atravelynn

Thanks for the link Patty. I will do a launch the falls and the delta according to my itinerary.

Three nights and four days seems to be the most common amount of time at Murchison Falls. I have seen 4 nights when some of the time is spent fishing. I don't plan to fish, though. I wondered about 1 more day at the falls since there are a couple of boat trips, game drives, and a chimp trek, plus it is a very big place.

You visit the chimps up front and I see them at the end.

atravelynn

The above itinerary has been improved to include 2 chimp treks in Nyungwe, which means the arrival date is one day earlier. There is also a change from staying at Virunga Lodge to just dining there so the trip cost didn't change. I'm very enthused about 2 more opportunities to see chimps, which means there are 3 opportunities in total.

Let me sum up the primate viewing:
4 gorilla
3 chimp
2 colobus monkeys
1 golden monkey

Plus all the homo sapien watching you care to do on your Heathrow layover.

These changes will have no effect on my ability to report on Murchison Falls before Aug 30.

Patty

Lynn,
Are you actually flying out of EBB on Aug 19th and if so, what time does your flight depart? We're considering changing the order of our itinerary based on availability at Nile Safari Lodge (never thought I'd have an issue this year!). If we do that, we'd do our chimp track at Kanyiyo Pabidi on the morning of our departure day (KLM flight at 10:40pm) but I wasn't sure if that was pushing it time wise as far as getting back to EBB.

atravelynn

Flights: KENYA AIRWAYS, KQ 0415
From: ENTEBBE, UGANDA (EBB) Departs: 7:50pm
To: NAIROBI KENYATTA, KENYA (NBO) Arrives: 9:00pm


<b>It departs Entebbe 7:50 pm, arriving Nairobi 9:00 pm.</b>

Then
Flights: BRITISH AIRWAYS, BA 0064
From: NAIROBI KENYATTA, KENYA (NBO) Departs: 11:10pm
Wed, Aug 19

<b> 11:10 is the departure out of NBO back home </b>

Patty

I guess we're fine if you're leaving at 7:50pm! Are you concerned at all about the timing though? I read that the chimp track lasts 2-4 hours.

atravelynn

That's all I will do that day.

"Early this morning, you will depart for Pabidi in Budongo Forest for a guided nature walk to track chimpanzees. Return to Entebbe by road and continue to the international airport..."

atravelynn

I double checked with Volcanoes to see if it would be better to switch the activities around in Murch Falls so that the chimp tracking does not occur on the getaway day.

The responded that the chimp tracking starts at 8 am and confirmed in can take up to 4 hours. They also confirmed I'd make my flight on time.

If I will, you will. If I don't, another day in Africa.

atravelynn

The<b>y</b> responded that the chimp tracking starts at 8 am and confirmed i<b>t</b> can take up to 4 hours.

I know why I have so many mistakes. It is because I am outraged over the Mara cheetah zoo and can't think straight.

Patty

Thanks for checking, Lynn! I've asked our TO to check on availability to basically reverse our itinerary. What time are you departing Paraa that morning? I think I read that the first ferry crossing is at 7:00am but I'm not sure. We're trying to see if we can stay at Kanyiyo Pabidi the night before. If not, we may be coming from Paraa too.

atravelynn

I'll see about the ferry.

MyDogKyle

Hi Guys! Lucky you, with Uganda in the future instead of the past (like me).

I just wanted to let you know that when we were at Murchison Falls/Paraa Lodge in October 2008, the ferry was not exactly running on schedule (surprise, surprise), so do be cautious and take those schedules with a grain of salt. It wasn't clear to me whether the guides make reservations for the vehicle to get on a specific ferry crossing or if it's first come first serve, so that's probably something worth asking about if you really must catch a ferry at a certain time. We had a lot of waiting around at the ferry terminals on both sides of the river, but that might have been because we had three vehicles that were crossing together.

Patty

MDK,
Is it just one UWA ferry that goes back and forth?

MyDogKyle

Yeah, we only saw one ferry when we were there. But I don't know if that varies by time of year. There was a mix of vehicles and foot passengers on the ferry -- it's fun to stand outside the vehicle and watch the hippos, but also really loud and stinky from the ferry itself. On both our ferry crossings there was a mix of tourists and locals. And the schedule was hit-or-miss because whichever side of the river you're on, you have to wait for everybody to board on the other side and then for that ferry to cross and unload before you can board. It was fun, though! And there was always wildlife hanging out by the ferry docks.

Fabio

Hi Lynn

I was planning a similar but shorter trip with my 14 and half yrs old son, but I have just discovered by chance on the web that there is an age limit of 15 years and above for Uganda/Bwindi NP mountain gorilla tracking so, with all our disappointment for our 2009 project Africa, we have to postpone it to april 2010 !!
Now I have to find out whether it is the same on the Rwanda side in Volcanoes NP.....

all the best for your trip !!

Patty

After agonizing over this, we've decided not include Uganda this time after all. It started to seem like too much driving and rushing around, particularly at the end of the trip to us. We've added more time in Tsavo instead. On the plus side, this means the 4 of us (me, Mark, Joyce & Rod) can stay together the whole trip rather than split up at the end. I'm still looking forward to hearing all about your trip though, Lynn, and the rest of yours too, MDK!

MyDogKyle

Oh, Patty, I'm sorry to hear that! You would love Uganda... but it does sound like a good decision for this trip, all things considered. You'll just have to plan a Uganda (and Rwanda??) trip for a future Africa visit, right?

And thanks for the nudge. I'm posting another entry on my trip report right now!

atravelynn

Uganda another time for you Patty! Fortunately your son will grow up so he becomes old enough for the gorillas.

Leely2

So Lynn are you leaving as scheduled at the beginning of next month?

atravelynn

The son comment I made above was for Fabio not Patty. Yes, all is in order for the gorillas next month.

Then I stay home for the remainder of 2009.

Leely2

Have a fantastic trip, Lynn! Let's see if you can finish your Pantanal report before leaving.