Gorilla holidays in Uganda

country:	Uganda
departures:	2009: 20 Dec 2010: 31 Jan, 14 Feb, 30 May, 20 Jun, 18 Jul, 8 Aug, 29 Aug, 26 Sep, 17 Dec 2011: 30 Jan, 13 Feb, 29 May, 19 Jun, 17 Jul, 7 Aug, 28 Aug, 25 Sep, 16 Dec
price:	From £2549 - £3269 (12 days) including flights from the UK. From £1529 - £2219 excluding flights. Local payment $500 USD.
vouchers:	Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday

read 9 travellers reviews

photo gallery see previous photo

1of6

Gorilla safaris

Uganda holidays

the amazing things you'll be doing

There are many memorable wildlife experiences awaiting you on this trip. You track chimps in Kibale Forest and go for game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Watching wildlife from the comfort of a boat on the Kazinga Channel is a laid back and atmospheric safari experience, while encountering Uganda's mountain gorillas up close is undoubtedly an unforgettable moment and a real highlight of this trip.

Mountain gorillas
Get up close to the endangered mountain gorillas as you spend time observing one of the families resident in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest - you might even meet a great silverback!

Kazinga Channel cruise
Watch hundreds of hippos wallow in the waters of the Kazinga Channel as you go on a boat safari between Lake George and Lake Edward.

Chimp tracking
Go primate tracking in Kibale Forest, searching for chimpanzee and red colobus monkeys in the thick mountainous forest.

