Mountain Gorilla Safari

Tracking mountain gorillas in the wild is one of the planet's most awe-inspiring experiences. Our safari brings you to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to half the world's population of these endangered mammals. We give you two full days of gorilla tracking so you'll have extraordinary opportunities to observe them up close. The hikes to find the gorilla clans are steep, but the experience of sitting near a silverback and his family is unforgettable! This is a full safari experience: we also track chimps in Kibale Forest, see wildlife on the savannas of Queen Elizabeth National Park, and boat along the Kazinga Channel among hippo, herds of Cape buffalo, sunning crocodiles, and amazing African birdlife.

Itinerary

Days 1-3
Entebbe / Kibale Forest National Park / Wild Chimpanzees 
We head through tea plantations and into the tropical rainforest of 296-square-mile Kibale Forest National Park. Kibale is contiguous with Queen Elizabeth National Park, at the same pleasant altitudes of 3,000 to 5,000 feet. Here we'll track bands of chimpanzees as they forage and scamper through the treetops. We'll be welcomed at a village to meet a traditional healer and learn about his skills, and visit a family coffee farm. 

Days 4-6
Queen Elizabeth National Park 
Queen Elizabeth National Park boasts the backdrop of the snow-capped Ruwenzoris, the fabled "Mountains of the Moon." In the park's diverse ecosystem, we explore by 4WD vehicle, go birding in the wetlands, and boat on the Kazinga Channel, with its incredible hippo population. One morning, we join a researcher to track lion prides and learn about human-animal conflict and lion family dynamics.
 
Days 7-10
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park / Gorilla Tracking / Entebbe 
A game drive through Queen Elizabeth National Park brings us to Bwindi, home to some 400 mountain gorillas. After an orientation with the park's gorilla trackers, we head out on foot to search for the Mubare, Habinyanja, or Rushegura clans with our ranger guide. We have two full days of tracking, bringing us through dense montane thickets at altitudes of 3,800 to 8,500 feet for the experience of coming face to face with gorilla families in the wild. Depart on the evening of Day 10 via Entebbe.