This 12 Day safari is action packed
from the first day in the botanical gardens and wildlife educational center, to
exploring the dense impenetrable forest of Bwindi and game viewing in Queen
Elizabeth National Park. Other highlights en route will include fascinating
primates, bird watching in the swamps, guided walks, boat trips, meeting local
people and the highlight, searching for Gorillas....
Day 1
Upon arrival at
Entebbe airport, you will be met by our representative here and transferred to
the Windsor Lake Victoria Hotel.
This afternoon enjoy a trip to the botanical gardens and the Uganda Wildlife
Education Center. Overnight at the Windsor Lake Victoria Hotel.
WINDSOR LAKE
VICTORIA HOTEL
The Lake
Victoria is a newly renovated colonial hotel with beautiful gardens and a
swimming pool. Perhaps after lunch you’ll depart for an afternoon excursion to
Ngamba Island Chimp Sanctuary. (This is not included in the cost) Located
offshore in Lake Victoria, the sanctuary has 100 acres of forest where 35
orphaned chimpanzees are given a secure home. You travel by boat from Entebbe
and view the chimps from an observation platform. Here, you’ll be introduced to
some of the critical issues facing great apes throughout Africa.
Day 2
Depart after an early breakfast to Murchison
Falls National Park with lunch en-route. This afternoon visit the top of
the falls before crossing the Nile on the ferry. Overnight at Paraa Safari
Lodge.
Day 3
Early morning game drive before returning to
the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, enjoy a boat trip to the base of the
falls. Overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge.
Day 4
After an early
breakfast, you drive to the Kibale Forest. The drive is a full day taking
approximately 6½ hours. Leaving the Lake Victoria basin, you pass through
Ugandan villages and beautiful agricultural countryside where you see people
tending their traditional crops of millet, sorghum, beans and maize. Upon
reaching Kyanjojo, in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains (Mountains of the
Moon), you drive through a sea of green tea plantations and into Kibale Forest,
one of the eastern most extensions of West Africa’s unique forest habitats. This
evening there will be a walk to search for galagos and pottos primates.
Overnight at the Ndali Lodge on a full board basis.
The owner-run
Ndali Lodge is set high above Lake Nyinambuga and affords breathtaking 360°
views. Its location at 1,500m above sea-level makes for a cooler climate. Eight
individual cottages are decorated in local crafts and materials and features
high ceilings and four-poster beds with mosquito netting. The en suite baths
have hot and cold running water and flush toilets. Each cottage has a private
verandah from which to savour the views towards the Ruwenzori Mountains.
There is no electricity at the lodge, but ample candle and oil lamps are
provided in the evening, creating a romantic feel of "old Africa"
Day 5
After
breakfast, enjoy a trek exploring Kibale forest and the surrounding
area for chimps and other primates. After lunch back in camp, there will
be a guided walk in the Bogodi Swamp.Overnight at
the Ndali Lodge on a full board basis.
KIBALE FOREST
Kibale Forest
is one of central Africa’s most researched and best-known regions. Of the eleven
primate species of Kibale, most have been well studied and are therefore
accustomed to human observation. Well-marked trails make the forest easily
accessible. Today’s explorations include walks into the rainforest in search of
primates. Commonly seen species include red-tailed monkey, grey-cheeked mangabey
and both red colobus and black-and-white colobus monkeys. As you walk the
trails, it is important to remain alert, listening for the distinctive
pant-grunts that signal the presence of chimpanzees. Chimps are abundant here,
and there is a high likelihood of observing them as they make their nomadic
treks along forest trails and forage for fruit in the canopy above. Your day in
the forest is conducted at a leisurely pace. Black-and-white-casqued hornbill,
great blue turaco, grey parrot and Narina’s trogon are just a few of the many
colorful central African birds you might find here. After lunch you’ll explore a
nearby-forested swamp that is excellent for viewing birds, primates and
magnificent butterflies.
Day 6
After
breakfast, you depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park, with a short game drive
en route. After lunch there will be an afternoon game drive. Overnight Jacana
Safari Lodge.
