Uganda - Women Only Great Apes & Wildlife Photo Safari 2021

Uganda – Women Only Great Apes & Wildlife Photo Safari 2021

US$9,350 per person sharing

3 SPACES AVAILABLE

Please note that permit and park fees costs for 2021 tours are subject to change. Should we need to revise costs, we will endeavour to keep fees as close to original cost.

11 Nov 2021 – 22 Nov 2021

ORYX Photo Tours is proud to present our Women Only Uganda Photo Safari, which takes us to some of Uganda’s most iconic and thrilling wildlife destinations.

ORYX’s new product, “Women on Safari”, has been conceptualized and designed to offer women who lust for exploring our wild destinations with camera in hand a selection of tours that brings the excitement into traveling to new areas to learn and master how to best utilize your camera and capture your photographic vision, all in an environment of support and comradery.

Whether solo or traveling with another, joining a tour filled with other independent, creative women is motivating and empowering as you share, learn and create experiences, memories and photographs together.

Our tour takes place in Churchill’s “Pearl of Africa” – Uganda, beginning with a search for the iconic Shoebill, a denizen of large central African swamps, and one of the world’s most sought-after birds. In the afternoon, we fly to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to view and photograph the astounding Mountain Gorilla. Trekking for these primates is undoubtedly one of the world’s most thrilling wildlife experiences! We will have 3 treks to find and photograph these gentle giants, allowing us more opportunities to capture an array of stories.

The next leg of your journey will take you to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This vast reserve boasts impressive crater scenery, expansive grasslands, tropical forests and large herds of Elephant, Buffalo, Uganda Kob as well as the famed tree-climbing Lions of the region.

Our incredible tour ends at the primate haven that is Kibale Forest in search of our closest living relative, the Chimpanzee. Here we will amble along the gentle slopes in search of these highly intelligent creatures, before leaving the verdant Kibale Forest behind you as we journey back to Entebbe and depart home.

Why this Photo Safari is for You

Destination Allure

Uganda is home to an abundance of wildlife, boasting the largest concentration of primates in the country (Kibale NP) and the biggest diversity of primates of any East African reserve. Home to the Big 4 (no Rhino) and a whopping species of birds, Uganda is a destination not to be missed.

Women Only

Trekking our Great Apes

Chimp Habituation Experience - For 2-days we are offered a unique opportunity to follow, document and observe our closest living ancestors in their daily activities. Mountain Gorilla treks - We will partake on 3 Gorilla treks to afford us the best opportunities to find and photograph these incredible creatures. Upon finding the Gorillas, we will spend a maximum of 1 hour with our designated family.

Tree Climbing Lions and other Beasts

Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to an assortment of wildlife and bird species. We will stay in the Ishasha Sector which is famous for its tree climbing lions. Other wildlife includes the Uganda Kob, Leopard, Elephant and more.

Guided Experience

Local knowledge of the region and its inhabitants is key to crafting the ultimate photography tour experience. Combined with the photographic expertise of your ORYX Photo Tour Leader Penny Robartes, and you are in for an adventure that will further fuel your excitement for photography and the destination.

ORYX LEADER
Penny Robartes

12 Days

6 Guests + 1 ORYX Leader

For Women

Wildlife

Destination

Uganda
Departure
Entebbe
per person sharing
9,350
Single Supplement
1,000
Photographic Highlights
Mountain Gorilla, Chimpanzee, multiple primates, Shoebill, Lions, Leopards, Elephant, Buffalo, Uganda Kob, and more
Guide

Penny Robartes

From our gallery

Best of Uganda

Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe and transfer to accommodation

Today is an arrival day in the Uganda capital for the start of our African photo safari. You will be met at the airport by an ORYX representative, who will escort you to your lovely guesthouse via a short drive (5 – 10 minutes, depending on traffic) away. Penny will meet you at the hotel for dinner where she will discuss the exciting upcoming tour with you.

Day 2: Excursion for Shoebill, flight to Kihihi and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

After breakfast we will head out for our primary photographic target, the legendary Shoebill. We will set off through small rural villages and homesteads to Mabamba, which is a large wetland connected to Lake Victoria. This extensive papyrus swamp is home to a few pairs of Shoebill, Uganda’s most famous avian resident and most birders prime attraction to the nation. We will commission motorised canoes from the nearby fishing village and search the maze of channels in an attempt to find and photograph this iconic bird. In the afternoon we will board our flight to Kihihi where we will be transferred to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for our next leg of the journey; 3 days of trekking Mountain Gorillas.

