Uganda

Day trip to Mabamba Swamp

Sep 1

Set out across Lake Victoria to Mabamba Swamp, where you will embark on a canoe adventure in search of the famed Shoebill Stork. An impressive sight to behold, the Shoebill Stork, recognized by its shoe-shaped bill, stands 5ft tall with a wingspan of roughly 8ft. It uses a unique hunting technique known as “collapse hunting,” lunging methodically to catch fish and other small animals with precision. With an estimated 10,000 or fewer in the wild, the Shoebill Stork is currently classified as a vulnerable species, but conservation efforts are in place to protect their shrinking habitat and mitigate threats.

Track chimpanzees in Kibale National Park

Sep 2–4

Drive from Entebbe to Ndali Lodge in the popular Kibale National Park. Kibale National Park is known for its rich variety and concentration of primates, such as vervets, l’Hoest’s monkeys, red colobus, black-and-white colobus, chimpanzees, and olive baboons. You may also encounter forest elephants, which are smaller and hairier than savanna elephants.

Kibale National Park is home to roughly 1,500 chimpanzees, all separated into various troops and some lone individuals. Several of the troops are habituated to humans, so you can observe them throughout the day without them getting anxious or upset. We have special permits that maximize time with the chimpanzees, so plan for a full day of activity. Wake up before dawn to hike into the forest, arriving at your focal chimp group just in time to see them stir and wake from their sleeping nests. Observe their daily routine while they interact in their natural habitat, and watch them eat, groom, play, and care for their young. Your expert guide will describe their behaviors and also help locate other animals that share the tropical forest, including other species of primates, bush pigs, dukiers, many amphibians and reptiles, and some of the more than 375 birds that inhabit this area.

Begin the last morning at adjacent Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, recognized for its extensive biodiversity and affectionately called “the paradise of birds,” to view numerous bird species, primates, and other mammals including mongoose, warthogs, and otters. This wetland boasts a rich habitat and great conservation success story. The area, once known for poaching, is now managed by the locals who directly benefit from tourism. After touring Bigodi, you will return to follow your chimpanzee troop for the remainder of the day.

Drive to Bwindi

Sep 5

Embark on a scenic drive south to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home of the critically endangered mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei). Enjoy a stop in Queen Elizabeth National Park for a boat ride down the Kazinga Channel, one of the park's most dominant wildlife spots. The Kazinga Channel connects two freshwater lakes: Lake George and Lake Edward and acts as a main water source for the wildlife. Cruising the channel, you will have the opportunity to see statunga antelopes, waterbucks, buffalo, crocodiles, the world’s largest population of hippos, and even elephants. There are also various bird species along the channel, such as marabou storks, saddle-billed storks, great and little egrets, white-bellied cormorants, African skimmers, common ringed plover, Kittlitz’s plover, and marsh sandpiper.

Track gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Sep 6–8

Spend three days on gorilla treks in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The forest is part of a national park that lies on the edge of the Albertine Rift Valley in southwestern Uganda, with a wide altitude range between 1,160m and 2,600m (peaking over 8,500ft above sea level). The forest dates back to the ice ages and is one of Uganda's oldest and most ecologically diverse regions. It is home to almost 400 plant species, 350 bird species, including 23 Albertine Rift endemics, and 120 mammal species including rodents, bats, mountain gorillas, olive baboons, chimpanzees, elephants, and antelopes.

Your knowledgeable guide from the lodge will lead you on your venture to track mountain gorillas each day. Following a morning briefing by your gorilla guide, who will tell you about your assigned gorilla family and appropriate safety precautions, you will drive to the trailhead for the start of your thrilling quest. Expect a full day of hiking long distances in steep and sometimes muddy conditions, taking anywhere from two to eight hours to find the elusive mountain gorillas.

Once you arrive at your gorilla family, you will spend one hour with them as they engage in their daily life. You will witness movement and behaviors such as feeding, playing, and tending to their young. Experience breathtaking and face-to-face encounters with giant mountain gorillas on an awe-inspiring adventure that few are lucky to know.

Fly back to Entebbe and depart

Sep 9

Take a private charter flight to Entebbe. You can refresh in your dayroom before catching your flights home.

Arrive home

Sep 10