Are you passionate about wildlife in Africa? If you enjoy travel, wildlife and photography, this might be the career for you.
As the name implies, wildlife photographers capture photographs and videos of wild animals. Mountain gorilla trekking safaris has become sought after among adventurers and passionate wildlife travelers.
Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC offer not only safe and secure gorilla trekking, but also play host to a variety of other indigenous wildlife encounters and attractions, such as chimpanzee and golden monkey tracking, birding, and unique fauna and flora viewing. Hike Nyiragongo, DRC’s active volcano or scale the Mountains of the Moon.
Passion gorilla photo safari includes a thrilling visit with the Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda; Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest National Park, multiple game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park with its wide array of wildlife, including the famous tree climbing lions, and a visit to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary on beautiful Lake Victoria.
This gorilla photo safari to Uganda, staying in three different locations and visiting its most beautiful and wildlife-rich parks experiencing the country’s wonderful wildlife, lush scenery and thronging bird life, with the highlight being the chance to track chimpanzees and the country’s famous mountain gorillas.
The first destination on this gorilla photo safari trip is the beautiful Kibale Forest. The drive here is fabulous, passing through tea plantations and the lush green countryside which characterizes much of Uganda.
Once here, you’ll have the chance to track chimps, accompanied by an experienced ranger, as well as spotting the 12 other primate species that live here, incredible bird life and possibly even a herd of forest dwelling elephants. You can have your dinner and overnight stay at Kibale Forest Camp.
Chimpanzee Tracking and swamp walk in Bigodi Forest boasts the highest number of primate species in the world, including our delightful cousins, the chimpanzees.
Today, in Uganda, there are approximately 5,000 chimpanzees left in the wild, which makes it a perfect place to spot them.
The experienced ranger takes you chimp tracking in the morning or afternoon; in the meantime, showing you the many monkey species that live in this tropical forest.
A wonderful jungle trip is the result, finishing in an hour of eye to eye contact with the chimps. Your swamp walk between 2-3 hours will take you through grassland, small communities and some beautiful scenery, where the locals are likely to greet you with enthusiastic waves.
It is usual to spot 3 or 4 different primate species during this walk, though the highlight is catching a glimpse of the Great Blue Turaco.
We transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park a wildlife biodiversity and the most astonishing with 95 types of mammals and 612 different birds.
The Kazinga Channel alone is said to contain the world’s largest concentration of hippos. Other wildlife includes lion, warthogs, buffalo, rare aquatic sitatunga antelope, giant forest hog, Uganda Kob, Topi, water buck, elephant and leopard.
You should request a wake up at 5.30-6.00 am for the early morning game drive which is usually the most rewarding. Tea and coffee in the Lodge’s reception area is served to refresh you before you depart. The dinner and overnight can be spent at Mweya Safari Lodge.
Wildlife on the North Kazinga plains closest to the Lodge includes elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, water buck, bush buck and warthog.
Another common-but unexpected-sighting in this area is the Giant Forest Hog, Africa’s largest pig, which is usually associated with dense forests rather than semi-open thickets. The 36km Kazinga Channel connects two Rift Valley lakes: Edward and George.
These are named after Queen Victoria’s son and heir, Edward VII and his own successor, George. The Sunbird seats ten passengers in comfort or for the ultimate in luxury enjoy refreshments and canopies aboard the Kingfisher, which seats twelve. Both launches have experienced guides and crew, with all the necessary safety equipment.
Today you can spend the day enjoying game drives in the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Queen Elizabeth National Park spreads over 1,978 sq. km in the western arm of the Great Rift Valley and is home to a wide variety of wildlife including elephants, leopard, lions, hippos, buffalo, Uganda Kob, baboon, and many species of birds.
With both a Riverine and savannah habitat, the park includes the southern Ishasha area with the massive Maramagambo, one of the largest surviving natural forests in Uganda. Overnight at Ishasha Wilderness Camp
The morning leads us out of Queen Elizabeth (Ishasha) heading to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The park contains almost one half of the world’s population of the endangered Mountain Gorilla, making it an extremely valuable conservation site.
Bwindi is also home to several endangered bird species with very limited ranges, and acts as an important catchment area for many rivers, supplying water for agriculture in the surrounding region. Dinner and overnight can be spent at Buhoma Lodge.
Following breakfast at the lodge, you travel to park Headquarters to meet your guides for the day’s activity and begin your gorilla tracking experience in the Bwindi forest.
Experienced guides and trackers will accompany your party on an early morning trek into the dense rain forest on the mountain slopes.
The journey, through dense foliage and up steep climbs, is abundantly rewarded with the lifetime experience of viewing mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
You will have an opportunity to be within meters of these magnificent apes, sharing in their daily lives and experiencing their day to-day activities.
Mountain gorillas are extremely rare with only an estimated 850 remaining in the wild. This is an experience you won’t soon forget! Following the trek, return to your accommodation and, if time allows, take a guided afternoon forest or community walk.
Please note: tracking may be fairly strenuous with treks up to 8hours, at high altitudes, not uncommon. Also, mountain gorillas are wild animals and, as such, sightings cannot be guaranteed. However, viewing success rates are over 90%.
In the evening, have a cultural walk and interact with the local people. Participate in captivating traditional performances presented by Women’s groups or orphan children groups.
Note that the fees you pay for these performances go directly to improve the welfare of families around the park. Overnight: Buhoma Lodge for your dinner and overnight.
After breakfast, you will drive back to Entebbe with a lunch stop at the Equator crossing. Proceed to Entebbe at Karibu Guest House.
A visit to the Island of the chimpanzees, in the morning you will depart from Entebbe for a close encounter with our relatives.
After a pleasant boat ride you will reach Ngamba Island, where you will be directed to the visitors centre to learn more about the chimps and their lifestyle.
You will be able to view and photograph these fascinating apes in their natural environment from only a few metres away. In the afternoon you will take a boat ride back to Entebbe Airport for your flight back home.
