Uganda 4 Days Gorillas Trek and Chimp Tracking Tour -Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Kibale Chimp Trek - (Gorillas, Chimps Trek)
Day 1: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park (flight option available)
We shall commence the 4 days Uganda gorillas tracking chimpanzee trek tour with your designated tour guide meeting with you at your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala at 08:00 AM. He shall be briefing you through the program before setting off on the ±7 hours drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Along the drive, expect to meet up and interact with a few communities, stops at traditional village farms, fruit markets, and crafts and artifacts shops, as well as the equator crossing point for photography.
We shall have lunch at a nice restaurant in Mbarara city before we traverse mountains, tropical rainforests and bamboo forest on our way to Bwindi. We expect to be in Bwindi at about 4 pm. Dinner shall be at the overnight lodge/ camp.
Bwindi Accommodation options available (all on full board basis)
Up-market: Mahogany Lodge or Buhoma Lodge or Four Gorillas Lodge or Bwindi Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge
Moderate: Haven Lodge Bwindi or Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge or Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
Low Budget: Gorillas Conservation Camp or Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp or Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After breakfast, proceed for the morning briefing before enjoying the highlight of the trip - gorilla trekking, which may last the entire day.
We trek through the rainforest and bamboo-covered slopes, accompanied by a guide and trackers, in search of a mountain gorilla family. The walking can sometimes be tough and long, but when you catch a glimpse of the magnificent silverback, any discomforts will be quickly forgotten. When sighted, visitors will be guided to within 6 metres of the gorillas, sit around them for a whole hour while gazing into their big round eyes.
Gorilla trekking is unpredictable. It's difficult to foresee how many hours you will hike. The gorilla excursion can take from 2 up to 8 hours. Expect to walk a long distance in steep and muddy conditions, sometimes with rain overhead, before you encounter any gorillas. A good physical condition is recommended. For conservation purposes, time spent with the gorillas is limited to one hour. A ranger will brief you on how to behave with the gorillas.
Accommodation options available (all on full board basis)
Up-market: Mahogany Lodge or Buhoma Lodge or Four Gorillas Lodge or Bwindi Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge
Moderate: Haven Lodge Bwindi or Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge or Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
Low Budget: Gorillas Conservation Camp or Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp or Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge
Day 3: Drive from Bwindi to Kibale National Park for the chimpanzee trek
Early morning after breakfast we continue driving through the undulating highlands of southwestern Uganda on our way to the greener and more beautiful Fort Portal area. Traveling on both asphalt and unpaved roads, you pass through traditional Ugandan Villages where you see people at work tending their traditional crops of millet, sorghum, beans, and maize. The lush rolling hills of this region provide good "photo opportunities".
As you approach Fort Portal in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains, you enter Uganda's famous tea plantation region. A carpet of green spreads before you, as far as the eye can see, and seems an unusual contrast to the countryside through which you have just passed.
If your gorilla trekking was done from the Buhoma or Ruhija sectors of Bwindi, you could actually program a short game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park for tree-climbing lions and other wildlife in the park. You would, however, need to pay the entrance fees for yourself and the vehicle.
Kibale Accommodation options available (all on full board basis)
Up-market: Ndali Lodge or Crater Safari Lodge
Moderate: Isunga Lodge or Turaco Treetops Lodge or Kibale Forest Camp (in rooms) or Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse
Low Budget: Kibale Forest Camp (in tents) | Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse (in the main house with shared bathroom)
Day 4: Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale National Park & Depart back to Entebbe
Unlike the gorilla tracking in Bwindi, Kibale chimpanzee trekking is rather softer and less physically demanding. The forest landscape is generally a gentle slope, so you won't be hiking a lot. There are two chimpanzee tracking sessions, at 8 am and 11 am and we plan to be on the former so that we have enough time to drive to Kampala/ Entebbe afterward. Typically, we locate the chimps by listening for their pant-hooting calls, then hustle to the area from which they are calling. We get to observe them as they feed in fruiting trees, lounge, and socialize with each other, or even, occasionally hunt.
Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale is set to reward you more compared to other African forests because of the richer biodiversity in the park. It is inhabited by three large communities of chimps, each numbering more than 100 individuals. Each community has a complicated social structure. The big adult males dominate the group and defend the community territory against incursions by male outsiders; the females usually wander in small family groups.
If all goes well, you can as well expect more than 11 other primate's species encounters in Kibale black and white colobus monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, red-tailed monkeys, bush babies, and pottos. Also, the many bird species like the yellow-spotted nicator, rumped tinker bird, little greenbul, green-breasted pitta, crowned eagle, and black bee-eater keep the forest lively as you go about the chimpanzee trekking. Be keen on this walk for unexpected encounters with the other species of mammals like elephants in the jungle.
We shall end the Uganda gorilla tracking chimpanzee trek tour with our return drive to Entebbe Airport or Kampala city if you are not planning on flying out today. This route travels through breathtaking scenery and delightfully rolling plantations, some of the best in Uganda, arriving in Kampala in the early evening.
