Shared service with other clients.
This Western Circuit itinerary of the famous Albertine Rift Valley offers an interesting nature-based trip with many ecotourism activities (such as trekking to see primates, chimpanzees, gorillas and other species), photo safaris, landscapes and tourist attractions such as Murchison Falls, bird watching excursions and cultural walks through villages. Therefore, this is such an active program recommended for those who wish to fully immerse themselves in nature and its beauties. But mainly, this itinerary supports the Bugoma Rainforest Conservation Project in Uganda.
-Arrival and departure transfers in Entebbe.
-Transportation in a 4x4 Land Cruiser vehicle. Maximum 6 passengers per vehicle.
-8 nights' accommodation.
-Full board (drinks not included).
-Entrance fees to National Parks and excursions as described in the itinerary.
-Gorilla watching permit.
-Chimpanzee watching permit in Budongo.
-English-speaking driver-guide.
-Mineral water in the vehicle.
-Travel assistance Plus insurance.
-Visa.
-Flights.
-Tips and personal expenses.
-Drinks during lunch and dinner.
-Optional activities.
-Any other service not specified as included.
-Optional insurance.
Ground Services:
Flights:
Air reservations do not allow name changes and once the tickets have been issued, they are non-refundable.
-Guaranteed departures from 2 passengers.
-Hotels and camps do not guarantee room availability before 2 pm on the day of arrival.
-Room use is limited until 10 am on the day of departure.
-Free time: During free time, clients do not have transportation or a local guide.
-Possible route change: Our representative in Uganda has the full right to modify the program for the benefit of the client or for reasons of force majeure without losing any of the scheduled visits.
-Possible changes in accommodations: If it is not possible to confirm the planned hotels or lodges on any of the departures, an alternative will be offered to the client within the same contracted category.
-Luggage: In the event of luggage being lost by the airlines, It will be the passenger's responsibility to manage the claim and call the company directly to arrange delivery or compensation that may apply. Luxotour will not be responsible for any processing of lost or broken luggage.
-People with reduced mobility: some places, accommodations and transport are not adapted for wheelchairs, please check and notify before making the reservation. Any additional assistance costs that may be required throughout the tour will be the responsibility of the client.
-Special foods: cases of food intolerances (allergies, celiac disease, vegetarian food, etc.) must be communicated before arrival in Uganda, although it is not possible to guarantee any type of special diet or menu.
-Withdrawal of the consumer: the circuit is sold as a closed package, so there will be no refund or discount for services that customers decide not to enjoy or in which they cannot participate due to personal, medical, flight schedule or other events.
-Behavior during the trip: in the event that the attitude of a passenger endangers the operation of the tour and/or causes inconvenience to the rest of the group, he or she will be forced to leave the circuit without any type of discount or refund for the services that he or she cannot enjoy.
-Credit card: for example, if the passenger's behavior is unfavorable to the group, he or she will be forced to leave the circuit without any type of discount or refund for the services that he or she cannot enjoy.
- In general, hotel establishments require the passenger to present a credit card or cash deposit as a guarantee in order to provide telephone calls, extras in bars and restaurants, minibar, laundry, room service charges, etc.
-Personal documentation and entry requirements in Uganda: It is the client's responsibility to inform themselves about the current regulations regarding entry and exit of the country to which they are traveling, as well as to carry the personal documents required by the authorities. Luxotour assumes no responsibility in this regard. Please note that visa, transit, entry and vaccination regulations vary from one country to another and may also be modified at short notice and without prior notice.
This program does not accept children.
Tracking mountain gorillas in Bwindi is one of the highlights of any trip to Africa. The euphoria that comes with seeing a mountain gorilla in the wild for the first time is hard to describe. They are enormous animals: up to three times larger than humans, their exaggerated size only increased by their lush fur. However, despite their fearsome appearance, gorillas are extraordinarily peaceful creatures, much less aggressive than monkeys or baboons. Despite this, it's important to remember that they are animals and that they react as such.
Even more impressive than the gorillas' size and demeanor is their curious attitude toward people, which is very different from that of any other wild animal. As cliché as it may seem, almost everyone who visits the gorillas experiences an almost mystical sense of recognition. Often, one of the gorillas will stop chewing bamboo to study its human visitor, its soft brown eyes staring at you as if searching for a connection, one of the most exciting life experiences you'll ever experience.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is home to half of the world's mountain gorilla population, with approximately 11 families habituated to human presence. Only 8 permits are issued per family each day, so it's important to book your trip well in advance, otherwise sightings are not possible.
The trekking begins at 8 a.m. Groups are limited to a maximum of 8 people. A park ranger will brief you on important aspects of the activity, including rules for behaving in their presence. We will have a strict time limit to stay with the gorillas once we have located them.
Each group is assigned a family of gorillas that are accustomed to human presence. The scouts have previously located the area where they are located, however, the walk time is unpredictable and can extend up to 6 or 7 hours.
Equipment: It is important to wear comfortable boots, a raincoat, and gardening gloves to remove nettles. The hotel provides a picnic and plenty of mineral water to consume during the walk.
Porters: In addition to the ranger and a group of park employees, we will be accompanied by porters who will carry our backpacks and walk alongside us to help us in the less accessible sections. Our contribution (15 USD) per person helps each of them and their families.
Arrive at Entebbe International Airport and transfer to hotel in Entebbe or Kampala. Accommodation.
Breakfast and drive northwest via Masindi to Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda's largest national park. It offers a diverse mix of landscapes, including acacia trees and savannas in the north and tropical forests in the south. Along the way, we'll stop at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for a nature walk and to learn about the breeding and care project for the endangered white rhinos. After lunch, we continue to the National Park, reaching the Nile River for a visit to the top of Murchison Falls, where the river flows through a narrow canyon, forming a spectacular waterfall. We arrive at the lodge at dusk after a nearly six-hour drive, part of which will be on dirt roads within the park. Dinner and overnight stay.
