On the 30th of October I had the opportunity to visit Uganda, one of the most fantastic experiences.  I thought you might be interested to share my feedback.

This is how my travels went: 

30 October 2008 –Jinja and Kampala
31 October – Ngamba Island
1 November – Kibale Forest National Park
2 November – Chimp Trek, Kibale
3 November – Chimp Trek, Queen Elizabeth National Park
4 November  - Queen Elizabeth National Park
5 November  - Bwindi
6 November  – Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi
7 November  – Lake Mburo National Park
8 November – Entebbe
09 November - Depart

I arrived in Entebbe on 29th October and spent the night at Boma Guest House.

The next day I was taken on a tour of Jinja and Kampala.  Kampala is the capital of Uganda, built on seven hills (like Rome), 10% of the country's population lives there (over 2 million people).  Driving through Kampala was a totally different experience for me.  I have never seen so many vehicles and people in one area.  From all directions, I saw boda boda (motorcycle) drivers - but I was not brave enough to take a boda boda taxi!

Jinja is in the south east of Uganda, 87 km north east of Kampala.  Here I went on a boat to the source of the Nile, a fantastic trip for bird watchers.  I had my first “bird" sighting en route to Jinja...a tree filled with Marabou Storks, just sitting there, with traffic swirling around them. 

Ngamba Island

Next stop was Ngamba Island. The boat transfer to Ngamba Island took us just under an hour.  Ngamba Island is part of the Koome group of islands located on Lake Victoria 23km south of Entebbe.

It consists of approximately 100 acres, 98 of which are forested and separated from the visitors’ area by an electric fence.

Ngamba Island was officially opened to visitors in October 1999 and is currently home to around 50 orphaned chimpanzees. The sanctuary provides these orphaned chimpanzees with a secure home to live out their lives, since a return to their natural habitat is not possible, while educating visitors and local communities about this remarkable species and the importance of conserving its fragile forest habitat. 

Guests have the opportunity to view two daytime feedings of the chimpanzees, as well as morning and evening feeds at the holding facility.  Ngamba Island Tented Camp offers the unique opportunity to spend a night on the island, with the option to enjoy the very special privilege of joining a group of infant chimps on their early morning walk through the forest.

Chimps in Kibale Forest 

We took a boat transfer back to the mainland then drove north-west to Kibale Forest National Park.  This was a long drive.  The roads were in good condition but it took us the whole day. 

I stayed at Ndali Lodge for one night. There are many activities on offer at the lodge and Ndali provides local guides for walks around the 1000-acre farm and to the Mahoma Waterfall, with the opportunity of spotting a large variety of birds, butterflies and primates along the way.  Kibale Forest National Park and its chimps is only 45 minutes away.

The following day I had my first encounter with the wild chimpanzees. At 0800 we went for our Chimpanzee Trek.  We had just been trekking for about 20 minutes when we came across a male Chimp. 

We stayed with him for half and hour and heard another group calling but unfortunately they did not come down.  They were up in the tree.

I cannot describe the feeling I had just to be so close to them in the wild.  It was by far the best experience. 

After the Chimp trekking in Kibale we went to Queen Elizabeth National Park for the Kazinga Channel cruise. I thoroughly enjoyed this cruise.  We saw lots of birds, elephant, water buffalo, hippo and crocodile.  Overnight was at Jacana Lodge.  I loved this lodge.  It has a beautiful setting, the chalets all face the lake.  They are spacious and blend well with the environment.

Early in the morning on day five we set off to the Lake Gorge for some more Chimp trekking.  This was the best Chimp trekking we had done so far.  We saw a family of seven chimps and stayed with them for over an hour. 

After this we went for a game drive in Queen Elizabeth National and just after the National Park gate we had an encounter with our first tree climbing lions.  No words can explain the excitement I felt just to be so close to them.  The lions were not even bothered by our presence. 

I spent the next two nights at Ishasha Wilderness Camp. The camp has 10 Meru style tents with en suite budget shower and chemical loo.  Ishasha is good for game drives and birding.  It has the unique animal called Kob that can only be seen in this park.  It is also good for tree climbing lions and leopards.

From Ishasha we drove to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.   I stayed two nights at Buhoma Lodge. 

This lodge has eight cottages with en suite facilities.  It is situated on the original "homestead" site at Bwindi, adjacent to the National Park. Each cottage has large windows fully netted and its own private verandah to take advantage of the spectacular views. Sitting on your private verandah watching the sunrise over the forest in the early morning as you sip your tea, offers a very relaxing way to embark on the day.

The following day we were escorted to the National Parks headquarters to meet our guides for the day for our gorilla trekking experience. 

An early morning trek into the forest on the slopes of the volcanoes, led by experienced trackers will bring you amongst a family of Mountain Gorillas. These massive primates are extremely rare, only approximately 700 remaining.  

After hiking for two hours we met up with the trackers who had gone ahead of us and they told us where the Gorillas were.  

We saw a family of 17 Gorillas.  Apparently this group had gone missing a few months ago having gone to Congo.  We spent an hour with them. 

The hiking was not so strenuous as I thought it would be. It is important to wear good hiking shoes, an old long sleeved shirt and trousers and a thin material raincoat. I had garden gloves but ended up removing them because it was so hot.  I had also hired a porter and he was very helpful.  I really did it to help the community but I later realized it was the best thing I did. 

We had our lunch in the forest and then set off back to the camp.  It started to rain heavily so by the time we got back to camp we were soaked.  I didn’t care anymore as I had seen the Gorillas.

It was an amazing experience.  I had the shakes…I was so excited that I could not sit still…I do not think I will ever forget this experience.

From Bwindi the drive to Lake Mburo National Park was approximately six hours and this had the worst roads (lots of potholes). 

The park is only 260 sq. km being the smallest of the Uganda’s savanna National Parks its mosaic habitat, dry hillside, rocky outcrops, bushes thickets, open and wooded savanna forests, lakes and swamps are home to a surprising diversity of plants and animals.  The park has about 313 different bird species including the rare Shoebill stork and White-winged Warbler.

I stayed for one night at Mihingo lodge.  This lodge has 10 tented chalets with en suite facilities.  It is a beautiful place, overlooking Lake Mburo National Park.   I loved the showers, made with natural stone which worked well with the theme of the tents. The food was truly excellent, and all the staff were happy and enjoyed running the lodge. Overall it is a great place to go at the end of your stay. 

From here I returned to Entebbe where I stayed at Boma Guest house again before flying home the following evening.

My flight was with KLM via Amsterdam Schiphol and it took approximately 9 hours 20mins to Entebbe.

British Airways operates direct flights from London Heathrow to Entebbe on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

KLM operates flights from London Heathrow via Amsterdam to Entebbe on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

My top recommended trip is the Primates Safari.  Speak to us about group discounts for our gorilla safaris.

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