This voyage is for those interested in East Africa‘s monkeys, birds, and culture. See the endangered mountain gorilla in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and Uganda’s Bwindi Forest, spend a day with chimpanzees at Kibale, track golden monkeys in Mgahinga, see plains game in Queen Elizabeth National Park and tree-climbing lions of the Ishasha plains, and cruise the Kazinga channel.
Your journey goes through Mityana, Mubende, Kwenjojo, and Fort Portal, passing tea farms and the Rwenzori Mountains. You’ll join Kibale’s researchers and habituation team as they monitor chimpanzee families during their everyday routines, acclimating them to human presence without affecting their normal behaviour. Spend an hour observing chimps.
You’ll depart Kibale Forest via the crater lakes for Kasese, western Uganda’s second-largest city. The route runs through fertile agricultural land and follows the Rwenzori Mountains’ lower slopes. The road from Kasese to Queen Elizabeth National Park crosses the equator. Uganda Kob antelope are numerous, and elephants or buffalo may be seen.
Next, you’ll visit western Uganda’s best game-viewing location. In the north Kazinga area near the Mweya Peninsula, a network of tracks leads to elephant, buffalo, and other animals. Kasenyi Plain, east of the Kasese/Mbarara highway, is a good place to see lions and other big animals. This is the key breeding place for Uganda kob, lion prides’ main food source. Kazinga Channel connects Lake George and Lake Edward in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Ishasha grasslands are noted for their tree-climbing lions. Ishasha Village’s community initiative – here, locals will let you enjoy their homesteads and crops. Forest treks, trips to a school, orphanage, or Batwa pygmy settlement, and curio shopping are also fun. Bwindi National Park in Uganda’s southwest is home to 120 animals, 345 bird species, 200 butterfly species, and 160 tree species.
Meet Gorillas in their natural habitat: early morning guides and trackers will lead you through mountain rain forests. Gorilla tracking can be hard, with two-to-six-hour excursions through thick foliage up steep hills. Enjoy woodland walks, visits to a local school/orphanage or Batwa pygmy settlement, and curio buying in addition to trekking. Volcanoes National Park gorilla trekking is both memorable and difficult. Rather than trekking, visit Dian Fossey’s tomb or wander with Golden Monkeys.
