TOUR UG3: GORILLAS AND GAME - BWINDI, QUEEN ELIZABETH AND LAKE MBURO PARK (7 Days)
This safari starts and finishes in Entebbe. [The gorilla permit in Bwindi is included in the safari cost.] .
The tour takes you to see wildlife and birds in Queen Elizabeth National Park - elephant, lion, buffalo, hippo, leopard. Antelopes and birds are everywhere! Look out for the rare shoebill stork! Track chimpanzees in the nearby Kyambura Gorge. Visit Ishasha - an area with the highest concentration of wildlife in the park.
With luck, you may see a particular attraction of this area - the famous tree-climbing lions, which lounge nonchalantly in the upper branches of high trees! The magnificent Queen Elizabeth National Park, in the western arm of the Great East African Rift Valley, is centred around Lake Edward and Lake George. The two lakes are linked by the Kazinga channel, a waterway rich in wildlife and birds.
The Rwenzori Mountains act as a majestic backdrop to the park’s variety of habitats - tropical forest, green meadows, savannah, crater lakes and swamps. Continue further West to track one of the three habituated gorilla families in the dense, impenetrable forest of Bwindi, also rich in other primates, birds and butterflies. Return via Lake Mburo Park in Mbarara for unusual wildlife. This overnight stop is also necessary to break the long journey from Bwindi.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive at Entebbe International airport. Meet, greet and transfer to Imperial Resort Beach Hotel for overnight (BB).
Day 2: Drive on the southbound road; past captivating attractions en route: look at royal drum makers, brief stop at the Equator and be in both hemispheres at once, drive past the roadside markets aerated with fruit and vegetables. Continue to the Queen Elizabeth National Park, arriving very late in the afternoon, keeping an eye out for the game. [Approximate driving time: 6 hours] O/N: Mweya Safari Lodge/Jacana Lodge (FB).
Day 3: Visit Kyambura gorge to track chimpanzees, man’s closest relation. A boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel is a rewarding experience. Evening game drive. O/N: Mweya Safari Lodge/Jacana Lodge (FB).
Day 4: Today we go for an early morning game drive. Afterwards, start for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. We may drive via Ishasha, weather conditions permitting – where you may see tree-climbing lion - or drive through farmland to Buhoma. Time permitting; go for a guided nature walk in the forest to help you acclimatise. [Approximate driving time: 4 hours] O/N: Bwindi Tented Camp or Buhoma Homestead (FB).
Day 5: Go gorilla tracking (subject to availability of gorilla permits at time of booking), carrying a packed lunch. You will be accompanied by a guide and porters who will carry your shoulder pack for you. You will then set off to the thick forest in search of gorillas. The terrain can be difficult, with steep slopes covered in dense vegetation that gives the park its name. In addition, the altitude of 5200 feet and more means participants do need to be physically fit. The time taken to track the gorillas varies enormously, from as little as half an hour to as much as 8 hours before one returns to camp. Difficulty, however, is not impossibility and coming face to face with the great primates is well worth it! O/N: Bwindi Tented Camp or Buhoma Homestead (FB).
Day 6: Start for Mbarara, enjoying natural and other arresting attractions en route. Excursion to Lake Mburo National Park for some unusual game. [Approximate driving time: 6 hours] O/N: Mburo Tented Camp (FB).
Day 7: Drive to Kampala. Arrive in the City early afternoon and transfer to Entebbe airport for your flight (HB). [Approximate driving time: 4 hours].
Please take time to read our Gorilla Tracking etiquette document.
More Uganda Tours
For all categories of accommodation, ALL drinks (except bottled water) are excluded in the safari cost and clients are to pay for them direct to the hotels/Camps / Lodges. Clients could choose to fly out the following day in cases where there are no flights for their departure on the last day of the itinerary. A supplement for the extra night will be required.
Flights
Merit Safaris will advise the most appropriate airlines to use to fly to Uganda. We could book your flights; alternatively you can contact your tour operator or travel agent.
Safaris start and end either in either Entebbe or Kampala in Uganda; or Kigali in Rwanda.
For those who wish, a visit for an extra three days by air, to the Karamojong nomadic farmers/cattle rustlers in the North, can be arranged. Please contact us for details.
Unless otherwise stated, prices quoted include a safari car for the itinerary stated, accommodation on a shared basis and meals (in Kampala/Kigali bed and breakfast only and on safari full board), 1 boat/launch trip, park fees, chimpanzee permits and one gorilla permit.
Prices do not include airfares to Uganda/Rwanda, entry visas and airport taxes, all personal expenditure such as tips, telephone calls, laundry and drinks. For single rooms, the supplement (SRS) has to be paid. Fees for mountain climbing, fishing and other specialist activities will attract an extra charge where not stated.
Prices are quoted in US Dollars. At the time of booking, clients should confirm with us the prevailing exchange rates for Pounds and Euros, if they wish to pay in those currencies. At the time of booking, the client(s) will need to pay for all gorilla permits needed in full otherwise a deposit equivalent to 20% of the cost of a safari paid, whichever is higher.
Key to Itineraries:
| O/N: |
Overnight |
| FB |
Accommodation on Full Board basis. All meals (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner) are included in the safari cost. |
| HB |
Accommodation on Half Board basis. One meal (either lunch or dinner) as well as breakfast are included in the safari cost. |
| BB |
Accommodation on Bed & Breakfast basis. Only breakfast is included in the safari cost at the stated property. |
| B |
Accommodation on Bed Only basis. All meals at the stated property are not included in the safari cost. To be paid for directly by the client. |
