uganda

One of Africa’s ultimate safaris is trekking the highly endangered and protected mountain gorilla. There are about 1000 in the world and they can only be found in Uganda (at both Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park), Rwanda (the Virunga Highlands) and in the DRC (Virunga National Park). Nothing can prepare you for your first sighting of a silverback, who can stand 6 feet tall and weigh in between 300 and 600 lbs. They live in close-knit families and the time spent with a group will change your life forever.

Our operators will take you to the fabulous Queen Elizabeth Park, home of tree climbing lions and forest elephants to Kibale National Park where you can stay in the heart of rainforest at the delightful Primate Lodge and spend time with the team habituating chimpanzees, watching the way they display, their antics and learning about their family structures. This region boasts 14 primate species and the most extraordinary bird life, their leading bird guide has recorded over 500 in the region but informs us Uganda has an impressive 1060 bird species, a feast for bird lovers.

From there you can venture to Bwindi, home to the tree clad, the greatest gorilla population on earth. The hiking to view the great apes can go from intensive on one day to a gentle stroll the next.

After which you can head to Mgahinga to find the gorgeous golden monkeys. This region is breathtaking and part of the Vuringa conservation area, which straddles Uganda, DRC and Rwanda. It is home to the golden cat, gorillas, extraordinary birds, buffalo and leopard.

For a cultural gem, it is worthwhile to visit the Batwa people, a pygmy tribe that used to live in the forest and learn their original ways, either at Bwindi or Mgahinga.

The Jungles are a world splendour and operators like Africa Wild Explorations promote responsible tourism by ensuring preservation of their wildlife and heritage, they are ecosystem sensitive, take pride in local community through direct support and run “Care for the Rangers” which looks after the field teams. These rain forest jungles are simply life changing and a bucket list trip for all nature lovers.