Ultimate Uganda: Primate Quest and Classic Safari

In flight

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport where you will be met by our representative and transferred to our lodge in Entebbe. Entebbe is a small, quiet town located on the shores of Lake Victoria and is easy to explore on foot or local transport known as "boda bodas"(motorbikes) or local taxis. Visit local markets and the Botanical Gardens on Lake Victoria where you can walk among beautiful trees, watch monkeys moving through the canopy above, and spot many indigenous bird species. Entebbe has a wide variety of restaurants serving many different cuisines as well as several bars and clubs where you can sample the local beer, catch a game of football and chat with the local Ugandans, known for their open and friendly nature. This evening we have an orientation by our guide and a welcome dinner.

After breakfast, transfer to the Entebbe domestic airport for your scheduled flight to Kihihi airstrip, near Bwindi/Queen Elizabeth National parks. Please
note baggage allowance is 30 lbs per person. The flight takes just over an hour (depending on the plane used) and upon arrival you will be met by a representative and driven to Buhoma Lodge, located at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Accommodations on full
board basis, 3 multiple course meals per day, all hot beverages, bar snacks and house/local drinks as well as one complimentary massager per stay.
The drive to the lodge is through local villages and mountain roads - lovely scenery and very interesting en route! Bwindi National Park, located in south western Uganda on the edge of the Great Rift Valley, is considered the most diverse forest in
Uganda. Home to over 120 mammals, 345 species of birds, 200 species of butterflies, and 160 species of trees, Bwindi is one of the richest ecosystems in East Africa. The park contains almost one half of the world's population of the endangered Mountain Gorilla, making it an extremely valuable conservation site. Bwindi is also home to several endangered bird species with very limited ranges, and acts as an important catchment area for many rivers, supplying water for agriculture in the surrounding
region. Our group will have the opportunity for two days of gorilla tracking, one day is included in the program costs and the second day is optional, at additional cost of $800 per person in advance. Spacious 4x4 vehicles are custom-built with focus on
comfort, space and
360 degree game viewing visibility. They vehicles have large windows and each passenger has a window seat. Each vehicle is specially equipped with inverters for charging cameras and cellphone batteries.

Following breakfast at the lodge, you will walk down to Bwindi National Park Headquarters to meet your guides for the day and begin your gorilla tracking experience. Only 8 guests may trek one gorilla family at a time. Only one trek per day, per gorilla family, is permitted. Guests are divided at the pre-trek briefing into suitable groups for trekking each family of gorillas. Experienced guides and trackers will accompany your party on an early morning trek into the dense rain forest on the mountain slopes. The journey, through dense foliage and up steep climbs, is abundantly rewarded with the lifetime experience of viewing mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. You will have an opportunity to be within meters of these magnificent apes, sharing in their daily lives and experiencing their day-to-day activities. Mountain gorillas are extremely rare with only an estimated 880 remaining in the wild. This is an experience you won't soon forget! Following the trek, return to your accommodation and have time to relax and savor your experience. Please note: tracking may be fairly strenuous with treks up to six hours, at high altitudes, not uncommon. Also, mountain gorillas are wild animals and, as such, sightings cannot be guaranteed. However viewing success rates are over 98%.

Today, those who have pre-purchased the option, second gorilla trekking permits will depart for a second gorilla tracking experience following breakfast at the lodge. For those not tracking gorillas, we will embark on a community walk through the local villages surrounding Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Activities may include visits to a traditional home, local orphanage or school, banana brewing demonstrations and even meeting traditional medicinal healers. After lunch, we will walk through tropical rainforest with experienced wildlife guides. Enjoy scenic views, the sights and sounds of the rain forest, ample opportunities for bird watching and glimpses of the many monkey species living in the park as they move through the forest canopy.

