ca_vol

We discovered that we somehow left out a day in our itinerary and we have to schedule one extra day of activities. So far, we are tracking chimps two days in Kibale Forest, tracking gorillas a day in Uganda and then a day off to travel to Rwanda where we track gorillas there. We are doing other things, too.

Here are some choices our agent gave. Which would you choose, or something else? Thanks.


1. I anticipate that you will be a bit tired after two 10 hour flights. I can suggest a day to “catch-up” inserted at the beginning of the program.

You could spend first night in Entebbe and then move for 2nd night to Kampala with activities during the day.

OR We could offer a 2nd night at Le Petit Village or Le Bouganviller with Kampala City Tour.

OR we could offer a 2nd night at Le Petit Village or LeBouganviller with a day visit to Jinja and the Source of the Nile.

This is an interesting and worthwhile trip to say that you have seen the Source of the Nile. This is probably what I would do so that I could start the trip rested and relaxed. This also give plenty of time for the briefing, lunch or dinner with overview of Uganda with me, and opportunity to get used to the people, the climate, and the general mood of Africa.

2. We could add another night in Kibale Forest

We could spend the night after the 2nd chimpanzee trekking in Kibaale and visit some of the Crater Lakes in the area with mild hiking in the afternoon. This would make the day less stressful.



3. We could add another night in Queen Elizabeth NP

We could spend another night in Mweya Safari Lodge (right now, two nights) or in the Ishasha Sector (right now, one night) of Queen Elizabeth NP. This would mean 1 – 2 more game drives, or time to enjoy the lodge without an activity. In the middle of the safari, many clients need some “rest”, especially before the trekking.


4. We could insert a day of rest between the two days of gorilla trekking.


We could offer night of 24th June at Lake Bunyonyi, the Lake of the Little Birds, located near the town of Kabale. It is a beautiful, peaceful place with accommodation at Ha’buharo Island Camp. www.tangazatours.co.ug. The gorilla trekking is more exhausting than most people want to believe. Many people that book two consecutive days of trekking do not bother with the second day of trekking. I do not think that you are the kind of person to “give away” the $500 USD gorilla permit x 2 people, but I promise that you will be physically tired after the first trekking, even if you are the GREAT shape. A day of rest in this scenic, idyllic place would allow your body to recharge between trekkings.


This is the option that I put into the itinerary until you advise otherwise.


5. We could add back the walk to the Dian Fossey Monument (I don't think I want to do this one)

The Dian Fossey Monument walk was one of the activities in your original request, but the walk takes most of the day. So we could either stay another night in Kinigi Guest House or proceed to Kigali for a night with the tour being full day instead of half day. This would be more relaxing and give you more opportunity to see parts of Rwanda. As I remember, we took this out as being expensive and rather long after several days of strenuous activity. Do you still feel that way?


6. We could add a day with Kampala or Jinja at the end of the tour.

Adding a day here would allow you to regroup after the long safari, with time for shopping and packing, resting by the pool at your hotel, or sightseeing with Kampala or JInja Tour. This would be similar to #1 above, but would come at the end of the safari.

ca_vol

Anyone?

atravelynn

It is not common to put a down day in between the gorilla visits. That's probably because people don't usually have extra days to play with and don't want the added expense. If you are concerned about recovering from the first tracking, this could be a good idea.

Day up front--What are you doing currently? It depends on how strenuous your current itinerary is whether you might want that buffer day. It's also good if luggage gets lost, it has a day to find you. A catch up day so you do not get run down and susceptible to germs, etc. is more important when a key activity hinges on your good health. No gorilla tracking if you are sick. You might be able to do Jinja as a relaxing down day up front. Jinja is something I've considered, but was never able to fit it in.

The Kampala City tour does not really excite me.

If your extra day is upon arrival in Uganda, maybe Ngamba in Lake Victoria near Entebbe.

More time in Kibale would be good. You don't want stressful so if another day here makes it less stressful, that's good.

If you add another night in QE, it has been my experience that the Ishasha region has far less wildlife than the Mwyea region. If I spent another day here, I'd go to Jacana Lodge near the Maramagambo Forest where the bat cave is.

I would not add a day at the end of the trip unless it was needed to accommodate flight times.

ca_vol

It's you again!

Thanks for answering me. I was thinking about Ngamba Island and emailed her to ask if it was expensive. We have a day between gorilla trekkings but we are driving. My husband and I are in great shape, but everyone is "scaring" us into thinking we need all this rest.

Wingi

ca_vol,

I'd opt for Ngamba Island or an extra gorilla trek.

I can't understand about all this resting - you can do that on the flight back!

ca_vol

Ngamba is out.

We now have two options. We decided against more Myewa because we are aware the game viewing in Uganda just isn't what it is in other countries. So, we are leaning toward number 1:

1. Night before we leave, go to Kampala. The day we leave (we don't take off until late that night), do this: Kampala City Tour and Jinja:You can see the Source of he Nile Park, take a boat ride to the Underground Springs that ARE the source of the River Nile, See birds, etc, buy some crafts, Lunch at Black Lantern restaurant, see the rapids on the River Nile, visit cultural heritage site Ssezibwe Falls (or not) and maybe Kasubi Tombs in Kampala, maybe Uganda National Museum.

