Culture and Gorillas

Upon your arrival into the Pearl of Africa, you will be welcomed by our company representative and be transferred to your lodge for relaxation and later on in the afternoon if you’re okay with doing any activity on that day, there will be an optional Kampala city tour which will be done mainly on foot. Kampala is the capital city of the country and it has a lot of touristy destinations to visit when in Uganda and some of them are the Gadafi masjid (Mosque) which is the country’s national mosque, the Mengo Palace, Independence monuments, Owino Market, Uganda Museum among others. And later after the city tour you will return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Early in the morning (6:00 am) after having your breakfast, you will transfer to Fort Portal in the south west of Uganda. Dubbed as the tourism city of the country, this beautiful city has a lot to offer for tourists visiting the region. It is home to the most polite locals in Uganda and besides that it’s a few kilometers away to the home of the chimpanzees.

You will have a stopover in Mubende for refreshments, and then proceed with your journey to fort portal. It takes about 5-6 hours of driving, so you’re likely to reach in the afternoon, have lunch and check-in at your lodge for a bit of relaxation and later on you will be taken to the Amabere Ga Nyinamwiru caves.

It is a direct translation locally as that but it actually means “Breasts of the mother of a slave” which was known as “Mwiru”. It is an ancient cave of the former Batembuzi Dynasty which existed long ago and from here you will learn a lot of the dynasty’s cultural background and how they used to live in here. There’s also a waterfall which is beautiful to take pictures and you’re allowed to take as many pictures as you want. Later after here, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

On this day we will check-out from our lodge with our everything, and take-on the community tour around the region. The community tour is actually a rewarding experience because from here you get to experience how the locals live their day to day lives. Practice some activities like preparing the local meals, getting them from the garden, how they make local beers etc. and after we will proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

From Fort Portal to Queen Elizabeth National Park, it’s approximately 100kms and it probably takes about 2-3 hours of driving. So you will reach in the evening and check-in at your lodge for relaxation and later on have dinner and overnight.

Today very early in the morning, (6:30 am) with your packed breakfast, your guide will brief you about today’s activities before taking on the road to search for wildlife in the “Medley of wonders” Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s second largest National Park and it is located in South-western Uganda. It is home to 97 mammal species with four members of Africa’s big five animals, it is also home to almost 600 bird species which makes it one of the country’s most popular bird watching destination. During the game-drive, the most sought after animals are the majestic elephants roaming the savannahs and the Kings of beasts, the Lions patrolling their territories. Leopards also call this park home but besides the big game animals, plenty of antelopes are also here and you will be informed about everything concerning their adaptability.

The game-drive takes about 3-4 hours, and your guide will take you to a suitable place to have your breakfast and after return to the lodge for lunch and later go for an afternoon boat cruise on the famous Kazinga Channel.

Kazinga channel is where boat cruises in Queen Elizabeth National Park are done from, it connects lakes Edward and George and it is most known for its high concentration of hippos in Africa. You will see plenty of animals quenching their thirsty on the banks of the channel and among them are the African savanna Elephants, Buffaloes, Hippos, Warthogs, Uganda Kobs and water birds like the African Fish Eagle, White Pelicans, Egyptian Goose and so many others.

The boat takes 3 hours of cruising and later you will return to the lodge for relaxation and those who won’t be tired will go for a sunset game-drive in the park. It is a great opportunity of seeing the missed animals in the morning and you will enjoy a sunset into Africa’s wilderness. You will later return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Today we will transfer from Queen Elizabeth National Park to the gorilla highlands. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located south of Queen Elizabeth about 300kms. So it will take about 5 hours of driving through the Ntungamo-Kabale highway to Ruhija section of the park where you will track and trek the endangered mountain gorillas on foot the next day. You will have lunch in Kabale and proceed to the park after. Arriving early in the evening and check-in at the lodge for relaxation and dinner then overnight.

After having your breakfast very early in the morning (6;00 am) your guide will take you to the park head quarters where you will be briefed about the do’s and don’ts before penetrating the impenetrable forests in search of mountain gorillas.

Gorilla trekking can take 2 hours and it can also take 8 hours of searching for these great apes depending on their movements, so packed lunch is a recommended thing not to be forgotten and at least 2 liters of drinking water.

Potters are also recommended for unfit tourists who would want to be helped out with their bags but if you feel good to go then a potter is not necessary. Tourists are given a full hour of interaction with gorillas after trekking to see them. So you’re advised to use this time well, you can take as many pictures as possible without flashes of the camera to avoid confusing the animals and we sure you will enjoy your time here because for many tourists visiting Uganda, meeting these gentle giants in their natural habitats is the highlight.

Long sleeved clothes are also recommended because of the thick forest you are about to penetrate and if possible hiking shoes or boots to avoid sloppy trails and of course the safari ants.

Uganda being home to half of the world’s remaining population of mountain gorillas, you’re almost guaranteed to see these beautiful great apes but don’t forget the rain jacket if possible because Bwindi Impenetrable forest is a tropical rain forest and it can rain any time of the day. After this encounter you will return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.