Ultimate Gorilla Safari

Arrive in Entebbe, where you are met and transferred to our hotel. Guests who arrive by 1 PM may opt for an included tour with your Expedition Leader this afternoon to Mabamba Bay swamp, a massive wetland on the edge of Lake Victoria that offers an excellent introduction to Uganda's rich biodiversity. The vast marsh is one of Uganda's top birdwatching hotspots and a globally significant Important Bird Area (IBA). It's also one of the most reliable places in Africa for a prize sighting of the rare shoebill stork. Mabamba Bay is a major breeding site for this prehistoric species, found here in one of the highest concentrartions in the world. Exploring the narrow, papyrus-lined channels by traditional wooden canoe, keep an eye out for other top draws among the marsh's 300 bird species, including papyrus gonolek, malachite kingfisher, and the brightly colored African swamphen. Later this evening, join your Expedition Leader and fellow adventurers for a welcome dinner and orientation.

Fly today by chartered light aircraft to Murchison Falls National Park, which covers almost 1,500 square miles of wild terrain at the northern end of the Albertine Rift Valley. Diverse habitats—including savanna, acacia forest, Borassus palm forest, riverine woodlands and papyrus swamp—support a wide variety of wildlife. The park is bisected by the Victoria Nile, a turbulent stretch of whitewater forced through a narrow gap to plunge 140 feet over a sheer wall, creating a thunderous roar. While Murchison Falls is the most powerful waterfall in the world, the calm stretch of river below offers superb wildlife viewing, with elephant, giraffe, buffalo, hippo and Nile crocodile frequently in view. Boat launch trips to the base of the falls and Lake Albert Delta offer fine birdwatching, with a chance to see rare shoebill storks—a coveted sighting that draws birders to Uganda for this reason alone. The 1951 film The African Queen, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, was filmed on Lake Albert and the Nile River within the park. Other notable figures who have visited here include Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Ernest Hemingway.

Spend the next three nights in peaceful seclusion at Nat Hab’s private Murchison Bush Camp in the heart of this wildlife mecca. With just eight tents, the low-impact camp is set seasonally in a remote area with unsurpassed proximity for wildlife viewing—our location permits us to be first into the park each morning, far sooner than guests staying at outlying lodges. Enjoy total solitude and the safari ambience of a bygone era, with canvas tents and lantern-lit dining.

Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s richest wildlife enclave, with 144 mammal species including chimpanzees and Rothschild’s giraffe, Uganda’s largest population of Nile crocodiles among its 51 reptile species, and 550 bird species including shoebills, dwarf kingfisher, Goliath heron, great blue turaco and winged gray warbler. We scout for a wide variety of animals today, first on a morning game drive that could include sightings of buffalo, elephant, giraffe, Uganda kob, Jackson’s hartebeest, oribi, lion, leopard and side-striped jackal, and more.

This afternoon, take a private cruise in the Lake Albert Delta, where the Victoria Nile enters this swampy wetland as a sluggish stream, threading its way among small islands in a series of tributaries. The alluvial marsh is a designated Important Bird Area and one of the best birding locations in Africa, especially for aquatic birds—keep an eye out for African fish eagles among the 75+ species of waterbirds found here. In the distance, the mountain ranges of the Congo rise in undulating forested ridges on the horizon.

This morning, we head into Budongo Forest Reserve to go chimpanzee trekking. Located on the escarpment east of Lake Albert, this semi-deciduous tropical rainforest is noted for its large chimp population of approximately 600 individuals, and its native mahogany trees, with some old-growth specimens as tall as 200 feet still standing. The forest is also home to 360 bird species, some of which are endemic to this localized region, including the yellow-footed flycatcher. Research on Budongo’s chimpanzees began in the early 1960s, with the establishment of a forest reserve that later became the Budongo Conservation Field Station. Among a trio of pioneer researchers here in the 1960s was Jane Goodall.

This afternoon, we make an exciting visit to the top of Murchison Falls, where the Nile surges through a narrow cleft just 23 feet wide before plunging dramatically over the escarpment. From this vantage point, we witness the immense power of the river as it crashes into the gorge below, creating the thunderous spectacle that defines Murchison Falls.

This morning, another private boat cruise takes us in search of wildlife along the river channels. In addition to the excitement of seeing scores of hippos and crocodiles, we also have good chances to spot elephants, giraffe, baboons, warthogs, and of course, countless beautiful birds. Our voyage includes a journey to the base of Murchison Falls with a view into the Devil’s Cauldron, the foaming chaos created by the turbulent Nile River as it plummets over the cliff. We also pass the spot where Hemingway’s plane crashed when the celebrated author visited Uganda in 1954.

