In the stillness of the forest, the silence is interrupted by the sound of snapping branches. “It’s the forest elephants moving through the forest,” tells Chelimo Salim in a quiet tone. He’s our gorilla guide on the trek to see the greatest ape on the planet – the gorilla and to be specific, the Mountain gorillas of Bwindi.
The morning mist is rising to reveal the dense forest covering the mountain range of the Virunga volcanoes that stretch into neighbouring Rwanda that is also home to these gorillas.
But at this moment I want to see the unique forest elephants that are rare and adapted to living in the dark, dense forests of Bwindi. Smaller than the African savannah elephants, they have rounded ears and straighter downward pointing tusks which make it easier for them to move through the forest. It’s anybody’s guess how many there are in the forest – estimates waver between 40 and 300.
The sound ebbs as the elephants move deeper into the impenetrable forest that few outsiders knew about until recently. Its sudden claim to fame came with the ‘discovery’ of the Mountain gorillas – and that not even by sight but from their droppings below their night nests when researchers began to venture into the thick forest glades. That was in the 1980s when Uganda was in the midst of political turmoil. Needless to say, this ‘discovery’ made little headlines.
FYI – Bwindi means place of darkness from the Runyakitara word Mubwindi.
Meet the mighty river on its most dramatic stage where it plunges 43 metres on its journey north to drain into the Mediterranean. By RUPI MANGAT
Published: Nation media Sarmag 9 August 2025
The great expanse of water shimmers in the morning light as we fly over it to land in Entebbe, an hour’s flight from Nairobi. Yet less than two hundred years ago, the outside world knew nothing about this lake or the country that we now know of as Uganda.
Back then, Africa’s interior was a closely guarded secret by the Arab traders mainly for slaves, elephant tusks and timber. The mystery of the Nile’s origin became the driving force for the European explorers to enter the unknown. So when John Hanning Speke saw the lake in 1858 from a village near Mwanza in Tanzania, he uttered the unforgettable quote, “The Nile is solved”. He was ridiculed for it. The matter of the Nile was finally solved in 1875 when the journalist-explorer Henry Morten Stanley circumvented Victoria (as Speke christened it after the then British monarch, Queen Victoria), confirming it as the Nile’s source.
From Entebbe to the world’s most powerful falls
The Marina and jetty by the golf course on Lake Victoria at Lake Victoria Serena, Entebbe, Uganda. Image: Rupi Mangat
We’re wrapped in luxury at Lake Victoria Serena Entebbe on the edge of the Great African lake. Our journey into Uganda is to scale the mountains of the impenetrable forest in search of Bwindi’s Mountain gorillas that the outside world only got to know of in 1987 – and that not even by sighting our ape cousins but from the droppings below their night nests.
“The Mountain gorilla is the only subspecies of gorillas that is increasing in number and is now classified as ‘endangered’ from ‘Critically endangered’,” states Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Uganda’s first wildlife vet. Their numbers have increased from an estimated 300 to 1063 in the wild today.
Dr. Glady Kalema-Zikusoka , Uganda’s first wildlife vet and founder of Conservation Through Public Health
Dr Gladys is a trail blazer. She and her husband Lawrence founded Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) 20 years ago and have achieved international recognition for their ‘One Health’ approach that involves the well-being of the people who live alongside our ape cousin. Dr Gladys’ book, ‘Walking with Gorillas’ is a best seller, copies of which she signs after her presentation to the enraptured group.
The first leg of the journey is to Murchison Falls National Park – a 50-minute flight – to meet the Nile on its most dramatic stage where the mighty river plunges 43 metres through a 7-metre chasm on its 6,000-kilometre journey north to drain into the Mediterranean in the land of the pharaohs.
Murchison on the Nile
It was Baker with his wife Florence who came upon the ‘world’s most powerful waterfall’ in 1864, when looking to solve the Nile’s source – which they did not. They named the falls Murchison after the president of the Royal Geographical Society. However, the wandering couple came upon the lake (which today spans Uganda-DRC border) that glistens in the horizon as we land in 3,893-square-kilometre Murchison Falls National Park at Pakuba airstrip – the lake they named Albert after the British queen’s husband. The duo also documented Karuma Falls, a spectacular series of cataracts along the Nile spanned today by Karuma bridge along the main Kampala-Gulu highway.
The park is lush green like an emerald with towering Borassus palms that our safari guide jokes are planted by elephants! The seed passes through the elephant’s gut and germinates on the ground.
