Overview
Chimps, safari and gorillas
Discover Uganda’s wild side on this safari to Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga National Parks staying at a selection of handsome lodges renowned for their work supporting communities and conservation efforts.
In QENP, you’ll be staying beside the great green Kyambura Gorge, known as the valley of apes and one of the best places to encounter chimpanzees in Uganda. In the surrounding savannah plains, track lions and leopards with a researcher, and take a boat down the meandering Kazinga Channel past hippo pods, crocodiles, elephants and more.
Then hike through the Bwindi’s rainforests and Mgahinga’s bamboo blanketed volcanoes on two gorilla treks to spend life changing hours with families of gorillas, watching as they play, feed and socialise. Along the way you'll meet wonderful people at inspiring community projects such as coffee roasting co-operative, a cocktail bar and authentic cultural exchanges.
Highlights
Trip highlights
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Two gorilla treks in Mgahinga and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Parks
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Walking with a troop of chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge
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Lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth National Park
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Community and cultural experiences from coffee roasting to cocktail making
Inclusions
What's included
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Eight nights of luxury accommodation
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Tours, two gorilla trekking permits and safari activities
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Internal flights and private transfers
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Price per person based on two people sharing
An unforgettable trip with a positive impact
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Community & Culture
Properties and experiences that uplift and empower local communities.
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Conservation
Supports wildlife projects, protected areas and ecosystem regeneration.
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Footprint
Lodges and camps chosen for their sustainability credentials and initiatives.
Days 1 — 2
Overnight in Entebbe
You’ll be met on arrival into Entebbe and driven the short distance to a charming guesthouse for a relaxing overnight. Depending on when you land, there might be time to explore Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake, and watch the sunset from a beach bar before dinner. Tomorrow the adventure begins with an early morning light aircraft flight.
Days 2 — 5
Kyambura chimps and lion tracking
Land in Kasese on the edge of Queen Elizabeth National Park then drive to a comfortable lodge on the edge of the verdant Kyambura Gorge, your base for the next three nights. A highlight here is meeting chimpanzees in their natural habitat, following below as they swing from the branches in the canopy high above the valley floor.
In the national park, join a researcher to track, monitor and research lions alongside an expert researcher from the Uganda Carnivore Project and take a boat ride down the Kazinga Channel, a wonderful opportunity to photograph the many animals that come to cool off at the waters’ edge, including lion, buffalo, hippo, elephant, and leopard. You can also visit the Kyambura Gorge Eco-tourism Project, run by Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust (VSPT), try roasting coffee with the Kyambura Women’s Coffee Cooperative, go birding in the Kyambura reclaimed wetlands, and plant a tree seedling in the wildlife buffer zone.
Days 5 — 7
Meet Bwindi's gorillas
Drive south by the shores of Lake Edward, through rural settlements and tea plantations, to a village right on the edge of the aptly named Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, an ancient and incredibly important protected rainforest home to colobus monkeys, chimpanzees, colourful birds and, most famously, some 400 mountain gorillas, around half of the world's population. Learn about the park and village life during your first afternoon here in preparation for tomorrow’s trek.
Meet your guide and ranger team at the edge of the national park before venturing in on foot to the last known location of a nearby habituated family group of mountain gorillas. The hike through the thick jungle can be strenuous but the rewards are unforgettable. Watch as young ones play and roll through the undergrowth, mothers delicately eat bamboo and adolescent males show off. A proud silverback is always an impressive sight, especially so on foot in their home. An awe-inspiring wildlife experience to be retold with a few drinks at the Bwindi Bar.
Days 7 — 9
Mgahinga mountains
Take a short flight over the forest to the southwesternmost corner of Uganda and a small but significant national park, Mgahinga, which forms part of a much larger conservation area bordering Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park and Virunga in the DRC. The striking landscape contains three conical volcanoes, blanketed in rainforest and a vital home for mountain gorillas.
Here you’ll have another incredible trek to meet another family of gorillas, the Nyakagezi group, in Mgahinga’s bamboo forests. A second trek is a great opportunity to put the camera away and really enjoy the moment watching as they interact and play. You can also meet the park’s endemic golden monkeys, hike to the peak of a volcano or learn more about the local culture.
Start your adventure here
Example trips
Get inspired
Browse our example trips and get in contact to start planning your very own adventure.
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Example trips
Get inspired
Browse our example trips and get in contact to start planning your very own adventure.
What makes us different
Why Niarra
Niarra Travel is a forward-thinking travel company headquartered in London born out of a passion to do things differently.
In Swahili, a Bantu language spoken by millions in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa, the name Niara means "with utmost purpose" and our team are united by a passion for exploration and a belief that the right kind of travel can make the world a better place.
Our Travel Researchers are here to create incredible trips with a positive impact for you.
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Unforgettable experiences
Creating your trip is entirely collaborative and our Travel Researchers are here for every step.
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Positive impact
Curated sustainable experiences and accommodation that maximize the benefits to local people and place.
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Fairness and transparency
An open, competitive pricing structure that ensures more money goes to where it's needed in the destination.