day-by-day itinerary

Masai Mara Safari Extension:	Optional Extension Day 1-10: As per itinerary above Day 11: Today you fly early to Nairobi and then transfer to one of the finest of Kenya’s reserves, the Masai Mara. You should arrive in time to have lunch, followed by an afternoon game drive (Total driving 270km – roughly 4 hours). Tented camp - 1 night (LD) Basecamp Masai Mara - the camp consists of 15 spacious and comfortable walk-in tents. Each one is shaded by a thatched roof, and has a verandah and en suite bathroom with hot shower open to the sky. There’s a lookout tower with views out over the river to the Masai Mara beyond. This award-winning hotel has a strict environmental policy. Day 12: Today you have the chance to visit a local school and the nearby Masai boma (village) (approximate cost £12). This afternoon you head out with Masai guides and a scout into the bush on a walking safari. The Masai are probably the best known of Kenya’s tribal peoples - largely due to their highly photogenic appearance. The young males in particular wear a striking costume of bright red cloth, with a cape slung from one shoulder, beads and jewellery, a spear, sword and club. Originally nomadic herders, the Masai used to live on a diet of fresh and curdled milk. Live cattle represent wealth, so much energy was devoted to cattle raiding. They have a fearsome reputation as warriors and hunters, but in the face of immense pressure are gradually - if reluctantly - starting to accept a more settled lifestyle. By walking with the Masai you get a glimpse of a way of life where they are totally in tune with their environment. You spend the night in a bush camp out in the wilds, with little in the way of creature comforts - a truly memorable experience. Bush camp - 1 night (BLD) Please note that the bush camp is closed for renovations until June 2009. Departures staying in the Masai Mara before July 2009 will spend all three nights at the main camp. You will go on the walking safaris from the Basecamp. Bush Camp - safari tents pitched in a bush location. Masai camp staff prepare all meals which are generally served outdoors. Walks are done with Masai guides with spears. A real African bush experience! Day 13: You make your return walk back to main camp this morning. There is then time to relax before setting off by vehicle in the afternoon for more game viewing across the extensive grassy plains where elephant, buffalo, zebra, giraffe, and various gazelles - with attendant predators of lion cheetah, jackal, hyena, and perhaps even wild dog - can be seen. Tented camp – 1 night (BLD) Day 14: Departing this morning you return to Nairobi (275km - 5-6 hours drive) where the trip ends for Land Only clients and those on group flights to the UK transfer to the airport and fly to London. (B) Day 15: Arrive in London
Day 1:	Fly to Entebbe Depart London on overnight flight to Entebbe.
Day 2:	Kampala After your flight, you take a transfer to your first night’s accommodation in Kampala (60 minutes). The rest of the day is free to relax and settle in. The city centre has a surprisingly large amount of bird life including one of the largest urban populations of the marabou stork in the world. This huge bird is not the prettiest but it is fairly impressive nonetheless and does a great job cleaning up the town. Hotel - 1 night Hotel Africana – centrally located in large grounds with great views over Kampala. Facilities include a swimming pool and a number of restaurants.
Day 3:	Kibale This morning you follow the highway directly west via Mubende to Kibale. The route takes you across fertile land cultivated by smallholders - coffee, cotton, tea, tobacco and sugar cane are the cash crops in the shambas (plots) here. Where the land has not been put to use, a mosaic of high grassland and forest indicates that at one time the entire area was covered by indigenous forest. At this altitude – 1520m - it can be surprisingly cool, particularly during the wetter months of April-May and October-November. (Driving 400km – 7-8 hours) Tented Lodge - 1 night (BLD) Kibale Safari Lodge – this comfortable property has large, walk-in safari tents with verandah, shower and private facilities.
Day 4:	Mweya (QEII National Park); chimps in Kibale Forest This morning you explore Kibale National Park Forest on foot. Uganda’s rainforests protect a wealth of wildlife, which includes a remarkable number of primates found in few other places. This country is one of the world’s foremost places to see chimpanzee and Kibale Forest is about as good as it gets; the national park supports the highest number of primates in Uganda and one of the highest densities in the world. This unique highland habitat of forested, mountainous terrain is also home to over 300 bird species, and many other animals. You follow forest trails to track chimpanzees, just one of the 13 primate species found here; you are also likely to see red colobus which, though common here, are rare in the rest of Uganda. In addition to primates, the national park also plays host to a variety of larger mammals, though these are much less likely to be seen. Sighting one of Kibale’s forest elephants for example (a smaller hairier cousin of the savannah dwelling race) would be an exciting experience, but even just the tell-tale signs of their presence can be thrilling. In the afternoon you continue your drive south, crossing the equator - stopping to observe your passage with due ceremony - en route to Mweya (150km/4 hours), at the north-east corner of Lake Edward. The road follows the eastern fringe of the majestic, snow-capped Mountains of the Moon - the Ruwenzoris. As you arrive you skirt the Queen Elizabeth National Park and along this route you should have your first game viewing opportunities. Much of the park is open savannah, with typical acacia thorn scrub, which supports populations of elephant, buffalo and warthog amongst other animals, plus lion and leopard. The bird life is also prolific: 550 species - including 50 raptors - have been recorded here. Now designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, this park - one of the oldest in Uganda - occupies an area just south of the equator between Lakes George and Edward, both of which are named after British royalty. Fittingly, the park was itself renamed after the young queen Elizabeth, during the visit she made at the start of her reign in 1952. Lodge - 2 nights (BLD) Hippo Hill Tented Camp: A beautifully situated fixed camp, overlooking a soda lake. Accommodation is in fixed safari tents, comfortably furnished and with en-suite toilet and shower. The tents are lit by solar power.
Day 5:	Mweya (QEII National Park); game drive & Kazinga Channel cruise Your early morning game drive on trails inside the national park may well reveal more elephant and, invariably, large numbers of graceful Uganda kob, the symbol of the Ugandan national parks. Then, in the afternoon, for a complete change you take a launch trip for a couple of hours on the Kazinga Channel, which links the two lakes; here you can observe hundreds of hippos from the relative safety of your boat. Elephant, buffalo and waterbuck are also commonly seen at the water’s edge, and occasionally big cats. It is a great place for birdlife - particularly pelicans, storks, cormorants, fish eagles and brightly coloured kingfishers - attracted by the large numbers of fish in the shallow channel. (BLD)
Day 6:	Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park This morning you rise early to make a guided foot safari (roughly three hours) through Chambura Gorge in the eastern sector of the park; the walk takes you along the river through tropical forest where you're likely to see baboon, black-and-white colobus monkey, red-tailed monkey and chimpanzee. You will then drive through the little visited Ishasha sector of the park. The area is a haven for a number of species but is probably most famous for its tree-climbing lions. Continuing south along rough, unmade roads you eventually arrive at Buhoma at the northern end of Bwindi National Park. Gorillas are found only in Africa, and the rare mountain gorilla (by far the rarest of the three sub-species) is found only here and at another site thirty or so kilometres away at Virunga, where the borders of Uganda, Congo and Rwanda meet. Bwindi’s so-called ‘Impenetrable Forest’ is home to roughly half the entire world population of mountain gorillas - currently around 300 animals. Journey time approx. 6 hours including stops. Fixed camp - 3 nights (BLD) Lake Kitandara Tented Camp – set in the midst of the Bwindi impenetrable forest, the camp has classic walk-in safari tents with comfortable wooden beds. Each tent is covered with a palm-thatched banda, has a balcony overlooking the forest and a private shower and toilet tent.
Day 7-8:	Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park; gorilla tracking The next two days are dedicated to seeing the renowned mountain gorillas. One of the days will be spent tracking gorillas in the park. After a full briefing, one or two small groups will head off early in the morning with native trackers, to spend the day in the park. No more than eight people per day can visit any one habituated family and visits are strictly controlled to minimise the possibility of disturbance or transmission of disease to the animals. Tracking gorillas in dense forest can be wet, muddy and uncomfortable; the terrain is by no means easy either, so it can also be pretty strenuous - but the sheer thrill of coming across a habituated group of gorillas, dominated by a great male silverback, more than outweighs any difficulty! You start where the gorilla group was last contacted the previous day, then follow a rough trail through the forest to discover the nests where they slept overnight. From here a fresh trail should lead you to the group - hopefully by the middle of the day. On locating them, you approach discretely and respectfully, then spend as long as you are able (maximum 1hr) in close proximity to observe their behaviour and social interaction. The experience of watching an extended family group feeding and grooming, or the youngsters playing - from a distance of just a few metres away - is simply unforgettable! Their daily routine revolves around foraging for food, resting and grooming - or playing for the young - before building nests for the night; any unweaned young sleep with their mothers. After this highly privileged insight into the way of life of these huge primates, you make your way back to camp - tired but elated. For anyone not on gorilla patrol on a particular day, there is still plenty to keep you occupied. The park is home to over 120 species of mammals, including chimpanzee, various types of monkey and even a few elephant. Some 350 bird species have been recorded here - 190 in and around Buhoma Camp alone - and there are several trails which it is possible to hike with a local guide. (Bx2, Lx2, Dx2) Note: There is no guarantee of seeing gorillas. The primary objective of the national park is to protect gorillas, not to provide an experience for humans. If you are ill - e.g. with a common cold, you may not even be allowed to track gorillas for fear of transmitting your illness. The walk to find the gorillas may take anything up to three or four hours and can be tough. At this altitude it’s cool in the early morning and hot in the middle of the day, so we recommend a long-sleeved garment and long trousers for walking in the rainforest, plus a warm fleece and a waterproof or rain poncho. Clothing should preferably be neutral in colour - green or khaki. Trail boots or walking boots with good traction are essential. You will have to carry provisions and plenty of water (porters can normally be hired). For photography, we recommend 400 ASA film (or even faster) as the gorillas are often encountered in dark forest or in shade. The itinerary of the trip may be subject to change due to the limited number of gorilla permits available on any given day.
Day 9:	Mbarara Today’s drive (approx. 350km/5 hours) takes you north from the mountains to Mbarara. Now one of Uganda’s major towns, Mbarara was formerly capital of the Ankole kingdom for over 400 years until disbanded by independence in 1962. In the days before modern Uganda came into being, the area was a series of fiercely independent tribal states. The once nomadic Bahima people, part of the Bantu-speaking Ankole kingdom, are renowned for the particular bond they forge with their unique, long-horned Ankole cattle. These hardy cattle respond to their individual names when called by their male herder; he in turn lives in close harmony with them. Hotel - 1 night (BLD) Lake View Hotel – a tourist-class hotel in a convenient location to break up the long journey between Bwindi and Entebbe - there is little choice in this area and this hotel may not be up to the standards of others on the itinerary.
Day 10:	Entebbe; via Lake Mburo Your first point of call this morning is Lake Mburo, a small but picturesque national park renowned for its herds of antelope and one of only two Ugandan parks home to Burchell’s zebra. The park is also especially good for acacia-associated birds. After your game drive in the park you will continue back to Entebbe and overnight again in your lakeside hotel (driving 290km, roughly 6 hours). Hotel – 1 night (BL) Botanical Imperial Hotel – well located in large grounds on the shore of Lake Victoria. Facilities include a swimming pool and health spa.
Day 11:	Fly to London The trip ends in Entebbe for Land Only clients. Those on group flights transfer to the airport in Entebbe for the flight to London. (B)
Day 12:	Arrive in London

