Wilderness Travel 2018 Catalog of Adventures

Mountain Gorilla Safari GORILLAS, CHIMPS, AND A BIG GAME SAFARI

BRIAN MCGILLOWAY

HIGHLIGHTS • Enjoy thrilling encounters with mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park • Track chimpanzees on foot in Kibale Forest National Park • Phenomenal game viewing safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park in the Great Rift Valley • Comfortable forest lodges with superb access to the wildlife DETAILS • 11-day trip begins and ends in Entebbe • 7 nights hotels and lodges, 3 nights tented lodge at Bwindi • All meals included TRIP COST $6695 (6-7 members) $7095 (4-5 members) Single supplement: $1390 Internal airfare: $420 (subject to change) Chimp permits (2 treks): $300 Gorilla permits (2 treks): $1200 Masai Mara National Reserve extension: from $3895 TRIP LEVEL 1 2 3 + 4 5 6 7 2 days of gorilla tracking (3-7 hours on steep and sometimes muddy trails), 2 days chimpanzee tracking on forested trails (3-4 hours each day), 4WD game viewing DATES Jan 9-19, 2018 Feb 8-18 Jul 19-29 Aug 15-25

Our adventure has two full days for tracking the gorilla families of Bwindi Impenetrable National Forest. PHOTO: ANDY ROUSE

Tracking gorillas in the wild is one of the planet’s most awe-inspiring experiences, and it’s important to do it right! Our journey brings you to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to half the remaining mountain gorillas in the world. With two days of tracking, you’ll have extraordinary opportunities to observe these magnificent creatures. Tracking involves a steep climb, but the experience of sitting amid a silverback and his family is unforgettable. We’ll also have you tracking chimps in the equatorial forests of Kibale and enjoying a big-game safari on the luminous savannas of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Days 1-3 Kibale Forest National Park / Wild Chimpanzees We head through Uganda’s tropical countryside to Kibale Forest National Park, home to one of the greatest varieties of primates anywhere in East Africa. Here we track bands of chimpanzees as they play, feed, and scamper through the treetops. Five groups of chimpanzees in Kibale have been habituated to human presence by researchers. Other denizens of this green ecosystem include grey-cheeked mangabeys, and vervet, colobus, and red-tailed monkeys.

BRIAN MCGILLOWAY

Days 4-6 Queen Elizabeth National Park Safari Queen Elizabeth National Park, a gorgeous 770-square-mile section of the western Great Rift Valley, has as its stunning backdrop the Ruwenzoris, Africa’s fabled “Mountains of the Moon” and its highest mountain range. The park teems with diverse wildlife. We safari by 4WD vehicle on lake-dotted savannas, walk shady trails, go birding in the Maramagambo Forest, and boat on the Kazinga Channel, with its huge population of hippos—up to 30,000! Days 7-11 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park / Gorilla Tracking / Entebbe Bwindi, the remnant of a once-vast primeval forest, is home to 11 primate species including some 400 magnificent mountain gorillas, half the world’s population of this highly endangered mammal. From our tented lodge, we have two full days of tracking, hiking up through dense forests at altitudes of 3,800 to 7,500 feet for the incredible experience of coming face to face with gorilla families in the wild. Depart on Day 11 via Entebbe.

QUESTIONS? 1.800.368.2794 OR EMAIL AFRICA@WILDERNESSTRAVEL.COM 22