The Great Traveller - Gorillas in Uganda
(Gorilla permit included)
An amazing 5 star 9 day journey through Uganda in search of the endangered mountain gorilla
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By joining The Great Traveller in Uganda you enter the depths of the African jungle, touring through the country in search of gorillas. This search culminates with a jungle trek with primate specialist Ian Redmond to find and witness these great apes in their natural environment. This is a great opportunity, not only to see a small group of what is only a 720 planet wide population of mountain gorillas but also to be taught by and learn from one of the leaders in primate conservation.
This all round itinerary presents the very best of African wildlife and culture. During this trip travellers will get to go on game drives to see many amazing animals including lions, elephants and buffalo. A late addition to the trip is the chance to go on a boat cruise where you will see more hippos than you could ever imagine, meaning you can see the most amazing animals Uganda has to offer both on land and in the water.
Throughout this trip you will be directly supporting the work of our charity partner Gorilla Organisation, an international charity led by African conservationists dedicated to saving the world’s last remaining gorillas from extinction. In association with this there will be a trip to one of Gorilla Organisations community projects to see the work they are doing out there to help save the gorillas.
Each evening after a long day of which there are many in this activity filled tour, you will return to your luxury accommodation to relax and prepare for the next amazing day ahead. In some cases, at the Bwindi lodge, gorillas have been known to wonder down during the evenings, so your primate experiences may even extend through to the end of the day.
All we know is that with a specialist led gorilla trek, wildlife safaris, boat cruises and even an extra chimpanzee trek this all-round luxurious primate experience really can be your trip of a lifetime!
Project Summary
Duration: 8 nights | 9 days
Location: Uganda – arrive Entebbe
Start dates: 2nd June 2013
Group size: 7
Itinerary
2nd June 2013: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport.
3rd June: Transfer to Kibale forest
4th June : Chimpanzee trekking
5th June: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth park (evening game drive)
6th June: Morning Game drive & Afternoon Launch cruise
7th June:Transfer to Bwindi Gorilla forest
8th June Gorilla trekking with Ian Redmond
9th June: Transfer to Kisoro
10th June:Transfer to Kampala Entebbe/Rwanda
Please click below to view this amazing intinerary in full!
The Great Traveller Uganda Itinerary with Ian Redmond
The Concept
The Great Traveller concept is about you the traveller doing something great whilst you travel. An alternative to mass tourism, this compassionate form is called Responsible Tourism. It’s about engaging and respecting local people living in vulnerable habitats and sharing their home with endangered animals. As a Responsible or Great Traveller your holiday, safari or volunteer placement abroad achieves a benefit for the local community as well as the endangered animals. Your travel translates into a meaningful way to make a difference abroad.
As a Great Traveller you will travel in a small group of like-minded individuals. Not only as small groups are manageable in sensitive locations such as villages or behind the scenes at wildlife centres, but also because they leave less of a footprint. This small group dynamic we hope will encourage you to bring out the best in the people with whom you travel and the members of the host communities.
As a Great Traveller you will also be shown an honest depiction of the situation at the destination by going behind the scenes as you are constantly offered exclusive access that you cannot get anywhere else.
Know that strong bonds are often formed between locals and travellers in such a short time. This is symptom of respecting cultures and coming with an open mind to learn from others from all backgrounds.
More specifically to The Great Traveller – Uganda & Gorilla there are responsibilities all parties must adhere to, to ensure minimal impact on gorilla and their habitats. Here are a set of gorilla trekking rules we will ask you to follow. These rules have been reviewed by our academic partners at the Institute of Primate Tourism Research at the University of Roehampton.
What Makes this Project Great
The Gorilla trek is more than time with this great ape, its about understanding gorilla through the mind of a conservation specialist, Ian Redmond OBE.
Ian Redmond is a tropical field biologist and conservationist, renowned for his work with great apes and elephants. For more than 30 years he has been associated with Mountain Gorillas, through research, filming, tourism and conservation work. He served as Ambassador for the UN Year of the Gorilla 2009.
