BWINDI GORILLA TREK- 9 DAYS GORILLA AND WILDLIFE GROUP TOUR

BWINDI GORILLA TREK

9DAYS GORILLA AND WILDLIFE GROUP TOUR

Day one: Arrivel for your gorilla trekking tour

We pick you up from Entebbe International Airport upon arrival, meet and greet with your guide who will advise you on changing some money as you need some local currency. He will help you carry your luggage to the vehicle and then drive for approximately 30 minutes to your accommodation at Central Inn Entebbe. This night is booked on bed and breakfast due arrival time. Should you arrive early, take an optional visit to Botanical Gardens, Uganda Wildlife Education Center or Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary located approximately 23 km in Lake Victoria. This Island is home to orphaned chimpanzee that have been rescued from animal traffickers and are un able go back to their natural habitats and are thus kept on this Island. You visit will help save these close cousins of ours. Overnight at Entebbe Central Inn on Bed and Breakfast.

Day Two: Kibale Forest National Park

Our journeys starts with an early breakfast at the guest house. We drive through Entebbe to Kampala, sometimes you might encounter traffic jam as this is rush rush hour. From Entebbe to Kampala, the journey takes you through suburbs of Uganda and you get to see the real lifestyle of Ugandans. After you have beaten this traffic jam, you will drive to western Uganda through Mityana, Masindi and some other several small towns to reach Fort Portal town. The journey is punctuated with great sightseeing, tea plantations, changes in vegetation, and rolling hills.

This drive is approximately 5-6 hours and you may take with you packed lunch or have it in Fortportal town. This night will be spent at Mountain of the Moon and all meals are included-Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day Three: Chimpanze Trekking and Wetland Walk

This day is for exploring one of the best places to view primates in Uganda. After breakfast, we will drive for approximately 30 km to Kibale Forest National Park headquarters in time for briefing. You will join other trekkers for briefing conducted by Uganda Wildlife Authority guide. He/she will take you through a session that will introduce you to types and species of birds, primates, insects, plants and other attractions in this forest that harbors over 1000 chimpanzees, and other 11 species of primates. He will also take you through the dos and don’ts while with chimpanzees. With your walking stick, you will start your walk to the forest and once you encounter chimpanzee, you will be allowed one hour of viewing and photography. Chimpanzees live in communities of about 150 individuals which then separate into parties during day. Each party is trekked by a maximum of 6 people.

After your chimpanzee tracking, we will go for a lunch break and then proceed to Bigodi wetland for a walk. All our itineraries emphasize walking and visiting community projects around protected areas. This walk not only enables you contribute to community development but it also enables you view several bird species and other primate species that you could have missed in Kibale forest Nationap Park. We will then drive back to mountains of the moon for Dinner and overnight. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included.

Day Four: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

We will have break at leisure and then drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This drive is punctuated with great site seeing as from Fort Port to Kasese, you enjoy great views of Mountain Rwenzori ranges all the way through. Chances of viewing the snow capes are slim but you will view the ranges. This drive takes you through small towns, farms located on the rift valley floor, crossing several rivers that originate from the melting snow on top of mountain Rwenzori. After Kasese, you drive past the Equator and then to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This distance of approximately 140 km is driven in 3-4 hours. As part of our community campaign, this day will be spent in Katwe where you will visit Katwe salt lake and mines to observe how the local communities are exploiting resources within the National Park for their survival.

This community visit is conducted by one of the resident community guide who explains how salt is mined how all proceeds are geared towards community development. Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the few conservation areas where wildlife and human beings are co-existing in harmony. We will then drive to Bush Lodge or Similar for Dinner and overnight as lunch will be served en route.

Day Five: Morning Game drive and evening boat cruise on Kazinga Channel

Queen Elizabeth National Park is the second largest conservation area after Murchison Falls National Park and thus a game drive to the grasslands of Kasenyi is rewarding. Depending on the luck of the day, you may have an opportunity to view cats hunting, buffaloes, elephants, hippos, among others. After your game drive, you will drive back to your lodge for breakfast and some relaxation. After lunch, you will drive to Mweya Peninsula which is the starting point for a two hour boat cruise on Kazinga Channel. Kazinga channel boat is the highlight of all activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park and boasts of over 600 species of birds and has the highest concentration of hippos in the whole world. An informative talk from your guide is truly rewarding. Photography of wildlife is excellent as chances of viewing wildlife on this channel is more higher compared to game drives in this part of the National Park. Drive back to Bush Lodge or similar for Dinner and overnight.

