Arrival in Entebbe as per your international flights and transfer to Papyrus Guest House. In the afternoon (departure from the hotel must be latest 14.30/15.00 hours) depart by car and local canoe to Mabamba Swamp, one of the best places for spotting the rare shoebill storks. Of course some fortune is needed but rarely does one leave the swamp without seeing one! Many other water birds have chosen this area as their home so birding is always very interesting.
Enjoy a relaxing sundowner on Lake Victoria and then return to the Guest House.
After an early breakfast, transfer to Entebbe International Airport for the AeroLink flight to Kisoro across central Uganda and offering a view of the country beautiful landscape of mountains, hills, cultivated terraces, tropical rainforest, bamboo forests and the majestic chain of the Virunga Volcanoes.
Upon arrival meeting with the vehicle and our walking safari guide for a briefing on the very interesting activities of the day which will be adapted to the clients’ desires. You can either walk for approx. 90 minutes - 4km to Lake Mutanda Sheba’s Camp - or drive 30 minutes to the lake. You then “settle” in a dugout canoe for 2-3 hours, as you are paddled across the lake, enjoying the beautiful landscape. After lunch at a restaurant on the lake shores, continuation on foot till Rubuguri (9km – 2/3 hours) where you meet up the vehicle and drive for another 10 km up to the Lodge in Nkuringo (approx 1 hour). Of course you can also be picked up by the vehicle at the lake and drive all the way up to the Lodge. Guests decide!
AeroLink flight schedule Entebbe – Kisoro (in May 2017 and to be reconfirmed at the time of reservation):
• Jan. to 14th Jun. & 16th Sept. to Dec. 2017 – Dept at 0745 and arrival at 0855
• 15th Jun. to 15th Sept. – Dept at 0700 and arrival at 0810
After breakfast, at around 7:45am, with packed lunch and drinking water you will be transfer to the National Park Head Quarters for the briefing on the dos and the don’ts while with the gorillas. You then continue to the forest for the start of the actual gorilla tracking.
The beauty of this rain forest is spectacular. The area offers a dramatic, steeply forested landscape and is incredibly dense, but crisscrossed by numerous animal trails allowing access to tourists. The time taken and the terrain vary as per the movements of these great primates. The thrill of spending time observing these gentle and endangered giants is an awesome, exciting experience to be long savored. Many find it to be a rare and moving opportunity. The tracking can take place at Nkuringo or at Rushaga (1 hr drive from Nkuringo), as per the gorilla permits obtained.
Upon return, relax at the lodge and, for those who like, at 5.00pm either stroll through the community center or drive up to the “Top of the World” - the name given to the football field, high up in Nkuringo which offers amazing views over the peaks and forests around Nkuringo. A great way to stretch your legs after the gorilla tracking and to enjoy a sundowner.
This morning after a hearty breakfast, enjoy birding in Nombe Pocket Forest – it was part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and it is still quite impenetrable, however it was cut off from it as people needed more land to live on and cultivate. It can be reached on foot (approx. 1 hour to go and 2 hours to come back) or by vehicle and the visit lasts approx. 2 hours, depending on the interest of guests.
Lunch at the lodge and at 2.00pm departure to Buniga Forest Trail Walk, an informative project run by USAID and the local Batwa community. The Batwa tribe was forced to leave their home in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in 1991 when it was declared a UNESCO Heritage site for gorillas only. They had been living in the forest as nomadic huntergatherers for millennia, in perfect balance with the flora and fauna around. Moving out and suddenly living in communities with a completely different way of life has proven to be a huge challenge. They now survive as best as they can and earn a living explaining their previous life in the forest and their rich heritage.
Continuation of the walk through the community to visit the traditional herbalist and the blacksmith.
After a very early breakfast, drive 7 km along the Nteko Ridge to the junction of the Ivy River Trail with the forest and start your unforgettable hike (13km - 4-5 hours).
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is a vast unique natural reserve - monkeys, duikers, bush pigs and some of Bwindi's world renowned bird species plus many butterflies can be sighted. If you are very lucky you may even encounter gorillas! Once part of a much larger forest that included the Virunga Volcanoes in neighboring Rwanda, the park is nowadays an ecological island within a sea of villages and farmland, its conservation importance is immense. The emphasis of this activity is for your walking guide to share his knowledge of the forest with you, it is not simply an A to B hike. The trail is also an important footpath for local people, particularly on market days, travelling from Nkuringo and Nteko to Buhoma, on the northern boundary of the park. There is no road through Bwindi so vehicles driving between the two locations have an incredible 170 km bone jarring journey taking 6 to 8 hours.
Upon arrival at the park headquarters in Buhoma, meet with the vehicle and continue to Kihihi Airstrip (60km – 1 hour) for your afternoon AeroLink flight to Entebbe. End of services.
Depending on your departure flight either enjoy day room/overnight at Papyrus Guest House or wait for your departure flight at the Airport.
AeroLink flight schedule Kihihi-Entebbe (in May 2017 and to be reconfirmed at the time of reservation):
• Jan. to May & Nov. to Dec. 2017 – Dept at 1405 and arrival at 1555
• 01st Jun. to 31st Oct. 2017 – Dept at 1515 and arrival at 1625
• Jan. to 14th Jun. & 16th Sept. to Dec. 2017 – Dept at 0945 and arrival at 1125
• 15th Jun. to 15th Sept. 2017 – Dept at 0945 and arrival at 1125
Upon request, optional night in Buhoma at Mahogany Springs Lodge to catch the morning flight from Kihihi Airstrip to Entebbe on the following day.