After our cruise, transfer to the airstrip for a scenic flight over Uganda’s verdant highlands to reach Kibale National Park. This equatorial rainforest reserve is home to one of the world's most important primate populations, including 1,300 chimpanzees. We go in search of them over two days with local trackers who help us spot chimps and monkeys, with plenty of unhurried time to observe their entertaining antics. We may also see up to a hundred different bird species on a wetland sanctuary walk. An optional hike to one of the crater lakes near our lodge offers magnificent views from the rim. After each full and exhilarating day, settle in to the comfort of our thatched cottages at Ndali Lodge overlooking the ancient crater.

Depart for the local airstrip this morning for our flight to Kihihi, gateway to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and our gorilla-trekking base in the rainforest. The park, whose name references the dense, tangled forests it encompasses, is home to roughly half the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. Though best known for its outstanding gorilla viewing, it also provides refuge to chimpanzees, monkeys, elephants and various small antelope. Bwindi is also a top Uganda birding destination, with 23 of Uganda’s 24 Albertine Rift endemics, including threatened species such as African green broadbill and Shelley's crimson wing.

Within the World Heritage Site that is Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, discover one of nature travel’s peak experiences: a visit with wild gorillas in their natural habitat. Just over a thousand mountain gorillas remain in the world, and Bwindi is home to about 460—a population that is growing but still threatened by increasing human population and habitat loss in the surrounding area. Our safari includes two treks to spend time among the gorillas, often at very close range. Early in the morning, we head into the dense rainforest on a quest to locate one of the habituated family groups. Our local guides are expert trackers, reading signs of the gorillas’ recent presence in the undergrowth. We can’t predict how long it will take to locate them, but finally, we hear and see a gorilla family, watching enrapt as they sit among the trees, chewing leaves, babies clinging to mothers’ backs, juveniles swinging from branches, and a big male silverback surveying it all. It’s hard to tell who is more intrigued with the other, the gorillas or us!

If time permits later today, we may have an opportunity to visit a local community initiative, nonprofit or small business enterprise in the Bwindi area. These connections offer a glimpse into people's daily lives and the ways local communities are helping to further conservation in the region.

Leaving Bwindi, we descend to the Rift Valley floor, watching scenes of local life unfold along the way as we drive past villages and coffee plantations. Entering Rwanda, continue to Parc National des Volcans—Volcanoes National Park—named for the string of jungle-draped volcanoes inside its borders. The park is rich mosaic of montane ecosystems, with thick forests and steep-sided mountains rising to nearly 15,000 feet above sea level. Within the Virunga Range, the park is one of three areas where mountain gorillas reside. Our destination, Five Volcanoes, is a deluxe boutique lodge that provides an ideal gorilla trekking base for the next three nights. Set seamlessly into its lush surroundings with panoramic vistas of the mountains beyond, the lodge is just a short drive from the national park headquarters, where all gorilla trekking expeditions depart.

After breakfast, we drive to park headquarters for a briefing from our guides. This area is where Dian Fossey made her groundbreaking studies on mountain gorillas before she was killed in 1985, and her grave is nearby. Several habituated gorilla families live in the park, and we learn how important our ecotourism presence is to their survival before trekking in search of them. We set out early each morning along paths into the forest, eventually leaving trails behind as our trackers follow signs that lead them to the gorillas' current location. The altitude is above 8,200 feet, so while our pace is unhurried, the hike is tiring, lasting from 30 minutes to several hours. But what a reward: our goal is a chance to sit with a specific gorilla family that has become accustomed to visitors and is nonchalant about human contact—and we enjoy a full hour in their presence.

While gorillas are the highlight, even without them Volcanoes National Park would be fascinating. Its varied ecosystems shelter elephant, buffalo, giant forest hog, bush pig, bushbuck, duiker and spotted hyena, as well as a habituated group of endemic and highly endangered golden monkeys, which are our focus today. We spend the morning on a quest for these agile entertainers that swing through the forest canopy and delight us with their antics. Our environs are also home to 178 bird species, including at least 29 endemics found only in the Rwenzori and Virunga mountains. After our morning with the monkeys, depart for Rwanda’s capital of Kigali. Visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial, a deeply moving tribute to the 800,000 people killed in Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Our primate safari comes to a close as we transfer to the airport for departing flights.