travellers' tales

I would definately give a 10 out of 10....This is a great action packed holiday where you really do and see quite alot over the short time that you are there which adds to the memories when looking back at the time spent in Uganda while flying home. (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.

how this holiday makes a difference

On this trip: We support the orphanage school in Bwindi, which was founded six years ago and operates solely on donations. You will have the opportunity to visit the school and see how they are progressing. If you would like to offer your support by taking a gift they would be delighted to receive any books or learning equipment; they have very few resources here at all but you will see a strong determination and great joy for life! Funds raised by gorilla permits aid conservation of the mountain gorilla and contribute to maintenance of the national parks. A percentage of park entrance fees are donated to local communities. We stay in locally owned hotels and use local transport as well as local guides thus putting money back into the community.

Our Responsible Travel Code: Clients who travel with us will automatically receive a copy of our Responsible Travel leaflet. This contains details and advice on how you can make a positive difference when you travel. If you would like a copy in advance of travel please contact us.

Charity Partnerships: We work in partnership with Plan International. Plan works with some of the world’s poorest communities where three out of four children die before the age of five. We also support Friends of Conservation – an international charity committed to working with local people to develop a balance between their needs and the wildlife with which they share the natural habitat and ecosystems.

Carbon Balancing: Global warming is a real issue and is a direct result of your travel. We have teamed up with Climate Care to give you the opportunity to offset the carbon emissions from your flight. You’ll be asked upon booking if you want to donate – with set amounts from £5. As a company we offset the carbon emissions from all staff travel in full.

Our Foundation: We’ve highlighted a few of the ways in which we offer our support, financially or otherwise, and now you can, too. We have set up our own foundation, which will administer funds donated by you. A small donation of £1 per person will be taken when booking a holiday and that money will be put to good use by one of our carefully selected projects. If you don’t want to make the donation, just tell us when you book.

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.