The drive should be about ±5 hours and we expect to be in Entebbe at about 6:30 pm.
Essential Chimps and Gorilla Trekking information
Chimpanzee tracking takes place in Kibale while Gorilla Trekking takes place in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda at altitudes of about 2000 Meters above sea level. Both places experience a modified equatorial climate, which is kind of moist and often cooler. The grounds are usually wet, and the paths are full of stinging plants-nettles. Besides, the rains are random. In this regard, all prospective trackers are asked to bring the following
- Long trousers/ pants- to avoid stinging nettles please do not wear short parks when tracking gorillas. The trousers must be strong enough to withstand occasional pulls from thorns.
- Long-sleeved shirts/ t-shirts. To avoid stinging nettles
- Gloves- not such a big necessity but you may need them to avoid injury to your hands. Remember the grounds are wet and slippery. To avoid injury from thorny bushes and objects on ground.
- Hiking boots- Please bring average waterproof sturdy walking boots reaching ankle level not mountain climbing boots. Something light and hardy will do.
- Warm cardigan- the hills can get extremely cold. A warm cardigan is required to keep off cold.
- Long-sleeved Raincoat or anorak -it can rain anytime in Volcanoes National Park even on hot days. The downpours are heavy and extremely cold.
- Waterproof container for your cameras. Yes, I know there are waterproof cameras but even them to be sure just put them in a waterproof container. When you are slipping and falling in muddy grounds you do not want your precious photos damaged or do you?
- If you desire headgear (hats), a baseball cap is recommended as gorillas are familiar to them.
- Enough water- minimum of 2 litres of drinking water to avoid dehydration. Carry four just in case the hike proofs longer than expected. Sometimes it can be 8 hours.
- A camera
- If you are interested in birds, you can bring a Field Guide to birds of East Africa by Fanshawe and a pair of binoculars.
Uganda and Rwanda Introductory Travel Tips
Guide:
Our guide(s) is a thorough English-speaking professional guide and navigates all through.
Meals:
Most of the breakfast served in Ugandan Hotels is English breakfast. Lunch and Dinner in some hotels are based on a set menu but most hotels' meals are on Ale carte. All hotels included in the Itinerary offer traditional/cultural music shows on request.
Hotels:
We have talked about all the hotels used and their description in the Itinerary: However, not all hotels have Bathtubs, but you will find clean warm shower facilities Ensuite. Some lodges offer Air-conditioned rooms while others haven’t. However, Uganda's climate is renowned for moderate temperatures which range between 18 to 28 degrees centigrade throughout the year.
Safari:
You are on Full board (FB)/ Half HB) however this doesn’t stop you from buying anything of your interest.
Tips:
The question of when and when not to tip can be difficult in a foreign country. In Uganda and Rwanda, it is customary to tip your driver/guide at the end of a safari or hike, as well as a cook or porter that accompanies you. A figure if roughly $5 per day would be a fair benchmark, though check this with your safari company in advance. I see no reason why you shouldn’t give a bigger or smaller tip based on the quality of service. It is not essential to tip the guides who take you around in national parks and other reserves, but it is recommended, and the money will be greatly appreciated by the recipient.
The thing to remember is that whoever you tip in USD will not get the sum of money you intend to give. The exchange of USD is not an exact science, the rate given depends on both the age of the note and the size of the note. The newest and biggest denomination note will attract the best rate. A $1 bill will attract an absolute rubbish rate no matter how many you have. A Rwandan / Ugandan will be happy to receive a tip in whatever currency you want to use but for day-to-day living, they prefer their local currency. If you tip them with dollars the first thing, they do is go to the forex to negotiate the best rate available, either that or try and sell them back to you.
So, at the end of the day if all you have is USD or GBP or Euro then use that currency but the best option for the recipient is the local currency (Uganda Shilling or Rwandan franc).
But please please please don't do what some people do, tip using foreign coins, particularly one pound or one-euro coins as they have no value at all and yes, some people do it.
It is customary to tip for service in local bars and restaurants, though you may sometimes want to leave a tip (in fact, given the difficulty of finding change in Uganda), you may particularly be forced into doing this in some circumstances. A tip of 5% would be very acceptable and 10% generous. Generally, any restaurant that caters primarily for tourists and to wealthy Ugandans/ Rwandese residents will automatically add a service charge to the bill, but since there’s no telling where that service charge ends up, it would be reasonable to reward good service with a cash tip.
The following is a guide to tips:
Local guides/porters in the Hotel/ parks US$ 05-10/porter,
Gorilla guides in the park US$ 20-50
Chimpanzee guide in the park US$ 10-30
Game drive guide in the park US$ 10-30
Drivers or Tour Guide US$ 25 per day
Foreign currency exchange, Using credit cards, Bargaining/ Shopping in Uganda
