CLASSIC UGANDA SAFARI

Day 1 Arrive Uganda

Arrive at Entebbe airport and transfer to Kasese. Once there you will be welcomed by your expert guide who will provide knowledge and assistance throughout your journey. Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park where your Uganda safari holiday will begin at the contemporary Kyambura Gorge Lodge. Enjoy pre-dinner drinks on the veranda that overlooks the savannah plains with the magnificent Rwenzori Mountains in the distance.

Overnight: Volcanoes Kyambura Gorge Lodge

Day 2 Kasenyi Plains & Mweya

Taking an early morning or evening drive, and resting during the heat of the day, provides the best opportunity to see game. What you see depends on the season, but the Kasenyi plains are excellent for sighting lion and large herds of Uganda kob. The Mweya peninsula offers excellent game drives with magnificent views across the water to the Rwenzori Mountains. Mweya is one of the best places to look for leopard, which live in the dense, scrubby thickets. Time permitting visit the Kyambura Women's Coffee Cooperative and its coffee processing station or the wetland reserve to spot birds. Both projects were set up and are supported by the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Project.

Overnight: Volcanoes Kyambura Gorge Lodge

Day 3 Kyambura Gorge - Kazinga Channel

The Kyambura Gorge is an extraordinary natural environment and forms a stark contrast to the surrounding grasslands. Here you can track one of our closest animal relatives, the chimpanzee. The chimp population is quite mobile and viewing can be unpredictable but the walk itself is enchanting. In the afternoon take a cruise on the Kazinga Channel, which flows between Lakes Edward and George. Kazinga is home to one of the greatest concentration of hippo in Africa and herds of elephant, buffalo and other animals come to drink at the water's edge. The channel is a magnet for waterbirds, with great flocks of pelicans and others birds on the shore, and a great spot to see African fish eagle.

Overnight: Volcanoes Kyambura Gorge Lodge

Day 4 Kyambura Gorge - Bwindi Forest

Your Uganda safari now continues to the primeval Bwindi forest. The long journey through the rapidly changing landscape takes you to Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge, which looks across to the towering trees of the forest. Depending on when you arrive, there may be time to explore the lodge grounds with its clear mountain stream or visit the local village.

Overnight: Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge

Day 5 Bwindi

After enjoying an early breakfast, you set off gorilla tracking. Trekking through the steep, densely forested hills and then finally coming across the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation is an inspiring and privileged moment. Tracking in the Bwindi forest requires stamina and can often take most of the day. Alternatively there are other activities and excursions on offer in and around the national park: Take a guided walk in the rainforest, home to several endemic bird species, clouds of butterflies and rare plant life. This walk offers excellent photographic opportunities and the knowledgeable guide will provide a great insight into this globally important habitat. Walk through the local village, and learn about community projects, such as the Amagara project that assists local farmers and their communities, and Bwindi Community Hospital which started as a health clinic under a tree and now provides vital medical and educational services to over 60,000 people. The Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust supports both projects. Discover the traditions of the Batwa Pygmies, and learn about the native tribal inhabitants of the forest. The indigenous people of Bwindi forest, though no longer resident in the forest, still practice many of their traditional hunter-gatherer skills.

Overnight: Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge

Day 6 Optional Gorilla Tracking or Guided walks

Either go gorilla tracking again (additional cost will apply for an extra day's permit) or opt for one of the other, gentler but equally rewarding alternatives available (see above) or join an interesting tour around the tea plantation.

Overnight: Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge

Day 7 Depart Uganda

Depart for home via Entebbe.