Depart from Nairobi to Kisumu, Kenya.

Kisumu
This pleasant, sleepy town on the shores of the lake is the main town in the Western Highlands and the third biggest town in the country. In 1901 it became the administration centre of the area with the completion of the railway line from Mombasa. For decades it was the hub of transport activity between the coast and Uganda and Western Tanganyika, but the splintering of the East African Community in 1977 cost it much of its business and the town seems to have been slumbering ever since.

Mountain View Resort
Offers a country atmosphere,in the suburbs of Kisumu  Beautiful rooms, friendly service, self contained rooms, with showers.

Mountain View Resort

Depart from Kisumu to Entebbe.  Transfer to the Emin Pasha in Kampala.

Emin Pasha
Set in 2 acres of leafy landscaped gardens, this is a tropical version of the country house hotel. Centrally located and within walking distance to Kampala's business district, it is amazingly tranquil and peaceful. Amenities include 20 Bedrooms in a lovingly restored old colonial building, swimming pool, massage rooms, restaurant featuring Fusion Cuisine and a wine bar offering a selection of South Africa's finest wines (not available anywhere else in Uganda), a private meeting/conference room, library and two private lounges.

The privacy and the amenities make this a perfect base for business travelers and tourists alike.

The Main House, where the reception, library and sitting rooms are located, was originally built in the 1920's as a private residence for a British entrepreneur. It is tastefully and classically furnished with rich hardwood furniture,deep, soft armchairs and sofas and features an wonderful collection of Ugandan artwork, some of which were selected for the hotel, others were commissioned.

Fly from Entebbe to Murchison Falls.

Nile Safari Camp
Situated on the banks of the Nile River, half way between Murchison Falls and Lake Albert this is an exclusive tented camp and log cabin combination lodge, each with its own private wooden verandah facing the Nile and en suite bathroom facilities. The décor is designed to blend into the surroundings unobtrusively as well as provide all the home comforts expected. It has a relaxing pool area and a beautifully appointed dining and bar area overlooking the river.
Access is either by road or by river from Paraa.
Rooms: 6 x en suite double tents, 6 x en suite double log cabins

Fly from Murchison Falls to Lake Albert.

Fly from Lake Albert to the Semliki Lodge.

SEMLIKI
Semliki Lodge in the Toro game reserve is about 1 hour’s drive away from Fort Portal. It is situated in a valley near a small river. It also has its own private airfield. There are 8 large fixed tents on platforms with views over either the forest or the grass plains. Each one has its own private verandah and en suite bathroom with shower and toilet. The central dining and lounge area is a partially open sided thatched area with plenty of space for everyone to relax in and around. It also has a pool area with it’s own private entertainment area. Meals are taken with all guests together at a large dining table with wonderful views into the forest area.

A game drive vehicle provided by the lodge is normally on hand for night drives as well as normal daytime drives as well as visiting the Pygmies and hot springs in the area.

Rooms: 8 tents, each with en suite bathroom facilities (3 doubles, 5 twins)

Semliki Lodge

Fly from Semliki Lodge to Queen Elizabeth National Park, southern sector.

The park spreads over an area of 1978 km2 in the western arm of the Great East Rift Valley.  It is a home to a variety of wildlife including elephant, lion, hippo, buffalo, and Uganda kob, baboon, and birds, all typical of riverine and savannah habitats. In the southern part of the park is the Ishasha are with tree climbing lions and the Maramagambo, one of the largest surviving natural forests in Uganda. The northern part of the park is traversed by the equator and is dominated by the scenery of crater lakes with lots of flamingos on some of them. A launch trip from Mweya along the Kazinga channel, which joins Lake Edward and Lake George, provides one of the most memorable experiences of the park.

Ishasha Wilderness Camp  
Newly established, located on a river within the Ishasha sector of QENP.  With the backdrop of the Ruwenzori Mountains to the north, and the Virunga volcanoes to the south, there are few places on earth to rival the scenery in this park. 

Large herds of elephant, buffalo, Uganda kob and topi are often seen, as well as ‘tree-climbing’ lions, who favour the big Fig trees.  The camp is conveniently situated midway between Bwindi & the Mweya section of QENP and is the only camp in the area, giving a feeling of exclusivity.

Style of camp:  East African ‘Meru’ Tents, ensuite shower, toilet and basin.  Tents are spaced under shady trees, overlooking the river. The camp currently accommodates up to twelve persons, with facility for four more in the near future.  The dining area is under canvas, on the banks of the river.

Activities:  Game drives, walking with ranger/guide (on request), bird watching.

Depart from Queen Elizabeth National Park to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

The park is located in South-western Uganda, covering parts of Rukungiri, Kisoro, and Kabale Districts. It is situated in a hilly countryside, which, together with some remnant lowland forest outside the boundary, constitutes an important water catchment area for many rivers, supplying the agricultural land of the surrounding region.

This is the richest forest in Uganda, in terms of the number of plant species, as the area is one of the few large expanses of forest in East Africa where lowland and montane communities merge. The valley bottoms contain a dense ground cover of herbs, vines, and shrubs with only a few trees hence its name, the impenetrable forest. This is one of the richest faunal communities in East Africa.

There exists about one half of the world’s population of the endangered mountain gorillas. There are also several endangered species of birds with limited ranges.   Gorilla tracking began on 1st April 1993. It is advisable to make reservations at least 3-6 months before your intended date of visit.

Buhoma Homestead
This is one of the original camps at Bwindi which has been upgraded over the years.  It is very conveniently situated opposite the park entrance with tremendous views over the forest canopy. 

