GORILLA SAFARI UGANDA

After breakfast, you will set off for western Uganda through Mbarara, the home of the long horned Ankole cattle, you will have lunch en route. Drive through Kabale, on both sealed and dirt roads, winding up and down high-forested hills and deep-farmed valleys the area often described as the "Switzerland of East Africa" to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home of the Mountain Gorillas.

Overnight Gorilla Forest. Camp / Mantana Tented Camp

This morning after your breakfast, you will drive to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Kisoro district. This small national Park protects the Ugandan portion of the Virungas, a chain of six extinct and three active sporadically active Volcanoes, which follows the borders with Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is estimated that 300 of the rare mountain gorillas live in the Virungas. This afternoon take a forest walk. The park supports a diverse forest and moorland fauna, notably the localized golden monkey and at least 12 bird species endemic to the Albertine Rift. Also small populations of Elephant, buffalo and black and white colobus monkeys can be sighted here.

Overnight Mgahinga tented camp

This morning you wake up early, breakfast and then head for the park headquarters for a briefing from the park warden on your hike. Experienced guides will accompany you on the hike. The spectacular setting at the base of the volcanoes, the tallest of which reaches an elevation of 4,507 m is among the most stirring in East Africa. Sighting of the gorillas here is dependent on the seasonal movement of the habituated group. After the trek, you will return to the lodge for lunch and refreshment and then pack your bags for Rwanda for the last of the gorilla treks. Drive to the border, clear with immigration and then cross into Rwanda driving through the rolling hills and greenery onto Gorilla nest lodge, your home for the next two days.

Overnight Gorilla nest lodge

Typically, after an early breakfast, you'll hike to the areas where the gorillas were last spotted. If necessary, your guides will find where the troupe spent the night and track them from there. Once they are located you can spend up to an hour sitting quietly nearby as they go about their foraging. It is estimated that there are about 170 gorillas in the park. They are very sociable animals, living in groups of three to thirty.

Being sedentary, they are continually looking for food in a living space that is comparatively restricted. They are active only during the daytime and build nests in which they pass the night. The trek to find gorillas can be quite short, but on most days an hour, two or more of rough hiking is necessary. The climb begins through the lush terraced farmland of the lower volcanic slopes. As the slopes become steeper and more rocky, the vegetation becomes thick and tangled, the guides must use their machetes to help clear a path. Huge trees, clinging vines and undergrowth add to the challenge of swift streams and slippery red mud underfoot. Usually at around 800 feet signs of the huge animals become apparent. Damage to the bamboo trees is an obvious sign as the gorillas relish the young tender shoots and break older stems to suck the sap. The smell of gorilla may waft by in a stray breeze. It is strong and unmistakable. Sounds, which can be remarkably loud crashes or dull reverberating growls of contentment, tell the visitor that the troop is nearby. The troop usually consists of a dominant male and up to five or more females and their young. Enormous only begins to describe the impressiveness of a mature male mountain gorilla: a typical size is just under six feet tall and up to 425 pounds. Despite their powerful size and strength, gorillas rarely resort to actual violence in the defense of the group. Instead, highly ritualized behavior has been developed, such as chest beating; mock charging, roaring, howling and tearing up nearby bush to scare off rivals or enemies. Their incongruously shy nature puts them at great disadvantage at surviving human encroachment and the demand for 'bush meat'.

Although the gorillas are your main interest, during your stay, you can expect to have opportunities to see and photograph other primates as well as an impressive number of bird species. Your accommodations in Kinigi are at the Gorilla Nest Lodge. This simple yet comfortable lodge is nestled on a five-acre compound of tall eucalyptus trees in a lovely rural setting and ideally situated next to the park headquarters. Each double room has en suite flush toilet and hot showers. All rooms look outwards into the eucalyptus forest and pyrethrum farms. Nearby is a traditional Rwandese homestead for visitors to view in the afternoon. (NB: we do not guarantee seeing gorillas)

Overnight Gorilla Nest Lodge

Early morning breakfast, game drive on your way out, pass through the town of Masaka near the shores of Lake Victoria, then continue through huge papyrus swamps, fragmented rainforest, with a stop at the equator and Mpigi Royal drum makers and witness how drums have been made in Uganda for centuries. Long before the coming of the Europeans, the Buganda people had a highly structured society and drums were used extensively for long distance and rapid communications. Kampala shopping then drive to Entebbe for your departure flight. (Your flight should be late in the afternoon or in the evening, otherwise another night can be arranged for you in Entebbe)

By no means are you restricted to this itinerary. If you want a certain itinerary, we shall design it for you.

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