HPE: 707 Gorilla Trekking – Uganda

Duration: 12 Days and 11 Nights
Price: Please Contact us about the price of this Itinerary


Day 1: Arrival – Kampala

Arrive at Entebbe Airport where your guide from High Peaks Expeditions will warmly greet you and transfer you to either at Hotel Africana or Hotel International Muyenga for the night. B/B.

Day 2: Kampala – Lake Mburo

After breakfast and a briefing from our manager, your guide will collect you from the hotel and set off on the south bound road, have a stop over to look at the Royal Drum makers, stand on the Equator and be in both hemispheres at once and thereafter proceed to Lake Mburo National Park, having a game drive as you enter the Park arriving at Mantana Tented Camp in the afternoon. After lunch, you may decide to go for a boat trip or relax in your room. Lake Mburo is an extension of the Tanzanian Plains with big herds of Zebra, Impala, Eland and other Savannah species. For birders, this is one of the best place to find African Fin foot, Papyrus, Bush Shrike, etc. Go for an evening game drive and over night at Mantana Tented Camp or Agip Motel Mbarara. F/B.

Day 3: Lake Mburo – Bwindi

After breakfast, proceed to Bwindi passing through the Switzerland of Uganda (Kabale) with beautiful scenery and terraced farming arriving in the afternoon.
Best known for its Mountain Gorillas, the Montane Forest also attracts spectacular birds. There are 23 of the 24 Albertine Rift endemics including the African Green Broadbill, Bar Tailed Trogon and other beautiful forest species. You may decide to relax in the afternoon or take a nature walk which will lead you to the Munyaga Waterfall and a chance to see primates such as the Grey Cheeked Mangabey, Blue Monkeys and others species. Spend the night at either the Luxurious Gorilla Forest Camp or the Uganda Wildlife Authority Park Banda’s. You will need to have a good night’s rest to get ready for the following day’s gorilla tracking. (F/B).

Day 4: Bwindi – Gorilla tracking

This morning you will have to wake up very early to get ready for Gorilla tracking. Do not forget to take your lunch boxes and all the necessary gear to track the rare Mountain Gorilla, perhaps one of the most exciting wildlife experiences on earth. There are now only 650 left in the world! The tracking may take between 2 and 6 hours but its well worth the effort. There are always park guides with you who interpret the flora and fauna and the lifestyle of the Gorillas. In the afternoon relax at the camp or take a forest walk.
Over night at Gorilla Forest Camp or the Uganda Wildlife Authority Park Banda’s. F/B.

Day 5: Bwindi – Queen Elizabeth

After breakfast, you will depart the Impenetrable Forest for Queen Elizabeth National Park arriving in the afternoon. Relax around the pool after lunch and later go for an early evening game drive.

Its little wonder that Queen Elizabeth boasts one of the highest bio diversity ratings of any game park or reserve in the world, – from the open Savannah to Rain Forest, dense Papyrus Swamps and brooding Crater lakes to the vastness of Lake Edward.

Almost 100 mammal species that include Lions, Hippos, Buffaloes, Leopard, Spotted Hyena, Elephants and the elusive Giant Forest Hog plus remarkable 606 bird species that include the Black Chested Eagle, the Swallow Tailed Bee Eaters, to mention but a few.

The Primates include Chimps, Black and White Colobus Monkeys, Blue, Black Faced Red Colobus, and Red Tailed monkeys and Olive Baboons.

Reptiles are the amazing huge Rock-Python, Puff adders, Spitting Cobras, Gabon Vippers, Green Mambas, and Turtles etc. All these are regularly sighted around the tourist village on the Mweya Peninsula and all this makes a superb safari territory.

Birding is also wonderful. Queen Elizabeth Park has the highest recorded number of over 600 species of birds including the Shoebill Stork, Black Bee-Eater, Chappirs Fly Catcher, Bustards, and craters full of Lesser Flamingos etc. Overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge or the Institute of Ecology. F/B

Day 6: Queen Elizabeth

Early morning drive to the crater lakes in Kyambura Game Reserve to see thousands of colorful Lesser Flamingos, as they feed in these soda lakes if in season. Then go for the afternoon boat trip along the Kazinga Channel. Hippos huff and spray mere feet away from the boat, Buffalo linger in the shallows, a tremendous variety of birds grace the grasses on the shores. Great White and Pink-Backed Pelicans, Great and Long-Tailed Cormorants, Open-Billed Stork, African Jacana, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers are commonly seen. February and March offer spectacular sightings of some of the bird migrants. Spend the night at Mweya Lodge or the Institute of Ecology. (F/B).

