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Here’s the ultimate mountain gorilla safari for anyone who has ever wanted to have one of the world’s most extraordinary travel experiences. The beautiful emerald-green Virunga Volcanoes straddling the Rwanda-Uganda border and Uganda’s Bwindi National Park are the stronghold of the celebrated mountain gorilla. Together they form the setting for this extraordinary expedition (featured in National Geographic Adventure’s “The Best of Africa,” September 2005). You’ll have four opportunities to track gorillas in a variety of jungle habitats, from the jungles of Bwindi’s Impenetrable Forest to the bamboo thickets of Sabinyo and the mist-clad heights of Karasimbi Volcano. Terrific gorilla observations and an in-depth exploration of their forest environment are joined with chimpanzee tracking in the Kibale Forest (the best in Africa), stunning Rift Valley scenery, and big game viewing at Queen Elizabeth National Park. Best of all, you’ll see it with Allen Bechky, one of Africa’s most experienced safari guides, who will help you understand and appreciate all aspects of these unique environments.

A six-day extension tracks chimps and observes rainforest birds in the Budongo Forest, then seeks big game along the Nile at Murchison Falls.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Travel with safari legend Allen Bechky, one of Africa’s most experienced safari guides
• Enjoy four opportunities for close encounters with mountain gorillas in two national parks, one of the rarest animals on earth!
• See bands of noisy chimpanzees and up to a dozen other primates
• Big game viewing in Queen Elizabeth National Park, with its herds of antelope, thousands of hippos (up to 30,000!), and a growing population of elephants

Day 1 - Meet in Entebbe, Uganda. (You can join us from home, or from our pre-trip extension in Budongo Forest & Murchison Falls.) Visit the nearby Entebbe Botanical Gardens, which harbor a multitude of interesting birds, or the Entebbe Wildlife Center.

Days 2-4 - Drive through the lush green countryside to Kibale National Park and spend two days hiking through the forest in search of chimpanzees and other primates. Terrific birding, too!

Day 5 - Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, a scenic landscape of waterways, Rift Valley escarpments, and intermittent views of the glacier-clad peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains. Afternoon game drive.

Day 6 - Morning to explore the bushlands of the Mweya Peninsula, excellent country for elephant, leopard, bushbuck, forest buffalo, and giant forest hog. Afternoon launch trip on the Kazinga Channel connecting Lake Edward with Lake George.

Day 7 - Explore the lovely game-rich area of the Ishasha Plain, inhabited by large herds of topi and Uganda kob. Continue to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to more than 300 mountain gorillas.

Days 8-9 - Gorilla tracking in the Bwindi, one of the world’s most incredible experiences! Once located, you’ll stay with the gorillas and observe them closely for about an hour.

Day 10-12 - Cross over into Rwanda and continue to Parc National des Volcans (Volcanoes National Park) for two more days of gorilla tracking in the Virunga Mountains.

Day 13 - Drive through the scenic countryside of Rwanda to the nation’s capital, Kigali. Depart Kigali, or join one of our post-trip extensions in East Africa.

Extend Your Adventure
Discover many species not likely to be found in other parts of Uganda or East Africa as you track chimps and observe rainforest birds in Uganda’s Budongo Forest, then seek big game and the bizarre shoebill stork along the Nile at Murchison Falls. Pre-trip extension. 6 days. Land cost from $2,890 (per person, double occupancy). Call for further details.

Prefer a private adventure?
Call or visit our website for information on our Mountain Gorillas, Chimps & More Private Adventures itinerary.

Photo Credits
©William Proos