Uganda & Rwanda Exclusive Gorillas Trek

Depart the Ugandan capital of Kampala en-route to the Lake Mburo National Park grounds.  Your driver will travel in a south-westerly direction for the specific purpose of travelling to workshops of the Mpigi Drum Makers.  It is here where you’ll watch numerous ceremonial drums being hand-crafted using the traditional methods passed down from one generation to another.  Next, you’ll travel to the extreme center of the Earth, the Equator.  After some time spent snapping photos, it’s off to the Papyrus swamps, where tracts of dense, tropical rainforest merge seamlessly into the rolling plains of Ankole.  Shortly after travelling through the swamps, you’ll arrive within the confines of the Lake Mburo National Park grounds.

Set out on an adventurous game drive around the Lake Mburo National Park grounds today.  The eco-diversity of this park makes for quite the journey as you explore some of the many hillsides, grasslands and water based wildlife habitats.  To hone in on the specific wildlife one would want to see, the park has designated routes or “tracks” which travel to the specific landscape where these wildlife species thrive.  Travelling along the “Zebra Track” will boast a variety of plain-game including Burchell zebra, bushbuck, oribi and reed buck.  To find species like the elusive klipspringer one would have to travel along the “Ruroko Track.”  This track is home to wildlife that requires a habitat that features a wetland basin surrounded by thick acacia shrub and woodlands.

Your park fees are included for this day.

Wake up bright and early today to enjoy an exciting morning game drive around Lake Mburo.  After your game drive, you'll depart the confines of the Lake Mburo National Park and head towards the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.   Often referred to as the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, this area boast some truly thick vegetation consisting of massive evergreen trees that stretch to great heights for sunlight.  It is here within the Impenetrable Forest where almost half of the world’s population of Mountain Gorilla reside.  The travel time between these two diverse locations is approximately 6 hours depending on weather conditions.

In the afternoon, enjoy some time on your own to relax.

Wake up very early and depart with a picnic lunch to track the rare Mountain Gorillas (hiking boots required). The tracking may take between 5 and 8 hours. The Park Guides with you interpret the flora and fauna and the lifestyle of the Gorillas. Return in the evening for dinner and overnight at the lodge. Only persons age 15 and over are allowed to track the gorillas.

Travel today between Bwindi and Parc National des Volcans by private car and english speaking driver. Please note that there are delays due to road construction, expect the transfer to take 2 hours longer till August 2013 when the construction is expected to be over.

Enjoy a box lunch while you travel (included in tour price).

The Park des Volcanoes is located in the Virunga Mountains, a magnificent chain of dormant volcanoes in the North of the country, and home to the world´s last surviving mountain Gorilla populations, currently a mere 700 individuals. A full day trek with your guide through the park is a reasonably strenuous activity which can last the morning or all day as you seek out the gorilla families. Viewing time is limited to one hour, and only 8 maximum are allowed per group. Visitors are asked to maintain a distance of 7m (about 22 feet) from the gorillas. Kids under age 15, or people sick with a cold, flu or other contagious illness, are not allowed to visit the gorillas.

PERMITS MUST BE PAID IN FULL AT TIME OF CONFIRMATION AND ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.

Travel today between Kigali and Parc National des Volcans by private car and english speaking driver. 

Your guide will take you out on an excursion through Kigali today.  Visit some of the popular market places before heading out to a location of heart aching cultural history. The Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre was opened on the 10th Anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide, in April 2004. The Centre is built on a site where an estimated 250,000 people we`re buried. The Centre is serves as a permanent memorial to the victim of the genocide and serves as a place where people can grieve those that they have lost. One of the principle reasons for the Centres existence is to provide educational information regarding the genocide. Rwandans believe that it is extremely important for the younger generations to be able to have access to a place where they can learn about the reasons and affects of the genocide. The Centre includes three permanent exhibitions, the largest of which documents the genocide in 1994. There is also a children’s memorial, and an exhibition on the history of genocidal violence around the world. The Education Centre, Memorial Gardens and National Documentation Centre of the Genocide all contribute to a meaningful tribute to those who perished, and form a powerful educational tool for the next generation.

A private vehicle will provide a transfer between the airport and hotel.