Advice on Itinerary
Sep 3, 2018, 8:00 pm
#16
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 22
Google maps is indeed fairly good at estimating times. And you should study this very carefully. If it says it will take you 2.5 hours to travel 80km, that means it will be a VERY rough road. At some points in western Uganda I was crawling in and out of potholes at less than 10kmh. Google does not warn you about the road quality. Thank goodness I have a solid Japanese pickup truck with 4WD.
Sep 18, 2018, 6:36 am
#17
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: MSY
Programs: BA GfL
Posts: 5,926
I did a 13-day trip just in Uganda alone and found it very rewarding (I have also spent a lot of time in SA and other parts of Africa). I definitely think your original plan there will (a) not be fun due to the very bad roads and long travel times in the western part of the country near Bwindi and beyond, and (b) cause you to miss some of the best experiences available in Uganda, like the chimpanzees in Kibale. I would restrict the trip to either Rwanda or Uganda, but don’t try to jam in both. In Uganda, I stuck to places that offered experiences or wildlife that was different from what’s available in South Africa, since I’ve done so much there too.
I was very happy with the tour operator I used in Uganda (Churchill Safaris) and would recommend them highly.
I was very happy with the tour operator I used in Uganda (Churchill Safaris) and would recommend them highly.
Sep 18, 2018, 3:58 pm
#18
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 24
Internal Flights and Gorilla Trekking
I can't comment on much of your itinerary, but in 2017 I visited Uganda and Rwanda specifically for gorilla trekking (with Churchill Safaris).
We did two treks in Bwindi, and another two treks in Volcanoes. (This was before the Rwanda trek price jump).
Can I suggest you consider flying between Entebbe and your Uganda gorillas treks?
We flew Entebbe-Kihihi and then had the drive to our accommodation (Mahogany Springs Lodge) for our two Bwindi gorilla treks.
After the two days of Bwindi treks, we had a day set aside for the drive from Mahogany Springs Lodge to our accommodation in Rwanda - Mountain Gorilla View Lodge.
We took almost the whole day to do that drive - but that was because we stopped many times along the way for random wildlife sightings - chameleons, Colobus monkeys up a tree. (Plus stops for currency, and the border crossing.)
After our two days of Rwanda treks we stayed an overnight at Chameleon Hill Lodge near Kisoro. So the day after we flew Kisoro-Kihihi-Entebbe.
Taking those internal flights saved so much driving. Yes, I guess we missed out on the possibility of more random wildlife sightings. But the time it saved meant we could plan other wildlife activities.
Another wildlife experience you may want to investigate is an overnight stay on the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Lake Victoria (from Entebbe) where you can be a part of the caring experience.
Have a great trip!
Edited to add - we also did the Wildlife encounter experience at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre. Check the times it starts - I think we missed the beginning. The experiences vary day to day but it was also great for some hands on animal time.
We did two treks in Bwindi, and another two treks in Volcanoes. (This was before the Rwanda trek price jump).
Can I suggest you consider flying between Entebbe and your Uganda gorillas treks?
We flew Entebbe-Kihihi and then had the drive to our accommodation (Mahogany Springs Lodge) for our two Bwindi gorilla treks.
After the two days of Bwindi treks, we had a day set aside for the drive from Mahogany Springs Lodge to our accommodation in Rwanda - Mountain Gorilla View Lodge.
We took almost the whole day to do that drive - but that was because we stopped many times along the way for random wildlife sightings - chameleons, Colobus monkeys up a tree. (Plus stops for currency, and the border crossing.)
After our two days of Rwanda treks we stayed an overnight at Chameleon Hill Lodge near Kisoro. So the day after we flew Kisoro-Kihihi-Entebbe.
Taking those internal flights saved so much driving. Yes, I guess we missed out on the possibility of more random wildlife sightings. But the time it saved meant we could plan other wildlife activities.
Another wildlife experience you may want to investigate is an overnight stay on the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Lake Victoria (from Entebbe) where you can be a part of the caring experience.
