16 Days Shoebill, Gorilla Wildlife & Rwenzori Climbing

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and drive to Entebbe Botanical Gardens

On the first day of the trip, you will meet your guide who will shortly brief you about the safari and then drive you to your respective accommodation depending on the time of your arrival. You will have your meal breakfast or lunch and then drive to Entebbe Botanical gardens for birding experience.

The gardens are known for hosting over 150 bird species and among these include the Great Blue and Ross’s Turacos, Red Chested, Malachite, Great Reed Warbler, Fain Tailed widow bird, Grey woodpecker, Olive, Olive bellied, copper, superb and many other. You will enjoy your evening at the gardens and later drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation at 2 friends Hotel

Day 2: Drive to Mabamba for shoebill watching

Wake up with your tasty breakfast at the lodge and then drive to Mabamba Island for shoebill watching. The island is known for hosting a number of bird species and it is known as the best destination to watch the shoebill stock. Other birds at the island include, the red cap, western banded snake eagle, white winged warbler, white spotted flufftail, and weyns weaver, goliath Heron, Jacanas and others. For the best view of these species, you will take part in canoeing and on a lucky day, you may spot the elusive sitatunga antelopes and other animals. Leave the island in the late afternoon hours after picnic lunch and drive to the lodge for relaxation dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable national park

Wake up for your breakfast at the lodge and drive to Bwindi Impenetrable national park for your gorilla trekking experience. The park is known for protecting almost half of the world’s population of the mountain gorillas in its impenetrable forests. You will arrive at the park in the evening hours ad check in at the lodge of your booking for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Rushaga lodge

Day 4: Gorilla trekking experience

Have your early breakfast at the lodge and then drive to the park headquarters of Rushaga for registration and briefing about the dos and don’ts during gorilla trekking experience. You will be allocated the gorilla family to trek and by the lead of the park ranger, you will head to the jungle to search for the mountain gorillas. Once found, you will be allowed to spend an hour in their presence as you take flash less videos and pictures.

After, you will drive back to the lodge for lunch and later go for an optional cultural experience where you will meet and greet the Batwa people who are believed to be the inhabitants of the forest. After, you will drive to Ihamba residence for dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Second Gorilla trekking experience

Wake up for your breakfast and then drive to the park headquarters of Ruhijja sector for briefing about the second gorilla trekking experience. As done in the first trek, you will hike through the park rainforests in search of the mountain gorillas and once found, you will be allowed to spend a full hour in their presence. After, you will drive back to the lodge for lunch and then have a relaxed evening at the lodge.

Accommodation at Ihamba Residence

Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National park

After breakfast at the lodge, you will make a transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park with an enroute visit to the crater lakes. Arrive at the park in the afternoon and check in at the lodge of your booking for lunch. Later, proceed with an afternoon game drive through Kasenyi where you will spot several animals like lions, elephants, waterbucks, bushbucks, leopards, warthogs and many others. After, drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation at Enganzi lodge

Day 7: Game drive and boat cruise

Wake up for your early game drive with your packed breakfast and catch the beautiful sunrise in the wild plus the early hunters as they are going back to their nests. Among these include – lions, leopards, and the spotted hyenas. You will also watch other animals like elephants, waterbucks, kobs, giant forest hog, buffalos and others.

After, return to the lodge for lunch and later go for a boat cruise on Kazinga channel whose shores is a home to a number of bird species like the pink backed pelicans, pied and malachite kingfishers, and others. After drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 8: Game drive and drive to Rwenzori mountains national park

Have your breakfast at the lodge and then go for another morning game drive where you will spot several wildlife species like elephants, lions, warthogs and various bird species. After, you will drive back to the lodge for lunch and then proceed to Kasese where you will start off your mountaineering experience.

Accommodation at Sandton Hotel

Day 9: NYAKALENGIJA (1615m asl.) – NYABITABA CAMP (2651m asl.)

The central circuit starts at the Rwenzori Mountaineering Services offices at Nyakalengijja. You need to arrive in the morning to allow ample time to rent equipment and meet your guides and porters. The trail begins by passing through farmland to the park boundary beyond which it follows a thick forest along the Mubuku River, crossing its Mahoma River tributary before starting a long, steep climb up onto a massive ridge to reach Nyabitaba hut. During this part of the trip you may hear chimpanzee and see black and white colobus, blue monkey and the brilliantly coloured Rwenzori turaco.

