Great Primate Tracking Expedition

On arrival at the Entebbe Airport, you will be welcomed and transferred to Kampala for your overnight at the Emin Pasha Hotel, or similar, for two nights.

Take a morning boat trip from Entebbe pier to Ngamba Island. Located on a beautiful forested island, Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary is home to approximately 40 chimpanzees rescued from poachers. The semi-wild environment allows for close viewing of the animals in their natural habitat and affords an opportunity to have an intimate insight into a chimpanzee community. Depending on the time of arrival, a range of activities will be available such as feeding or walking with the chimpanzees and bird watching. Return to the mainland and overnight at the Emin Pasha Hotel, or similar.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Depart from Kampala in the morning. Explore the Rhino Sanctuary (with payment of supplement), then stop in Masindi for lunch. Visit the top of the dramatic Murchison Falls, as it crashes through the narrow gorge. In the evening, you will enjoy game viewing. Overnight at the Nile Camp or Paraa Hotel for two nights.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Spend the day in the park with game viewing north of the Nile. Later, take a boat trip from Paraa to the bottom of the mighty and frothy falls. You will have the opportunity to observe more game along the river, with some of the largest crocodiles that remain in Africa, as well as hippos, elephants and birds, including the rare shoebill stork, basking on the banks of the Nile. Return to the Nile Camp or Paraa Hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Visit the Nile Safari Camp on your way to Kibale. On arrival at the lodge, either explore the crater lake nearby or relax at the lodge. Overnight at the Ndali or Mantana Lodge, or similar, in Kibale, for two nights.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Track the noisy chimps and other primates crashing around the high canopy of the forest with colorful birds squawking nearby. Have a picnic lunch before taking a walk to the Bigodi Ecotourism Site to see the swamp birds and some of the community projects financed by tourism. Return to Kibale for your overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Enjoy a day’s walk in the foothills of the Rwenzoris, one of the great mountain ranges of the world, and look out for its forbidding peaks in the distance. Or, you can drive straight to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The game you see will depend on the season; the Kasenyi plains are good for lions and the Mweya peninsula for a variety of animals. Overnight at the Mweya or Jacana Lodge, or similar, for two nights.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Take an excursion to the nearby Kyambura gorge to track the fast moving and elusive chimpanzees, one of man's closest relations. The chimp population is quite mobile and viewing is unpredictable, but the walk is enchanting. Alternatively, go for a nature walk in Maramagambo Forest to see other primates and to visit the bat cave and the Blue Lake. In the afternoon, take a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel where the wildlife and a vast array of birds come to drink. Return to the Mweya or Jacana Lodge, or similar.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Leave for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. If roads permit, you can drive via Ishasha, home of the tree-climbing lion, or you can take the alternative route through more cultivated expanses. Time permitting, go for a short stroll around the lodge or explore the village. Overnight at the Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge, or similar.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Enjoy your first day of gorilla tracking (subject to permit availability at time of booking), as you walk up steep, densely forested hills. When you finally come across the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation, it is a truly inspiring moment! Tracking in Bwindi requires stamina and often takes most of the day. Alternatively, go for a leisurely nature or community walk. Return to the Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge, or similar.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Leave for Mgahinga. Make brief stops at places of interest, including Kanaba Gap, to view the dramatic Virunga volcanoes and the beautiful terraced hills. Proceed to the frontier town of Kisoro, and then up the mountain to Mgahinga at 2,300 m. Overnight at the Volcanoes Mount Gahinga Lodge, or similar.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Either go gorilla tracking again, this time in Mgahinga / Nkuringo (on payment of supplement at time of booking and subject to permit availability), or climb the Muhavura or Gahinga volcanoes. Or, you can choose to go for a nature walk or visit the golden monkeys in Mgahinga. Transfer to Rwanda after lunch. Stroll around the lodge or simply take in the panoramic sunset over the volcanoes. Overnight at the Volcanoes Virunga Lodge, or similar, for three nights.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Enjoy another day of gorilla tracking in Parc National des Volcans (subject to permit availability). Tracking the gorillas through the light mountain forest on the slopes of the Virungas is a magical experience. If you are lucky, you can reach the gorillas, spend an hour with them, and be back at the base in time for a late lunch! Some gorilla families, however, are more elusive, and tracking can take a full day, especially when it is wet and muddy. Enjoy a quiet evening at the lodge.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Either spend a final day gorilla tracking, again in Parc National des Volcans (on payment of supplement at time of booking and subject to permit availability), or enjoy one of the many other activities available. Observe the golden monkeys, drive to Gisenyi, visit the Ross Carr's orphanage and Lake Kivu, or climb the Visoke/Muhavura volcanoes. Other options include trekking to Diane Fossey's grave, visiting the local school, participating in community projects, or walking to Lake Bulera. Return to the Virunga Lodge, or similar, for your final night in Africa.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Leave for Kigali. Time permitting, enjoy a tour of the city including a visit to the market, a pottery project, handicraft shops, the Franco-Rwandan cultural centre, and the genocide memorial. Transfer to the airport for your onward flight.

Meals: Breakfast