QUEEN ELIZABETH
NATIONAL PARK
Game drives in
Queen Elizabeth National Park include a launch trip of about two hours on the
Kasinga Channel to view one of the largest concentrations of Nile hippopotamus
in the world.
In addition to these giant semi-aquatic mammals, the launch
affords unique opportunities to view a host of other mammals and birds as they
come to the water’s edge to drink or bathe. Birding from the launch is excellent
as QENP is one of best birding parks in Africa, with over 560 recorded species
and a record of 296 bird species seen in one 24 hour period.
On game drives,
you’ll see that the kob occur in their thousands, and you’ll expect to see
Defassa waterbuck, bushbuck, African buffalo, topi, warthog, and herds of
elephants as well. Giant forest hog are fairly common, and lion and leopard are
by no means rare.
Day 7
After a morning
game drive and lunch, the rest of the afternoon will be spent on the
Kazinga Channel. Overnight Jacana Safari Lodge.
Day 8
After an early
breakfast, you’ll depart for
the Bwindi and the Buhoma Lodge. En route, you’ll stop at the Maramagambo
Forest. On foot, you’ll visit bat caves where one can see thousands of fruit
bats and potential bat predators like reticulated pythons and monitor lizards.
Afterwards, you’ll wind up, down and over high-forested hills and through
deep-farmed valleys. The drive is reminiscent of travelling through central
Europe. The journey is only around sixty miles, but may take several hours
because of the region’s beauty and frequent stops along the way.
Overnight at the Buhoma Lodge on a full board basis.
BUHOMA LODGE
Buhoma Lodge is
one of the original camps at Bwindi and has been recently upgraded. The camp is
located opposite the entrance to the park and enjoys views over the forest
canopy. There are just 9 self-contained cottages, each with private verandah.
Some have en suite facilities. Lighting is provided by solar energy. Meals are
served in a central dining area where a fireplace warms the cool evenings.
Though simple, the camp provides an excellent standard of service.
Day 9
After an early
breakfast, you depart to the national park boundary to meet the guides and begin
a hike into the forest for your first gorilla trek.
Overnight at the Buhoma Lodge on a full board basis.
BWINDI
IMPENETRABLE FOREST
Well-trained
guides lead you to the site where the gorillas were encountered the day
before and from here the tracking begins. The gorillas, whose continuous
search for food requires a nomadic lifestyle, determine the duration of
the hike. The trek can take between one and six hours, sometimes more, at
elevations in excess of 7,500 feet and over rough terrain. Although the
hike can be physically demanding, the anticipation of the exciting
experience ahead is invigorating, and the beauty of the forest and its
inhabitants are fascinating.
When the
gorillas are encountered, any fatigue is quickly forgotten. Observing a wild
gorilla family in its natural habitat and on its terms is considered by many
naturalists to be the most profound natural history experience in the world. Few
who have had this rare privilege would disagree. It is important to recognize
that these gorillas have only recently been habituated to tourists. Their
curiosity is obvious, but they have only begun to grow accustomed to humans.
Each strictly regulated 60-minute visit passes all too quickly, and you depart
leaving the gorillas to their fragile existence.
After time with
the gorillas and a picnic lunch, you return to camp with hopefully a few
unforgettable memories of a rare and wondrous experience.If the gorilla
groups are relatively close, you’ll also have the chance to hike nearby forest
trails to obtain a better understanding of the forest and its other inhabitants.
These hikes provide the opportunity to observe smaller primate species and
regional, endemic birds.
Day 10
Following an early breakfast, depart for a
second gorilla trek, and return to camp in the late afternoon.
Overnight at the Buhoma Lodge.
Day 11
Early morning
departure for lake Mburo with a gamedrive through the park. Overnight Mantana
Lake Mburo Tented Camp.
Day 12
After a
leisurely breakfast, enjoy the scenic transfer to Entebbe to connect with your onward travel arrangements.
2009 Rates
African Safari
Consultants
16475 Indian Ruins Rd.
Prescott, AZ 86305
