Wednesday. Welcome to Uganda, a small country of striking beauty. Its landscapes vary from the fertile green areas around the northern shores of Lake Victoria to the snow capped Ruwenzori Mountains in the west and the semidesert region in the north. We’ll be there to collect you at Entebbe Airport and transfer you to your hotel. Overnight - Kampala

From Kampala we drive to Lake Bunyoni, the deepest Crater Lake in Africa and home to a large and varied number of beautiful birds, which is the base from which the optional Gorilla trek takes place. Whilst in Lake Bunyoni there will be plenty of time to hike, canoe, swim or just chill-out in this region of amazing beauty. Dependant on where trekking permits are available, we trek in the Magahinga or Bwindi National Parks in Uganda, the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or the Ruhengeri National Park in Rwanda.

Winding our way through arguably some of the most picturesque scenery in Africa, we head to the town of Kisoro where we spend the night (should we be trekking in Rwanda our overnight will be in Ruhengeri). The following morning, after packing our picnic lunch, we are transferred to a ranger’s station where the trek commences. Your rangers will lead you through the cultivated lands and then into the dense rain forest and on to a gorilla family. Trekking can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 8 hours and it can be quite strenuous, so a reasonable level of fitness is required. To ensure the gorillas do not get too used to the presence of humans and because they share many of our genes (and therefore able to catch our diseases), the maximum time permitted to spend with them is 1 hour. You will have plenty of time to watch their activity and to take photographs. The rangers will be able to provide you with a background to the gorilla family you are visiting. Once our hour is up, we trek back out of the rain forest and transfer back to the Lake Bunyoni campsite.

The mountain gorilla (Gorilla Gorilla Berengei), of which there are still only about 700 remaining, are one of our closest living relatives. A visit to these gentle giants in their natural environment is a unique and wonderful experience - one you’ll never forget. Parks rangers monitor the gorillas movements so we have a good idea of where to find them but they are free roaming wild creatures and therefore sightings cannot be guarantee. Overnight - Lake Bunyoni (4) (B:4, L:4, D:4)

This morning we begin our drive back to Kampala, crossing the Equator for the second time and stop for the classic “one foot in each hemisphere” photo opportunity. We arrive back into Kampala late afternoon/early evening

Please do not book your outbound flight from Entebbe Airport any earlier than 9pm. If you wish to book a night post tour accommodation, we can arrange this. Please contact us for details. (B, L)