Uganda: Gorillas & Beyond

Marco Polo Club Invitationals: Exclusive trips, accompanied by A&K's most accomplished guides

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Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Entebbe, Uganda

You are met on arrival and transferred to your hotel, located on the shore of Africa’s largest lake.

Lake Victoria Serena Resort

Day 2: Entebbe/Murchison Falls National Park

Head out with your guide in a private 4x4 safari vehicle to Murchison Falls National Park. Make a stop at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, dedicated to rebuilding Uganda’s rhino population. You have the opportunity to take some great photos, including some up-close with the toddlers (young rhinos). Visit the powerful Murchison Falls, where invigorating spray pours down on a narrow ravine.

Nile Safari Lodge   |   Meals: B L D

Day 3: Murchison Falls National Park

A game drive takes you along the northern banks of the Nile in the heart of Murchison Falls National Park. You may see giraffes, buffalo, elephants, warthogs, leopards, lions and antelope. This afternoon, embark on a boat cruise up the Nile River to the base of the falls. Spot hippos, crocodiles, elephants, antelope and many bird species that inhabit the river’s papyrus-lined banks.

Nile Safari Lodge   |   Meals: B L D

Day 4: Murchison Falls/Kibale National Park

After breakfast, board a charter flight to Kibale and transfer to your lodge. This afternoon, you have the opportunity to take an optional nature walk along the top of the crater.

Kyaninga Lodge   |   Meals: B L D

Day 5: Kibale National Park

Kibale Forest is home to 11 species of primates, including chimpanzees and mangabeys, as well as 300 species of birds and a vast array of butterflies. Rise early this morning for the short drive to the start of your chimpanzee trek. The chimpanzees feed high in the trees, so binoculars are a must. Barks of baboons occasionally pierce the forest silence as you make your way along the trail. For those who appreciate the finer details of the flora, animals, insects and birds, the rewards here are many and varied. This afternoon, you have an opportunity to go on a guided walk of the Bigodi forest swamp, excellent for viewing more primates, birds and other forest animals.

Kyaninga Lodge   |   Meals: B L D

Day 6: Kibale/Queen ElizabethNational Park

After breakfast, drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, home to a variety of wildlife, including elephants; lions; hippos; buffalo; baboons; and the Uganda kob, an antelope species. Participate in your first game drive this afternoon.

Ishasha Wilderness Camp   |   Meals: B L D

Day 7: Queen Elizabeth NationalPark

On a morning game drive, look in the branches above; you may see tree-climbing lions. Return to your camp for lunch and a game drive in this remote, expansive section of the park to see some of Uganda’s largest elephant herds.

Ishasha Wilderness Camp   |   Meals: B L D

Day 8: Queen Elizabeth/Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Enjoy a game drive as you make your way out of the Rift Valley through the Kigezi Highlands of southwestern Uganda. The scenery is increasingly more breathtaking as you switch back up and down the hills. Your journey culminates in the mist-swathed mountains of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world.

Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp   |   Meals: B L D

Days 9-10: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Spend two days tracking endangered mountain gorillas. As you trek the trails of the lush rainforest and the gorillas are located, you are privileged to spend up to an hour among them. Imagine watching a family of these creatures that share 97.7% of our DNA go about their daily business. See mothers keeping infants close to their chests as they knucklewalk on three limbs. Toddlers scamper around and often must be reigned in by an attentive father, whose job is to protect his family. Fortunately, he still has time to play with the children. When you look into the eyes of a mountain gorilla, you notice the bond that exists between primate and man, but it’s also a poignant reminder that these creatures are on the brink of extinction. Return to your lodge with time to relax or set out on another guided forest walk.

Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp   |   Meals: B L D

Day 11: Bwindi/Entebbe/Depart

Fly to Entebbe and return to Lake Victoria Serena Resort for use of a dayroom that is available until you transfer to the airport for your connecting international flight home.

Lake Victoria Serena Resort (dayroom)   |   Meals: B