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 £2175 - £2655 (10 days) including flights from the UK, from £1613 - £1692 excluding flights. Single supplement £350. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
introduction to Gorilla & Chimp safari in Uganda
Queen Elizabeth National Park
We spend our first day exploring Kampala, Ugandas colourful capital before we begin our journey south, crossing the Equator. The vast savannah of Queen Elizabeth NP supports a whole range of African wildlife including elephant, lion, Uganda kob, leopard, buffalo and waterbuck. Our launch trip on the Kazinga Channel also affords an excellent chance for viewing hippos and aquatic birds at close range. We also descend into Chambura Gorge in search of chimpanzees.
Bwindi's Mountain Gorillas
The dense terrain of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest provides an ideal habitat for around half of the 600 mountain gorillas surviving in the world today. These rare primates can be observed at fairly close quarters and, 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!
day-by-day itinerary
| Days 1-2: | Overnight flight to Entebbe. Transfer to Kampala on arrival. In the afternoon there is the option to visit the National Museum & Kasubi Tombs. |
| Days 3-5: | Crossing the Equator, we continue to Queen Elizabeth National Park where the first of our game drives is to the Crater Lakes. Our launch trip on the Kazinga Channel affords an excellent chance of viewing hippos and aquatic birds at close range. On the last afternoon we drive to Bwindi NP. |
| Days 6-7: | A day is devoted to tracking the magnificent Mountain Gorilla. Reaching them in the dense undergrowth can be quite a challenge, but a face to face encounter with these incredible creatures is one of the world's greatest wildlife experiences! We also have a day to explore the forest on a variety of guided walks. |
| Days 8-9: | Driving via Lake Mbarara we reach Lake Mburo where we hope to see wildlife not seen in other parks, such as zebra, eland and impala. Following our game drive we return to Entebbe and board our overnight flight to the UK. |
| Day 10: | Arrive in UK. |
traveller reviews for Gorilla & Chimp safari in Uganda
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. |
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