Gorilla Tracking & Primate Observation

The Ultimate Primate Safari - New Trip for 2009 !

A unique and exciting adventure with chances to observe: mountain gorillas, chimpanzees and colobus monkeys in one trip ! We will traverse the heartland of the mountain gorilla with treks in both Uganda and Rwanda for a total of four extraordinary encounters. To complete the primate experience we take you to Kibale National Park & Ngamba Island, which are alive with wild chimpanzees & colobus monkeys. In addition we search for plains animals and predators on the savannah of the Western Rift Valley

Day 1: Arrive Entebbe, Uganda
Arrive in Entebbe and transfer to the Lake Victoria Hotel. Enjoy dinner and an orientation with your Expedition Leader this evening.

Day 2: Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary
Travel by boat to the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary. This refuge provides a home for orphaned chim­panzees in a natural environment. Our visit helps fund their rehabilita­tion while stemming the impact of illegal poaching.

Days 3 & 4: Kibale National Park
A drive across Uganda’s green high­lands takes us to Kibale, the equato­rial rainforest reserve which is home to more primates than any place in the world, including 500 chimpan­zees. Trackers help us spot chimps and monkeys, and we may see up to 100 species of birds in a wetland sanctuary. Overnight in thatched cot­tages at Ndali Lodge, on the rim of a crater lake.

Day 5 & 6: Kibale / Queen Elizabeth National Park
After the morning tracking chimps, we depart by road for Queen Elizabeth National Park, skirting the Western Rift Valley. On the Kazinga Channel we take a boat ride among the world’s largest concentration of hippos, as well as crocodiles, baboons and myriad birds. The park is also home to lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and antelope. We stay at Mweya Lodge on the channel, in the shadow of the Ruwenzori Mountains.

Day 7: Queen Elizabeth / Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
On a morning game drive we may see the park’s famous tree-climbing lions. Continuing to Bwindi Impen­etrable National Park, we visit a local school before reaching our gorilla-trekking base, the deluxe tented Gorilla Forest Camp.

Days 8 & 9: Gorilla Trekking
Here we discover one of nature trav­el’s peak experiences, a visit with wild gorillas in their natural habitat. Just 600 mountain gorillas remain in the world, half of them in this preserve. Early in the morning we depart on a trek through the dense rainforest on a quest to locate one of the habituated family groups. Our guides are expert trackers, reading signs of the gorillas’ recent presence in the undergrowth. Finally we hear and see them, and watch, rapt: they sit in the trees and chew leaves; babies cling to mothers’ backs; juveniles swing from branches; the big male silverback surveys all, including us. It’s hard to tell who is more captivated.

Day 10: Virunga National Park, Rwanda
Leaving Bwindi, we descend to the Rift Valley floor, passing local villages and coffee plantations. Our destina­tion is Parc National des Volcans, named for the string of volcanoes inside its borders. At Gorilla’s Nest, our lodge, the views across to the vol­canoes on a clear day are spectacular.

Days 11 & 12: Gorilla Trekking in Virunga
After breakfast, we drive to park head­quarters for a briefing from our guides. This is where Dian Fossey made her groundbreaking studies on mountain gorillas before her murder in 1985. There are several habituated gorilla families in the park, and we learn how important our ecotourism presence is to their survival before trekking in search of these famed families.

Day 13: Golden Monkey Trek
Many other species also live in Parc National des Volcans, including a habituated group of endemic and highly endangered golden monkeys. On a much less strenuous hike, we look for these agile entertainers who swoop through the forest canopy and delight us with their antics.

Day 14: Kigali / Home
After breakfast, we depart for Rwan­da’s capital, Kigali. Time permitting, we’ll take a city tour and visit the Kigali Memorial Center – a deeply moving tribute to the 800,000 peo­ple killed in the Rwandan genocide of 1994. This afternoon we transfer to the airport for flights home.



Dates: Oct 20th - Nov 2nd 2009 & 2010


Price Per Person 2009: USD10,995

The base currency is the US Dollar and payments in any other currency may involve an adjustment for exchange rates. Please request an updated quotation before you book this trip, if you intend to make payments in an alternative to the base currency.

Small Group Surcharge: USD800 small group surcharge (1- 4 travellers)
Single Supplement: USD1,295
Deposit: USD1,500 non-refundable

Group Size Limit: Approximately 11 travelers

A very important feature of our trips is the limited group size, as nature expeditions are best experienced with smaller groups of travelers.

What is Included
Accommodations, all meals from lunch on Day 1 to lunch on final day, charter air & land transfers during the safari portion, house beverages (not including alcohol), some gratuities, laundry at some camps, services of NHA's professional Expedition Leader(s) (on scheduled departures only, local guides on custom departures), local guides, trackers, and one porter on gorilla treks, park fees & permits.

What is Not Included
Travel to and from Entebbe, Uganda and from Kigali, Rwanda, visa fees, all liquor, airport taxes, required medical evacuation insurance, and gratuities for local driver/guide, Kibale Forest chimp walk guide, local trackers and trekking guides, gorilla porters and Expedition Leader, some laundry, items of personal nature (souvenirs, phone calls, etc.).

Physical Requirements
The strenuous (sometimes very strenuous) trek to the gorillas usually takes between two and three hours, but could be as short as fifteen minutes or as long as eight hours. We travel at a pace to accommodate the slowest hiker. You are not required to participate in all activities and are welcome to forego any portion of the program. You should be aware that if there is a need to return to base camp due to fatigue, minor illness or any other reason the remainder of the group, including the Program Leader may continue on the trek. The returning traveller will be escorted by a local guide to base camp.

Travel Insurance

Comprehensive personal insurance, including search and rescue is required on this trip. For UK clients we recommend the policies of the British Mountaineering Council, for their expertise in evacuation from remote areas worldwide. Details at www.thebmc.co.uk  As Insurance is always provided by a company based in your home country, we are unable to suggest suitable insurance companies unless you reside in the UK.