Destination country: Uganda. Arrival and departure to/from Entebbe.

Next schedule: 25, Febr. - 12, March 2012. Special note: Gorilla permits are strictly limited in number and issued on a first-come, first served basis. Please click here to sign for your participation and interest early!

Note: Extension to Murchison NP coming soon.

Please note, this is a fundraising tour, 100% of the profit is donated to Hungarian Heritage Trust, to buying lands for the benefit of butterflies, under the auspices of Butterfly Conservation, UK, European Interest Group.

Duration: 16 days + possible extension under way.

Guide: Szabolcs Safian, Lajos Nemeth-Boka.

Price: Ask! We are sorry, but exchange rates are so hectic, that we can't give fix prices here. Price includes: accommodations and meals, vehicle hire with fuel and driver guide, forest walk fees, park entrance fees and ranger guides. The additional US$ 500 per person is for gorilla permits per day, fixed price by the governments. These are booked in advance for they are sold on first come first serve basis and only confirmed with cash. Apart from a few occasions we spend the entire day in the field, where picnic lunch will be organised. The price exclude: bank transfer loss, international flight, visa, tips, drinks, personal travel insurance and any other activities of personal request e.g. laundry, phone calls, toalet fees, etc.

Accommodation: Three star hotels and good lodges all the way with private facility. The only simple accomodation is Entebbe.

Numbers: Min. 6 person, max. 12 person, with two guides.

Transport: Toyota Coaster minibus with optional 4x4 when its necessary.

Recommended literature: "Collins' Field Guide to the Butterflies of East Africa" by Carcasson. Torben Larsen’s "Butterflies of Kenya" (really hard to find and expensive, but the best). Terry Stevenson's "Birds of East Africa". "The Kingdon Fieldguide to African Mammals" by Jonathan Kingdon. We will carry a series of other butterfly books which will be available throughout the trip. Please note, that identification of butterflies is sometimes really difficult (if not impossible...) in the field and a limited number of specimens will be taken for further ID especially ones with scientific interest under permission by the wildlife authorities in Uganda. Please, be sure that collecting a few specimens in a rainforest ecosystem would not damage the population of any species.

Travel note: Uganda is a malaria infested country, please be sure that you take proper prophylaxis. Yellow fever vaccination is also required and vaccination cards are checked upon arrival.

Tour description: "...Uganda is home over a 1000 species of butterfly and a same number of birds, not to mentions its great charismatic wildlife. It has also a unique mixture of rainforest, montane forest and savannah species including several endemics, which are mostly restricted to the Albertine Rift. The butterfly faunas differ significantly in the east and the west as the Rift serves as a biogeographical barrier for lots of butterflies. Our butterfly tour is aimed to present the diversity of Uganda’s butterflies as well as other attractions of nature including the rich bird fauna and hopefully the threatened Montane Gorilla. Our butterfly tour is one of the very first of such tours in the country which will also demonstrate the importance of butterflies from the eco-tourism perspective. Uganda giving us a wonderful option to see a very high concentration of Primates as well, incl. Chimps and Mountain Gorilla. Uganda is also the richest avian country of Africa. We will go for the most important bird specialities, like Green-breasted Pitta and Shoebill. Uganda has some great wildlife and scenery, on which purpose we are planning some additional day focusing on Queen Elisabeth National..."

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Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival day. Arrival at Entebbe International airport met by our guide and transferred to Sophie's Motel, Entebbe.

Day 2: We shall look for butterflies around Entebbe area for example in the Botanical Gardens, Ziika forest, Kisubi area where we may have a chance for our first swallowtails such as Mocker Swallowtail (Papilio dardanus), Mechow’s Swallowtail (Papilio mechowi) Lormier’s Swallotail (Papilio lormieri), and some common species of open formations like Grass Yellows (Eurema spp.), Western Dotted Border (Mylothris chloris) and Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus). Overnight at Sophie’s Motel Entebbe.

