Gorillas and Serengeti — Tanzania & Uganda Photo Safari

Rise early for a morning game drive before flying to the northern Serengeti, and with luck, witness the dramatic river crossings of the wildebeest migration. Great herds of wildebeests and zebras eye predators warily as crocodile snouts break the Mara River’s surface. Stay at the luxury tented camp and on morning and afternoon game drives, take in the region’s spectacular array of wildlife. On our last evening, gather for a candlelit farewell dinner in the bush.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Daily

Accommodation: Sayari Camp

Rise early for a morning game drive before you catch a quick flight to Entebbe International Airport. The flight from Serengeti to Entebbe Airport (Ebb) will take about two and a half hours. After check-in at our lodge in Entebbe, you can opt for a canoe ride on the massive Lake Victoria into the Mabamba swamps to photograph the most remarkable bird on the continent. The weird shoe-like beak on the shoebill stork makes you want to press that shutter into the camera, and it is quite an image.

Later relax in the quiet residential suburbs of Entebbe, awaiting your following day’s Gorillas & Serengeti expedition. You’ll take a short local flight early morning to misty mountain jungles.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Daily

Accommodation: Papyrus Guesthouse Entebbe

Flight from Entebbe to Kihihi Airstrip, Near Kisoro Town

We’ll take an early morning small flight from Entebbe to an airstrip near Kisoro town. Our Gorillas and Serengeti Photo Safari driver will pick you up in a 4×4 safari vehicle and drive you to Kisoro town. Have a cup of coffee in the town, then pick out light gear for the hike through local villages. Photo your way through the raw African village scene and capture untamed cultural settings. Carry some local change to tip the locals for taking their portraits; they like to be rewarded, very much! You’ll also take a 2-hour dug-out canoe right on Lake Mutanda’s calm waters with some of the most picturesque landscapes on this journey.

Have a hot lunch at the stunning Lake Mutanda Resort, overlooking one of those stunning mountain lakes around Bwindi. The driver will go round and pick you up at Lake Mutanda Resort. You can spend a night at the resort or hop on the four-by-four for a 45-minute countryside ride to the cosy Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Daily

Accommodation: Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge
Alternatively, spend a night at Mutanda Lake Resort

Gorilla Trekking in the Bwindi Impenetrable Jungle.

This part of the Gorillas & Serengeti Photo-safari will require you to hit the gym weeks before you come, just to get you comfortable enough to stay on your feet for more than 4 hours. You’ll be trekking a challenging terrain, climbing up and down the steep slops. We can’t accurately tell how long it could take to locate the gorillas, maybe about 30 mins to 4 hours. It’s all about the anticipation and walking challenge in unusual situations that make this an authentic jungle adventure!

Wake up early for a briefing at the visitor centre by 7:30 am. The park warden will detain you for about 30 mins briefing the trekking party about a couple of rules and verifying your trekking permit. They’ll then split you into small groups of eight tourists assign you two armed rangers and an expert tracker.

With the armed rangers and a tracker leading the way a walkie-talkie, you’re safer in these jungles than on the streets of London. The wilderness is a melee of tangled vines, musty orders and smoky mist under the dark canopy. There are no visible trails, so the tracker will be cutting for you a path using a fine-edged machete and communicating with other rangers to pinpoint the gorilla family’s location.

The best time to test your camera for forest light photography is when you’re tracking the gorillas; take a couple of shots and adjust your camera to eliminate anxiety when sitting with the gorillas. Remember, you only have one hour with the wild apes; that can pass you by like a cold summer wind. Take in the sights, sounds, and smells. Prepare yourself for how you’ll handle the excitement of seeing the gorillas while capturing the best images in light-demanding natural scenes.

We highly recommend the gorilla habituation experience over the regular gorilla trek for an extended photography time with the gorillas of about four hours. However, some photographers can’t handle the intense movement with the semi-habituated gorillas, and they prefer the calm bunch that is fully habituated with less movement.

You may be out of the jungle by 1:30 pm. Spend the rest of the afternoon at the lodge chatting about your experience with a drink and gorgeous landscape views.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Daily

Accommodation: Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge

Visit the Batwa forest tribe.

Have a late breakfast and relax the morning away at the lodge. In the late hour after lunch, you’ll visit the Batwa people and get to experience their cultures and traditions. Capture some beautiful portraits for your collection in this 3-hour cultural experience.

At sundown, we’ll relax at the top of the world, a soccer pitch at the top of a mountain 7,000 ft high. Here you’ll sit is a 360-degree view of the 8 Virunga Volcanoes, the entire Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and miles beyond to the Rwenzori Ranges. Time to test your misty mountain landscape photography skills.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Daily

Accommodation: Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge

Walk 7/14 Kilometers Across Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

From the southern sector to the northern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable forest are two trails that bisect somewhere in the jungle; Kasahsha Trail and Ivy Trail. The locals have been using the trails for centuries to connect trade between Buhoma and Nkuringo towns. They still use these trails because they are shorter than the 72-kilometre main road around the national park.

Taking one of these trails will introduce you to the peaceful serenity of the jungle that the local tribes have enjoyed for centuries. You could hike in this jungle for the whole day; the essence is you to take the most beautiful nature shots and get intimate with the ancient rainforest

If you accept this Gorillas & Serengeti Photo Safari challenge, you’ll take one of the trails across to Buhoma and check into your lodge the instant you walk out of the park gate, have a hotel shower, nice meal, and gaze at the star-decorated night sky while listening to the sound of the mighty forest you just conquered.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Daily

Accommodation:  Buhoma Lodge

Midday Flight from Kihihi  to Entebbe

After breakfast, drive 130 km to Kihihi Airstrip in time for your 14:30 flight to Entebbe. Spend the last of your day and night at the country house in Entebbe. You’ll catch your flight back home the next day.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Papyrus Guest House