UGANDA SAFARI
On our traditional safaris, clients travel inside a 4-wheel drive
safari vehicle with a pop-up style roof, which allows you to stand up in the vehicle and view animals unobstructed.
The
vehicle can seat seven people comfortably.
Our safari vehicles are extremely capable on poor roads and can tackle challenging off road terrain.
Your professional guide will accompany through your entire trip. Our guides are experts in spotting wildlife and possess remarkable knowledge about every animal you may encounter. You will have exclusive use of the vehicle with no mileage restrictions
for the duration of your tour. Your guide will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel everyday.
CHIMPANZEE TRACKING
Chimpanzee tracking allows visitors to observe chimpanzees during their
daily activities. The chimpanzees are habituated to humans, which means
they are relatively unaffected by human presence. A guide, with the assistance
of one or more trackers, leads the group in the forest and attempts to
locate the chimpanzees. Depending
on the time of day, you may witness chimps de-nesting in the early morning,
eating, playing, or resting throughout the day, or building their overnight
nests in the evening. The hiking is mainly on established trails, however
once chimpanzees are found, you may be off trail, in areas of thick vegetation
or steep slopes. The entire experience may last up to four hours, however
the time with the chimpanzees is limited to one hour.
While most clients primarily want to track chimpanzees, during the tour there are also opportunities to see other primates, such as the black & white colobus, blue monkey, red tailed monkey or the grey cheeked mangabey.
The following rules apply when chimpanzee tracking:
GORILLA TREKKING
Gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda allows visitors to observe gorilla
families during their daily activities. A group of rangers, consisting
of guides and trackers, coordinate their efforts to find the gorillas
and take the visitors to them. The rangers monitor the gorillas on a daily
basis and have a fairly good idea of where they are. However, they are
free roaming animals, and their sighting cannot be guaranteed.
Whether in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda or Parc National des Volcanoes in Rwanda, gorilla trekking starts in the morning with a briefing at the park headquarters about what the trek will involve and to check that everyone is well enough to take part. No-one with a cold or flu or signs of other transmittable illnesses will be allowed to trek due to the risks posed to the families of gorillas. After the initial group briefing you are split into small groups and introduced to your guide. He will speak to you about your particular group of gorillas and the etiquette of observing and photographing them. An assortment of vehicles will then transport the trekking groups to the starting points if necessary; this drive can range from 15 minutes to over an hour, depending on the locations of the gorilla families.
Most of the hiking is on established trails that lead to the general
proximity of the gorillas, but to get close to the gorillas you will be
hiking off trail, often in wet, muddy areas, on steep slopes and through
thick vegetation. The treks can be quite strenuous, so a reasonable level
of fitness is required. When you get close to the gorillas you must leave
all of your bags and only carry your camera/ video. This is to stop the
gorillas being spooked by or curious about bags and other extra equipment.
Due to the nature of the gorillas and their habits, viewing cannot be
guaranteed, but the chances of a successful encounter are about 98%.
The mountain gorillas may be feeding, lounging, resting or playing - in an open clearing, in a forest, or in a bamboo thicket. The treks start in the morning and can take anywhere from 2 to 8 hours, depending on the location of the gorillas. The time spent with the gorillas is limited to one hour.
The following rules apply when on a gorilla trek:
Drink bottled water only. It is not safe to drink tap water.
ACCOMMODATIONS
We offer budget, midrange and luxury accommodations for our safaris and
gorilla tours in Uganda and Rwanda. It is our policy to use the best available
accommodations in each category for any area we visit. We use stylish
and exclusive lodges, hotels and camps.