The common patas monkeys watch us from the road side. Unlike other monkeys that prefer trees to terra firma, the patas is mostly seen on ground and with its long legs is a fast runner. Unfortunately the Kenyan patas monkey is extinct in the wild – the Critically Endangered southern patas monkey (E. baumstarki). Found only in northern Tanzania today, the population is between 40–100 mature individuals remaining in the wild.
The Rothschild giraffes grace the plains nibbling on the acacias, Jackson’s hartebeest stand sentinel, a lioness in the tree stops all on track and finally the day ends with a drive to the top of the thundering falls on a road recently tarmacked over the new bridge spanning the Nile, doing away with the iconic ferry crossing.
The following day we sail the Nile to the bottom of the falls. A crocodile slithers into the river; others stay statuesque with jaws wide open to cool down in the afternoon heat. A herd of elephants frolic on the river’s edge hosing themselves with the rich red mud – a spa in the wild. FYI – Baker had by the age of 20, invented a powerful gun to kill an elephant with a single shot.
Pods of hippos pop around in the blue waters and we give them a wide berth. In 1870, Baker’s boat was attacked by an angry hippo on the Nile who munched a large mouthful of the wooden vessel. An hour later we sight the falls – and they never fail to impress. The river has risen and the force of the falls keeps the boats at a distance. All we can do is watch in awe with its permanent rainbow.
The Nile tumbling through a 7-metre gap down 43 metres to the land of the pharoahs. Pic: Rupi Mangat
More on Murchison Falls
It’s easily doable from Nairobi via road or by air with a range of accommodation in and outside the park. Combine the falls for a safari circuit with Budongo or Kibale forests for chimpanzee trekking; Queen Elizabeth National Park and Bwindi for the Mountain gorillas.
Log on to Uganda Wildlife Authority for current park fee.
Trekking Rhinos, Chimpanzees & Mountain gorillas plus Lions & The Nile on a Wildlife Safari
14 -24 OCTOBER 2026
Duration: 10 nights, 11 days
Group size: Minimum 7 & Maximum 10 women
Overview:
A safari in Uganda takes you to her Mountain gorillas and the Nile, meeting her people and lavishing in the richness of landscapes that makes Uganda, the Pearl of Africa.
Curated by Rupi Mangat and accompanied by Lilian Kamusiime. Rupi is a third generation local and a leading Kenyan travel writer. Lilian is an acclaimed Ugandan birder and naturalist whose home borders Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
You will meet the gorilla guardians working with the dynamic Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoma founder of the award-winning Conservation Through Public Health who will amaze you with the success story of Uganda’s Mountain gorillas and the local people living there.
October is an exciting month to be on safari. Typically mornings and evenings are cool interspersed with hours of sunshine for the wildlife (and us) to soak in.
You will be enchanted.
->Want to see Mountain gorillas, then you got to safari in Uganda!
Kamusiime is passionate about wildlife and a founder member of Uganda Woman Birders (UWB). She is also the vice-chair of Uganda Safari Guides Association. A veteran tour guide, her home is in Bwindi which started her on her path to wildlife conservation. In addition to this, Kamusiime is known for her advocacy for women’s empowerment in the tourism sector, particularly in birding and guiding.
Your safari with her will be even more enriching as she shares all about Uganda’s wildlife with you.
Day 1 Wednesday 14th October
Fly into Entebbe the lakeshore city of Uganda. You will be met at the airport by our representative who will guide you through arrival. You will then be driven by your driver-guide to your hotel, Papyrus Guest House.
Named after the swamp plant that was used in antiquity by the pharaohs, the hotel is one of Entebbe’s finest near the shores of Lake Victoria, the source of the Nile, the world’s longest river.
The day is at leisure. The hotel is a few minutes’ drive to the central business district. Entebbe works at a leisurely pace. The core of the city boasts early colonial architecture. See the activities (own cost) offered at Papyrus Guest House which includes the Entebbe zoo and the century old botanical gardens.
6 p.m: Meet for dinner to meet the group and Lilian (at own cost).
It’s a grand way to end the day.
Relaxing at the Papyrus Guest House with refreshing drinks and vibrant flowers, a perfect start to your wildlife safari in Uganda.
It’s an early start to the day. After a hearty breakfast, your driver will be ready to drive you in custom designed safari-cruiser to Murchison Falls National Park 350 kms northwest of Entebbe, home of the world’s most powerful waterfall, Murchison Falls. The Nile flows from its source Lake Victoria, that is Africa’s largest lake and the world’s second largest freshwater lake that the world knew nothing about till the British explorer John Hanning Speke saw it and correctly identified it as the source of the Nile on 30 July 1858 – and so solving the greatest mystery that even perplexed the pharaohs.
