13 DaysRwenzori, Gorilla Trek & Birding

Upon arrival at Entebbe international Airport in Uganda, you will be welcomed by our Safari guide and will brief you about your scheduled 13 days Uganda Gorilla trekking, Birding adventure combined with Rwenzori trekking for 7 days in the mountains of the moon with experts of Mountaineering tours that are certified porters and rangers guides that work in partnership with Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Start on the drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park the home for the mountain gorillas, which is the popular visited destination for gorilla trekking tours in Uganda. You will have en route lunch and stop over at the Equator for some photos before you proceed to Bwindi mainly Ruhija Sector. Dinner and overnight at Ihamba Residence. Meals on Full board.

The drive is approximately 8-9 hours.

Wake up for your early breakfast and later head to the park headquarters with your packed lunch for briefing about the experience. After the pre trek briefing and registration, you will be led by the ranger guide through the forests in search of the endangered mountain gorillas and the experience will take about 2 to 7 hours.

After, the allocation of the species, you will be allowed to spend an hour in their presence as you learn more about their lifestyles like feeding, mating, breastfeeding, playing and others. Later after the experience, you will be given your trekking certificates and then driven back to the lodge for refreshments.

In the afternoon, you transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park – famous for the rare tree climbing lions at Ishasha. On arrival, you will check in at the hotel in Enganzi lodge for dinner and overnight.

Wake up for your tasty breakfast and embark on your morning game drive along Kasenyi track in search of different wildlife especially the early hunters like lions, leopards, and hyenas. You will also spot a number of grazing animals like elephants, zebras, kobs, giraffes and many others.

Later, you will drive back to the lodge for lunch as you prepare for an afternoon boat cruise along Kazinga channel. During the cruise on the calm waters, you will watch several wild animals at a closer distance like elephants, buffalos, hippos and many others.

Accommodation at Enganzi lodge

At sunrise, you will have a morning game drive to explore the crater lakes, salt lakes and other wild animals. With a lunch en-route, you will head to Kasese town and proceed to your lodge/hotel/camp in Nyakalengijja for Dinner and overnight stay

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.

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.

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 Mount 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.

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.  

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. 

From Kitandara, take on the trail that ascends steeply up the head wall, 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. 

Below Guy Yeoman, the route descends through the cliffs of Kichuchu which is muddy path that takes crosses the Mubuku River twice through a bamboo forest before climbing downwards to Nyabitaba to complete the circuit. Continue descending Nyabitaba Camp and complete your trek by the evening at Nyakalengijja, the base camp.

Dinner and overnight at Equator Snow Lodge/ Sandton Hotel

The descent takes 7 – 8 hours

After your early morning breakfast, you will checkout of the lodge/hotel in Kasese and then be driven back to Kampala with an en-route stopover in fort-portal for lunch.

Proceed with the transfer to Entebbe for a relaxing evening and overnight at 2 Friends Guest house

In the morning after breakfast at the lodge, you will drive to Mabamba wetland for shoebill watching and other bird species. After, you will drive back to Entebbe International airport for your departure flight.

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• Rwenzori , Gorilla Trek & Birding Tour