Uganda & Rwanda Primate Tour
 This is a tour of Uganda and/or Rwanda, experiencing the magnificent mountain gorilla and chimpanzees in both countries. We begin our trip in Uganda at Bwindi National Park to track the endangered mountain gorilla. Onwards to Kibale Forest to explore the tropical forest for chimpanzee swinging amongst the trees. We continue on to Rwanda and the montane Nyungwe Forest to track semi-habituated chimpanzees. Our journey concludes at the Virunga Mountains, home to Dian Fossey's acclaimed "Gorillas in the Mist".
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TOUR BACKGROUND
Capital: Kampala
Currency: Uganda Shilling (UGX)
Climate: An equatorial climate, some parts of the country can be quite cool due to the high altitude. Temperatures generally range between 20-25 degrees Celsius.
Geography: Located in Eastern Africa, Uganda is a fertile country with many lakes and rivers.
Terrain: Mostly plateaus with mountains forming a rim around the country.
Uganda is located in east central Africa, situated north, northwest of Lake Victoria. It is a landlocked country  bordered by Sudan on the North, Kenya on East, Tanzania on the South, Rwanda on the Southwest and Zaire on the northwest. It is called "The Pearl of Africa" due to its vast variety of natural attractions such as the snow capped peaks, Murchison Falls (the source of the Nile), vast wetlands and well preserved rainforests. But one of its main tourist attraction is tracking the rare mountain gorillas.
Although this experience is increasing in popularity, every effort is made by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the surrounding communities to preserve the critically endangered mountain gorilla and its habitat.
Gorilla tracking is a very captivating activity, which sometimes includes walking in dense forests in search of these great animals. The mountain gorillas are sometimes hard to find because their daily journeys vary between 100 and 2500 m, averaging 350- 530 meters. But just being in the forest and being among other primates, forest elephants, antelope and birds in itself is a life changing experience. Our Uganda tour will take you into these forests...
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TOUR ITINERARY
We offer an itinerary that includes Uganda and Rwanda or one of the countries only.
UGANDA
 Day 1: Depart Johannesburg to Entebbe. Transfer to our hotel for overnight stay in Kampala (or Entebbe).
Day 2: An early morning start from Kampala takes you south-west and across the equator. The drive takes you through savannah grasslands seeing banana plantations and herds of Ankole cattle with their incredible long curving horns. Then you ascend into the beautiful Kigezi highlands, known as the "Switzerland of Africa", with terraced farming and mountain scenery and drive through to Buhoma. Overnight at excellent accommodation.
Day 3: Enter the sanctuary at dawn and enjoy the beauty and freshness of the forest, home of the mountain gorillas. After a short briefing by the guides, proceed through dense bush to trek for these endangered animals. Other primates also live in the forest including the black-and-white colobus monkey, red tail monkey and chimpanzee. Return to the accommodation for dinner and overnight at Bwindi.
 Day 4: Another full day trekking gorillas. Overnight at Bwindi.
Day 5: Depart from the forest for Kibale National Park. On your arrival, take a nocturnal walk in search for galagos, pottoes, bush babies etc. Dinner and overnight at a lodge.
Day 6: After an early morning start we pay a visit to Kibale forest for chimpanzee tracking. The forest also houses 12 other primates like gray cheeked mangabeys, baboons and vervet monkeys. Return to Kampala/Entebbe for overnight.
Day 7: Departure Home
Only small groups of 4 - 6 people are allowed to track the gorillas and view the gorillas at a time for about an hour.
RWANDA
Days 1-5: After our arrival in Kigali we transfer directly to Akagera NP where we spend the first few days. Nights in Akagera.
Days 6 and 7: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest for chimpanzee tracking. Nights ORTPN guest house.
Day 8: We transfer to Park National de Volcanos for gorilla tracking. 1 Gorilla permit per person.
Day 9: Departure for home.
The itineraries are flexible depending on the tour participants and availability of permits.
We also combine the Uganda and Rwanda itineraries to make one trip and this allows for the best of chimpanzee and gorilla tracking. This makes a very rewarding experience. Please contact us for details.
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Congo & Central African Republic Gorilla Tour
 A 17 day tour that takes you on a journey into the untouched tropical forest of Central Africa. This vast forest that spans three countries is sparsely populated with Bantu tribes and pygmies, teems with wildlife including gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants and smaller primates. The tour begins in Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo, with a flight north to the remote town of Ouesso where we head up the Sangha River in pirogues into the heart of the rain forest into Nouabale-Ndoki National park, Prime Habitat for Western lowland gorillas. We also travel to the Central African Republic and the spectacular Dzanga-Sangha National Park where time is spent trekking lowland gorillas, a day with Pygmies engaged in their traditional activities and time looking at other forest wildlife.
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TOUR BACKGROUND
This trip includes Nouabale-Ndoki and Dzanga-Sangha National Parks.
