Gorilla Trekking and African Safari

Day 3: After an early buffet breakfast at the lodge, we will cross the Nile River to explore the north side of Murchison Falls National Park; an incredibly wildlife rich savanna filled with herds of Uganda cob, oribis, waterbucks, hartebeest, cape buffalo, giraffe, and elephants. Murchison is the jewel of central Africa.

Although it will be tempting to stop and photograph the large herds, intitially, we will head deeper into the park to look for predators as they return from their nocturnal hunts. After the predators bed down, we’ll seek out the best encounters with elephants and other grazing animals.

After enjoying a pack lunch under a shady acacia tree, we will spend the afternoon exploring different section of this enormous park, seeking out herds of giraffes and unique primates such as troops of lanky Patas Monkeys; remember, this is officially a primate safari! Because Patas monkeys live where there are few trees to escape predators, they have extremely long legs and can run at 50km per hour!

We will retire to the lodge for a delicious buffet dinner but the day is far from over! Once darkness falls, we will drive back into the park to watch the nocturnal hunt. We typically see lions, leopards, or hyenas, as well as many smaller nocturnal predators such as jackals, civets, genets and mongooses.

Day 4: After breakfast we will load the safari trucks and head southwest to Kibale National Park – the primate capital of Africa. Along the way, the terrain is varied, starting in the dusty lowlands, then winding up into the foothills through tea plantations, and eventually into the heart of Kibale Forest.
Kibale boasts an incredible 13 species of primates including chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, beautiful redtail monkeys, mangabeys, and tiny, big-eyed, nocturnal galagos and pottos.

After dinner at the lodge, we will venture into the forest at night with an expert local guide to look for nocturnal primates. There are three types of Galago Monkeys that we may encounter and the sloth-like East African Potto. You might also spot genets and other small nocturnal predators looking for their breakfast.

Day 5: Today we will trek into the heart of Kibale Forest to spend time with a family of chimpanzees. Staring into the eyes of our closest living relative is an extraordinary experience. Sometimes the many families of chimps come together to form a super-troop with more than 100 animals in one area.  Watching their behavior is fascinating.

While you’re trekking through Kibale forest to meet the chimpanzees, look out for other primates, exotic bird species, and countless moths and butterflies, and keep a wary eye out for forest elephants.
After dinner back at the lodge, we will return to the forest after dark to search for more nocturnal primates.

Day 6: This morning we will take you on a walk around the edge of Kibale National Park. This region of the forest is home to more monkeys than anywhere else in Africa. The species we commonly encounter include redtail monkeys, vervet monkeys, Guereza colobus monkeys, L’Hoests monkeys, Ashy red colobus monkeys, and Ugandan crested mangabays. The last two are only found in Kibale.

Keep an eye out for chameleons and other lizards. The bird life is also exceptional with common sightings of great blue turacos and Ugandan crested cranes.

After lunch, we will move on to Queen Elizabeth National Park and settle in at the luxurious Park View Lodge. In the late afternoon we’ll head out for a game drive to look for lions before returning to the lodge for dinner.
The lodge’s rooftop bar is a great spot to relax and watch the sun sink over the Acacia trees in the park below.

Day 7: After a quick breakfast, we will go on an early morning game drive  to look for predators at the north end of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Expect enormous herds of Uganda Cob, Bush Elephants, Waterbucks, and Cape Buffalo. Commonly seen Predators include lions, leopards, and hyenas.

A true highlight in this park is a riverboat safari along the Kazinga Channel with rafts of hippos, wallowing buffalos, bathing elephants, Nile crocodiles, and so much more. The amazing abundance of African megafauna crowding the banks of the Kazinga Channel is stunning!

Day 8: Queen Elizabeth National Park is enormous. Today we will travel south through the park; stopping to photograph elephants, antelopes, and a variety of raptors along the way. When we travel through forested regions of the park, watch out for large troops of olive baboons and family groups of tantalus monkeys.

At lunch time, we’ll stop for a pack lunch at the south end of the park and then work our way into the foothills of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest; home to Africa’s largest population of eastern Gorillas.
If we arrive early enough, we will take a walk in the lower forest to look for monkeys. It is possible to see a number of primate species but this is our best spot for seeing Blue Monkeys; a type of Gentle Monkey that is endemic to Bwindi.

Day 9: Gorillas on Bwindi Impenetrable Forest! Today you will trek deep into Bwindi to spend time with a family of wild Mountain Gorillas. To give the gorillas time to live out their peaceful lives away from humanity, only our small group will be allowed to visit the troop this day.

To reach the gorillas, we will trek to the top of the jungle plateau where the gorillas forage for vegetation each day.
If you prefer to shoulder your pack that’s fine, but we recommend you utilize local porters:

• Gear Support: For a small fee, porters are available to carry your cameras and daypack, and to provide balance and “pulls” on slippery sections.
• Full Mobility Support: If walking is not an option, a team of porters can carry you in a comfortable mounted chair to the top of the plateau.

Hiring local help is a “win-win”—you enjoy a safer, easier trek, and the porters earn a fair wage that supports their village. It is one of the most direct ways your visit helps the people who live alongside these magnificent apes.

The gorillas often come much closer than you may expect.  Some may even reach out and touch or simply brush past you as they move from one feeding spot to the next. You will receive a thorough briefing on how to safely enjoy the encounter. Watching gorilla infants playing with each other is especially rewarding.

You will have plenty of time to take hundreds of photographs during your visit, but remember to lower your camera and enjoy this very special moment. After an hour of quality time with the gorillas we will leave them in peace, and head back down the mountain, arriving back at the lodge in time to freshen up before a delicious final dinner.

Day 10: Today we will drive north back to Entebbe. To break up the journey, we will make a few stops on route! Around  mid-morning, we will stop to photograph a huge colony of flying foxes.

At lunch time, we will stop for a picnic on the outskirts of Lake Mbaru National Park where we often see zebras and gazelles foraging in the bush.

Later in the afternoon we’ll stop for a group photo at the equator; kind of a touristy way to finish the trip but still fun 🙂

We aim to be back in Entebbe by early evening, but we recommend you don’t fly out until the following day in case of delays on route; this is Africa!

We will bring you back to Entebbe with great memories from the Pearl of Africa!