The hike takes an average of 6 -7 hours.

Day 10: NYABITABA – JOHN MATTE CAMP (3505m asl.)

From Nyabitaba follow the trail that drops down through the forest to the Kurt Shafer Bridge, just below the confluence of the Mubuku and Bujuku rivers. Passing through the bamboo forest, traverse through a long and exhausting stretch of slippery moss-covered rock. From the Nyamuleju rock shelter, Mount Stanley and Mount Speke can be seen before passing into the zone of the giant heather, lobelia and groundsel. Finally reach John Matte Hut after passing through the tiring bog, for dinner and overnight at the hut.

The hike takes an average of 7 - 8 hours.

Day 11: JOHN MATTE - BUJUKU CAMP (3962m asl.)

From John Matte Hut the trail drops down to cross the Bujuku River and enters Lower Bigo Bog, the home of giant lobelias. Jumping from tussock to tussock, the bog is finally crossed but rarely without the feet sampling some of the freezing ooze below.

The upper Bigo bog gives way to Bujuku Lake, with views of Mt Baker to the South and Mt Stanley to the West. Bujuku Hut, well located in the shadow of Mount Baker and Mount Speke, is set in a narrow valley below Stuhlmann Pass. This camp is good for acclimatization for clients attempting the summits of peaks Mount Stanley and Mount Speke. Dinner and overnight at Bujuku hut.

The hike takes an average of 4 – 5 hours.

Day 12: BUJUKU - ELENA CAMP (4541m asl.)

Leaving Bujuku, the trail takes you through more bog, while climbing the steep slopes west of the lake and through the magical and forest of Groundsel Gully. Turn to your right up to Elena Hut and Mount Stanley on a steep trail over large boulders, while the trail on your left leads to Scott-Elliot Pass and down to Kitandara Lakes the trail on he left leads those who are not climbing Margherita Peak to Kitandara Hut. Those climbing the peak will have their Dinner and overnight at the coolly and Icy Elena Hut.

The hike takes an average of 5 – 6 hours.

Day 13: ELENA HUT - MARGHERITA PEAK (5109m asl.) – KITANDARA CAMP (4430m asl.) 

Very early in the morning, you attempt climbing the highest peak, Margherita of Mount Stanley. To reach the summit of Margherita, the climb takes about 4 -5 hours depending on the weather conditions and the pace of climbing this mountain. This tough walk takes you over three glaciers, slippery rock, ice and very exposed areas which are open on many sides. Climbing on to the glaciers, cross the Stanley Plateau and proceed with the ascent. Acclimatized to fog, altitude sickness and coolly weather, scramble up to the summit of Margherita the highest peak of the Rwenzori. The descend from Margherita peak back to Elena Hut will take you about 2 – 3hours.

After your lunch at Elena hut, descend to the Scott-Elliot pass (4372m asl.), where there are spectacular views of Bujuku Lake and Mount Speke. After, the trail passes you through an alpine zone of sparse vegetation and rough boulders, descend past the Kitandara Lakes for dinner and overnight at the Kitandara camp.

The descend takes an average of 3 – 4 hours. 

Day 14: KITANDARA – GUY YEOMAN (3261m asl.)

From Kitandara, take on the trail that ascends steeply up the headwall, spreading out from the base of Mount Baker and continuing along the south side of the mountain to Fresh field Pass 4282m asl. At this point you can view into the Congo to the west and Mount Stanley to the north. From the pass, take on the long high alpine mossy. Thereafter start the descend through steep rocky trails and the rock shelter at Bujongolo, the base camp for the historic expedition by the Duke of Abruzzi in 1906 and then an overnight at Guy yeoman camp.

The hike takes an average of 6 – 7 hours. 

Day 15: GUY YEOMAN – NYABITABA - NYAKALENGIJA (1615m asl.)

Below Guy Yeoman, the route descends the cliffs of Kichuchu. Beyond Kichuchu the muddy path crosses the Mubuku River twice through a bamboo forest before climbing downwards to Nyabitaba to complete the Rwenzori Central circuit.

Continue descending Nyabitaba Camp and complete your trek by the evening at Nyakalengijja, the base camp.

The descent takes 7 – 8 hours

Accommodation at Sandton Hotel

Day 16: Drive back to Entebbe for your departure flight

Have your breakfast at the lodge and later start off your drive to Entebbe International airport for your departure flight. You will have a stopover for lunch and arrive in Entebbe in the late afternoon hours.