Have a great trip!
Edited to add - we also did the Wildlife encounter experience at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre. Check the times it starts - I think we missed the beginning. The experiences vary day to day but it was also great for some hands on animal time.
Last edited by ausTraveller13; Sep 18, 2018 at 4:00 pm Reason: Edited for UWEC
Sep 18, 2018, 11:35 pm
#19
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
I should point out a couple of things that need mentioning for driving around Uganda. They have been aggressively (for a relatively poor African country) building roads and adding tarmac to old dirt roads over the last few years. There is a new modern expressway from Entebbe to Kampala which has saved me many hours since it opened about four months ago. And they are doing a good job out west with plans to upgrade roads around Bwindi. After the QE park visit, we went up to Kasese and Fort Portal which are beautiful areas near the mountains. The drive back from Fort Portal to Kampala was almost entirely on new modern roads. They recently announced new expressway projects for Kampala-Jinja and Kampala-Mpigi and flyovers in downtown Kampala which begin construction in January. And a new modern road was added connecting Uganda to South Sudan.
There are some public roads that move through the national parks, but it's not good to go fast on those roads. There was recently an accident where a bus hit an elephant up north. People died and the elephant was injured. And when you are actually inside the park gates they purposely keep the roads rough so you are forced to drive slow. It's better that way as you never know what you will come up upon hiding behind a bush, or even in a rather large pothole where I came upon a hippo just sitting there after a rain shower filled up the pothole.
The other thing I would like to suggest to foreign visitors is that it's a good idea to visit the people too while traveling about. It can be very rewarding. We always fill our luggage with used clothes and shoes and pass them out in remote villages along those rough roads that few people travel on. Their eyes light up when they are given a t-shirt or shoes or a jacket, etc. Especially the kids. Always bring sweets for the kids. Adults too can be bribed to do most anything you need with some sweets.
Then later we fill up the luggage with knick-knacks and some of the fruit and plants that you can't find up in Europe. I understand the point about flying over these places if you are in a hurry, but if you can manage it, it's best to not be in a hurry and take your time. Your holiday will be so much more interesting.
There are some public roads that move through the national parks, but it's not good to go fast on those roads. There was recently an accident where a bus hit an elephant up north. People died and the elephant was injured. And when you are actually inside the park gates they purposely keep the roads rough so you are forced to drive slow. It's better that way as you never know what you will come up upon hiding behind a bush, or even in a rather large pothole where I came upon a hippo just sitting there after a rain shower filled up the pothole.
The other thing I would like to suggest to foreign visitors is that it's a good idea to visit the people too while traveling about. It can be very rewarding. We always fill our luggage with used clothes and shoes and pass them out in remote villages along those rough roads that few people travel on. Their eyes light up when they are given a t-shirt or shoes or a jacket, etc. Especially the kids. Always bring sweets for the kids. Adults too can be bribed to do most anything you need with some sweets.
Then later we fill up the luggage with knick-knacks and some of the fruit and plants that you can't find up in Europe. I understand the point about flying over these places if you are in a hurry, but if you can manage it, it's best to not be in a hurry and take your time. Your holiday will be so much more interesting.
Sep 18, 2018, 11:48 pm
#20
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 24
Stimpy, I agree - it is lovely meeting the people. In the segments of our trip that we did drive, we (and the local kids) enjoyed waving at each other through the vehicle windows. We stopped for a meal in a town on a number of occasions (so not all meals were in lodges). Chatting with retailers and stall holders and our porters on the treks was great fun. We had also brought muesli bars and snacks that we didn't use and we handed them out to people walking the roads as well
Sep 19, 2018, 9:19 pm
#21
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: MSY
Programs: BA GfL
Posts: 5,926
ausTraveller13, funny you mention having kids waving at you on that trip. I’ve been to a lot of places in this world but never before or since have I felt so much like the Queen of England as in Uganda. It seemed like every person under the age of 15 stopped, waved, smiled, and shouted hello as we drove past!