A close encounter with a white rhino during a trek in Uganda’s Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
En route, you will stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary (205 km / 4 hours from Entebbe), the only place to see white rhinos is Uganda. Enjoy a rhino trek followed by lunch.
2:00 pm – Depart for Murchison Falls National Park and proceed to the top of the falls (115 km / 2 hours) to see the Nile gush through a 7-metre chasm to fall 43 metres down and continue to the land of the pharoahs.
View of Murchison Falls, where the Nile river dramatically cascades through rocky terrain, surrounded by lush greenery.
Afterwards, continue to Pakuba Safari Lodge (23 km / 40 mins) for dinner and overnight.
The 3,840-square-kilometer park spans the savanna between Lake Albert and Karuma Fall. The park is spectacular for its wildlife and tapestry of grassland, and swamps along the Nile, which at 6,000 kilometres is the world’s longest waterway. Murchison named after the Scottish geologist in 1864 by the 19th century explorer Samuel Baker who trekked the continent accompanied by his wife Florence, was also the first to document Lake Albert straddling the Uganda-Congo border in the Great Rift Valley.
It’s an early start to the day at 6 a.m. Wake up calls can be arranged.
Enjoy a cuppa coffee or tea and biscuits before you set out for an early morning game drive at 6.30 a.m. This is the best time to enjoy wildlife as well as late afternoons before the sun goes down. It’s the time when the animals are most active before the sun becomes too hot for them and lethargy sets in. See Uganda’s endemic wildlife like the Uganda kob and rare ones like the Rothschild giraffe, Patas monkey, oribi and Jackson’s hartebeest. You might see the lionesses would rather hunt when it’s cooler but being opportunistic the hunt is on if the quarry is easy. Lions do not have sweat glands and you’ll hear them panting a lot.
A majestic elephant showcases its grandeur while roaming in the Ugandan wilderness, a highlight of the wildlife safari.
9 a.m. Return to the lodge for breakfast.
Take time to relax, swim, read a book and enjoy the grounds.
12.30 p.m: Enjoy an early lunch, before driving to the waterfalls that squeezes through the seven-metre-wide gorge to crash down 43 metres and continue its flow to the ancient land.
2 p.m: It’s a slow boat ride looking out for the crocodiles and hippos with sightings of the plains game coming to quench their thirst before the thundering roar of the amazing waterfalls. It’s a sight to behold.
The powerful Murchison Falls cascading through lush green landscapes, a must-see on a Uganda wildlife safari.
6.30 p.m: Return to the lodge.
Take some time to refresh with a cold beer at the bar or a cool shower.
7.30 p.m. Meet for another gourmet feast by the Nile and retire after a nightcap by the fire pit.
9 a.m: Depart with packed lunch boxes to Fort Portal (330 km / 6 hours). Check-in at Isunga Lodge in a picturesque setting by the Ruwenzori mountains overlooking Kibale forest that is home to the great ape – chimpanzees.
Chimpanzee in a natural habitat, capturing the essence of Uganda’s wildlife experience.
Afternoon at leisure.
7 p.m: Enjoy dinner and enjoy the rest of the evening.
Sunset over the Mountains of the Moon from Isunga Lodge:
5.45 a.m: Depart with packed lunch boxes for Kibale Forest.
6 a.m: Arrive for a briefing on your chimpanzee habituation experience.
A lively group of chimpanzees interacting in their natural habitat in Uganda’s Kibale Forest, known for its rich biodiversity.
The chimpanzee habituation experience will take the better part of the day. (Depending on the temperament of the chimpanzees, visitors can spend approximately four hours with the chimpanzees once they are located, observing their daily activities like feeding, hunting, and social interactions.)
10:30 a.m: Depart from your lodge with packed lunch boxes and proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park (105 km / 2 1/2 hours) the iconic 1,978-square-kiometre park in plain sight of the Ruwenzori Mountains or the Mountains of the Moon as the first-century Greek scholar Ptolemy called them and thought of them as the source of the Nile.
Stop briefly at Kasese, a charming town on the foothills of the mountains and enjoy a few minutes at the Equator.
1 p.m: Check-in at Mweya Safari Lodge.
3.30 p.m: Afternoon game drive.
A lioness resting among the branches of a tree, showcasing the unique behavior of tree-climbing lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The park, named after the late British monarch’s 1952 visit, is famous for its tree climbing lions besides the elephants, Uganda Kob and an impressive list of 600 species of birds.