This morning we depart Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and travel (2-3 hours) to Ishasha in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Time permitting, during our drive from Bwindi to Ishasha, we may visit a Community Project on the border of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Meet Agartha, a local craftswoman, tailor and organic subsistence farmer who welcomes you into her homestead and shares with you how the women of the Bakiga tribe prepare their local food. During the visit, Agartha weaves in stories of life as a Bakiga wife whilst encouraging you to taste what you have prepared together. Continue to Ishasha Wilderness Camp, situated inside the southern Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park on the Ntungwe River. This exclusive camp offers quality accommodation and services in this unspoiled remote sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, famous for its tree climbing lions that can sometimes be spotted resting in the branches of the large fig trees in the area. Each of the ten spacious framed canvas rooms, situated in the wooded area beside the river, is comfortably furnished and each has its own private en-suite bathroom and dressing area providing running water, hot water "bush" showers and an eco-friendly flush toilet. Accommodations are on full board basis with 3 multiple course meals per day, all hot beverages, bar snacks, and house/local drinks. This afternoon game drive in search of heard of buffalo, elephant, Uganda Kob and of course tree climbing lions. This evening enjoy a late afternoon sundowner alongside the Ntungwe River.

This morning, we will transfer to the Northern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park with game viewing en route. Elephant Plains Lodge is perched atop the stunning western escarpment of the Albertine Rift and offers breathtaking views stretching over open grasslands to Lake George. After lunch, enjoy a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel which connects Lake George to Lake Edward within the Queen Elizabeth National Park. Along the banks of this waterway it is possible to spot hippos, buffaloes, caimans, elephants, and numerous water birds. Lake George is a RAMSAR site (394); its wetlands are important wintering grounds for migrating water birds as well as a number of native species. Pre-dinner lecture: An Introduction to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Accommodations of full board basis with non-alcoholic beverage included at meals.

Today we spend the day enjoying morning and afternoon game drives in the Mweya area of Queen Elizabeth National Park, also rich with wildlife, visitors will find vast numbers of Uganda's unique and strange Euphorbia, or "candelabra" tree. The many nearby crater lakes and mountain ranges provide a beautiful backdrop for your journey.
*Optional Kyambura Gorge Chimpanzee Trekking today $125.00 - must be booked in advance.

After breakfast we leave Queen Elizabeth National Park for Kibale, a drive of approximately 4 hours. We have lunch en route and arrive at Primate Lodge, situated in the heart of Kibale Forest National Park, a magical tropical rainforest that is home to 13 different species of primates, including the chimpanzee. Moreover, with more than 325 species of birds, this protected area is a birdwatcher's paradise! Accommodations are safari tents are raised on wooden platforms and covered by grass-thatched roofs, and en suite bathrooms. Accommodation on a full board basis, and 1mineral water is included with every meal. This afternoon we visit a local tea plantation to learn how this important export is grown, harvested, and processed. Pre-dinner lecture: Chimpanzee Ecology and Behavior. After dinner, we have a walk to search for nocturnal wildlife. Be on the look-out for nightjars, pottos, bush babies, and tree hyrax.

Today's highlight is the chimpanzee trek in the forest. The trek is expected to take a full morning. Sighting chimpanzees is not guaranteed, but in general the efforts pay off and visitors are delighted to watch these amazing animals in their natural habitat. Kibale is an extensive National Park, protecting a large block of rainforest that offers some excellent forest for bird watching. It harbors the greatest variety and concentration of primates found anywhere in East Africa. The most accessible of Uganda's major rainforests, Kibale is home to a remarkable 13 primate species, including the very localized red colobus and L'Hoest's monkey. Kibale's major attraction, however, is the opportunity to track habituated chimps - these delightful apes are more closely related to humans than to any other living creature. This is one of the best-studied forests in Africa, and has been the site of several long-term primate projects. This afternoon, spend time hiking in Kibale Forest with a focus on endemic plants or head out for an optional Bigodi Swamp Walk. Considered one of Uganda's best bird watching locations. Bigodi's rich ecosystem makes it a spectacular venue for viewing numerous primate and bird species in their natural habitat. This two to three hour walk can be tailored to your individual schedule and interests.

Depart after an early breakfast for the drive back to Entebbe, stopping for curio shopping on the roadside and a quick photo stop at the Equator. Arriving back in Entebbe, late afternoon. We have the afternoon at leisure to explore Entebbe or rest up at our hotel day room before the flight home later this evening. Our program concludes with a group transfer to the international airport this evening.

Arrival back in U.S.