Gorilla Trekking in Uganda

On arrival at Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta Airport you will be met by a Sanctuary representative who will transfer you to Wilson Airport for your connection to the Masai Mara. Your Sanctuary Olonana guide will meet you at the airstrip and drive you to the camp with some great game viewing en route. On arrival relax and freshen up in your tent before lunch is served. The tents are very spacious and have floor to ceiling mosquito netting, en-suite bathrooms with hot showers, flush lavatories, solar lighting and large, river view verandahs. The main dining room and veranda commands a dramatic stretch of the Mara River providing the perfect setting for afternoon tea and after dinner star gazing. As your afternoon game drive comes to an end, drive to a specially chosen vantage point overlooking the Mara plains. Enjoy drinks as you take in the beauty of the rapid sunset coloring the acacia dotted plains before returing to the camp for a delicious dinner.

This morning after breakfast at the camp venture out led by our expert guides to explore the Mara. The Mara is a fabulous place for seeing big cats and all of the big five, a variety of plains game and over 300 bird species. The plains offer a rich variety of food for the dominant predators: lion; leopard; hyena and cheetah. Elephants browse amongst the large herds of wildebeest and topi, eland and buffalo, Thomson's and Grant's gazelle. In the Mara River, hippos submerge to snort and grumble while crocodiles sunbathe, mouths agape, on the riverbanks. From around July to October, there's the greatest show on Earth - the wildebeest migration. Mid-afternoon high tea will be served before your next activity. During your stay there are a variety of activities that can be booked on request such as a balloon safari.

Today you might like walk with our naturalist and learn about plants, trees, insects and even how to approach animals on foot, as your guide shows you how to spot animal signs which are everywhere but not that easily noticed. Or choose from one of the options above. On your last evening drive out into the bush where a private and secluded clearing has been prepared for an elegant dinner in the middle of the wilderness. The table setting is as sophisticated and elegant as found in the finest restaurants. Candles flicker in the darkness, throwing golden lights on the table cloth as smiling waiters serve a delicious dinner. After dinner retire to the warmth of the campfire where brandies and liqueurs are served as guests relax and absorb the peace and beauty of an African night.

After breakfast your guide will transfer you to the airstrip for your flight to Nairobi's Wilson Airport. On arrival you will be met by a Sanctuary Retreats representative who will drive you the short distance to Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport where you will be able to enjoy lunch. Depart late afternoon for your flight to Entebbe, Uganda. On arrival in Entebbe you will be met by a Sanctuary Representative who will transfer you to Lake Victoria Serena Resort.

This morning after breakfast you will be picked up and transferred to Entebbe airport for your scheduled flight to Kihihi airstrip where a Sanctuary representative will meet and transfer you to the camp. The transfer time is approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. Gorilla Forest Camp is located within Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is the perfect base for a tracking experience as it offers luxury in the heart of the rainforest. Lunch is served at camp. In the afternoon you can just relax and take in the fresh air or take a forest walk, which is a nice way to warm up before the Gorilla tracking. Birders come thousands of miles to see the more than 350 species that live within the area. There are also rare forest elephant, giant forest hog and eleven kinds of primates, such as red tailed and blue monkey, black and white colobus, baboons and chimpanzee.

Early breakfast this morning before a briefing from your guide. Tracking commences every morning from the park headquarters at 8.30 am. The gorillas we track belong to one of the 'habituated' family groups in Northern Bwindi. For several years each group has undergone an extremely delicate process that has gradually made them used to the presence of humans. Experienced guides will accompany the tracking, many of who have been involved in the habituation process themselves. Once the gorillas are located, the group will be allowed a maximum of one hour with them. Return to camp for dinner.

Today relax at camp or visit a local village and meet the villagers to learn about their day to day lives. On this walk you can visit a honey production site, a traditional medicine man, a traditional blacksmith, a local school when in term and even attend a Batwa dance performance. The walk is organised with the local community as part of our community support. Or you could take a bird walk. Bwindi boast over 300 bird species, including 24 that are endemic to these highlands straddling Uganda, Rwanda and the Congo - the "Albertine Rift Endemics". There are also over 200 species of butterflies found in the park. A local expert will guide you on this fascinating walk. Lunch and dinner at the lodge. After dinner simply relax and sip a drink as you listen to folk tunes played on the traditional Bakiga guitar.

This morning you will enjoy breakfast at the camp, before your transfer to Kihihi airstrip for your shared scheduled flight back to Entebbe International Airport.