Overview
| Accommodation | Confirmed together with you — see the Rates tab for general comfort levels we work with. |
|---|---|
| Meals | Full board on safari days; meals as specified for any city/beach nights, per your final itinerary. |
Day by Day (4 days)
QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK AND THE KAZINGA CHANNEL
Queen Elizabeth National Park covers about 1,980 square kilometres of savannah, crater lakes and forest between the Rwenzori Mountains and Lake Edward. Lions in the Kasenyi sector hunt the Uganda kob, and the open plains make it easy to follow the action. A morning game drive on the Kasenyi plains looks for lions, elephants, buffalo, Uganda kob and warthogs, and the area is one of the best places in Uganda for big cats. The park is a Biosphere Reserve with more than 95 mammal species and over 600 bird species, a record for any East African park. More than 600 bird species have been recorded. African skimmers, pied kingfishers and malachite kingfishers are among the birds you can spot from the boat. Your stay tonight is at a well-run lodge with a pool, a lounge and en-suite rooms, a good place to recover after a full day. Tomorrow's programme: Ishasha and the tree-climbing lions.
ISHASHA AND THE TREE-CLIMBING LIONS
The Ishasha sector in the south of Queen Elizabeth National Park is known for its tree-climbing lions, which rest on the branches of large fig trees in the heat of the day. Your guide follows the Ntungwe River and checks the fig trees on a morning game drive. The Ishasha sector lies in the southern corner of Queen Elizabeth National Park, near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. You also look for topi, Uganda kob, buffalo, elephants and hippos, with large herds around the river bends, and the birdlife is good in the riverine forest. The Ishasha River forms the park boundary, and its banks are lined with hippos, crocodiles and a variety of birds. Your stay tonight is at a well-run lodge with a pool, a lounge and en-suite rooms, a good place to recover after a full day. Next on the route: Mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi.
MOUNTAIN GORILLA TREKKING IN BWINDI
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to about half of the world's remaining mountain gorillas. Once you find them, you spend one hour with the gorillas, watching the silverback, females and playful juveniles, from a few metres away. Wear long trousers, waterproof boots and gloves, and bring a rain jacket as the weather changes quickly. The weather is wet for much of the year, but the forest is lush, and the gorillas are no less active in the rain. Batwa pygmies, the original forest people, offer a cultural walk that shows how they hunted and lived before the park was created. Porters can be hired locally to carry your bag and help on the slopes. The trek takes from one to six hours through dense, steep forest, led by trackers who locate the group. After an early breakfast you report to the park headquarters for the Uganda Wildlife Authority briefing and are assigned to a habituated gorilla family. Each gorilla family has a dominant silverback, so called for the grey fur on his back, who leads the group and protects it. You overnight at a well-appointed safari lodge with en-suite rooms, a restaurant and views over the landscape.
DEPARTURE FROM UGANDA
After breakfast you check out and your driver-guide takes you to the airport for your flight home, or to your next destination. We hope to see you again for a visit to Rwanda or a climb in the Rwenzori Mountains. Please let us know if you would like to add a beach stay, a Kilimanjaro climb or a cultural experience to your next trip. We hope you leave with wonderful memories of your safari and look forward to welcoming you back soon. Entebbe Airport is close to Kampala, but traffic can be heavy, so your guide plans the transfer with extra time.
Rates Per Person
The Overview tab explains the accommodation and meal options. Send us your dates and group size for an exact price.
Next: Inclusions →Inclusions
Included
- Private vehicle with your own driver-guide
- Park entry and conservation fees
- Accommodation as specified in your itinerary
- Meals as specified per day (full board on safari days)
- Airport pickup and drop-off
Excluded
- International flights
- Visa fees
- Travel insurance
- Tips and gratuities
- Personal expenses and souvenirs
Getting There
Tour Start & End
This trip starts in Uganda and ends in Uganda.
Airport Information
Entebbe International Airport (Uganda) is the most common arrival point for this trip.
Transfer Information
We meet you at the airport and handle every transfer between destinations throughout your trip.
Accommodation Before/After
Want an extra night in Arusha, Moshi or Zanzibar before or after your trip? Just ask and we will arrange it.