PHOTO CREDIT: SILVERBACK MOUNTAIN GORILLA BY SIMON BELLINGHAM Bellingham Safaris Scheduled Expedition KIBALE, BWINDI AND QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARKS UGANDA 16 to 25 February 2018 BELLINGHAM SAFARIS TEL: +27-(0)21-783-4380 WWW.BELLINGHAMSAFARIS.COM
2 TOUR AT A GLANCE Day Date Location Accommodation 01 16 Feb Entebbe Boma Hotel 02 17 Feb Kibale Forest Primate Lodge 03 18 Feb Kibale Forest Primate Lodge 04 19 Feb Queen Elizabeth National Park (North) Mweya Safari Lodge 05 20 Feb Queen Elizabeth National Park (South) Ishasha Wilderness Camp 06 21 Feb Queen Elizabeth National Park (South) Ishasha Wilderness Camp 07 22 Feb Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Buhoma Lodge 08 23 Feb Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Buhoma Lodge 09 24 Feb Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Buhoma Lodge 10 25 Feb Depart COST OVERVIEW These costs are based on 6 adults travelling Per adult in double room 16 25 February 2018 US$ 9,950.00 Single Supplement 16 25 February 2018 US$ 850.00 SMALL PARTY SUPPLEMENT: Rates are based upon group tariffs; if the tour does not have sufficient registration, a small-party supplement may have to be charged. INCLUDES Accommodation as per the itinerary Meals: dinner on day 1 to lunch on day 10 Bottled drinking water, tea and coffee while in transit 1 x full day chimpanzee habituation permit per person 2 x gorilla trekking permits per person Ground transportation in 4x4 vehicle Activities: Full day chimpanzee trek (Kibale Forest), game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park and 2 Gorilla treks (Bwindi Impenetrable Forest). Reserve entrance fees Exclusive boat ride on the Kazinga Channel (Queen Elizabeth National Park) Services of a Bellingham Safaris specialist guide and resident guide/driver All internal flights: Kajjansi to Kasese (day 2) and Kihihi to Kajjansi (day 10) Local staff gratuities
3 EXCLUDES Beverages Laundry Items of personal nature Visa fees (please be sure to check if visas are required) Travel Insurance Excess baggage costs Changes to the itinerary Gratuities for your tour leader Any items not included in the inclusions above DAILY DETAIL Day 1, 16 Feb Entebbe On arrival in Entebbe you will be met at the airport by your guide and transferred a short distance to your comfortable guest house for an overnight stay. Overnight: Boma Hotel Day 2 & 3, 17 & 18 Feb Kibale Forest PHOTO CREDIT: MARIO HABERFELD Day 2: Today you transfer a short distance by road to Kajjansi airport, where your charter plane awaits you for your flight to Kasese. As you approach the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains or "Mountains of the Moon" you enter Uganda s famed tea plantation region. Upon landing in Kasese you will transfer by road to Primate Lodge, situated in the heart of the Kibale Forest. This afternoon after lunch, will be your first opportunity to discover some of the riches of Uganda, as you will have a chance to walk some of the trails in the Kibale Forest, where you are likely to encounter other rare and colourful primates, including Guereza Colobus, Central Africa Red Colobus, Blue Monkey, the highly terrestrial L Hoest s Monkey, Grey-cheeked Mangabey and the delightful Red-tailed Monkey.
