Our adventure begins at 08h00, when we depart from our hotel in Entebbe to head south west. We will stop a drum market, and again at the equator, where we have lunch (own expense).
This afternoon we enter Lake Mburo National Park, known for its plains game and large hippo population. We camp the night on the lake shore.
Meals: D (Lunch own expense)
Distance: 230 km
Accommodation: Camping (2 person dome tent)
Included Highlights/Activity:
- Drum market
- Equator
- Lake Mburo National Park
Optional Activities:
- None, all included
We start the day with a game drive or a walk and then exit the park to travel through a landscape of rolling hills alive with banana plantations and herds of impressive long-horned Ankole cattle.
Though the roads are rough, this afternoon we travel through some impressive scenery, passing remote villages often shrouded in mist, toward the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
We set up camp for the night at the edge of the forest and prepare for the gorilla trek the following day.
Meals: B L D
Distance: 250 km
Accommodation: Bwindi Forest - Camping (2 person dome tent)
Included Highlights/Activity:
- Game Drive on the way out of the Mburo National Park
- Scenic drive to Bwindi
Optional Activities:
- None, all included
The gorilla trek is undoubtedly the highlight of the entire tour. The mountains and forests are spectacular in their own right, but spending time with a group of Mountain Gorillas is an experience that really defies any description. Many people are moved by the obvious kinship we share with these magnificent animals. We split into small groups and trek up into the forest, each group led by a local guide, in search of a different family of gorillas. The going can be quite tough, and you should come prepared for a hike through dense forest, up steep paths over uneven terrain.
The gorilla permits are limited, with strict rules to minimise the impact on the gorillas, so we allow two days for trekking to ensure everyone gets their chance. On occasions when permits are only available for Day 4, we will visit Lake Bunyoni on Day 3, but where permits are spread over Day 3 and 4, those not trekking have the option to go on a local village walk led by a local guide. The forest also offers fantastic birding .
Meals: B L D; B L D
Accommodation: Bwindi Forest - Camping (2 person dome tent)
Included Highlights/Activity:
- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Gorilla tracking
- Bwindi Forest
Optional Activities:
- Forest walks
- Birding walks
- Pygmy village visits
Leaving the mountains and forests behind us, we drop down to the grasslands of the Queen Elizabeth National Park. Here we spend two nights camping at a remote site within the park. The Ishasha area is renowned for its huge tree climbing lions, but fantastic bird life, numerous species of primates, and abundant plains game, including the kob that the lions prey on, are also found here. We will game drive extensively, searching the tall fig trees for lions, while our guide explains what we see.
Meals: B L D; B L D
Distance: 150 km
Accommodation: Ishasha - Camping (2 person dome tent)
Included Highlights/Activity:
- Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Camp on the Ishasha river
- 2 nights within the Park
- Tree climbing lions
- Massive hippo population
Optional Activities:
- None, all included
Today we travel the length of the park, through the Maramagambo Forest and over the Kazinga Channel which links Lake Edward and Lake George, to exit the park in the north. We pass through the town of Kasese, before stopping at a viewpoint where we have lunch, with the Rwenzori Mountains in front of us. The "Mountains of the Moon" rise over 5000m above sea level, with slopes covered in tropical forest and the highest peaks permanently snow-capped, a bewildering sight considering their proximity to the equator. Glaciers high up form one of the sources of the waters of the Nile River.
Tonight we camp amongst the tea plantations near Fort Portal.
Meals: B L D
Distance: 120 km
Accommodation: Camping (2 person dome tent)
Included Highlights/Activity:
- Drive through Maramogambo Forest
- Kazinga Channel
- Ruwenzori Mountain views
- Village Walk
Optional Activities:
- None, all included
We have a long drive today, over some rough roads, so we leave early this morning. We pass through the luminous green tea plantations surrounding the town of Fort Portal before the long road, via Hoima, to Masindi, our stop for the night. Given the long drive, we don't camp tonight, staying at a local hotel or lodge.
Meals: B L D
Distance: 300 km
Accommodation: Masindi Hotel
Included Highlights/Activity:
- Scenic drive
- Masindi
Optional Activities:
- None, all included
This morning we enter Murchison Falls National Park, where we spend the next two nights. Here we will track chimpanzees on foot, game drive in the park, view Murchison Falls, and take a boat cruise on the Victoria Nile River. The program is flexible, depending on the season, road conditions and availability of bookings, but all these activities will be included.
The southern part of the park is heavily forested, great habitat for chimps, with the northern part, where we game drive, open savannah with abundant plains game, including the relatively rare Rothschild's Giraffe. Getting to the northern part of the park means crossing the Nile using the ferry at Parra, an adventure all on its own.
Meals: B L D, B L D
Distance: Roughly 50 km per day
Accommodation: Camping (2 person dome tent)
Included Highlights/Activity:
- Chimpanzee trek with included permit
- Murchison Falls
- Northern part of Murchison Falls National Park
- Wild camping in big game area
- Victoria Nile boat cruise
Optional Activities:
- None, all included
We leave the park early this morning to drive south to Jinja, regarded as east Africa's adventure capital. Located near the source of the White Nile, where the river pours out of Lake Victoria, Jinja is Uganda's second city.
We spend a full day here so you have time to participate in any of a number of adventure activities: white water rafting, bungee jumping over the source of the Nile, boat cruises, horse riding, visiting local community projects are all options (own expense).
Meals: B L
Distance: 430 km
Accommodation: Adrift Camp
Included Highlights/Activity:
- Drive through many villages
- Jinja (adventure capital of Uganda)
Optional Activities:
- River Rafting
- Bungi Jump
- Many more
The tour officially ends after breakfast this morning. The guide and vehicle usually leave for Kampala immediately after breakfast, in order to attend to post tour responsibilities. You are welcome to ride along, at no charge, to Kampala, but be aware that this trip to Kampala, and the timing, are not guaranteed.
Alternatively, you can extend your stay in Jinja (Drifters can book post tour accommodation for you), or you can participate in further optional activities and take a later transfer directly to Entebbe, which Drifters can arrange on your behalf.
Meals: B
Distance: 116 km
