Uganda Women’s
Mountain Gorillas
& Chimpanzees

The early morning adventure begins at the shores of Lake Victoria. In a simple wooden motorized boat, we will cruise across the vast expanse of a tiny portion of Africa’s largest lake to Mabamba Swamp.

Mabamba Swamp is a large tract of marshlands with various channels through it, and it provides the perfect habitat for 260 bird species including shoebill storks. Stork-like, but related to pelicans, you don’t have to be a “birder” to be impressed with seeing a shoebill. These prehistoric looking birds stand over 3ft tall! There are only 5000-8000 individuals remaining in Uganda and the surrounding countries. From this day forward, you will be the envy of every hardcore birder you meet if you tell them you saw a shoebill.

Afternoon activities include a visit to the botanical garden and markets.

Overnight: Papyrus Guest House | Meals: BLD

We start driving northwest to Murchison Falls National Park with a visit to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary (approximately 3 hours drive). The drive takes us through the famous Luwero triangle to the sanctuary in Nakasongola which is a privately-owned white rhino breeding sanctuary. The sanctuary is home to the last rhinos in Uganda with a mission of restoring them in Uganda’s protected areas once the population reaches over 50 breeding individuals.

Led by a ranger, you will trek on foot within the sanctuary to see white rhinos in their natural habitat. When you spot the rhinos, your ranger will teach about the individuals you are observing while you take in the fact that you are standing in the company of wild rhinos.

After a hot lunch at the sanctuary, we will head toward Murchison Falls National Park. The duration of the drive is approximately 3 hours to the banks of the Nile River.

Overnight: Pakuba Safari Lodge | Meals: BLD

Today we our first game drive of the adventure. Named for the falls where the Victoria Nile surges through a narrow gap and cascades over a massive 141 feet drop, Murchison Falls is a small national park with big diversity of animals. In one photo, you could have 3 species of the big 5! It will be your favorite game drive of the trip!

In the afternoon, a boat cruise to the bottom of the falls will reward you with eye-level viewing of hippos bathing in the Nile. You will see a variety of natural behaviors and hear them grunt, splash and snort as they hang out in hippo schools along the shoreline. Lurking close by are Nile crocodiles hunting for unsuspecting wading birds and other wildlife that come to the water to cool off in the midday heat.

Participants who want a challenge can hike to the top of the falls on an established trail.

Overnight: Pakuba Safari Lodge | Meals: BLD

Today will be broken up into a morning and afternoon game drive. There is so much to see here! Murchison has 76 mammal species including African elephants, Cape buffalo, and Rothschild’s giraffe. Other game includes African antelopes like the leaf-eared Oribi, Jackson’s hartebeest, water and bushbuck, the beautiful Uganda kob, Bohor reedbuck, and common duiker.

The park is home to 450 species of birds like: Northern carmine, swallow tail and little bee-eater, Abyssinian ground hornbill, Denham’s and black bellied bustard, large eagles like the bateleur, martial, brown and banded snake among others and large flocks of vultures.

Overnight: Ishasha Jungle Lodge | Meals:BLD

In the morning, we will check out of the lodge, and transfer to Kibale Forest National Park.

The drive is long, 8 hours with stops, but interesting as you pass through small towns, green plantations and traditional homesteads.

Overnight: Chimpanzee View Guesthouse | Meals: BLD

Early morning, we assemble at the park headquarters for the briefing before a ranger leads you into the magnificent forest. The Kibale Forest is a tropical forest where all human disturbances fade away and it’s just you and the sounds of nature. The ranger will locate the chimps by listening to their pant-hooting calls, looking for the fresh nests where they spent the previous night, and the direction of their fresh knuckle imprints in the mud while leaving their nests.

The other primates expected on the walk included the red colobus, black and white colobus and the red-tailed, Blue, L’hoest’s monkey and the Grey-cheeked mangabey.

In the afternoon enjoy a guided nature walk through the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary and visit the women’s crafts project KAFRED.

Overnight: Chimpanzee View Guesthouse | Meals: BLD

After a leisurely breakfast, we then start our drive further south of Uganda towards the Impenetrable Bwindi Forest National Park. Driving duration is 6 hours today including a game drive in Ishasha National Park.

Ishasha, is a remote and beautiful part of Africa, with wonderful scenery. As it is always said, remote destinations still harbor the best wildlife! Proof of this is Queen Elizabeth National Park Ishasha Sector, the second largest in Uganda. It is host to wildlife among which on lucky days your guide will spot tree climbing lions in figs, acacia or Albizia trees! Nowhere in Africa do you stand a better chance of seeing this than in this Ishasha sector.

Packed lunch on route.

Late afternoon, check in at our lodge. For those who wish, we can offer a late game drive which will produce close encounters of more wildlife in this section of the park.

Overnight: Ishasha Jungle Lodge | Meals: BLD

After breakfast, we start with a game drive which will give us more chances of seeing the tree climbing lions and bigger opportunities of seeing the leopard this morning before setting off to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

On the drive we will find game coupled with stopovers to look out for interesting savannah birds; These may include Black lored and Arrow-marked babbler, Ovambo sparrow hawk, African cuckoo hawk, stout, wing snapping, zitting, and trilling cisticolas, Violet-backed starling, brown and banded snake eagle, Holub’s golden weaver, lesser and greater honeyguide, grassland and plain backed pipit, fork-tailed drongo, Blue-naped mousebird and many more. After this, we shall continue and drive to Bwindi.

After this, we shall continue and drive to Bwindi.

Overnight: Bakiga Lodge | Meals: BLD

This will be a day to remember! Like chimp trekking, a ranger will provide a safety and orientation briefing before the group is assigned a troop to visit. The ranger and scouts will lead groups of visitors with porters into the forest in search of habituated mountain gorillas.

Habituated troops are used to people observing and are less likely to become territorial when approached. When sighted, your expected to stay 21 feet from the gorillas, however, many times, gorillas have moved close to their human observers, and even touched them. Time spent observing the troop is limited to 1 hour. It is a phenomenal experience to watch wild mountain gorillas as they forage and care for their young, and as the babies trundle down the hills and in the grasses for fun!!

Packed lunch on the trail.

Evening, return to the hotel for relaxation, depending on how you feel, an evening community walk is always rewarding to learn how the people living near the gorillas go about their daily lives.

Overnight: Bakiga Lodge | Meals: BLD

After morning breakfast, we head northwest to Lake Mburo National Park (approximately 5 hours). Packed lunch on route.

Via a boat cruise, we will have more opportunities for wildlife viewing and photography including schools of hippos, crocodiles, different bird species and large mammals like the Cape buffaloes, zebras, topi, impala, water and bushbuck, Oribi and the giant Eland, among others. If we are lucky, this is a good spot for the leopard and hyenas.

After dark, there will be time for a late drive in search of some nocturnal species.

Overnight: Rwakobo Rock Lodge | Meals: BLD

Early morning game drive as we depart Lake Mburo National Park, we may spot some zebra, buffaloes, impalas and many others in the open acacia woods. Continue to Kampala with a stopover at the equator and the royal drum makers in Mpigi time allowing.

Packed lunch en route

Meals: BL

Airport drop off approximately 12:30pm for 4:30pm departures.