Relish the views from the lodge on the peninsula that straddles the wildlife-rich Kazinga Channel and Lake Edward. The 32-km long channel connects the two great African lakes – Edward and George.
6.30 p.m: Enjoy cocktails by the campfire before a sumptuous dinner freshly prepared under the Equatorial stars. For star gazers, this is the perfect spot to see the constellations of the two hemispheres.
Luxurious views at Mweya Safari Lodge overlooking the stunning Kazinga Channel and Lake Edward in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Enjoy your evening and a good night’s sleep in your luxurious abode.
Another glorious morning in Africa. Rise and shine for an early morning game drive at 6.15 after a cuppa. The landscape is surreal with the Mountains of the Moon with the snow-topped high peak at 16,762 feet, making it Africa’s third highest mountain.
Return for breakfast by 9 a.m.
After lunch, prepare for another exciting boat ride along the famous Kazinga Channel, a 32-kilometer- long link between the Albertine Valley’s Lake Edward and Lake George. The channel boasts the world’s largest concentration of hippos, crocodiles, elephant, buffaloes and waterbucks coming for a drink. For birders, it’s time to log in the amazing birdlife that include the Pelicans, Fish Eagles, Kingfishers, Cormorants and the bright coloured Saddle-billed Stork.
A scenic boat ride on the Kazinga Channel, watching elephants come to drink at the bank.
Return for a starlit dinner followed by a night cap by the campfire and finally to a peaceful slumber in your luxurious room.
8 a.m: Depart with packed lunch boxes and proceed to Buhoma on the edge of the spectacular Bwindi Impenetrable Forest on the edge of the Albertine Rift. (165 km / 4 hours).
A misty landscape of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home to Mountain Gorillas and rich biodiversity, showcasing the enchanting atmosphere of thisunique ecosystem.
Bwindi takes its name from the dense forest that the locals call ‘Place of Darkness’. This is the home of more than half of the world’s population of the Mountain Gorillas – only discovered in Bwindi in 1987 from their night nests in the trees.
12 noon: Check-in at the lodge.
2 p.m: After an exquisite lunch, leave for an afternoon with the villagers, learn their collaboration with Dr. Gladys’s globally acclaimed NGO, Conservation Through Public Health and visit the Gorilla Health and Community Centre, where fecal samples from gorillas and livestock are analyzed and people learn about the disease vectors that harm sensitive gorilla populations.
Dr. Glady Kalema-Zikusoka , Uganda’s first wildlife vet and founder of Conservation Through Public Health
Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka is also the author of the best-selling ‘Walking With Gorillas’ that is about the Bwindi gorillas and her journey as Uganda’s first wildlife vet. You will get to know some fascinating insights into what it takes to save the Mountain gorillas – which is all about co-existence between the primate (us) and the non-human primate (gorillas, chimpanzees plus some 500 more species). I’m not telling you more.
6.30 p.m.: Take a few minutes to refresh before dinner on your first night in Bwindi, that is one the most bio-diverse places on Earth.
Relaxing seating area on a porch overlooking the lush greenery of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
Dinner will be served fused with the rich forest air and lots of lively exchanges with the excitement of meeting the gorillas.
This is your day for an encounter with the greatest ape on Earth – the Mountain gorilla.
6.30 a.m: Meet for breakfast and a short drive will have you at the legendary impenetrable forest for an exciting day of hiking for our close relative with who we share 98.4% of our genes.
You will be accompanied by a gorilla guardian working with Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka who knows many of the gorillas by name and give you a first-hand insight into their world.
A Mountain gorilla enjoying a meal in the lush greens of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
Thanks to the work of Dr Gladys and CTPH founded in 2003, the population of Bwindi’s Mountain gorilla is on the rise from 300 in 1999 to 459 and increasing. The Mountain gorilla is the only gorilla species whose population is increasing which has seen it removed from being listed as Critically endangered to Endangered.
The forest is also home to the extremely rare Forest elephant that number 300. If we see one with the Great Blue Turaco, a bird of the rainforests – we will be one of the few to ever witness this!
Once you sight the gorillas, you will be permitted to view them for 1 hour before returning to the ranger post.
Depending on the duration of the hike, return to the lodge for a late lunch and then you have the afternoon to yourself in this magical paradise.
Relish your last night in the home of the great ape and all the endangered species that Bwindi is home to and make a toast that this paradise will be theirs’ forever.
7 a.m: After a sumptuous breakfast depart from your lodge at 8 a.m. with packed lunch boxes
12.30: Arrive at Mabamba Shoebill Community Site (215 km / 4 1/2 hours). Mabamba Bay Swamp is a prime wetland birding site famous for the elusive shoebill, a prehistoric bird. Enjoy a boat ride with bird viewing and very good chances of seeing it and many more species.