The journey goes into the untouched rainforests of Central Africa. This vast region spanning several countries,  sparsely populated with Bantu tribes and nomadic groups of Pygmies is noted for its large areas of prime jungle habitat and won't disappoint the adventurer and wildlife lover.
You will travel in 4 x wheel drive vehicles, motorised pirogues, small pirogues powered by Pygmy and Bantu tribesmen, and on foot into the remotest parts of the jungle, and yet surprisingly your accommodation will be comfortable with private bathroom facilities and cold drinks throughout the time. You'll enter a pristine region full of wildlife, including Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Elephants, and a wealth of smaller primates, small mammals, forest birds, and abounding variety of flora.
We spend time watching gorillas and elephants from the comfort of miradors [Large covered viewing platforms] at the famous Mbeli and Dzanga bais. We also track gorillas on foot with Pygmy trackers. A highlight of the trip is a day spent with the Pygmies, starting early in the morning with a net hunt, followed by a lesson on medicinal and food plants of the forest, hut building and perhaps food preparation by some fascinating Pygmy woman.
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TOUR ITINERARY
If you have been fascinated since youth by tales of the mysterious tropical forests of Africa then this is the  expedition for you, a journey into the untouched rainforests of Central Africa. This vast region spanning three countries, sparsely populated with Bantu tribes, and nomadic groups of Pygmies is noted for its vast areas of prime jungle habitat, won't disappoint the adventurer and wildlife lover.
You will travel in 4 Wheel drive vehicles, in Motorised pirogues, in small Pirogues powered by Pygmy and Bantu tribesmen, and on foot into the remotest parts of the jungle, and yet surprisingly your accommodation will be comfortable with private bathroom facilities and cold drinks throughout the time. You'll enter a pristine region full of wildlife, including Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Elephants, and a wealth of smaller primates, small mammals, forest birds, and a wealth of flora.
We spend time watching gorillas and elephants from the comfort of miradors [Large covered viewing  platforms] at the famous Mbeli and Dzanga bais.
We also trek Gorillas on foot with Pygmy trackers, and a highlight of the trip is a day spent with the Pygmies starting early in the morning with a net hunt, followed by a lesson in Medicinal and food plants of the forest, hut building and perhaps food preparation by some fascinating Pygmy woman.
NOTE: This tour offers the options of reversing the itinerary order which would allow us to fly directly into Bayanga and drive out, visiting Mfou sanctuary on the last day. Or alternatively the tour can fly into Bayanga and fly out from Libongo.
Day 1: The tour begins in Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo where we will be met at the airport and transferred to our hotel.
 Day 2: After an early breakfast we transfer back to the airport for our flight to Ouesso in the Northwest where we transfer to pirogues [Large Dugout canoes] and travel by river for around 5 hours to the village of Bomassa where we spend the night. Bomassa is the head quarters of the WCS project that runs Nouabale Ndoki National park, and is run as a research and logistical support centre for the Nouabale project.
Day 3: After breakfast we transfer to 4WD's for our trip through the buffer-zone surrounding the National park. On arrival at the Ndoki river we transfer into small pirogues and get poled upstream to Mbeli camp, our home for the next 4 nights in the heart of the rainforest and prime Gorilla habitat.
Days 4 to 6: We walk through the forest to the swamp clearings called Bais. Mbeli Bai is one of these and we  watch from a high viewing platform the comings and goings of gorillas and other forest inhabitants. Of interest is that researchers use these observation posts as a way of studying the behavior and social dynamics and of the western lowland gorillas.
As a result of these observations they can identify over 130 individual gorillas and have an understanding of some of their social behaviors, which would otherwise be very difficult to obtain in the thick forest.
But as well we see a wealth of other animals using this area as a waterhole such as Forest elephant (very different to the African elephant), Sitatunga, Red River- hogs, Black and White Colobus, and others.
 Day 7: Travel by pirogue and 4WD to Bayanga. Overnight at Lodge.
Days 8-13: Dzanga- Sangha is the northern section of the Northwestern Congo Basin. In the reserve are large populations of forest elephant, Lowland gorillas, 16 of the country's primate species (such as De Brazza's monkey with its distinctive white beard), hundreds of bird species, reptiles, frogs etc. We visit a village of the Ba'Aka pygmies and if we want we can join them in a hunt for food into the forests. The woman will share some traditional knowledge of the plants and we learn about the lifestyle in the forest. The WWF works with the Ba'Aka in establishing conservation, education and health programmes in the area. The next few days will be spent visiting Dzanga bai, tracking lowland gorillas and hunting with the Ba'Aka. Nights in Doli Lodge.
 Day 14: Once again by vehicle and pirogue we head downstream, to Bomassa for a one-night stay.
Day 15: Another travel day takes us down stream by pirogue to Ouesso for a one-night stay.
Day 16: Catch plane to Brazza for 1 night.
Day 17: Departure
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