Itinerary 
  
Day 1: Arrive Entebbe, Uganda
Upon arrival in Entebbe, you will be met at the airport by your Expedition Leader and transferred to the Lake Victoria Hotel, a charming colonial hotel with beautiful gardens and a swimming pool. This afternoon is free for you to relax at the hotel, or, if time permits, visit the famous Entebbe Botanical Gardens. This evening we will gather at approximately 7:00pm with our Expedition Leader for a group welcome dinner.

Day 2: Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary
This morning we will take a boat ride to the new Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary on Lake Victoria. The sanctuary was created by the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre and The Jane Goodall Institute, among others, to offer a home to approximately 39 orphaned chimpanzees in a natural environment – the chimps are free to roam the 100-acre tropical forest island. The chimpanzee viewing is a highlight of this trip and a wonderful opportunity to observe these otherwise elusive animals while helping in their rehabilitation. Overnight Lake Victoria Hotel.

Days 3 & 4: Kibale Forest
On Day 3, we will travel to Kibale Forest, enjoying the ever-changing scenery of this fertile country, which includes gently rolling hills and lush tea, coffee and banana plantations. At the forest entrance, we will meet our local trackers before entering the park in search of chimpanzees, red colobus, black-and-white colobus, red tails, gray-cheeked mangabey and other primate species. We will also enjoy a “swamp walk” offering excellent primate viewing at close range. Overnight at Ndali Lodge Camp.

Day 5: Kibale / Queen Elizabeth National Park
After another forest walk this morning, we will drive about 3 hours to Queen Elizabeth Park and settle into Jacana Lodge. The lodge is located in Maramagambo Forest within the park on the shores of Lake Nyamasingiri. Each luxurious chalet features a balcony overlooking the lake, which is home to troops of colobus monkeys. The central dining area and bar, also overlooking the lake, offer gourmet cuisine amidst the exciting forest sounds. The lodge’s luxurious amenities include a pool and sauna.

Days 6 & 7: Queen Elizabeth National Park
This morning, we will enjoy a launch trip on the Kazinga Channel, home to countless hippos, as well as baboons and abundant birdlife. We will also explore Queen Elizabeth National Park, which covers nearly 800 square miles and spreads along the eastern shore of the Rift Valley’s Lake Edward. Here we may spot lion, leopard, herds of Uganda kob, bushbuck, waterbuck, reedbuck, oribi and buffalo. In addition, the park also hosts the largest concentration of hippos in the world, and we will surely encounter many of them during our exploration. If we’re lucky, we may also catch sight of one of the resident elephant herds. The Ruwenzori Peaks provide a magnificent backdrop to antelope-filled plains. Overnights Jacana Lodge.

Day 8: Queen Elizabeth National Park / Bwindi
Today we will take a walk through Maramgambo Forest. While here, we will visit bat caves that can be observed from above, seeing thousands of bats and often a python or monitor lizard catching the bats. In the afternoon, we will drive to Bwindi National Park and our base at Buhoma. It is from here that we will make our treks to the mountain gorillas. Overnight Gorilla Forest Camp.

Days 9 & 10: Gorilla Treks
We awaken early today in preparation for one of the most exciting days of our lives. After an early morning briefing from our park's guides, we set out on our long-anticipated adventure. The trail through the tropical rainforest is both challenging and exciting, and we will travel deep into this dense jungle, alluded to by early explorers as “the Impenetrable Forest." Our goal is to reach the gorillas by midday, at which time these massive vegetarians rest from their morning foraging, allowing their food to digest as the youngsters play. We will travel to the group's last known position, where the guide will seek signs of gorillas: broken and torn vegetation indicative of a night nest, stripped bark and chewed leaves where the gorillas have been feeding, and even gorilla dung. Our pulse quickens as we climb over vines and dense foliage and approach the group, our guides signaling for silence and then proclaiming our peacefulness to the gorillas with amiable grunts. During our stay with the gorillas we may see a range of ages: young ones playing in the trees, mothers carrying babies, and the mighty silverback, the leader of the group. The terrain and length of the treks vary according to the movements of these great primates. The thrill of meeting these animals face-to-face in their own habitat is one that you will remember for the rest of your life! Overnights Gorilla Forest Camp.

Day 11: Entebbe / Home
We will take our charter flight to Entebbe. We will have our farewell meal upon arrival there and transfer to the airport for your departing flight.

Trip Details 

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 sized groups of travelers.

Included
Accommodations, all meals from lunch on Day 1 to lunch on Day 11, land & air transportation, transfers, services of one porter on gorilla treks, permits & park fees, services of NHA's professional Expedition Leaders (on scheduled departures only, local guides on custom departures).

Not Included
Travel to and from Entebbe, gratuities, optional services of porters on gorilla & chimp treks (approximately $3 per trek), alcoholic beverages, laundry (except at Gorilla Forest Camp & Ndali Lodge), airport taxes and required medical evacuation insurance.

Physical Requirements
The strenuous (sometimes very strenuous) trek to the gorillas usually takes between two and three hours, but can take as short as fifteen minutes and as long as four to eight hours (we’ve had one trek take even longer than that). We travel at a pace to accommodate all hikers. Travelers are not required to participate in all activities and are welcome to forego any portion of the program. Travelers should be aware that if they turn around due to fatigue, illness or any other reason the remainder of the group, including the Program Leader, will go on. The returning traveler will be escorted by a local guide.