Uganda Safari - Gorillas, Shoebill, Chimps Safari

Safari Overview - Trip Information

What to Expect:
A 13-day Uganda bird watching and wildlife safari to Uganda, featuring Gorillas and Chimpanzees, and boat trip at Mabamba Swamp for Shoebill.

Group Size:
From Solo Travelers - Maximum of 10 participants with Tour Leader/s (basing on the number of travelers)

Accommodation:
A combination of comfortable hotels, Safari lodges and tented camps in Uganda National Parks, all with private facilities.

Meals:
All included in the price. Most meals are taken at the lodges/camps. Some picnic / en-route lunches.

Activities:
Easy Nature Walks, except for Gorilla tracking at Bwindi (time variable and can be physically demanding according to where the animals happen to be). For safety, due to the presence of wild animals, little walking is possible away from the lodges in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park. NB: Sturdy walking shoes with rugged soles and good grip advised.

Gorilla Tracking: Please don’t hesitate to call us to talk about Gorilla tracking if you are undecided. The chances to see the mountain gorillas are over 10%. It is important to note that Gorilla permits are strictly limited in number and issued on a first-come, first-serve basis. Once the daily quota has been sold (often many months in advance), no further permits are available for that day/s. Therefore make an early booking to avoid risk of disappointment!

Boat Trips:
Boat trips take 4-5 people (small canoe boats) while the boat at Kazinga Channel is larger and big enough to accommodate a big group along with other visitors. This trip lasts about 2 - 3 hrs.

Traveling to and in Uganda:
Scheduled services of different international airlines are available and our quotation for the trip does not include Costs of the Airline Ticket (except for flying safaris). We offer free airport transfers to all our clients (who have booked with us before flying to
Uganda). On our safaris, ground transportation is provided in midi coaches, minibuses or long wheelbase 4WD ‘safari’ land cruiser (tell us what you prefer in your inquiry).

TOUR ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe Airport

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport, the major entry point to Uganda. The view as our aircraft descends into Entebbe is spectacular, with the vast waters of Lake Victoria stretching away beneath us, fringed by patches of bird-rich grassland and forest.

You will be met on arrival by our safari guide who will transfer you to your preferred hotel. Incase of a morning flight, spend the afternoon birding locally. Expect to see a great diversity of wetland and forest-edge birds. The diversity is astounding and over 80 bird species can be seen in the Entebbe Area! Overnight in Entebbe

Day 2: Boat Trip for Shoebills at Mabamba Swamp, To Kibale

This morning head to the nearby Mabamba Swamp, an Important Birding Area in Uganda. Here we will charter dug-out canoes and head deep into the papyrus swamps in search of the one bird which epitomises Uganda - the enigmatic Shoebill. Swamp Flycatchers and Malachite Kingfishers fly up as we head along the narrow channels and Black Crakes scurry about the
edges of the reeds. If we are lucky, we will encounter a lone Shoebill, standing grey and silent, unmoving with its steely glare, on the edge of one of the waterways. Blue-breasted Bee-eaters hawk overhead and we should also be treated to a fine array of herons.

After lunch, leave Entebbe and head towards Kibale National Park, making stops along the way to look for species such as Grey Kestrel and the enormous Great Blue Turaco. Late afternoon arrival in the Fort Portal area, in time to see the Ruwenzori Mountains looming on the horizon. Overnight at Ndali Safari Lodge / .

Days 4 - 5: Kibale Forest - Chimpanzee Tracking

Kibale National Park has the highest diversity of primates of any forest in the world and we hope to encounter at least a few of these monkeys today. Species we should see include Guereza Colobus, Red-tailed Monkey, Blue Monkey and Grey-cheeked Mangabey, along with Ugandan Red Colobus too, if we are lucky. Of particular excitement, however, Kibale is one of the best spots in Uganda to see Chimpanzees and we will be joining a special Chimp-tracking walk here to maximise our chances of seeing for them. (Please note that success can never be guaranteed with these highly mobile, wary and intelligent creatures as they are not so habituated as the Gorillas we shall be looking for later on this tour.)

Kibale’s trails are well-maintained and flutter with butterflies of a myriad striking colours. The birding is very rich and specialities in the park include Yellow-billed Barbet and Cassin’s Flycatcher (at a small stream in the forest). Flocks of noisy Grey Parrots greet the dawn as we watch for the likes of African Emerald Cuckoo, Black-billed and Great Blue Turacos, Narina Trogon, Hairy-breasted Barbet and Lühder’s Bushshrike - and we might
even spot the scarce Afep Pigeon sitting out here in the early morning. The forest edge holds species such as White-throated Bee-eater, Red-headed Bluebill, Snowy-crowned Robin-chat, Little Greenbul and Western Citril. Nights near Kibale National Park.