As with his mentor, the late Dr Dian Fossey (Gorillas in the Mist), the main focus of his work shifted in 1978 from research to conservation work, after poachers killed Digit – a young silverback in one of the Karisoke study groups – to sell his skull and hands. Finding the headless, handless body of a gorilla he regarded as a friend was a turning point in his life. Ten years later in Kenya, the experience was repeated when some of the cave-elephants he was studying were killed by ivory poachers.
As a result, he became a conservation consultant and advisor for organisations such as the Born Free Foundation, the Gorilla Organization, Orangutan Foundation, Wildlifeline and the International Fund for Animal Welfare. He is now Chief Consultant for GRASP - UNEP/ UNESCO Great Apes Survival Partnership he helped launch in 2001. This is an amazing opportunity to spend some time with someone who has built an epic career in conservation.
FAQs
How does this trip give back to help save the gorillas?
What makes this trip great is our signature give back experience seamlessly threaded into your trip. It’s a chance to express your passion towards the cause in helping local people appreciate and help save the gorilla from extinction. Time and time again we see that the optimal solution for all endangered animal protection is the full engagement of the local people that share the same habitat.
If there is one person who deserves to be credited for making the world aware of gorillas and the troubles they face, it is Dian Fossey. In the 1970’s
Dian lived among the mountain gorillas of the Virunga Volcanoes for nearly twenty years. She dedicated her life to them and died trying to protect them. The book Gorillas in the Mist, Dian Fossey's own account of her life with the gorillas, was published in 1983. It was picked up by Hollywood and became a box office hit in 1987 with Dian Fossey played by Sigorney Weaver.
In the UK, Dian Fossey’s Digit Fund evolved into today’s Gorilla Organisation (London based registered charity). The Gorilla Organization works internationally to save the world's last remaining gorillas in the wild from extinction by funding grass-roots projects run by local African partners aimed at tackling the very real threats to the gorillas' long-term survival.
The Great Traveller Uganda provides an opportunity to visit one of the many pioneering Gorilla Organisation projects that reduces human pressure on gorilla habitat as well as create wealth by providing alternative source of food and livelihood to local communities such as production of honey and hive products in the Kisoro district. Your tour price includes a donation and you will visit the charity’s project site and get behind the scenes access and encounters with the local communities the charity helps. Witness for yourself how your donation is spent at the site. We hope that you will return back home and continue supporting the project by fundraising and donating or just spreading the word about what makes this project great.
For more FAQs please see our FAQ section here
Reviews
Reviews coming soon!
Important Information
Accomodation
All of the accomodation on this tour is five star and the facilities reflect this.
Visas
Ugandan visas are issued at the Missions/Embassies abroad and also at the Entry/Exit Points such as Entebbe airport. Ugandan visas are required by the citizens of the European Union, the USA and Japan. Not required by nationals of many African countries, Bahamas, Seychelles, Jamaica, Mauritius, Madagascar, Italy (only Diplomatic Passports), Cyprus. Other nationals should check. A valid passport is mandatory in all cases. Must have enough leafs for visa stamping and monitoring. For a stay not exceeding 6 months, the single-entry visa fee is US$30.
Please read our guide on responsible gorilla trekking and the rules associated with it
The Great Traveller Uganda includes the followings:
• All ground transportation using 4X4 safari including all fuel
• Services of English speaking guide/driver
• Full Board Accommodation
• 1 Chimpanzee tracking permit per person
• 1 Gorilla Trekking permit per person
• All park entry fees for clients and vehicle
• Boat cruises and Game drives as per itinerary
• Visiting the Batwa
• Community walk where possible
• Guided Nature walks
• Porter fees at the hotels
The rate excludes the following:
• International airfares
• Entry visas and air port taxes
• Personal insurance
• All personal expenditure such as tips, Telephone calls, Laundry and drinks
• Deviation from the above itinerary
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