Days 1-2 London – Entebbe

We fly to Entebbe, on the edge of Lake Victoria and from here it’s a short drive to Kampala, the capital of Uganda.

We will transfer to our accommodation and will have time to settle in and familiarise ourselves with our new surroundings.  

Days 3-4 Kibale National Park

Today we travel west from Kampala to the Sebitoli Forest Camp in Kibale National Park. The park contains one of the most varied tropical forests in Uganda and protects the last significant tract of pre-montane forest in all of East Africa.

Kibale is home to a host of forest wildlife, most famously its thirteen species of primates which include chimpanzees and the white and black colobus monkeys. In fact Kibale has the highest level of primate diversity and density in all of Africa, including the largest population of the rare red colobus monkey.

Situated within Kibale, Sebitoli Forest Camp is run by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). We will undertake primate, nature and conservation walks here with the assistance and knowledge of our UWA guides.

During our stay will have the chance to observe an amazing range of forest, savannah and aquatic birds. The evergreen forest is also home to many primate species such as blue and vervet monkeys.  

Days 5-9 Makerere University Biological Field Station (MUBFS)

From Sebitoli we travel further into Kibale National Park and on to Makerere University Biological Field Station. The Field Station was established in 1988 in response to the increasing concerns of the Ugandan government and Makerere University, surrounding environmental degradation in Uganda. MUBFS was given a mandate to promote the development of knowledge, skills and positive attitudes for sustainable management of the environment and natural resources through training and research.

The Field Station is currently involved in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology research in the main. Originally the focus of studies was primatology but over the years, the research agenda has broadened to include ecological and behavioural research of other species, as well as socio-economic studies.

Its training and research programmes have been developed over 30 years and have achieved international recognition, especially for research on forest primates, (most notably chimpanzees) and other aspects of forest ecology.

During our time here we will study a number of topics. Activities are likely to include the following:

• Primate Behaviour and Ecology
• Butterfly Ecology and Evolution
• Conservation
• Interaction between Park and People

We’ll also be able to use the onsite laboratory to document and review the results of some of our studies.

Days 10-12 Queen Elizabeth National Park & Chimpanzee Tracking

Today we leave Kibale Forest behind as we drive towards Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP).

The park spans the equator and stretches from Lake George to Lake Edward. Situated in the Albertine Rift Valley the park has a range of diverse ecosystems, from sprawling savannah to shady, humid forests and from explosion crater lakes to fertile wetlands. The park has one of the highest levels of biodiversity of any game reserve in the world.

On arrival we’ll take a game drive through the savannah grasses hoping to spot lions, hippos, elephants, hyenas and many other native animals in their natural habitats.

QENP is continuous with a similar national park in The Democratic Republic of the Congo and because of this forms the largest protected area in all of East Africa. As such, it is a haven for the ninety five mammal species which inhabit the park and there are noticeable signs of interbreeding, such as the unique reddish colour of the native buffalos or the smaller hairier characteristics of the elephants from interbreeding with forest elephants from the rainforests of the Congo.

During our time in the park we will take a boat trip along the Kazinga Channel.  As we gently cruise downstream towards Lake Edward, we will be able to see many of the incredible animals that live here: hippos, buffalos and water birds along with caimans, monitor lizards, marabou storks, weaver birds and pairs of fish eagles. We might even see the rare semi-aquatic sitatunga antelope in the papyrus swamps.

On one of our days here, we will head from our base to the breathtaking Kayambura Gorge. Here the river flows deep within the forested ravine, over a hundred meters below the Kichwanmba escarpment.

The gorge is home to a troop of around twenty chimps, and the deep valley is surrounded by flat savannah on either side. The chimpanzees live in a unique isolated environment of riparian tropical-rainforest within the gorge, cut off by natural barriers from other areas of jungle.

We will have a superb opportunity to track these chimpanzees accompanied by a professional Park Ranger*. The chimpanzee habituation process takes many years but now complete, it means that we can observe these intriguing primates in their natural habitat. Our guides will use tracks and calls with the aim of finding the chimpanzees within the forest. 

The closed-canopy jungle is also home to red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys and baboons, as well as a wide range of birds including falcons and the striking blue headed bee-eater.    

On our final day in the park we’ll take another game drive in the morning before we depart for Kampala. Our experience in Queen Elizabeth National Park is utterly exhilarating and one to which few wildlife encounters can compare!

 (*Note that because of Park restrictions on group size, there may be a split timetable for the chimpanzee tracking)

Days 13-14 Return to London

Today we leave Kampala to travel the short distance to Entebbe before flying back to London, taking with us memories to last a lifetime!