Gorilla tracking without a tour

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pkpowerofone
pkpowerofone

Hi all,

I'm going Gorilla tracking at Bwindi on Sept 30th, which I arranged by myself and not through some tour company (on the advice of some very helpful Thorntree travelers here - THANK-YOU!). The thing is, I arrive into Entebbe on Sept 26 at night and am staying at the Backpacker's hostel that night. So I'd like to do some other tour on Sept 27, 28 and on the 29th, drive to Bwindi to be ready for Gorilla tracking on the 30th. Any advice on:

  1. which tour I can do before I go gorilla tracking (Sept 27, 28, 29)? Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth national park?
  2. If I do those tours, will I get to Bwindi in time?
  3. or better yet which tour location is closest to Bwindi?
  4. since I am not doing my gorilla tracking through a tour, I have to use public transportation most likely. I get motion sickness so am not looking forward to the bumpy roads but that's not stopping me! I would prefer tours that are located closer together for that reason.
  5. is there a hotel you recommend that I can book for my time at Bwindi?

After my gorilla tracking I have to head back to Kampala and then head to a small village where I will be volunteer teaching at a school.

Thanks,

PK

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clinton09
clinton09

Murchison falls is a great place to visit with some fantastic wildlife and nature. I did a safari tour there where we did the Savannah trip in the morning seeing lions, giraffes and buffaloes, then in the afternoon we did a boat trip down the nile to the bottom of murch falls. Fantastic trip seeing crocs, hippos and elephants only a couple of meters in front of you. The waterfall is spectacular.

Murchison Falls is right at the top of Uganda with Bwindi being right at the bottom, so there is a bit of travel involved, I'd say about 6 hour bus trip (depending on traffic). Queen Elizabeth is a lot closer to Bwindi So for less travel I would think this is the better option. I've never been to Queen Elizabeth so I am unable to say what it is like.

All the best!

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copperschool
copperschool

Hi PK,

I just scored gorilla permits for the 30th of September too! Do you know which gorilla group you'll be tracking? My boyfriend and I will be tracking the B group in Ruhija. We will also arrive in Kampala either on the 26th or the 27th. Traveling from Kampala to Buhoma appears to be rather complicated and will take an entire day (10-12hrs). So the 29th will be a travel day. You will also have to pick up your permit at the UWA office in Kampala, which you will have to do on the 27th, since you'll arrive late on the 26th. This will not leave you much time to do much else! The falls are definitely too far and I'm not sure whether you can do Queen Elizabeth in 1 or 2 days...

Here is what we're planning on doing:
- arrive in Kampala late 26th or early 27th
- pick up permits on 27th, maybe a day trip to somewhere near Kampala
- catch early morning bus from Kampala to Buhoma on the 28th
- relax or day hike to scenic spot in Bwindi on the 29th
- figure out how to reach Ruhija from Buhoma, either traveling during the day on the 29th, or EARLY in the morning on the 30th.

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