Journeys of Discovery Travel UGANDA, AFRICA GORILLAS IN THE MIST Nov. 27 Dec. 8, 2012 Wildlife, gorillas/primate and cultural safari Uganda, the Mountains of the Moon, the Great Rift Valley and Lake Victoria the source of the Nile, romantic features of an incredible landscape that Winston Churchill called, "The Pearl of Africa". Uganda is also the only place on the planet where you can sit face to face and have a mystical encounter of the heart with the gentle giants, the mountain gorillas. SAFARI PROGRAM: Nov. 26, 2012 Monday Depart for Uganda Day 1 Arrival Nov. 27, 2012 Tuesday Airport pick up and transfer to Cassia Lodge Today your driver/guide will pick you up from the Entebbe airport, Kampala, Uganda. Depending on the time of your arrival, you may have some time to explore Kampala. All activities today are at your own cost. You will stay in a lovely lodge with beautiful views on Lake Victoria. The hotel has cozy safari style furnished rooms, equipped with satellite TV, fridge bar, telephone, fan, and balcony with a wonderful lake-view. Journey time: 1 hour Cassia Lodge http://cassialodge.com/home.html Bed & Breakfast Day 2: Nov. 28 Wed. To Kibale Forest Today, you will begin your journey to Kibale Forest; stopping for lunch after approximately 5 hours driving in the friendly town of Fort Portal (inclusive). We will make other stops to stretch your legs and for restroom facilities. The drive is incredibly scenic, passing through tea plantations and the lush green countryside which characterizes so much of Uganda. From Fort Portal to the forest is only one more hour. On arrival at the forest, you will enter a completely different world and some serious monkey business! Although you are here specifically to track Chimps, the forest is home to at least 12 primate species including: the Red Tailed Monkey, Olive Baboon, Black and White Colobus Monkey, and the Blue Monkey. The bird life in the forest is also prolific and includes the beautiful Great Blue Turaco. If you are very lucky, you may even catch a glimpse of a meandering herd of Forest Elephant. You spend the late afternoon relaxing at the lodge, from which there is a lovely view of the forest and its wildlife. Journey time: 5 hours to Fort Portal + 1 hour to the lodge Primate Lodge, deluxe tents http://www.kibaleforestnationalpark.com/primate-lodge-kibale-uganda.html Full Board (lunch Fort Portal, dinner at the lodge)
Day 3: Nov. 29 Thursday Chimp tracking and swamp walk, Kibale Forest boasts the highest number of primate species in the world, including our delightful cousins, the chimpanzees. Today, in Uganda, there are approximately 5,000 chimpanzees left in the wild and Kibale is the perfect place to spot them! The experienced ranger takes you chimp tracking in the morning or afternoon; and along the way will be showing you the many monkey species that live in this tropical forest. A wonderful jungle walk is the result, ideally including an hour of eye to eye contact with the chimpanzees. We can however never guarantee seeing them, they are still wild animals! Your swamp walk (2-3 hours) will take you through grassland, small communities and some beautiful scenery, where the locals are likely to greet you with enthusiastic waves. Usually you will spot 3 or 4 different primate species during this walk. But the highlight is catching a glimpse of the Great Blue Turaco! Primate Lodge, deluxe tents Full Board (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Day 4: Nov. 30 Friday Cultural walk in Ruboni Today after an early breakfast you shall continue to Ruboni. Ruboni, a two hour drive from Kibale Forest gives you the perfect opportunity to see the Mountains of the Moon (the Rwenzori Mountains), this is the tallest mountain range in Africa and up close they are simply magnificent! This is the perfect way to experience an African Alpine Village as you will take a guided village walk in the afternoon; visiting a traditional healer, a black smith, a story teller and the medicinal garden. Later that day there will be time to watch local tribal dancing. The added benefit is that you are supporting a community project benefitting the people of Ruboni. Visitors fall in love with Ruboni and its scenic surroundings, and some simply want to explore it for a longer time. Accommodation is in basic self-contained bandas. Journey time: 2 hours Ruboni community camp http://www.safarinow.com/go/rubonicommunitycampuganda/ Breakfast & packed lunch inclusive, dinner at Ruboni exclusive Day 5: Dec. 1 Sat. To Queen Elizabeth National Park. In the morning, after a relaxed breakfast you continue your journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Queen Elizabeth is Uganda s second largest park and is located at the base of the majestic Rwenzori Mountain range The Mountains of the Moon ; adjacent to Lake Edward and Lake George. The park has prolific game, including Gazelle, Uganda Kob, Warthog and Waterbuck; Lions are often sighted both in and at the entrance to the park. Be prepared for huge numbers of Hippo and Elephant, and keep your eyes peeled for a Leopard lazing in the sunshine. On arrival into the park you are on a game as you drive towards your lodge.