Breakfast and departure for a safari, exploring the savannah in the northern region of the Nile Delta, on Lake Albert. The aim of this excursion is to see elephants, lions, buffalos, giraffes, waterbucks, oribís, leopards, as well as spotted hyenas. The park has dense vegetation and offers a spectacular view, so we recommend having your camera ready to take the best photos. Lunch at the lodge. In the afternoon, we will go on another safari, but this time by boat along the banks of the Nile, to spot hippos, crocodiles and a variety of birds such as the African hawk-eagle, common pelican, kingfisher and the Nile goose. Dinner and accommodation.
Breakfast and early departure to Budongo Forest, Kaniyo-Pabidi Ecotourism Site, for a trek through the rainforest and encounter the great apes, chimpanzees, in their natural habitat. The forest is also home to many other primates such as the black-and-white colobus monkey, the red-tailed monkey, the blue monkey, the vervet monkey, and baboons. Chimpanzee trekking is made possible through conservation efforts by the Jane Goodall Institute and park authorities to protect the forest and endangered chimpanzees. Lunch. In the afternoon, the journey continues to Lake Albert and Bugoma Reserve, where you will participate in a cultural activity in the Bugoma community, accompanied by local guides. You will meet the forest inhabitants, learn about their lives, and interact with them. Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.
Breakfast and departure for a nature walk in search of the mangabeys in Bugoma Forest, which covers 410 km2 and is the habitat of this primate species. A forest conservation project is being carried out here. The association makes nature walks possible by developing ecotourism activities in Bugoma and training local guides, benefiting the surrounding communities. You can actively support the association's conservation projects: the Every 5 Acres reforestation project, the private Chimp T-RAP patrol for law enforcement against illegal logging, the public native tree nursery, and the beekeeping project with local farmers. Local community products such as tea and honey are available here. You'll also be able to participate in the planting of a native tree in the reforestation project area, helping to provide a new habitat for the chimpanzees. We then leave Bugoma Forest and head southwest along Lake Albert and the Rift Valley escarpments, enjoying stunning panoramic views as we head toward Queen Elizabeth National Park. Lunch en route at a local restaurant. The drive continues along the Rwenzori Mountains to the town of Kasese. Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.
Breakfast and early game drive along the tracks of Queen Elizabeth National Park, in the northern sectors towards Lake George and Kasenyi village, for possible sightings of lions, elephants, buffalo, spotted hyenas, waterbuck, Uganda kob, and perhaps the leopard. Queen Elizabeth Park boasts unique landscapes and views of the crater lakes and the Albertine Rift Valley, making this area a special and unforgettable place. Mid-morning, a boat safari will depart from the Mweya Peninsula along the Kazinga Channel, one of Uganda's most popular spots for wildlife, birdlife, and photography opportunities. With the possibility of seeing many hippos, buffalo, and elephants drinking from the channel. Lunch and a short transfer to the Ishasha Sector of the park. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Breakfast is served, followed by a game drive through the Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth Park. We will set out in search of the famous "tree-climbing lions," seen during the hottest hours of the day as they rest in the fig trees. We will also observe herds of buffalo, elephants, and topi antelopes. Lunch is served. We continue our journey into the tropical rainforests, which are the natural habitat of the endangered mountain gorillas. We will reach an altitude of up to 2,300 m above sea level in Bwindi, although the choice of gorilla safari area depends on the availability and allocation of permits for this activity. Arrival at the lodge in Bwindi National Park. Today's transfer can be very long, up to 7 hours, depending on road conditions and the location of the gorilla permit allocation. Dinner and overnight stay.
Breakfast and departure for the Bwindi Rainforest for a gorilla-watching safari. The activity begins at 8 am and we will follow the ranger's instructions in a group of no more than 8 people, while searching for the habituated mountain gorilla families assigned according to permits. The Bwindi Rainforest in Uganda contains a population of 450 gorillas—half of the world's mountain gorillas according to the 2018 census—of which some families have become accustomed to human presence. The time until the gorillas can be found is unpredictable, once found, we have an hour to observe the primates and their behavior, while taking photographs. We must make sure to bring lunch and water with us, in addition, we can count on local porters who will not only help us with our belongings, but will also assist us along the way, sometimes with uneven ground or undergrowth (for a fee). Return to the lodge, dinner and accommodation.
Breakfast and transfer by road to Entebbe, stopping at the Equator to visit the local craft markets. Lunch en route and continued transfer to Entebbe International Airport.
Note: Today's transfer is approximately 9 hours (approximately 450 km), so we recommend booking late-day flights or considering the option of adding an extra night (not included) in Entebbe or Kampala.
Trip Book is that album you create while traveling around the world.
Collect your memories in the form of a Trip Book, print it and relive your trip for a lifetime. Don't let the photos of your trip get lost in your mobile gallery.
You can create your Trip Book and narrate the day-to-day of your trip. Write down daily stories, the best moments, add locations, get the kilometers traveled and much more. This way you'll capture the details at the moment.
Or if you prefer, you can create it in a couple of minutes once the trip is over, you just have to select the images, review the content, print it and receive it at home in a few days.
You can also create your Trip Book with several travelers, just add other members of the trip and share it with them so they can also upload photos and edit information related to the day to day of the trip.
A trip is much more than its photos, Trip Book is much more than a photo book.
If you need to stay connected to the internet during your trip, we offer this eSIM card that lets you purchase navigation data tailored to your needs anywhere in the world. Simply scan a QR code to install it on your device in less than a minute.