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Uganda
Shoebills, Gorillas & Chimpanzees

Thursday 17 - Monday 28 January 2008 (12 days)
Tuesday 20 - Saturday 31 January 2009 (12 days)

Uganda, a small country straddling the Equator, is one of the wildlife gems of the African Continent. With over 1000 species recorded, it has the highest concentration of birds in Africa and is the most accessible place to see the legendary Shoebill, one of the world’s most bizarre birds. The misty peaks and fern-laden forests of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park - Uganda’s birding hotspot - are an apt setting in which to search for a host of Central African forest species, including many regional specialities and some exciting endemics.

These mountains also offer what is perhaps the greatest of all wildlife experiences on Earth: the opportunity to come face to face with one of man’s closest living relatives - the Mountain Gorilla - in its natural habitat. When tracking for them, a small party is a distinct advantage and we have therefore limited our group size to the optimum of 9 participants plus guide. Please also note that our tour cost includes Gorilla permits.

Other tour highlights not to be missed include the opportunity to track Chimpanzees, mammal-watching in some of Africa’s finest National Parks, the primates and superb forest birding at Kibale, and two splendid boat trips - one at Mabamba Swamp in search of Shoebill, the other along the Kasinga Channel at Queen Elizabeth National Park, with chances of African Skimmer, Papyrus Gonolek, African Buffalo and Giant Forest Hog.

Uganda is one of the friendliest and safest of African countries to visit at the moment. With the devastating period of its political past long behind, the country is in an active state of regrowth and renewal, and this is evident in the positive attitude of the people. The rejuvenation of the tourism industry here has been nothing short of phenomenal in recent years and all the prime birdwatching and wildlife areas now have rebuilt roads and comfortable accommodations.

Our tour combines the best of Uganda’s forests with exploration of the surrounding savanna and wetlands to offer an incredibly rich and attractively diverse mix of species. Lodgings are of a high standard everywhere - ranging from top-end lodges in magnificent settings to comfortable permanent tented camps, and hotels. Our guide Callan Cohen has 20 years experience of African birding and leads many of our African tours. He has birded extensively across the continent, including spending a total of more than three months in the field in Uganda.

SPECIAL NOTE: Gorilla permits are strictly limited in number and issued on a first-come, first served basis. Please do book early to avoid disappointment!

Prices:
2008: £ 3,280
2009: £ 3,390

Single supps.:
2008: £ 220
2009: £ 270

Optional Gorilla Permit*:
2008: £ 250
2009: £ 290

Deposit:    £ 400 per person

The prices is per person, and is fully inclusive of return scheduled flights London-Entebbe, with meals on-board as appropriate, all accommodation, meals, surface transport (inc boat trips as described), entry fees to the parks, tips to local drivers/guides, airport taxes, map, bird & mammals checklist and services of the leaders.

The price excludes travel insurance, visa costs (£25), drinks and other personal expenses

* Note: the cost of our tour includes a permit for one day of Gorilla trekking, which must be requested at time of booking. If you do not wish to participate in this, please let us know at time of booking and deduct £215 per person from the booking deposit/total tour cost.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

Leader: Callan Cohen

Itinerary

Days 1 - 2
We take an evening flight from London direct to Entebbe, arriving there next morning. The view as our We take an evening flight from London direct to Entebbe, arriving there next morning. The view as our aircraft descends into Entebbe is spectacular, with the vast waters of Lake Victoria stretching away beneath us, fringed by patches of bird-rich grassland and forest.

We’ll be met on arrival by Callan and, having checked into our hotel, will spend our first afternoon birding locally, where we can expect to see a great diversity of wetland and forest-edge birds. Enormous Black-and-white-casqued Hornbills fly between the larger trees and those two unmistakable raptors, Palmnut Vulture and Long-crested Eagle, can usually be seen around town. Pink-backed Pelican, Slender-billed Weaver and Pied Kingfisher are just a few of the waterside birds we should see and the lovely African Hobby regularly hunts in the vicinity of our hotel.
Overnight Entebbe

Day 3
After some early morning birding in Entebbe, we head to nearby Mabamba Swamp. Here we will charter After some early morning birding in Entebbe, we head to nearby Mabamba Swamp. Here we will charter dug-out canoes and head deep into the papyrus swamps in search of the one bird which epitomises Uganda - the enigmatic Shoebill. Swamp Flycatchers and Malachite Kingfishers fly up as we head along the narrow channels and Black Crakes scurry about the edges of the reeds. If we are lucky, we will encounter a lone Shoebill, standing grey and silent, unmoving with its steely glare, on the edge of one of the waterways. Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters hawk overhead and we should also be treated to a fine array of herons.

After lunch, we leave Entebbe and head towards Kibale National Park, making stops along the way to look for species such as the sociable Piapiac. Late afternoon arrival at Kibale, in time to see our first of the forest specialities at the start of a two-night stay.
Overnight Kibale National Park

Day 4
Kibale National Park has the highest diversity of primates of any forest in the world and we hope to encounter at least a few of these monkeys today. Species we should see include Red Colobus, Blue Monkey and Grey-cheeked Mangabey. Of particular excitement, however, Kibale is one of the best spots in Uganda to see Chimpanzees and we will be joining a special Chimp-tracking walk here to maximise our chances of seeing for them. (Please note that success can never be guaranteed with these highly mobile, wary and intelligent creatures as they are not so habituated as the Gorillas we shall be looking for later on this tour.)

Kibale’s trails are well-maintained and flutter with butterflies of a myriad striking colours. The birding is very rich and specialities in the park include Joyful Greenbul and Masked Apalis. Flocks of noisy African Grey Parrots greet the dawn as we watch for the likes of African Emerald Cuckoo, Black-billed and Great Blue Turacos, Narina Trogon, Hairy-breasted Barbet and Lühder’s Bush-shrike - and we might even spot the rare White-naped Pigeon sitting out here in the early morning.