You will stay at Mweya Lodge, a lovely up-scale lodge in the heart of the park; spectacularly overlooking the Kazinga Channel and often visited by elephants and hippos. Here you can experience nature as it once was in East Africa, sitting on your own veranda and listening to the sounds of the wildlife surrounding you. From the large verandah you can watch the animals coming and going to the water of the Kazinga Channel. At Mweya you can forget your hectic life at home and come to rest in nature s hands. Journey time: 2 hours Mweya Lodge, Deluxe Safari tents http://www.mweyalodge.com/ Full Board (breakfast at Ruboni, lunch & dinner at Mweya Lodge) Day 6: Dec. 2 Sun. Queen Elizabeth National Park (Kazinga Channel) Today you wake up very early for coffee, tea and donuts served in the lounge. At 6.30 a.m., you go for an early morning game drive in time to see the sun rise. You will search for all the wildlife in the park; Elephant, Buffalo, Lion, Waterbuck, Leopard, Uganda Kob, Warthog, etc. After lunch (at 3 p.m.), you will take a boat safari along the Kazinga Channel. Here, you will see a huge number of hippos (more than you can possibly imagine!), as well as a variety of other animals which come to the water to drink or bathe. You can expect to see: Buffalo, Crocodile, bathing Elephant, and a range of beautiful birds. This will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of your tour. Mweya Lodge, Deluxe Safari tents Full Board (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Day 7: Dec. 3 Mon. Ishasha and Bwindi After a relaxed breakfast, you pick up your packed lunch from the lodge and proceed to the southern part of Queen Elizabeth N.P. This area is called Ishasha and is famous for its treeclimbing lions. To escape from the heat during the day, the lions have learned how to climb the fig trees. Our game drive will have us looking overhead hoping for a glimpse of sleeping lions perched on tree branches! After the game drive in Ishasha, you proceed to Bwindi: Home of the mountain gorillas. You stay in a very lovely luxurious lodge with views over the forest. Journey time: 2½ hours to Ishasha + 2½ hours to Buhoma Mahogany Springs Lodge http://mahoganysprings.com/ Full Board (breakfast & packed lunch Mweya, dinner at the lodge) Day 8: Dec. 4 Tuesday Gorilla Tracking Today is the big day and the main reason we ve come to Uganda! Prepare yourself for an encounter with one of Bwindi s gentle giants: the rare Mountain Gorilla. For most people this is the absolute highlight and magical experience of their tour in Uganda. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest boasts both Mountain Gorillas and Chimpanzees - the only forest in Africa which can make this claim. It also hosts five other species of primate, 113 species of mammal, over 200 butterflies and 360 birds. The Gorillas you will track belong to one of nine habituated family groups who can tolerate the presence of humans for a brief period every day. Your trek will be an exciting journey along forested slopes, entwined vines, bushes and bamboo before you eventually reach the
Gorillas habitat. En-route, your guide will point out signs of previous Gorilla activity, including dung, nests and chewed bamboo shoots. The time taken to track the Gorillas can take as little as 2 hours to as much as 7 hours before one returns back to the lodge! Once the Gorillas have been located, your group will be allowed a maximum of one hour with them. Coming face-to-face with a Mountain Gorilla is a truly humbling and emotional experience. This is a fantastic and privileged opportunity to get up close and personal with Uganda s very own Gorillas in the Mist. As soon as we approached the Gorillas, I immediately spotted the Silverback. He was making deep, rumbling noises and it was almost as though he was communicating with our guide! Nearby, a female was chewing on a tasty bamboo shoot, whilst a baby gorilla approached us inquisitively. We were able to get incredibly close to the group, but we had been advised by our guide not to make any direct contact with them. The experience of not only observing