2. Add that one night in at Lake Bunyonyi (the old #4).

What is this lake? I mean, is it just a lake and a place to basically relax? I think I'd rather not do that but if there is something special about it, I might reconsider. Plus, I am getting a bit "scared" about this whole recuperating from gorilla trekking. One day in between isn't enough (but we are driving that day)?

ca_vol

I forgot to say that it is also between these two because they are the only two that don't raise our quote. We can't afford to pay anymore.

Wingi

ca_vol,

I've looked Lake Bunyonyi up in Bradt - it is supposed to be very good for birds and "probably the best place in Africa to see otters". You can hire a 'dugout' or motorboat and go out to some islands.

I think that I would take the extra night at Mweya if I were you. There seems to be a variety of things you can do from there and, if you know in advance not to expect game viewing of Mara/Serengeti proportions, you should be able to enjoy what it has to offer - Uganda Kobs, the boat safari, hogs etc.

As Lynn said, it isn't usual to have rest days between gorilla treks - people want to go on as many as they can whilst they're in Rwanda or Uganda. People tend to rest in the afternoons after they've finished their treks.

I'm not sure why your agent is so keen for you to rest!

I'm very jealous of your extra day - we had to cut an overnight at Ishasha out of our itinerary. We're just going to drive through on our way from Bwindi to Mweya.

dmlove

Personally, I would make sure to have a free day up front - we just flew to Cairo from the West Coast of the US and slept the entire day after we arrived (we did plan that buffer day).

Question: My son and his girlfriend, who just returned this week from a year in Kampala, unequivocally state that Indian food in Uganda is fantastic, and far superior (in their opinion!) to anything in the US or UK. So, if you like Indian food, and would like the names of their favorite restaurants, I'd be happy to get them for you.

Also, I think a tour of Kampala City might take 45 minutes.

ca_vol

I've never had real Indian food but I'm open to trying it. Please ask! Thanks.

ca_vol

Update: We decided to go to Jinja and Kampala on the day we fly out of the country. I feel better about getting closer to the airport earlier anyway.

Thanks for all your input, everyone!

dmlove

I'll get you the info this weekend!

ca_vol

Awesome, thanks. I actually don't know if we will have a chance to eat there....Black Lantern Restaurant for lunch the only day we are there, so maybe that evening. But I'm not so sure about having Indian food just before that long flight. LOL

Dana_M

What a wonderful surprise, an extra day. I usually make the mistake in the opposite direction and then have to cut something out.

I don't like planning a day to catch up and rest at the start of a trip, but I do agree that it's nice to have some cushion just in case your flight is delayed or you are exhausted. I never like to put the most expensive accomodations, or a flight connection that does not run daily, at the beginning of the trip just in case something unfortunate happens. I do, however, usually plan my first day to include activities that are not on the top of my priority list. That way, if I miss them, it's ok. But, if everything goes as planned I'm not sitting around idle waiting for my trip to start.

For my trip next year we'll spend the first day white water rafting on the Nile. If something happens and we miss it, then at least I haven't lost a safari night. Plus, the Entebbe/Jinja portion of the trip is less expensive than other portions, so I won't be upset if something happens. I know rafting won't be a day of rest, but I think it will be alot of fun. We're planning on staying at The Nile Porch. It's on the bank of the Nile, and that is where the Black Lantern Restaurant is located.

ca_vol

Thanks for your reply. In the end, it really came down to money.

atravelynn

Looking forward to some Jinja feedback from both of you, Ca_Vol and Dana.

ca_vol

Okay, but remember I'm not going until next June.

dmlove

Dana, with what outfit are you rafting the Nile? My son and his girlfriend and two friends did that, a pretty intense trip (some Class Vs). I have a DVD of their trip if you want to know anything about it (or I could send you a copy of the DVD). Let me know if you're interested.

Dana_M

Lynn,
I'm not going until February/March, but I will certainly post about my experiences when I get back.

dmlove,
I am not sure who we are going with yet. We just told our TA that is what we wanted to do. Once I had the preliminary itinerary nailed down I set it aside for a few months. Now that you've asked the question you remind me I need to get back to the details.

Who did your son go with and was he happy with his choice? I am not at all experienced. In fact, I’ve never been white water rafting in my life, but I’m always up for a good adventure.

dmlove

ca_vol, here's the info from my son:

Khana kazana on acacia road near kisementi is by far the best in town. They open for dinner at 6:30 and are closed on Mondays. Large groups wanting to eat around 8-9 pm should call for a reservation. Ask to sit by the garden. I can give more detailed directions to the place if you need them.


Nile river explorers. Well run, they pick you up in Kampala if you need a ride. They have family floats on class 3 rapids. Raftafrica.com.