Gorilla tour in Uganda

A 13-day wildlife safari in search of the mammals, particularly the primates, of Kibale Forest, Queen Elizabeth and other national parks, as well as the Mountain Gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Uganda has a lot to offer the wildlife enthusiast and is happily rising in popularity following years of political turmoil. Tourists are welcomed and are increasingly being catered for all over the country.

The number of mammal species in Uganda tops 340 and includes over 90 bat and 70 rodents species, although we will be focussing on the primates and other larger mammals seen along the way!

The equatorial climate in Uganda remains stable all year round, with slight seasonal variations in rainfall. Most of Uganda is on a plateau at 900 - 1,800 m above sea level, which means it is comfortably hot most of the time, with average daytime temperatures in the mid 20's Centigrade. Please do bear in mind, however, that we are travelling to a third world destination.
 
Although we aim to use comfortable vehicles and accommodation, standards may not always be to that of the western world. Some roads are in terrible condition and distances can be long - but the rewards are worth every mile.

Uganda remains a most beautiful country — a luxuriant land of great lakes, abundant swamps, a snow-clad equatorial mountain range, and rolling grasslands. Yet, above all, it is the country’s tropical forests that provide the greatest attraction for the naturalist. Here, amongst an unrivalled population of primates are over 300 ‘Mountain’ Gorillas. We will focus on these marvellous animals, and their cousins (including Chimpanzees), on this tour, as well as the wealth of other mammals — more than 340 species! — to be found in Uganda’s abundant and varied national parks.

Please Note: This is a general wildlife tour, looking at the mammals of Uganda, with particular emphasis on primates. Highlights include tracking both Mountain Gorillas and Chimpanzees amongst many other wildlife activities in four of Uganda’s finest national parks. Whilst every effort will be made to keep to the scheduled dates, we will have to organise the itinerary to best fit the availability of gorilla permits. Please note that the itinerary offers our planned programme of excursions. However, adverse weather & other local considerations can necessitate some re-ordering of the programme during the course of the tour, though this will always be done to maximise best use of the time and weather conditions available.

As one of the first wildlife holiday companies to offer trips to Uganda, we strive to promote eco-tourism here and encourage the local Ugandans to preserve their abundant wildlife. As such, our tour is run in conjunction with a local Ugandan operator who is actively involved in the training of local Ugandans to become naturalist guides, an all too rare skill here.

At all the national parks and reserves we use local park guides to show our groups around and we try to use lodges staffed by local people and supplied with locally grown produce. By employing local guides and staff, money from our tours is ploughed back into the local economy which gives the Ugandan people an important reason to value and protect their native fauna and flora. Dian Fossey first brought the plight of the Mountain Gorilla to the world's attention with her work in neighbouring Rwanda, but in her absence it is up to the local populations to protect these magnificent animals. Eco-tourism is an important tool in this fight and provides an income to the local community and encourages the locals to protect the remaining montane forests and combat the poaching that threatens these and many other rare species.

As a company we have achieved AITO’s top level, 3-star Responsible Tourism accreditation and we have always tried to operate our holidays in an environmentally responsible manner, striving to contribute to wildlife conservation and habitat preservation at all times.

Our policy includes:

To focus, particularly, on visiting areas which do not benefit from the rewards of mass market tourism.

To minimise environmental damage by exploring in small groups and, as much as possible, on foot.

To use, wherever possible, local guides. 

To involve local communities and to ensure that they receive a fair share of  the benefits of wildlife tourism.

To use, wherever possible, small, locally owned accommodations & specialist local agents/ground operators. 

To purchase, where possible, local produce.

To develop and commit to long-term plans to visit rural areas and support the local communities.

To contribute financially to projects local to the areas that we visit (ie. schools, hospitals, etc.)

To educate the local people on the importance and long-term benefits of wildlife tourism.

To keep our clients well-informed on aspects of wildlife management and conservation.

To work with British and overseas conservation organisations to develop new wildlife tourism destinations.

To run our UK office in as energy-efficient a manner as possible.

We also encourage our clients to offset their carbon dioxide emissions.