Great Plains and Gorillas

Today, your Ugandan wildlife experience begins in earnest.  Murchison Falls National Park is home to four members of the Big 5: lion, leopard, elephant, and Cape buffalo (with rhino absent).  Aside from these sought-after species, the general game is abundant.  Herbivore species include Uganda kob, oribi, Jackson’s hartebeest, defassa waterbuck, common duiker and bushbuck.  Notably, the park is also home to a healthy population of rare Rothschild’s giraffes. The park’s various rivers and tributaries are inhabited by scores of hippos and large crocodiles.  Uganda is a renowned destination for birdwatchers.  Perhaps the most sought-after avian residents are the peculiar-looking shoebill storks.  Thanks to its diverse habitats, around 450 bird species have been recorded in the park.

Most game drives occur on the northern side of the Nile River.  Here, the savannah grasslands form the core hunting area for a very healthy population of lions.  The world’s only social large cat does most of its hunting by night, but there is a good chance of finding them active in the early morning and late afternoon.  Thanks in large part to the protections afforded them within the park, leopard sightings are fairly frequent.  The lush vegetation and an abundant supply of water make much of the park an ideal habitat for elephants and buffalo.

After an exciting day, you’ll appreciate returning to a delicious meal and comfortable bed.

• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Overnight stay inside Murchison Falls
• Breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

Savour the sunrise and dawn’s bird chorus before enjoying a hearty breakfast, for today you’ll be leaving Murchison Falls.  The drive to your next destination, the Queen Elizabeth National Park, takes in the region of 6.5 hours in a southwesterly direction.  With refreshments provided, you can comfortably sit back and enjoy the passing scenery.  Arriving in time for a revitalising meal, you’ll have time to inspect your accommodation before setting off on an afternoon game drive.  As usual, the drive is conducted in a customised safari vehicle.

Established in 1952, Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s most popular wildlife destination.  It covers an area of 1,978 km2 (764 sq mi), dominated by savannah grasslands interspersed with rainforests, swamps and volcanic crater lakes.  The region enjoys a warm climate, with daytime temperatures peaking at 28°C/82°F and cooling to about 18°C/64°F at night.  The park experiences less rainfall than Murchison Falls, with the driest periods (and best for game viewing) being from mid-December to February and June through July.  The park is home to a pleasing variety of wildlife, with over 95 mammal species and over 600 bird species.  Aside from game drives, the park offers boat cruises and chimpanzee trekking.

Returning for dinner, it’s then time to rest in preparation for the next exciting day in Uganda.

• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Overnight stay inside Queen Elizabeth
• Breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

In the morning, you’ll enjoy your last game drive in this special national park.  If you haven’t done so already, there’s a good chance that your guide will make a special effort to spot the park’s most famous residents: tree-climbing lions.  Not typically known for their prowess in trees, the local lions have adapted this behaviour to escape biting flies at ground level.  Other predators include spotted hyenas, with occasional sightings of leopards.  You’ll also find four of the Big 5, with rhino once again absent.  Of the general game species, Uganda kob, defassa waterbuck, bushbuck and topi are widespread.  A highlight is the park’s small chimp population and nine other primate species, including the black-and-white colobus

Departing the national park, the drive to your next destination – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – should take in the region of 5-6 hours.  In preparation for an exciting day ahead, you might choose to enjoy your accommodations, socialise with other guests, or do a spot of birdwatching.  Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of just a few protected areas established primarily to conserve mountain gorillas and the particular habitats they require.  A designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, the park is home to an estimated 450 mountain gorillas, about 43% of the global population.

• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Overnight stay inside Bwindi Forest
• Breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

Waking in the rainforest is a special experience.  And, knowing that you’re about to set off in search of one of man’s closest relatives adds an air of excitement.  Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is relatively small, covering just 321 km2 (124 sq mi) of both lowland and montane forest.  Accessible only on foot, it holds a remarkable diversity of life.  Here, over a thousand plant species provide cover and sustenance for 120 different mammals, 350 species of birds, and countless different insects and reptiles.  Of all the inhabitants, the most famous are its gorillas.

Before embarking on your gorilla trek, you’ll be given a full safety briefing.  Home to about half the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, these great apes are heavily protected from poachers.  Several troops have been carefully habituated to humans, although they roam freely in and out of the park.  As such, it may take several hours to locate them in dense, often difficult terrain.  Accordingly, a reasonable degree of fitness and comfortable hiking shoes are essential.  Please ask about other recommended attire and gear for this activity.  To protect the gorillas, encounters are limited to one hour.

After a long and satisfying day in the rainforest, you’ll return to your lodge with ample time to freshen up before dinner.

• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Overnight stay inside Bwindi Forest
• Breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

Well rested and invigorated by the sights, sounds and experiences of the past five days, your Ugandan wildlife experience is drawing to a close.  Be sure to savour every mouthful of a tantalising breakfast, and maybe pick up a few keepsakes from the curio shop.  After checking out, you’ll board your vehicle for the final leg of the trip.  We will then transport you over roughly ten hours to either Entebbe International Airport or your hotel in the Ugandan capital city of Kampala.

At this point, it is time for you and your guide to part ways.  R. Elliot suggested, “If you only visit two continents in your lifetime, visit Africa – twice!”  And, Ernest Hemingway, a long-time lover of Africa, once said, “All I wanted to do was get back to Africa. We had not left it, yet, but when I would wake in the night I would lie, listening, homesick for it already.”  We hope that after your Ugandan adventure, you share these sentiments.  If you do, Africa Flash McTours would love to welcome you back.

• No accommodation, this is the final day
• Breakfast and lunch, no dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra