Gorilla & Chimp safari in Uganda
| country: | Uganda |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | 2010: 26 Jun, 10 Jul, 24 Jul, 7 Aug, 21 Aug, 4 Sep, 18 Sep, 2 Oct, 25 Dec 2011: 22 Jan, 5 Feb, 2 Jul, 16 Jul, 30 Jul, 13 Aug, 27 Aug |
| price: | From £1895 - £2450 (10 days) including flights from the UK, from £1360 - £1505 excluding flights. Optional single supplement £360 |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Uganda is without doubt one of Africa's most beautiful and friendliest nations. It is also home to a high concentration of jungle-dwelling primates. Bwindi National Park is home to approximately half of the world's 660 or so surviving mountain gorillas, and is one of the few places in Africa where you can track these rare and magnificent creatures.
Our main objective on this short but action-packed trip is to view a gorilla family in their natural rainforest habitat. We'll also search for chimps in the dramatic Chambura Gorge and watch big game and birds on the savannah plains below the lofty 'Mountains of the Moon' in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
There's also an opportunity to raft some of Africa's best rapids on the White Nile.
This wonderful journey for wildlife enthusiasts is based on a variety of comfortable accommodation – a mid-range hotel in Kampala and the superb Mweya Lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, whilst we stay in a permanent tented camp at Bwindi N. Park. Transport is by one or two small 4WD safari vehicles, keeping our group size small and flexible.
From Kampala, Uganda's colourful capital, we drive south, crossing the Equator, on our journey to the Impenetrable Forest. The dense terrain provides an ideal habitat for around half of the 600 Mountain Gorillas surviving in the world today. These rare primates can be observed at quite close quarters from our comfortable base camp at Bwindi. Accompanied by an expert guide, we'll search for these magnificent giants on foot. They are gentle mannered vegetarians and are very tolerant unless provoked. Reaching them in the dense undergrowth can be quite a challenge, but as the gorillas are carefully monitored, the chances of sightings are normally over 90%. A face to face encounter with these incredible creatures is one of the world's greatest wildlife experiences.
Next we head for the scenic splendour of the Queen Elizabeth II N. Park. The vast savannah plains provide a welcome breather from the imposing rainforests of Bwindi and a home to a whole range of African wildlife including elephant, lion, Uganda kob, leopard, buffalo and waterbuck. Here we stay at the luxurious Mweya Lodge and enjoy a spectacular setting overlooking the mystical 'Mountains of the Moon'. Our launch trip on the Kazinga Channel also affords an excellent chance for viewing hippos and aquatic birds at close range. We descend into Chambura Gorge in search of chimpanzees before heading back to Kampala. Finally, there's a chance to raft Africa's best rapids on the White Nile, close to Bujagali Falls.
Our main objective on this short but action-packed trip is to view a gorilla family in their natural rainforest habitat. We'll also search for chimps in the dramatic Chambura Gorge and watch big game and birds on the savannah plains below the lofty 'Mountains of the Moon' in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
There's also an opportunity to raft some of Africa's best rapids on the White Nile.
This wonderful journey for wildlife enthusiasts is based on a variety of comfortable accommodation – a mid-range hotel in Kampala and the superb Mweya Lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, whilst we stay in a permanent tented camp at Bwindi N. Park. Transport is by one or two small 4WD safari vehicles, keeping our group size small and flexible.
From Kampala, Uganda's colourful capital, we drive south, crossing the Equator, on our journey to the Impenetrable Forest. The dense terrain provides an ideal habitat for around half of the 600 Mountain Gorillas surviving in the world today. These rare primates can be observed at quite close quarters from our comfortable base camp at Bwindi. Accompanied by an expert guide, we'll search for these magnificent giants on foot. They are gentle mannered vegetarians and are very tolerant unless provoked. Reaching them in the dense undergrowth can be quite a challenge, but as the gorillas are carefully monitored, the chances of sightings are normally over 90%. A face to face encounter with these incredible creatures is one of the world's greatest wildlife experiences.
Next we head for the scenic splendour of the Queen Elizabeth II N. Park. The vast savannah plains provide a welcome breather from the imposing rainforests of Bwindi and a home to a whole range of African wildlife including elephant, lion, Uganda kob, leopard, buffalo and waterbuck. Here we stay at the luxurious Mweya Lodge and enjoy a spectacular setting overlooking the mystical 'Mountains of the Moon'. Our launch trip on the Kazinga Channel also affords an excellent chance for viewing hippos and aquatic birds at close range. We descend into Chambura Gorge in search of chimpanzees before heading back to Kampala. Finally, there's a chance to raft Africa's best rapids on the White Nile, close to Bujagali Falls.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Entebbe |
| Day 2: | Arrive Entebbe and transfer to Kampala; optional trip to Ngamba Island Chimp Sanctuary on Lake Victoria |
| Day 3: | Drive to Bwindi N. Park via Equator |
| Day 4-5: | In Bwindi; one day gorilla tracking and one day nature trails |
| Day 6: | Drive to Mweya in Queen Elizabeth N. Park |
| Day 7: | At Mweya; chimp tracking and game drive |
| Day 8: | Kazinga Channel boat safari; drive to Kampala. |
| Day 9: | In Kampala; optional rafting on the Nile |
| Day 10: | Fly London |
travellers' tales
For a short holiday, we couldn't have packed much more in. Although long, the journey by road from Entebbe to Bwindi allowed us to see the villages and countryside as we passed through. (more)
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC World News.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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A visit to Uganda and the opportunity to witness the rare mountain gorillas in their natural, pristine environment presents one of the most evocative and memorable travel experiences to be found anywhere.
The very survival of the mountain gorilla depends upon the willingness of communities to embrace the concept of responsible/sustainable tourism, and to see the long term benefits of protecting these magnificent animals - as opposed to the short term gains of poaching. In conjunction with a Ugandan operator we work to ensure that our tours offer financial benefits to the communities on both national and local levels - eg park fees bring vital hard currency into the country a proportion of which goes directly into gorilla conservation: there is the localised employment of guides/drivers and camp staff. Traveling in small groups we maximize the benefit to local suppliers ensuring that we do make a difference to the lives of the people of Uganda. We are donating £50 for each person booking on to this tour for departures this year, to the Gorilla Organisation. As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |