Gorilla Trekking Uganda Tour For Solo Travelers

In the morning, you will board a flight bound for Murchison Falls in the north of the country, where the River Nile is anything but tranquil. Hippos dominate the shallows where they continually battle for a cool space to bathe. Elephants regularly patrol the banks, and they force antelope to drink elsewhere. Water crashes through rapids, and you will get a sense of the power of Mother Nature. After lunch at the camp, you will spend the afternoon on the river, a safari activity that helps you quickly succumb to the rhythm of the landscape. Every animal must come to drink, and by cruising along the Nile, you will enjoy unforgettable views of a wide variety of species. Travel at a gentle pace while an elephant uses his trunk as a snorkel to swim past, and your boat gives a wide berth to a pod of hippos when they start getting tetchy. Up ahead you will see Murchison Falls. This dramatic cascade of water provides the park with its name, a place to further reflect on the power of nature and the colors that Uganda creates.

Today you will discover that Murchison Falls provides a wonderful introduction to safari because you will not need to use a vehicle. A compact and eclectic landscape supports a variety of wildlife, with the complementary activities embracing all your senses. As you explore on foot, you pick up on the little clues, from a change in smell to the soft patter of hooves, and hooting from the canopy. Most animals will not be afraid of you, but they aren’t adjusted to the size of a safari vehicle. So on foot, you will get closer, just a few steps from a herd of zebra or a cluster of Ugandan kob. Look up to see the monkeys and across the plains to see an elephant herd, which seems far larger when you are exploring on two feet. Like most activities on this itinerary, you will explore in a small group with two to five other camp guests. This solo traveler’s safari can also be customized to meet specific interests as the camps offer a range of activities each day. A skilled guide will lead the way, and a couple of trackers will help to keep you safe as their knowledge of the bush ensures that you sidestep any dangerous animals. After lunch back at the camp, you can choose from a range of afternoon safari activities, including another Nile cruise, a game drive, or a walking safari focused on the techniques of animal tracking.

Uganda is a nation of more than 50 tribes, and each one has its story to tell. During your tour, you’ll find that almost everyone you meet is keen to share stories. Today it’s a classic story as you visit a coffee plantation and spend time with the people of the highlands. First, you will fly to Queen Elizabeth National Park before you head straight for a fragrant journey through the coffee plants. Green vistas seem to extend for eternity, and there’s a real charm to this rural corner of Africa. As you travel down into the park, you will pass the roaming herds, a game drive to camp that’s followed by another new safari experience. Nighttime game drives have only recently been introduced in Queen Elizabeth National Park. After dark, you will see an entirely new animal cast, as nocturnal characters emerge from their hideouts. There’s also drama since the cooler evening hours are perfect for the cats to hunt. You’ll travel slowly, and your vehicle will create a roving spotlight that illuminates the animals. When the driver cuts the engine, you will be guided by sounds, and the experience will help to tune your senses further. Sometimes the light will shine on the spots of a leopard. A herd of buffalo might slowly march past the vehicle, or an elephant may be hooting hello from a distance.

Set off early this morning to trek into a remote valley that’s home to a rare troop of chimpanzees. While their numbers have depleted over the last century, the ingenuity of the chimps knows no boundary. Their fingers have adapted to open peculiar nuts and fruit, while shards of rock are used to cut and forage. Sometimes the primates come down to the forest floor and lean back against a tree trunk, a state of repose similar to the way humans lounge on their couches. It can be a tough walk and today will be the most active of all the days on your safari. The rewards will be spellbinding. When you reach the chimpanzees, you will glimpse at the troop while they stare back, with almost a dozen curious eyes checking you out. Noises from the chimpanzees ripple through the trees, and over your hour with these primates, you will start to make sense of the communication. Their gestures are evocative as they say so much in just a frown or smile. When you spend up to an hour with the troop, you will start to gain an understanding of your closest cousins. In fact, most people find that chimps aren’t very different from humans.

The next day, you will spend another full day in Queen Elizabeth National Park, experiencing an entirely different landscape. Drive onto the vast savannah, where the elephants roam, and the trees provide a hiding place for lions. In a single vista, you can see hundreds, potentially thousands of wild mammals since the open plains are ideal for grazers. Today’s game drive will focus on the predators, who make this Ishasha Sector of the park so unique. Tree-climbing lions are the most famous, but where there is food, there is also other life, with hyenas and leopards among the grassland animals that enchant you. During the tour, your driver will stop and point toward a tree. At first, you may not see anything, and more pointing will ensue. Even with the use of binoculars you still may not distinguish the camouflage. Then, something will move, and a tail flicks as you find the lion. The cat stares straight at you, and you realize that it probably has been for a few minutes now with the unambiguous eyes of a hunter that sleeps with a view onto its realm. Once you adjust to the lion’s hiding place, there will be more eyes to find. When the driver takes you around the other side of the tree, there’ll be a whole pride draped across the branches. With a full day on a game drive, this legendary sighting is a substantial probability.

The drive from Queen Elizabeth to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest will invigorate you as you will be free to stop along the way. First, you will cross the southern section of the national park, which will provide a bonus game drive for the morning and the last chance to meet the mammals of the savannah. Then, weave through an ochre and green landscape where you will pass a succession of small villages that you are welcome to explore further. The road will twist and turn as it ascends into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, where your new camp will be immersed in the canopy. After lunch, you will set off on a private hike that’s guided by one of Bwindi’s long-term residents. As you follow forest elephant trails, you will discover waterfalls and rare birdlife, while you become friends with someone who has grown up in a land so entirely different to your own.

This morning you will set off in a small group, wandering along narrow trails in search of a gorilla troop. Today will provide you with Uganda’s most iconic experience, one of the world’s only opportunities to connect with endangered wildlife. Trackers will walk ahead of your group, and they will radio in the troop’s location, which could be anywhere between 30 minutes to three hours from the trailhead. There’ll be a hint of apprehension as you get close. The first meeting with a wild mountain gorilla is something you may have imagined a thousand times, but can’t possibly predict. It will be so raw and real to watch the great apes stand to greet you in an inspiring show of power. While the gorillas have been habituated to human presence, they are quick to assert authority. They don’t hide away at first and return your gaze. During the first few moments, most people may be on their cameras, but you should put the camera away at first because these few moments will be an intimate experience. After the troop settles down, they go about their day foraging, feeding, jumping between branches, and communicating through soft sounds and gestures. As you start to relax and take in the little details, you will feel at home with these giant primate cousins.

Other unique residents also occupy Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and today you’ll spend the morning with them. They are the people of the trees, a tribe of Batwa pygmies that live a life apart from the rest of the world. You will embark on a three-hour hike to the settlement, where you meet the tribe and relax in their presence as you hear their stories and learn about their lifestyle. Watch as women prepare food, medicine men teach you how to use the local flora, and people share traditional songs and ancient legends. From religion to hunting, music to tribal culture, this is one of Africa’s great local experiences. You’ll bring a gift to the tribe since the Batwa people have always been traders that don’t use money. Then, on the eve of your last day in Uganda, you’ll learn how the owners of the forest have created a symbiotic relationship with a wild and remote landscape.

On your last day in Uganda, you will fly back to Entebbe and have an afternoon free before your international flight. A guide takes you to Entebbe’s lush botanical gardens, a calming place to relax and reflect on the experiences over the last ten days. There’s a nice place to dine nearby before you return to the airport for your homebound flight.