these rare animals, but being observed by them (!) was truly breathtaking. By Lisa (Denmark) after visiting the gorillas in February 2010 Mahogany Springs Lodge Full Board (breakfast, lunch, dinner) Day 9: Dec. 5 Wed. Cultural Village Walk Buhoma & To Ruhija In the morning you will have a guided village walk (about 3-4 hours). The walk introduces you to a number of interesting sites such as typical rural homesteads, a banana beer brewing site, a local traditional healer witch-doctor, a school and/or the Batwa-people, and many other interesting experiences. All money earned by selling their crafts to visitors is used to develop the standards of living of the community members. After the cultural walk you return to the lodge for your lunch. Then you continue to Gorilla Mist Camp in Ruhija. Privately operated and locally owned, it welcomes you with the breath taking scenery of the forest. It s a charming home away from home, a very peaceful and tranquil environment where you are entertained by the melodies of the birds. Blue monkeys are also commonly seen in this area. If you are lucky you may get a surprise visit by the mountain gorillas themselves who occasionally wander into the lodge grounds! Journey time: 1½ - 2 hours Gorilla Mist Camp http://www.sanctuaryretreats.com/lodges/uganda/gorilla-forest-camp.cfm Full Board (breakfast & lunch at Mahogany, dinner at GMC)
Day 10, Dec. 6 Thursday Gorilla Tracking Today will be an early start as you go for your second Gorilla tracking! This time the tracking shall be with another Gorilla family in a different part of Bwindi known as Ruhija. This place is blessed with having two Gorilla families living in the area. No doubt that we will be thrilled once again as we come face to face with more mountain gorilla s! Accomodation: Gorilla Mist Camp Full board (breakfast, lunch, dinner) Day 11: Dec. 7 Fruday Visit to the Equator Return to kampala After breakfast you drive back to kampala with a stop at the equator which is the best palce for souvenir shopping. Upon arrival at Cassia Lodge you can relax and share all of the exciting encounters that you ve had during your safari. Relax by the pool and enjoy your last night in Uganda. Journey time: Accomodation: 10-11 hours Cassia Lodge Lunch box from Gorilla Mist Camp, dinner not inclusive
Day 12: Dec. 8 Sat. Aiport transfer Today after breakfast and depending on the time of your flight, you can squeeze in some last minute shopping or just relax at the lodge. Your driver/guide will transfer you to the airport for your flight back to your home city. You return home with unforgettable memories of an incredible country and beautiful people. But your mystical encounter with the mountain gorilla s of Uganda will stay in your heart forever. As they say in Uganda, Webale nyo, Thank you Journey time: 1 hour to the airport UGANDA SAF ARI COST: $4,976.00 per person Based on a group of 8 travelers in shared accommodations Single Supplement: $700.00 Deposit of $1,000.00 PP required to reserve your space INCLUDED: Transport in a 4wd mini bus with pop-up roof for excellent safari wildlife viewing; All fuel costs/ surcharges for the tour; English speaking Ugandan driver/guide; Accommodation in a double/twin rooms (shared) Meals as indicated; 1½Liters of mineral water per person per day; Entrance fees for Kibale National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest; All activities described in the itinerary; 2 Gorilla tracking permits per person (à USD $500 each). 1 Chimp tracking permit per person (à USD $150) NOT INCLUDED: International air fare; Entry visa Uganda; Strongly recommended individual (medical/travel) insurance; All alcoholic drinks, beverages with meals Meals and snacks which are not inclusive in the accommodation costs; A porter for the gorilla trackings (someone who carries your daypack); All activities that are not mentioned in the program or activities that are mentioned in the program as optional activity; Tips and gratuities to rangers, driver/guide, porter, hotel staff, etc; All expenses of a personal nature (e.g. drinks, laundry, phone calls, souvenirs etc.).