Currently they have six individual cottages with their own private veranda and en suite bathroom facilities with running water and flushing toilets. Some additional rooms are available with shared bathroom facilities. Lighting is by solar in all he rooms.  Meals are taken in a central dining area where a fireplace provides warmth in the cool evenings.  Peter the current manager provides excellent service levels to all clients.

Rooms: 6 x en suite double cottages, 3 x twin, shared bathroom communal rooms.

After breakfast you will be escorted to the National Parks headquarters to meet your guides for the day for your gorilla trekking experience.

An early morning trek into the forest on the slopes of the volcanoes, led by experienced trackers will bring you amongst a family of Mountain Gorillas. These massive primates are extremely rare, only approximately 650 remaining. 

You will get within meters of the family, and be privileged to spend time amongst them. Time permitting return to the camp for a late lunch, we have an opportunity for forest walks with the guides, or just to relax.  

The trekking may be fairly strenuous; up to six hours or longer is not uncommon – at relatively high altitude.

Depart from Buhoma Homestead to Lake Mburo National Park .

Lake Mburo, 260km2 was gazetted in 1982 as Uganda’s fourth national park. It is composed primarily of grassland, wetland, and acacia woodland habitats. At the centre of the park lies Lake Mburo, which together with 14 other lakes in the area forms part of an extensive wetland system. The park has topi, eland, klipspringer, zebra, buffalo, oribi, sitatunga, leopard, an excellent variety of water and acacia savannah bird species, like crested crane, marabou stork and bronze-tailed starling.

Mihingo Lodge
Mihingo Lodge is a peaceful and luxurious retreat adjacent to Lake Mburo National Park.  Situated on over 200 privately owned acres, it features ten rooms which are built on wooden platforms and stilts, covered by a thatched roof.  Suspended under the thatched roof is a spacious and comfortable tent equipped with en-suite bathrooms, including hot and cold running water, showers, and flush toilets.

Each luxury tented room is nestled on a private piece of the lodge’s property, enabling guests to enjoy the tranquil environment in complete seclusion.  Placed in varied settings, some rooms are situated in a forest setting, some with a lake view, and some on rock outcrops.

The main dining area is a large thatched structure built from rocks, the wood of dead olive trees found on the land, and native grasses.  Below the dining area, an infinity swimming pool stretches out from the rocks and seems to disappear into the vast landscape beyond.  From the dining and pool area, guests can enjoy the view of a westward oriented valley and its stunning evening sunsets over Lake Mburo National Park.  Animals gathering in the valley will provide guests with fantastic game viewing opportunities or a chance to relax and watch wildlife at water hole and salt lick below the pool.  Lake Mburo is home to many different animal species, including zebra, eland, and impala, who are not found in Queen Elizabeth National Park.  It is also a favorite birding spot.

Aside from lounging by the pool, enjoying the sounds of nature, or watching nearby wildlife, guests can also avail themselves of the numerous activities offered by Mihingo Lodge and Lake Mburo National Park.

Diversions include boat trips on Lake Mburo, forest and savanna walks, and game drives in Lake Mburo National Park.  Guides from the lodge can accompany guests on nature walks to Lake Kachera. 

In appreciation of its fragile surroundings, Mihingo Lodge is an environmentally friendly accommodation.  The buildings are constructed in such a way as to melt into the rocky outcrops and savannah landscape around them.  Electricity is provided by solar panels and there is a natural water catchment system to take advantage of the rains.

Fly from Lake Mburo National Park to a nearby island for your short boat transfer to Ngamba Island.

Ngamba Island is part of the Koome group of islands located on Lake Victoria 23km south of Entebbe, Uganda. It consists of approximately 100 acres, 98 of which are forested and separated from the visitors’ area by an electric fence. 

Ngamba Island was officially opened to visitors in October 1999 and is currently home to 35 orphaned chimpanzees, 15 of which have been confiscated and brought to the island since its opening.

Ngamba Island is a project of the Chimpanzees Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust (CSWCT), established in 1997 by the Born Free Foundation (UK), International Fund for Animal Welfare (USA), the Jane Goodall Institute (Germany and Uganda), The Uganda Wildlife Education Centre Trust (UWECT) and the Zoological Board of New South Wales (Australia) and it provides these orphaned chimpanzees with a secure home to live out their lives, since a return to their natural habitat is not possible, while educating visitors and local communities about their remarkable species and the importance of conserving their fragile forest habitat.

You can help support this project by visiting.  The entrance and activity fees paid goes directly towards helping cover the recurring costs of the island sanctuary and ensuring the well being of the chimpanzees.

Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, luxury tented camp
Located on the private island of Ngamba is a Chimpanzee orphanage.  Accommodation is offered here in four comfortable large, East African style tents on platforms overlooking the lake.  Each tent accommodates two persons (twin beds) in comfort, with duvets and all linen supplied, en suite bathroom facilities and solar lighting. All meals are prepared and served to you by friendly camp staff in either our relaxed covered dining area or open dining area beside the lake.  Meals are substantial with several tasty courses for dinner and local specialties such as fresh daily catches from the lake, when possible.  Hot beverages including tea and coffee are available at all times on a self-serve basis.  Cold drinks are available on a cash sale basis including water, sodas and beers and anyone requiring anything else is welcome to bring it along with them.

Rooms: 4 en suite twin tents

Lunch on the island is optional – to be paid directly to the island staff, and cool drinks, tea and coffee are also available on the island.  Please take along some cash for curios etc – all of which helps toward the upkeep of the island and its chimpanzees.

Helicopter flight to Entebbe Airport to connect to your international departure