Day 6: Kibale - Queen Elizabeth National Park

We’ll spend the morning watching for birds and primates around Kibale. In the late morning, we make the drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park - renowned as having the second highest bird list of any park on the African continent. As we enter we’ll immediately start to see large mammals such as African Buffalo, Common Warthog, Ugandan Kob, Banded Mongoose and
perhaps even African Elephant. For our two-night stay in Queen Elizabeth National Park, we’ll be based at the Mweya Lodge, strategically situated on a high peninsula overlooking Lake Edward and the Kazinga Channel.
There’s no better way to get familiar with some of these birds than to have them in close proximity to the lodge; last year we recorded about 60 species in a short post-breakfast walk around the lodge - mind you, that did count the Slender-billed Weavers that were almost as intent on our breakfast as we were! Night at Mweya Lodge, Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Day 7 Queen Elizabeth National Park

The open country habitat in Queen Elizabeth National Park provides a good foil to our forest birding yesterday, with opportunities to look for species such as African White-backed Vulture, Martial Eagle, Black-bellied Bustard, Red-necked Francolin, Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike, Black-headed Gonolek, Stout and Trilling Cisticolas, Rüppell’s Glossy Starling and Red-chested Sunbird. At night, Hippos feed on the lawns of the lodge.

For most visitors to the Park, however, the highlight of their visit will be a boat trip on the Kazinga Channel, which bisects the park as it flows between Lakes Edward and George. Birds are abundant and from our launch we should enjoy a fine array of wetland species - from Goliath Heron, Yellow-billed Stork and Sacred Ibis to Water Thick-knee, Plain Martin
and the peculiar African Skimmer - while the fringing vegetation is also home to the gaudy Papyrus Gonolek. Snorting Hippos are numerous and other mammals to watch for beside the Channel include African Elephant, African Buffalo and Marsh Mongoose. Most unusual of all - if we’re really lucky - is the Giant Forest Hog; in fact, the Queen Elizabeth National Park
is the best place in Africa to see it. Night at Mweya Lodge, Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Days 8 - 11 Bwindi Forest, Mountain Gorillas and Birds

After wending our way slowly south through Queen Elizabeth National Park, in the afternoon we should arrive at our next destination, Buhoma - the main gorilla-tracking base for the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Our lodgings here are another treat in store, for our accommodation is an upmarket camp with spectacular views over the adjacent forests of the
Bwindi National Park. Nestled in the Kigezi uplands, Bwindi is arguably Uganda’s prime birding area. Spanning an unbroken swathe of forest, from the lowlands at Buhoma to the lofty highlands at Ruhiza, and stretching away towards the Congo border, we are assured of a truly memorable few days. Here, pitta-like Short-tailed Warblers skulking in the mossy undergrowth will prove distracting while tracking Mountain Gorillas, Grey Parrots squawk overhead and groups of Chimpanzees shriek from deep within the forest. Black-faced Rufous Warblers call from the forest edge and Red-throated Alethes lurk in the hidden depths, while gorgeous Black and
Cinnamon-chested Bee-eaters, Black-and-white Flycatchers and Narrow-tailed Starlings frequent the verdant canopy. The bird list here is both long and alluring and others we may see include Cassin’s Hawk-eagle, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Elliot’s Woodpecker, Blue-throated Roller, Red-tailed Greenbul, Equatorial Akalat and Chestnut Wattle-eye.

During our extended stay in the Park, those who have booked to take the Gorilla trekking option will be able to join a small party led by one of the Park’s specialist tracker-guides in a quest to find these wonderful creatures. Treks can involve spending between three and ten hours in the field (depending on where the animals happen to be feeding in relation to the camp); the going can be strenuous at times, and the terrain is
steep and rough - but if successful, the rewards are immense, for a close encounter with this ‘gentle giant’ ape is an experience never to be forgotten!

Please note that the number of Gorilla permits is strictly limited and these are issued on a first come, first served basis, which means permits must be requested and paid for in advance to be sure of securing one. We will of course hope to all do our Gorilla-trekking on the same day, but we might possibly have to split up on different days depending upon numbers and the availability of permits, which are controlled by the park authorities. Four
nights at Buhoma, in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Day 12 RETURN TO ENTEBBE

Bidding a reluctant farewell to the Impenetrable Forest today, we make the rather long journey from Bwindi back to Entebbe. We will pause along the way amid the savanna on the edge of Lake Mburo National Park, with a chance to see Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Crested Francolin and possibly Red-headed Lovebird as our Uganda tour draws to a close. Night at
Entebbe.

BOOKING AN AFRICAN SAFARI WITH US

To book our Safaris and Holidays, You can send us your inquiry through info@cycadssafaris.com or by filling out the short booking form. You can as well make your safari booking by calling our Tours and Travel Desk through +256772507241. For free travel advice, inquiry or request for further information about our safaris, travel information, safety and security you fill out the Inquiry Form or call our helpline +256-414-573775

 

Cycads African Safaris - Tours in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and Sudan.