either the first or last day of your tour is a boat trip to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee chimpanzee sanctuary on Lake Victoria, where orphaned chimpanzees have been relocated under the management of a group of dedicated conservationists including the Jane Goodall Institute.
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 for chimpanzee viewing in October 1999 and is currently home to 35 orphaned chimpanzees, 15 of which have been confiscated and brought to the island since its 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 Centre 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.
Day Two – Tented camp (BLD)
Depart after breakfast to Lake Mburo National Park, approximately 5 hours drive from Entebbe via Kampala.
Here you will have the opportunity to go on game drives, or a walk with a local ranger, and explore this pretty park.
Lake Mburo Tented camp
Situated high up on a hillside off the main route to the park headquarters is this tented camp with views stretching far and wide. Each tent caters for two persons and has its own bathroom area with hot showers provided, eco friendly toilet systems 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.
Lake Mburo
Lake Mburo, 260km2 was gazetted in 1982 as Uganda’s fourth national park. It is composed primarily of grassland, wetland, and acacia woodland habitats. At the centre 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.
Day Three – Lodge (BLD)
Today we travel along from Mburo towards the Kabale region, and then into the mountainous area of the lush Uganda Highlands - the ‘Switzerland of Africa’ - with great views and vistas of this beautiful green area, from here we continue to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, or to Kisoro and on to Ruhengeri, Parc National des Volcans, for your gorilla tracking base – depending on where pre-purchased permits are held.
Overnight in en suite chalet/lodge accommodation, all meals included. It will be a fairly long day in the vehicle, passing some interesting scenery, farmland and lush green hillsides. Lunch en route.
Buhoma Homestead or Gorilla Nest, or similar (Uganda or Rwanda)
Buhoma is one of the original camps at Bwindi, which has been upgraded over the years. Very conveniently situated opposite the park entrance with views over the forest canopy. Currently they have individual cottages with their own private veranda, a bedroom and bathroom area and some rooms with shared bathroom facilities. Lighting is by solar in all the rooms. Meals are taken in a central dining area where a fireplace provides warmth in the cool evenings. Peter the current manager provides excellent service levels to all clients.
Or, in Rwanda – we normally use
Mountain Gorilla’s Nest
This newly opened quality lodge is located close to the Parc National des Volcans. It is nestled under a grove of trees, with all the rooms surrounding a large courtyard. There are comfortable nicely appointed rooms with en-suite chalets with modern bathrooms and hot water. It has a spacious restaurant with large bar and reception area and friendly service. On a clear day the views across to the volcanoes and surrounding hills are spectacular.
Day Four – Lodge (BLD)
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, only approximately 700 remaining.
You will get within metres of the family, and be privileged to spend time amongst them. Returning to the camp for a late lunch, we have an opportunity for forest walks with the guides, or just to relax. Overnight lodge or tented camp.
The gorilla trekking may be fairly strenuous; up to six hours or longer is not uncommon – at relatively high altitude. Please refer to our information sheet.
Mountain Gorillas are wild animals, as such sightings cannot be guaranteed however the success rate is well over 90%.
Day Five – Tented Camp (BLD)
A second opportunity for gorilla tracking, with pre-purchased permits subject to availability.
For those not trekking, you will have the opportunity to go on a forest walk with a local guide, or on a community walk at the local village which has been included in your tour cost, or perhaps visit the local orphanage. In the afternoon we will drive in a northerly direction to Queen Elizabeth National park. Passing through farmlands and small towns and villages, you will have the opportunity to see rural Uganda and the vivid green beauty of the country and also, if weather and road conditions allow, we may enter QENP from the Ishasha side of the park where excellent game viewing can be conducted en route.
Overnight at Ishasha Wilderness Camp, all meals included.
Day Six – Lodge / Camp (BLD)
After an early morning game drive and breakfast we continue through
the park to the Mweya peninsula area. Here we overnight at Mweya or Jacana Lodge.
Located on a peninsula overlooking the Kazinga Channel on one side and with spectacular views towards the Ruwenzori Mountians on the other, this upgraded and renovated lodge 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.
Or,
Set on the edge of a crater lake the lodge blends in perfectly with the wooded surroundings of the Maramagambo forest. Built with sensitive use of rock, wood, rope and other natural materials it combines to form a unique style. Each log cabin is beautifully and uniquely furnished to high standards and all rooms are en suite. A floating dining area on the crater lake provides a tranquil and different option for sundowners and dinner in the evenings.
Within the time in this area we will go on a boat cruise on the Kasinga Channel, famous for hippos and bird life, and trek chimps in the Chamburu gorge (subject to permits being available and group size, this is an optional extra). Early morning and late afternoon game viewing / drives will also be conducted in search of Uganda's unique wildlife such as the Giant Forest Hog, Red Forest Buffalo and Ugandan Kob, and lion, elephant and leopard are often seen.
Day Seven – Lodge (BLD)
Queen Elizabeth National park, as above.
Day Eight – (BL)
Morning game drive out of the park, returning to Entebbe visiting the Equator for curio shopping en route and in time for evening flights out (after 6.00pm) or additional accommodation / optional add-on excursions.
Option of overnighting on Ngamba Island - the opportunity of going on a forest walk with the young chimps. You would stay in our exclusive tented camp on the island, (only four tents) and spend time with the staff (care-givers) learning about the chimpanzees. This is an additional charge as shown below.
Should you require an additional night accommodation in Entebbe, or Kampala we will gladly book this for you
