Global Staci

It’s so gorgeously green. Confirmed from the air, Uganda ought to be called the Emerald of Africa. Lush in its many hues of green, this beautiful, friendly, wonderous destination is a pleasure to explore. Particularly if you are lucky enough to be looking for gorillas.

[PRO TIP: If you have to choose between gorilla trekking and visiting Uganda’s national parks for a more traditional style safari experience, I recommend you choose the trek and go to a different African country for safari. Uganda and Rwanda are the only two places in the world offering gorilla treks.]

My travel companion and I had a simple itinerary, with a simple goal in mind. Jump in soon after landing in Entebbe and get adjusted to the time change in preparation of our meeting the rest of our team for a Global Builders trip with The Fuller Center of Uganda. We used a travel agency specializing in Uganda and Rwanda and paid one price with just about everything included.

Here’s our itinerary!

Day 1 | Arrival at Entebbe International Airport

We stayed at the Protea Hotel Entebbe, as it is a Marriott property, well located, and if you have enough loyalty points, the room is free! It’s a beautiful property with friendly accommodating staff and delicious food.

Day 2 | The Warmup—Chimpanzees

The peaceful, if noisy, home to 52 primates, Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary is an island sanctuary dedicated to the care of orphaned eastern chimpanzees that have been rescued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Many of the chimps were rescued from poachers and were unlikely to survive reintroduction to the wild. As you would imagine, there is a boat ride to the island, during which you will literally float over the equator!

Day 3 | Flying the Friendly Skies

After a leisurely breakfast it was a short ride back to Entebbe International Airport for the flight to get to Bwindi. These flights are tiny, only 11 seats on the airplane! You’ll get up to about 8,000 feet which means you can see the ground the entire time. It’s an absolutely exhilarating experience!

[PRO TIP: If you get motion sickness easily, although it’s a very smooth ride, do whatever works best for you. You’ll also most likely need to downsize your luggage. We ended up repacking our bags and leaving some items behind with our outfitter.]

After landing we met our driver/guide for the next few days and made the drive on the winding mountainous roads to get to the fabulous Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge. Upon checking in we met the manager, the bartender, our butler, (yes, I meant to say that), AND our housekeeper (we had one of those too). That afternoon we took a guided walk through the local village.

Expectations exceeded.

[PRO TIP: Bring binoculars. This is a terrific place to bird as well as see loads of wildlife. You won’t need them to see the gorillas!]

Day 4 | One of the MOST Surreal Experiences of My Life: Mountain Gorilla Trekking

An early wakeup call required, but another delectable breakfast awaited. It was especially nice that our butler, who pretty much takes care of everything for you for your stay, waited on us and helped fit us with gaiters for the trek. I had no idea! Good thing we didn’t need to bring our own. These are essential for keeping fire ants and other critters for crawling up under your pants. Sheesh!

Our guide met us and accompanied to the park headquarters for the briefing. Everyone is then divided into groups depending on the Gorilla family you have been allocated to track, which is also based on the difficulty level you asked for. Because these wild, yet habituated, mountain gorillas are constantly on the move in the forest, every group’s trek is unique. Some may have to hike for hours just to get to the family, which others might be easier to locate. Trackers go out in advance of all treks to find these roaming gently giants, and radio back their location the rangers who accompany each group. Once you find your family you have just one hour to quietly observe, photograph and record them.

[PRO TIPS: Bwindi is called the Impenetrable Forest for a reason, yo! Be prepared to sweat. There are no trails; they cut them as you go. You are hiking on a mountain after all. Use the walking stick. Those are flies in the video and they are called gorilla flies because when you spot them you know they are close by. Thankfully they aren’t interested in humans. Since the Covid 19 pandemic everyone must wear a mask for the hour you are with the gorillas.]

Day 5 | Queen Elizabeth National Park

Yesterday our minds were blown, and we were sad to say goodbye to the staff at Nkuringo, but it was time to make the drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park one of Uganda’s premier wildlife destinations. The park’s diverse ecosystems, which include sprawling savannah, shady, humid forests, sparkling lakes and fertile wetlands, make it the ideal habitat for some classic big game, primates and over 619 species of birds, 2nd highest of any park in Africa and 6th highest of any park worldwide. The park was originally known as Kazinga National Park but renamed in 1954 to commemorate a visit by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britian.

For the next two nights we stayed at the lovely Mweya Lodge on the Kazinga Channel, which is patrolled by gun-toting security guards because it is unfenced and with the park. From the lodge’s terrace, you can enjoy the view over the slowly flowing channel from Lake George to Lake Edward.

Day 6 | Time to Enjoy the Water

On an early-morning game drive, we were lucky to spot lions! We even managed to get stuck in the mud! But for me, the highlight of the day was our afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel and into Lake Edward. There were a ton of hippos, animals drinking at the water’s edge, and especially birds. By another stroke of luck, we met another guide who was a birder and expert photographer who helped us identify much of what we saw.

Day 7 | From Bwindi to Bugiri

We enjoyed another magical flight from the Kasese Airstrip to take us back to Entebbe where we checked into the Frontiers Hotel to meet the rest of our Global Builders team!