4 Day 3: The towering Kibale Forest boasts the highest concentration and diversity of primate species of any reserve in East Africa. Today you have the opportunity to trek for our closest living relative the Chimpanzee! They are noisy and, if you do manage to come across a troop, their thrilling whoops, shrieks and grunts are likely to be heard before they are seen. As much of their diurnal time is spent feeding, an encounter is likely to involve observing them gorging on fruit (especially figs!) all the while engaging in the subtleties of Chimp etiquette. As you explore these forests for mammals you may well encounter some of the avian gems that grace this forest; bird species here are typical of medium-altitude forest and include the globally-threatened White-naped Pigeon, Narina Trogon and Superb and Green-headed Sunbirds. A nocturnal outing will be well worth your while for these forests are home to a range of endearing Galago species and other creatures like Lord Derby's Anomalure, African and Palm Civet and Servaline Genet and Potto, most of which you would be extremely fortunate to encounter. Overnight: Primate Lodge Day 4, 19 Feb Queen Elizabeth National Park (North) PHOTO CREDIT: SIMON BELLINGHAM Day 4: An early morning start from Kibale today as you head south by road to northern part of Queen Elizabeth National park, while crossing the equator en route. Queen Elizabeth National park offers the best chances in Uganda for big game and savannah species and is thus deservedly Uganda s most popular game reserve. The reserve is dominated on its northern border by the spectacular snowcapped Rwenzori Mountains. You will arrive in time for lunch and a highlight here is an exclusive afternoon boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel which allows a close approach to African Buffalo, Elephant and scores of Hippopotamus in addition to scores of delightful water birds including a chance of seeing African Skimmers in action. Overnight: Mweya Safari Lodge
5 Day 5 & 6, 20 & 21 Feb Queen Elizabeth National Park (South) Day 5: Today you transfer by road to southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Species you have a good chance of finding in the remote southern section of Queen Elizabeth National Park include Lion, Leopard, Spotted Hyaena, African Elephant, African Buffalo, Uganda Kob, Bushbuck, Hippopotamus, Topi, impressive Defassa Waterbuck, Olive Baboon and comical Warthog. This park is very is also very rich in habitats and this is reflected by the huge bird list of over 550 species, making it one of the largest lists for any protected area in Africa. Searching for birds is also rewarding, with resident and spectacular species including Grey-headed Kingfisher, Black-headed Gonolek and Redchested Sunbird. Day 6: You will have a full day here to explore this magnificent terrain. One of the star attractions of the Southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park are its tree climbing lions while these animals are still very much part of the African Lion population (Panthera Leo) they spend a large portion of the day resting in trees, a behaviour trait seen more commonly in Leopards (Panthera Pardus). Besides searching trees and thickets for this region s famous Lions keep a close eye open to for the resident clan of Hyaenas, which recently had their densite close to the camp and their wonderful whoops may be heard during the night. Here too resides one of the area s most bizarre mammals, the Giant Forest Hog, and you should be sure to make a concerted effort to track down this unusual and rather brutish creature. There are few places on earth where this creature is easy to see and while a sighting is by no means guaranteed you do have an excellent chance of seeing this creature here! PHOTO CREDIT: SIMON BELLINGHAM Overnight: Ishasha Wilderness Camp Day 7-9, 22 to 24 Feb Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Day 7: Leaving the riches of Queen Elizabeth behind you make your way once again to the forests of western Uganda, this time to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, at the northern end of the fabled Virunga range. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park lies at the northern end of the fabled Virunga range in Western Uganda. This is a region of volcanoes, jagged valleys, waterfalls, lakes and dramatic mountain ranges. The Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to approximately half of the world population of 850 Mountain Gorillas. Once part of a much larger forest that included the
6 Virunga Volcanoes in neighbouring Rwanda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is now an ecological island within a sea of human cultivation and therefore of immense conservation importance. Around 350 bird species, 200 butterfly species and at least 120 mammal species have been recorded in this biodiversity hotspot. Day 8 & 9: Approximately 400 gorillas live at Bwindi and these are divided into 12 or so groups. Here you have the opportunity to embark on two unforgettable Gorilla trekking excursions, visiting one of three groups of remarkably peaceable and tolerant habituated Mountain Gorillas. These are the largest of all primates with silverbacks (mature males) sometimes weighing up to 200 kg! PHOTO CREDIT: GORILLA INFANT BY SIMON BELLINGHAM Spending an hour with these gentle giants is, without a doubt, one of the most exciting and emotional wildlife experiences on Earth! Other mammals that can be encountered with some luck in this regal forest are Chimpanzee, L Hoest s Monkey, Blue and Red-tailed Monkeys, Yellow-backed Duiker, huge Guereza Colobus, and several species of squirrels including Fire-footed Rope, Carruthers Mountain, Ruwenzori Sun and Red-legged Sun Squirrels. To boot this vast reserve also offers arguably the most productive montane forest birding in Africa and supports 23 of Uganda s 24 Albertine Rift endemic bird species. Overnight: Buhoma Lodge Day 10, 25 Feb Day of Departure After a final morning in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park you will transfer by road (approx. 1 hour) to Kihihi airstrip for your flight back to Kajjansi airport and then onwards to Entebbe International Airport, in time for your international flights home, where your tour with us concludes. Flight: Kihihi (Bwindi) to Kajjansi (Entebbe)