Close-up of a Shoebill, an iconic bird species found in Uganda’s Mabamba Swamp, renowned for its prehistoric appearance.
This lasts around 2 hours.
3 p.m: Drive to Entebbe (90 km / 2 1/2 hours). Drop off at your hotel in Entebbe or at Entebbe Airport (night flights only).
There will be a lot of memories to take back home after your amazing African safari with new friends met.
A take from the Great ape safari in the words of the first person to study gorillas in the wild, Dian Fossey:
”The more you learn about the dignity of the gorilla … you dwell less on what is past and concentrate more on the preservation of the future.”
Day room or overnight:
Additional nights at Papyrus Guest House Entebbe (before or after your safari and includes an airport transfer):
USD 95 per person sharing twin / USD 110 per person single
COST:
Per Person: US$ 6,548
Per Person Sharing: US$ 5,955
Package includes:
1 night accommodation at Papyrus Guest House Entebbe, on bed & breakfast basis
2 nights accommodation at Pakubaa Safari Lodge, Murchison Falls, on full board basis
2 nights accommodation at Isunga Lodge, Fort Portal, on full board basis
2 nights accommodation at Mweya Safari Lodge, Queen Elizabeth National Park, on full board basis
2 nights accommodation at Haven Lodge Buhoma Community, Bwindi, on full board basis
1 night accommodation at Rwakobo Rock Lodge, Lake Mburo, on full board basis
Arrival transfer (airport-hotel) in Entebbe (Day 1)
4×4 Safari Landcruiser with driver-guide on safari (Day 2-Day 11)
Murchison Falls: A rhino trek at Ziwa (en-route); A visit to the top of the falls; 1 Game drive; A boat cruise to the base of the falls
Fort Portal/Kibale: 1 chimpanzee habituation permit per person
Queen Elizabeth National Park: 2 Game drives, A boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest: 1 gorilla tracking permit per person, Gorilla Guardian working with CTPA guiding group; visit to the CTPA centre and to a community village to see its collaboration with CTPA.
Lake Mburo: 1 game drive; A visit to Mabamba Shoebill Site en-route from Lake Mburo to Entebbe
National park entrance fees
All statutory taxes
Not included:
Lunch and dinner in Entebbe
Beverages, incidentals, gratuities and items of a personal nature
Any items not mentioned under the above inclusions
Additional nights at Papyrus Guest House Entebbe (before or after your safari and includes an airport transfer) at USD 75 per person sharing twin / USD 95 per person single
Join us on an unforgettable adventure with us on Uganda’s Great Ape safari!
Contact: Rupi Mangat – CEO, Moonlion Safaris
Email: rupi.mangat@yahoo.com
More on Rupi Mangat
Rupi is a travel writer with a particular concentration on wildlife conservation and sustainability. She is 3rd generation Kenyan who has been on safari countless times since she started writing professionally in 1998. She works with the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya as the editor of Komba, the magazine to promote wildlife conservation amongst schoolchildren. With her strong connections with conservation organizations like the East African Wild Life Society and the Conservation Through Public Health which are not-for-profits doing amazing wildlife conservation work in today’s challenging world.
Above: Approaching Murchison falls in the National Park. Copyright: i Rupi Mangat 2017
Published: The East African Nation media
Part 2 of 2
By Rupi Mangat
At first glance Masindi gives the impression of a one-street, non-descript town with relics of colonial architecture. But is has interesting history as Sally Wareing, the retired octogenarian teacher who bought a run-down hotel and turned it into a charming garden hotel called New Garden View Court Hotel. It’s 90 kilometres from the world’s most powerful waterfall, Murchison.
Kabalega Primary School Masindi Uganda built 1914. Copyright Rupi Mangat
Powerful and progressive, Kabalega defended his kingdom against colonial onset
It was the taxi driver who announced, “The royal tomb of Kabalega is here.” He brought the car to a halting screech when he realized l was serious about seeing it.
At that point Kabalega was quite unknown to me. I was whiling away days in Masindi visiting friends. With time on my hands and no intention of doing Murchison Falls – for now dubbed as the most powerful waterfall in the world – which l had visited in 2017, l was following in my late grandmother’s steps to Hoima. She gave birth in each of the three East African countries with the last born in Hoima in the 1940s.
Hoima was only 60 kilometres further west of Masindi and another 20 to Lake Albert, one of the African great lakes in the rift.
Moonlion Safaris 