Day 3: Leave Entebbe in the morning and transfer to Mabira forest, we shall spend the afternoon already in Mabira forest. Mabira has a list of over 300 species of butterfly but there certainly are many more in this last remnant of wet rainforest in Western Uganda.
Overnight at the Rainforest Lodge in Mabira an eco-friendly lodge inside the forest, where moth trapping is also possible.

Day 4-5: In the morning we shall look for hilltopping "Epitola" Blues such as Jackson’s Sapphire Gem (Iridana jacksoni) and Common Epitola (Cerautola ceraunia) while later on we might see males of the magnificent Papilio rex (a real royal sight) to hilltop along with a few Charaxes-species. In the afternoon we will look for forest interior species including the unique eastern subspecies of Medon Forester (Euphaedra medon fraudata).
Overnight at Rainforest Lodge.

Day 6. Travel day to Kibale

Day 7-8: Kibaale NP, Kibaale forest is known for its rich diversity with an extensive list of butterflies including Common Bellboy (Zenonia zeno), Pagenstecher’s Castor (Ariadne pagenstecheri), Scalloped Sailer (Neptidopsis ophione), Original Club-Dot Sailer (Neptis melicerta), Herminia Glider (Cymothoe herminia), Noble Swallowtail (Papilio nobilis crippsianus), Drury’s Delight (Mesoxantha ethosea reducta), African Palmfly (Elymniopsisas bammakoo rattrayi), Emerald Blue Charaxes (Charaxes smargdalis toro), e.t.c.
Overnight Nyinabuliitwa Safari Resort.

Day 9: Possible Chimp tracking day in Kibaale. After an early morning breakfast, drive to Kibaale NP reported to be home to the greatest variety and highest concentration of primates in the world. Thirteen (13) different species have been identified here. We also have a chance to see a variety of other primates e.g. the Grey-cheeked Mangabeys, Vervet-, L’Hoerst- and Red-tailed Monkeys, Olive Baboons, Red Colobus, Black and white Colobus Monkeys. Afternoon swamp walk for primates again.
Overnight Nyinabuliitwa Safari Resort.

Day 10: Travel to Queen Elisabeth NP

Day 11: Full day in Queen Elisabeth NP

Day 12-13: Transfer and exploration of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, believed to have the richest faunal community in East Africa and is an important locality for the conservation of Afro-montane fauna endemic to the mountains of the Western Rift Valley. It harbors at least 120 species of mammal. Over a third of the world's population of the regionally endangered Eastern Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla g. beringeii) live in the Park. 350 species of birds have been recorded. At least 70 of the 78 montane forest bird species occurring in the Albertine Rift region are found in the forest, and 22 of the 36 albertine rift endemics are found in Bwindi forest. The forest is one of the most important protected areas in Africa for the conservation of montane butterflies. Some of the greatest rarities are Papilio leucotaenia, Graphium gudenusi and Charaxes fournierae. It also has the threatened African Giant Swallowtail (Papilio antimachus). Further species special to Bwindi are Toxochitona ankole, Iolaus pseudofrater, lolaus henryi, Thermoniphas albocaerulea, Thermoniphas caerula, Thermoniphas kigezi, Euphaedra olivacea, Parosmodes onza to mention but a few which are known to be endemic to Uganda.
Overnight Gorilla resort or Trekker’s Tavern Cottages Ruhija, depending on where we get the gorilla permits. Please note that gorilla trekking is an optional program and the cost is extra!

Day 14: Gorilla trekking day. An early morning trek into Bwindi Impenetrable forest National Park with packed lunch led by experienced guides will lead us to a family of mountain gorillas. Tracking the gorillas through the dense mountain forest is a magical experience. You can spend one hour with the gorillas and be back to base! Some gorilla families however, are more elusive and tracking can take a full day, especially when it is wet and muddy.
Overnight in Gorilla Resort or Trekker’s Tavern Cottages Ruhija.

Day 15: Transfer back to Entebbe. Overnight Imperial Resort Beach Hotel Entebbe.

Day 16: Shoebill day to Mabamba Swamps, departures.

Day 17: Departure day, or to extension to Murchison Falls NP