uganda
trekking the albertine rift
Eleven nights from Kigali across the Kigezi highlands to gorilla treks at Mgahinga, Nkuringo and Bwindi, with two walking legs.
- Private Safari
- From $11,705 pp
- 2 guests
- 11 nights
trip highlights
- At Buhoma you trek on foot for mountain gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, in groups of no more than eight.
- Bwindi has been named the top birding destination in Africa by the African Bird Club, with around 350 bird species in the forest.
- Mgahinga holds a single habituated gorilla family, the Nyakagezi group, along with golden monkeys in the bamboo beneath three Virunga volcanoes.
- On the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy you can ride out among plains game on horseback, and the conservancy protects more than 200 black and white rhino.
Scroll for the full itinerary
Gorilla Forests to the Laikipia Highlands
This fourteen-night route links Uganda and Kenya, from great-ape forests to the Laikipia Highlands. You begin in Entebbe by Lake Victoria, then Buhoma on the edge of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for mountain gorilla trekking, then Mgahinga at the foot of three Virunga volcanoes with its single gorilla family. Kenya follows: a night in Nairobi on Karen Blixen’s old coffee land, then four nights on the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in the Laikipia Highlands.
You travel by road and light aircraft, trekking on foot for gorillas in Uganda and riding, walking and driving in Laikipia. Accommodation runs from a small garden hotel built for the flight days, through lodges on the forest edge and at the volcano foot, to a family-run lodge on a private conservancy. Each stay sits close to what its days are for.
Daily Itinerary Breakdown
Entebbe by Lake Victoria
You begin in Entebbe, ten minutes by road from the international airport and close to the shores of Lake Victoria. These two nights are for resting and eating well before the flying and trekking start, with birds moving through the gardens and the noise of the town kept outside the walls. No.5 Boutique Hotel is a small garden retreat of fifteen rooms gathered around a courtyard planted with palms, with a pool, a spa and gym, and a dining room that carries real weight. Arrivals are met with a cold juice.
- Accommodation at No.5 Boutique Hotel
Bwindi Gorilla Trekking at Buhoma
Four nights at Buhoma on the edge of Bwindi, a full day's drive from Entebbe or a flight to Kihihi airstrip and 90 to 120 minutes on to the forest. From here you trek for mountain gorillas in the Buhoma or Ruhija sectors, in groups of no more than eight, with one hour spent with a habituated family; Bwindi has more than 25 habituated groups. The African Bird Club has named this the top birding destination in Africa, with around 350 bird species in the forest. Bwindi Lodge stands on the forest edge, every banda balcony facing the trees across a stream, with its own footpath into the forest and a favourite haunt of the Rushegura group.
- Accommodation at Bwindi Lodge
Mgahinga's Gorillas and Golden Monkeys
In the foothills of the Virunga Volcanoes, Mgahinga is the smaller and quieter of Uganda's two gorilla parks. You track the Nyakagezi family, the single habituated gorilla group here, and the golden monkeys that move through the bamboo, with Sabinyo, Gahinga and Muhavura on the skyline. Because the park holds one family and receives far fewer trackers than Bwindi, the forest feels unhurried. Mount Gahinga Lodge has eight circular bandas hand-built from local volcanic stone under thatch, each with a fireplace and a veranda angled toward the volcanoes, and a personal butler and a massage after a long trek.
- Accommodation at Mount Gahinga Lodge
Nairobi on Blixen's Coffee Land
Crossing into Kenya, you reach Nairobi, a highland capital where lion and black rhino move across savannah on the city's southern edge in Nairobi National Park. A single night here is a soft landing between Uganda and the Laikipia Highlands, with the Karen Blixen Museum a short walk away and the Langata Gate around ten minutes' drive. Karen Blixen Cottages occupies a five-acre garden estate on Blixen's old coffee land, thirteen rooms across seven cottages under century-old jacaranda, croton and bottle brush trees. Dinner is at Babette's, which draws its vegetables from the garden.
- Accommodation at Karen Blixen Cottages
Riding and Rhino on Lewa
Four nights close the trip on the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy below Mount Kenya, where more than 200 black and white rhino range across open savannah and are seen on most drives. This is private ground rather than a national park, so the days run wider than a game drive: you ride out among plains game on horseback, trek by camel, walk with a guide, then drive again after dark. Elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah and Grevy's zebra share the same country, and the number of vehicles at a sighting is capped. The nine cottages are the Craig family's own, six above the Marania Valley and three among the lawns.
- Accommodation at Lewa Wilderness
Ed Charles, BBC Producer
Fitzroy are true specialists in accessing the wilderness. They know where to go and importantly, when to go there. Highly recommended.
looking for inspiration?
uganda
remote karamoja safari
Nine nights from Lake Victoria through Karamoja to the Kidepo Valley, Uganda's most remote park.
- Private Safari
- From $6,755 pp
- 2 guests
- 9 nights
uganda
the primate parks and the virungas
Eleven nights across Uganda, tracking chimpanzees in Kibale and Kyambura and gorillas at Mgahinga, via Queen Elizabeth's plains.
- Private Safari
- From $13,800 pp
- 2 guests
- 11 nights
rated five stars by our clients
our approach
remote, exclusive
& personal
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
Every journey starts with a conversation. We favour a direct, personal approach: understanding your vision before anything else.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape a journey that is both thoughtfully considered and expertly delivered.
Get in touch to start planning yours.