7 IMPORTANT INFORMATION Payment In the event of a go ahead we will require a non-refundable 30% deposit and the balance to be settled 2 months prior to arrival. We may have to impose more stringent payment and cancellation terms, should that be demanded of us by any of our individual suppliers that have been included in your itinerary. The tour price is always fixed in the currency quoted, and the actual cost in the other currencies will be adjusted according to prevailing exchange rates at the time of final invoicing (payments can be made either in USD or ZAR). We use the exchange rate of the day with a 3% margin (the typical exchange rate applied by credit card companies), using this source: http://www.oanda.com the currency quoted is plugged into the Currency I Want and the INTERBANK +/- is adjusted to 3% automatically generating the rate of the day. Guests are given 7 days to process with wire, after which we may need to update the exchange rate. Please note Upon confirmation of this tour, the cancellation policy for Bellingham Safaris will be effective immediately and the parties agree to be bound by the Terms and Conditions as stated in our booking form. In the event of the Booking Form not being signed, the placement of any booking/s, by any means including e-mail, shall be deemed to be confirmation that the Terms and Conditions have been read, understood, any queries have been addressed to the satisfaction of the parties and that the parties agree to be bound by thereto. Rates quoted are subject to change if there are any increases in park fees, fuel, sales tax or VAT, third-party services, currency fluctuations or any other circumstances beyond our control. We will use our best endeavours to bring such changes to your attention, but you are nevertheless bound thereby. Prices are subject to unforeseen increases in tour related costs. Should an amendment in a routing or itinerary be necessary, we will adjust the price but such adjustment will be for your account. If the number of nights or dates of travel or number of participants should change, this may have an effect on the cost. We will re-cost accordingly and you agree to be bound by such recosting. Please be sure to carefully check your visa requirements before your intended date of travel, as Bellingham Safaris cannot be held responsible should the necessary visa requirements not be fulfilled. Please remember that in some cases you may need to apply for a multiple entry visa. Please be sure to carefully check your passport requirements before your intended date of travel, as Bellingham Safaris cannot be held responsible should the necessary number of blank pages and passport validity dates not be fulfilled. Please consult your physician before you travel for advice on vaccinations and prophylaxis. Bellingham Safaris strongly advises that you take out comprehensive travel insurance covering yourself for personal effects, cancellation and curtailment. Personal accident, medical and emergency travel expense insurance is mandatory on any of our tours. Some activities and services may have weight and/or height restrictions per guest. For the sake of your own comfort, please advise us at time of booking if you are particularly bulky or tall and we will do our best to accommodate you. Please note additional costs may apply. Luggage restrictions are applicable including the use of hard suitcases. Details of luggage restrictions per region are available on our pre-departure documentation. Please peruse all flight information supplied by the airline concerned.
8 Some flights may involve stops before reaching the final destination. Please check your itinerary and all flight information supplied by the airline concerned. Although we will try to stick as closely to the itinerary as possible and include all the activities mentioned there may be changes due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. Flights, times and routes are subject to change without notice. Please make sure that you are aware of the check-in times for flights and give yourself ample time in this regard. Please advise us prior to booking should you have any health concerns. Also please notify us if your age is above 80 as you may require a doctor s certificate. There may be some age restrictions with certain activities, most notably canoe rides and walking. All accommodations, activities and other services are subject to availability at the time of booking Uganda This tour does require a good level of fitness and participants should be in good general health as much of the mammal viewing will be done on foot and may require walking for several hours at a time. Should you have any physical limitations or medical conditions, please notify us well in advance of departure. Notably the gorilla treks may involve several hours of strenuous walking on steep slopes, often off-trail and you need to be fit and in good health to do these activities. The chance of finding the gorillas is excellent, but on some occasions in the past the trackers have not been able to locate the mobile family groups. PHOTO CREDIT: FEMALE GORILLA BY SIMON BELLINGHAM