Day 7: Queen Elizabeth – Kibale

This morning, we will have a game drive to the Kisenyi area to look for Lion prides and other wildlife like the Uganda Kob that mate around this area then head for Kibale National Park. Kibale Forest is a large protected block of rainforest, which has the highest number of primates in Africa such as Chimpanzees, Grey Cheeked Mangabey, Red Tailed monkey and Red Colobus. You will go for a guided walk to the Magombe Swamp at Bigodi to look for the Shining Blue Kingfisher, Blue Throated Roller and other rare species and also find the fruiting trees, which attract Narina Trogon, Pied Hornbill, Yellow Spotted, Hairy Breasted and Yellow-Billed Barbets. Spend the night at Rwenzori View Guesthouse, Toroo Resort or Ndali Lodge, a stunning location overlooking a dramatic Crater Lake and the fabled “Mountains of the Moon”. F/B.

Day 8: Kibale – Murchison Falls

This morning, we will go for the morning Chimp tracking in Kibale Forest then proceed to Murchison Falls National Park having lunch at Masindi Hotel arriving at Paraa Safari Lodge in the evening. This is a long drive as we travel north through the evergreen tea estates. Once we reach the Nile in the heart of the Park we will cross on the ferry to Paraa Safari Lodge. The drive from the ferry crossing might reveal Blue Napped Mouse birds, Silver bird, and Red Headed Agama.

Overnight at either Paraa Safari Lodge or Paraa Rest Camp. Paraa Lodge over looks the mighty Nile where Hippos wallow in the water. The lodge is located on the North bank, which is the closest location to the wildlife in the Park. F/B.

Day 9: Murchison Falls

After breakfast, you will go for an early evening drive on to the rolling plains where you can view Lions, Giraffe, Hartebeest, Buffalo and Elephant as well as many of the other mammals of the park. For the birders amongst you these areas support the Secretary Bird, Black Chested Snake Eagle, Tawny and Marshal Eagles Carmine and Swallow Tailed Bee-Eaters, to pick just a few. This is a beautiful drive across Borassus Palm Forest and grassland Savannah down to Lake Albert where the Albert Nile heads north to the Sudan.

In the afternoon, go for a boat trip to the foot of Murchison Falls where the Nile thunders through a small 7-meter gap, or down river to the delta where the Nile empties into Lake Albert. This is an experience not to be missed! The banks of the Nile are home to many species. You may see huge Nile Crocodiles, big Pods of Hippos and other wildlife that may come down to drink from the river. Overnight at either Paraa Safari Lodge or Paraa Rest Camp. F/B

Day 10: Murchison Falls

Early morning game drive to see other wildlife or take another boat trip down the river and then back to the lodge in time for lunch. In the evening, go out for another game drive returning to the lodge at dusk. Over night at either Paraa Safari Lodge, or Paraa Rest Camp. F/B

Day 11: Murchison Falls – Kampala – Jinja

Early game drive to the top of Murchison Falls where you can have a close look in to the gorge where the Nile squeezes in to a 7 meter gorge dropping 40 meters. The falls are spectacular and thunderous with a beautiful rainbow displayed on sunny days. Later proceed towards Kampala having lunch enroute arriving at Jinja Nile resort or King Fisher Resort in the evening.

Day 12: Jinja- Entebbe – out

This morning you will visit the spectacular Bujagali Falls and the Source of the Nile. In the afternoon, visit Ssezibwa Falls on the way to Kampala, which is a cultural heritage site, used by the Kabaka’s (Kings) for traditional healing. A Witch Doctor lives on the site and Ugandans from all over the country come and visit the site regularly. Transfer to Entebbe and later fly out depending on flight departure times.

Details: Quotation:
Low budget:


If there are 2 clients on safari, the cost per person for the whole safari would be US$ 2900

Please note that the single supplement charge per person for the whole trip is $ 240.
Please note that the above cost includes all accommodation, all meals apart from Kampala hotels which are B/B, a full time safari guide with his associated expenses, all ground transportation and airport transfers, all fuel, forest guides walks, day and night game drives where possible, 1 Gorilla Permit ($360), Chimp tracking, hire of a boat trip in Queen Elizabeth, bottled water, coffee or tea while on road, other activities while on safari and all applicable Government Taxes.

Excluded are : Alcohol, tips, air fare, any extras outside the outlined itinerary, personal insurance, personal services like laundry, phone calls etc.

Transportation:

Please note that clients will be traveling in 4wheel drive vehicles, with enough legroom, with well-experienced guides who can handle all the requirements of the discerning traveler