Day six: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

You may go for an optional chambura gorge walk this morning. Chimpanzee permits for Chambura are at USD50.00 per trek. We advice that this activity is organized on ground as this is a group tour. If there is no body interested in Chambura Gorge walk, then you will drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park a journey that takes approximately 4-5 hours drive. Enjoy your lunch en route or at the Silver Back Lodge. Spend the rest of the evening relaxing as you prepare for your gorilla trekking exercise the next day. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included.

Day Seven: Gorilla Trekking and community walk

Today is the time for the long awaited gorilla trekking exercise. After breakfast and with your packed lunch, you will walk to the park headquarters of Bwindi. Approximately 720 mountain gorillas are remaining on this planet earth and half of these are resident in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park while the rest are in the Virunga Ranges which are shared between Uganda, Rwanda and the Republic of Congo so conservation of these endangered primates species is a responsibility of all of us. The Uganda Wildlife Authority guide will brief you on how to behave while you are with the gorillas. After briefing, you will head to your trail head depending on the gorilla permit you will be holding to start your trek into the forest. Gorilla trekking can be strenuous and thus requires a certain degree of fitness for you to enjoy this dream activity in the jungles of Africa. Once you encounter these rare species, you will spend one hour with them and there after you will walk or drive back to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Time allowing and if you return early from gorilla trekking, you will go for the famous Buhoma Village walk that starts from Buhoma Community Rest Bandas.

This two hour walk takes you through the village of Buhoma where communitymembers are always glad to show case their way of Living, to take you to their medicinal man, banana and tea plantation and you will have a chance to visit the Batwa who once upon a time used to live in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest before it was gazatted as a National Park. They will dance for you and tell you their forest stories and how they used to survive in the forest. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight at Silver Back Lodge. All meals included

Day Eight: Transfer to lake Mburo National Park

After your breakfast, we drive through the hilly Kigezi region to Mbarara town for a lunch and then to Mburo National Park.

It is approximately 6-7 hours drive from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This small National Park is popularly known for having the only population of impalas in Uganda, and other wildlife which include Zebras, buffaloes, Uganda Kobs among others. We utilize Lake Mburo National Park not as a wildlife germ but as a stopover from the gorillas to break the long drive. You will enjoy an evening boat cruise on lake mburo which is a one of the very few down warped lakes in Uganda. You will then retire to Mantana Tented Camp for Dinner and overnight with all meals included.

Day Nine: Drive to Entebbe International Airport

After an en route morning game drive, we will drive back to Entebbe with stops at the Equator and then proceed to the Airport for check in depending on your flight out details. Breakfast and Lunch is included. The drive time is approximately 5-6 hours.

End of service

PRICE PER PERSON IN A GIVEN GROUP

PRICE PER PERSON IN A GROUP OF 2 PEOPLE USD2890.00

PRICE PER PERSON IN A GROUP OF 3 PEOPLE USD2520.00

PRICE PER PERSON IN A GROUP OF 4 PEOPLE USD2335.00

SINGLE ROOM SUPPLIMENT USD450.00

PRICE INCLUDES:

Airport pick up and transfer on arrival and departure, transport in a 4x4 vehicle, Services of an English Speaking driver guide, Park Entry fees to Kibale National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Lake Mburo National Park, Boat cruise on Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake Mburo National Park, Two Game drives in Queen Eliazbeth National Park, Bigodi wetland walk and Buhoma Village walk, Drinking water in the vehicle.

PRICE EXCLUDES:

Air Tickets, Drinks outside the vehicle, tips and any expenses of personal nature, gorilla permits for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park each at USD600.00 per person per trek, Chimpanzee permit at Kibale National Park each at USD150.00 per person and Chambura Chimp and Gorge walk at USD50.00 per person, visits to UWEC and Ngamba Island.