Uganda and Rwanda Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Game & Landscapes

After breakfast, you will be transferred a short distance to Nteko village, the start point of an amazing walk through Bwindi forest to the Buhoma sector of the national park. En-route to Nteko, pass breathtaking vistas of the hills, valleys, mountains, villages, and the plains in Democratic Republic of Congo and the North Kivu region. Set to become one of the most popular walks on offer in Uganda, the 5hr ‘Ivi Trail’ gives guests the chance to encounter various forest-dwelling species of monkey and wonderful birdlife. Take in stunning mountain and canopy views as you descend steeply, crossing the Ivy River into the rainforest. Aside from being a lovely walk through the forest, this route is a crucial in that it links local villages to the westernmost part of the country. Upon arrival in the Buhoma sector of Bwindi, you are met by your private professional English-speaking driver-guide and private 4WD vehicle and transferred north to Queen Elizabeth National Park (an approx. 5hr scenic drive). During this drive, landscapes change from lush green, fertile and mountainous terrain to hot, dry, and flat savannah country. Finally, you check-in to Kasenyi Safari Camp where you stay for 2-Nights in an en-suite tent on a Full-Board Basis.

This morning, you enjoy a game drive in search of the resident lions, elephants, buffalo, hippos, warthogs, crocodiles, and a whole range of antelope. In the afternoon, you enjoy an exciting boat trip on the Kazinga Channel, a channel connecting Lakes Edward and George. The Kazinga Channel is home to one of the greatest concentration of Hippo in Africa and herds of Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Defassa Waterbuck, Bushbuck, Ugandan Kob, Warthog, and other animals come to drink at the waters edge. The channel is also a magnet for the huge Nile Crocodile, as well as waterbirds, with great flocks of Pelicans and others birds on the shore, and a great spot to see African fish eagle.

This morning, you enjoy another morning game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park in search of the resident lions, elephants, buffalo, hippos, warthogs, and antelope. By the afternoon, you are transferred to Kibale Forest National Park, one of the best places to track Chimpanzees on the continent (an approx. 3hr scenic drive). Along the way, you get the chance to enjoy panoramic views of the Rwenjuba and the Ndicho Crater Lakes. Check into Primate Lodge Kibale where you stay for 2-Nights in 1x Double Room on a Full-Board Basis. The lodge has a superb location in this Equatorial Afro-tropical forest, above all known for its many species of primates including the Red-tailed monkey (pictured).

This morning, you venture out on a Chimpanzee trek in Kibale Forest National Park. Once with the fully habituated Chimpanzees, you stay with them for a max. of 1hr. Look out for various species of monkeys, and a wealth of birdlife. Make an afternoon visit to the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, where people enjoy the boardwalk trail for birds, monkeys (notably Red colobus) and butterflies. It is managed by Kibale Association for Rural and Environmental Development (KAFRED), a community based environmental organization formed in 1992 with the aim of achieving social and economic development for local communities. With the generated income KAFRED has been able to maintain the tourism infrastructure and support community projects.

After a relaxing breakfast, you are transferred north to the wonderful Murchison Falls National Park (an approx. 8-9hr drive). You'll venture onto narrow village roads passing cotton fields and cassava plantations as you reach Murchison River Lodge OR Fort Murchison where you will stay for 2-Nights in 1x Double Room on a Full-Board Basis.

This morning, you venture into the northern section of the park where most of the larger mammals inhabit, animals such as Elephants, Giraffes, Hippos, Lions, etc. You have a full day to enjoy a morning game drive and an afternoon river cruise in search of the animals and birds that live in the many different habitats that make up this stunning national park. You have the chance to explore the entire national park, especially the Lake Albert delta area, where you search for the many predator species such as Lions and Leopards, and other popular mammals such as Giraffes (Murchison being one of the very few places in Uganda to spot Giraffes in the wild), Elephants, Cape Buffaloes, Hippos, Warthogs, Defassa Waterbuck, Bushbuck, Jacksons Hartebeest, Uganda Kob, etc. This afternoon, you enjoy a boat trip on the River Nile giving you the opportunity to explore the park from a different perspective. Stirring upstream towards the falls, you search for the animals and birds that inhabit this lush riverine area. You might encounter large schools of Hippos in their hundreds and huge Nile Crocodiles, some of the largest in Africa, basking along the riverbanks. Elephant are frequently observed playing in the water, often within a few metres of the boat. Defassa Waterbuck, Warthog, Bushbuck, and Cape Buffalo frequent this area. Troops of Olive baboons and Black and White Colobus monkeys can make an appearance from the riverine forest. In sight of the falls, you have the opportunity to depart the boat at the base of the falls to begin a hike to the top of the falls (an approx. 1½hr hike). This is a breath-taking natural spectacle. The Victoria Nile plunges and explodes through a narrow ravine in the escarpment creating a deafening roar, a revitalising mist and an almost permanent rainbow. It is the most powerful single concentration of water in the world (300 cubic meters per second). The walk takes you along a footpath that offers spectacular face-on views not only of Murchison Falls, but also of another large waterfall rarely spoken about.

After a relaxing breakfast, you are transferred to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, established in 1997 by the Rhino Fund to reintroduce Rhinoceros to Uganda. Its long-term aim is to build a sustainable White rhino population and relocate rhinos back to their original habitat in Uganda’s protected areas (an approx. 4hr drive, depending on road & traffic conditions). Before the 1980’s hundreds of black and white rhinos inhabited Uganda’s national parks and wildlife reserves (black rhinos roamed wild in Murchison Falls and Kidepo Valley national parks, while white rhinos were resident in Ajai Wildlife Reserve and later relocated to the more secure Murchison Falls National Park). Despite being poached to local extinction, rhinos can now be found at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, which contains Combretum savanna habitat. Ziwa is now home to a healthy population of Southern white rhino, which have been breeding successfully there. (Pictured, with one of their 'guardians'). You spend a number of hours tracking the rhinos in the company of a ranger-guide. All of the Rhinos have a GPS transmitter implanted to monitor their movements. As the rhinos spend most of their day rolling around and wallowing in the mudded swamps the final part of the pursuit is done by foot. Other wildlife in the sanctuary includes Bushbuck, Reedbuck, Duiker, Kob, Oribi, Hippopotamus, Crocodile, Leopard, Bushpig and Vervet Monkeys as well as a variety of bird life including the magnificent Shoebill Stork. After a couple of interesting hours, you leave Ziwa and are transferred to Entebbe. (Drive time is about 5 hours) Here, you are either taken to the airport if your flight to the UK is in the evening, or, you stay overnight in Papyrus Guest House with breakfast included.

Today you arrive back into London Heathrow (or selected other UK airports) after a wonderful holiday!.