Nearby, Bigodi wetland is a splendid place to see forest edge species as the trees are more patchy. Red-headed Bluebill, Snowy-crowned Robin-chat, Little Greenbul and Western Citril are all common here.
Overnight Kibale National Park

Day 5
We’ll spend the morning watching for birds and primates around Kibale. In the afternoon, we make the short drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park - renowned as having the second highest bird list of any park on the African continent.

For our two-night stay in Queen Elizabeth National Park, we’ll be based at the Jacana Safari Lodge, set in the spectacular Maramagabo Forest, with a host of exotic barbets and turacos all around. There’s no better way to get familiar with some of these birds than to have them in close proximity to the lodge.
Overnight Jacana Safari Lodge, Queen Elizabeth National Park

Day 6
The open country habitat in Queen Elizabeth National Park provides a good foil to our forest birding yesterday, with opportunities to look for species such as White-backed and Rüppell’s Griffon Vultures, Martial Eagle, Black-bellied Bustard, Red-necked Spurfowl, Banded Martin, Stout and Trilling Cisticolas, Rüppell’s Glossy Starling and Red-chested Sunbird. At night, Slender-tailed and African White-tailed Nightjars may be drawn to feed around the lights of the lodge.

For most visitors to the Park, however, the highlight of their visit will be a boat trip on the Kasinga Channel, which bisects the park as it flows between Lakes Edward and George. Birds are abundant and from our launch we should enjoy a fine array of wetland species - from Goliath Heron, Yellow-billed Stork and Sacred Ibis to Water Thick-knee, Plain Martin and the peculiar African Skimmer - while the fringing vegetation is also home to the gaudy Papyrus Gonolek. Snorting Hippos are numerous and other mammals to watch for beside the Channel include African Elephant, African Buffalo and Marsh Mongoose. Most unusual of all, and a real treat here, is the Giant Forest Hog; in fact, the Queen Elizabeth National Park is the best place in Africa to see it.
Overnight Jacana Safari Lodge, Queen Elizabeth National Park

Days 7 - 10
After wending our way slowly south through Queen Elizabeth National Park, in the afternoon we should arrive at our next destination, Buhoma - the main gorilla-tracking base for the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Our lodgings here are another treat in store, for Buhoma is a luxury, permanent tented facility - all with private facilities, of course.

Nestled in the Kigezi uplands, Bwindi is arguably Uganda’s prime birding area. Spanning an unbroken swathe of forest, from the lowlands at Buhoma to the lofty highlands at Ruhiza, and stretching away towards the Congo border, we are assured of a truly memorable few days. Here, pitta-like Short-tailed Warblers skulking in the mossy undergrowth will prove distracting while tracking Mountain Gorillas, African Grey Parrots squawk overhead and groups of Chimpanzees shriek from deep within the forest. Black-faced Rufous Warblers call from the forest edge and Red-throated Alethes lurk in the hidden depths, while gorgeous Black and Cinnamon-chested Bee-eaters, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatchers and Narrow-tailed Starlings frequent the verdant canopy. The bird list here is both long and alluring and others we may see include Cassin’s Hawk-eagle, Yellow-throated Tinkerbird, Elliot’s Woodpecker, Blue-throated Roller, Red-tailed Bristlebill, Equatorial Akalat and Chestnut Wattle-eye.

During our extended stay in the Park, those who have booked to take the Gorilla trekking option will be able to join a small party led by one of the Park’s specialist tracker-guides in a quest to find these wonderful creatures. Treks can involve spending between three and ten hours in the field (depending on where the animals happen to be feeding in relation to the camp); the going can be strenuous at times, and the terrain is steep and rough - but if successful, the rewards are immense, for a close encounter with this ‘gentle giant’ ape is an experience never to be forgotten!

Please note that the number of Gorilla permits is strictly limited and these are issued on a first come, first served basis, which means permits must be requested and paid for in advance to be sure of securing one. We will of course hope to all do our Gorilla-trekking on the same day, but we might possibly have to split up on different days depending upon numbers and the availability of permits.
Four nights Buhoma Camp, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Day 11
Bidding a reluctant farewell to the Impenetrable Forest today, we make the rather long journey from Bwindi back to Entebbe. Time permitting, we will pause amid the savanna on the edge of Lake Mburo National Park, with a chance to see Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Crested Francolin and possibly Red-headed Lovebird as our Uganda tour draws to a close.
Overnight Entebbe

Day 12
Our flight leaves Entebbe this morning, with arrival back in London later the same day.

Accommodation: A combination of comfortable hotels, lodges and tented camps, all with private facilities.

Meals: All included in the price. Most meals taken at the lodges and camps. Some lunches will be picnics.

Walking: Easy, except for optional Gorilla tracking at Bwindi, which is variable and can be physically demanding according to where the animals happen to be (see main text). For safety, due to the presence of wild animals, little walking is possible away from the lodges within most of Uganda’s National Parks. Sturdy walking shoes with rugged soles and good grip advised.

Gorilla tracking: Please don’t hesitate to call us to talk about Gorilla tracking if you are undecided. Note that, just occasionally - and in spite of the best efforts of the local tracker-guides - the gorillas can prove elusive and are not seen.

Ground Transport: By minibus or long wheelbase 4WD ‘safari’ landcruiser.

Boat Trips: Our boat trip at Mabamba Swamp is by dugout canoe and lasts about 2 hours. Each canoe carries 4-5 persons, so we will travel in convoy (according to group size). The boat at Kasinga Channel is larger and big enough to accommodate all of our group along with other visitors. This trip lasts about 3 hours.

Numbers: Max. 9 clients