Days 3 to 5: Gorilla Trek I to III

These mornings are auspicious ones, as we embark on our gorilla trek in search of the legendary Mountain Gorilla! On these mornings, we will head a short distance to the debriefing area (3 minutes’ drive), before departing to the starting point for our hike (this could be a walk from the park HQ, or it could be a drive over 1 hour long). We have 3 chances at securing the gorilla images we might not have gotten on our first trek. The majority of people say they enjoyed the following treks even more than the first, as you know now what to expect and are just generally a lot more relaxed. Approximately 420 gorillas live at Bwindi and these are divided into 12 or so groups. Here you will take 3 unforgettable gorilla-tracking excursions, visiting and photographing one of three groups of remarkably peaceable and tolerant habituated Mountain Gorillas. These are the largest of all primates with “silverbacks” (mature males) sometimes weighing up to 200 kg! Depending on where our allocated Gorilla family are located, our treks will vary in length and ease from one trek to the next. Upon reaching the Gorillas, we will spend an hour with these gentle giants which is, without a doubt, one of the most exciting and emotional wildlife experiences on Earth. Although the Gorilla families are habituated, they are still wild and sightings cannot be guaranteed. However, there is a 99% success rate of meeting a Gorilla group when trekking in Uganda

Day 6: Drive to Ishasha area, Queen Elizabeth National Park

Today we make our way to the remote southern section of the Queen Elizabeth National Park, where we will spend the next three nights. This variation in landscape provides ample opportunities to capture the diversity that makes this ecosystem so desirable to its wildlife. Photographic targets include Leopard, Spotted Hyena, African Buffalo (this form sometimes known as Lake Chad Buffalo), Uganda Bushbuck, Hippo, impressive Defassa Waterbuck, Olive Baboon and comical Warthog. Uganda Kob form some impressive leks, fleet-footed Topi scan the grasslands for competitors, and African Elephant stroll through the plentiful savannas, browsing the nutritious Acacia’s that dot the area. One of the star attractions of the Ishasha area is its “tree climbing Lions”, and while these animals are still very much typical Lions, they spend a large portion of the day resting in trees, a behavioural trait seen more commonly in the Leopard.

Days 7 & 8: Ishasha area

The Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park is the place to search for the tree climbing lions often to be seen in the vicinity of the camp which is situated just off the Northern circuit game viewing track. The lions also favour the large fig trees on the Southern circuit game viewing track and this offers alternative game viewing routes. On early morning and late afternoon game drives, we may explore the area’s game routes in search of the different species. The area is still pristine and untouched with only a handful of game vehicles found around the area at any time. Being the only camp within this section of the park, it offers flexibility of timings for drives allowing us to maximise our game sightings in this area.

Day 9: Road Transfer from Ishasha to Kibale National Park

After a final morning game drive at Ishasha and breakfast we will drive to Kibale National Park for our next great ape photographic excursion. Tea plantations become dominant as we near the Kibale area, and if it is clear, we may even catch sight of the legendary Rwenzori Mountains – the “Mountains of the Moon”, which are located on the border between Uganda and neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. The mighty snow-capped peaks of the Rwenzori’s are typically shrouded in cloud, and although ascribed by ancient geographers as being the source of the Nile (now known to be in Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda), they do contribute an enormous volume of rainwater that does indeed eventually feed into the White Nile. Our lovely accommodations for the next three nights are in the centre of the forest in Kibale National Park, and tonight we will fall asleep to the night sounds of this rainforest.

Days 10 to 11: Chimpanzee Trek 1 & 2

We have two full-days in the wondrous forest of Kibale searching for our closest living relative – the Chimpanzee! In the morning we will embark on a dedicated Chimpanzee trek in search of these great apes. They are often noisy and, when we manage to come across a troop, their thrilling whoops, shrieks and grunts are likely to betray their presence long before we see and photograph them! We will spend full days with the Chimpanzees so that we can document the lives of this fascinating primate, returning to the lodge in the evening for dinners and well-deserved sleep!

Day 12: Road transfer to Entebbe. End

Today sadly marks the end of our Women only Uganda's Great Apes and Wildlife Photo Tour! After a scrumptious breakfast at the lodge and farewell to the wonderful lodge and staff, we will transfer to Entebbe International Airport. Here we will say our farewells, but not goodbyes, as you either board your connecting flight back home or transfer to a hotel for the evening.

As this is a new tour, there are no testimonials as of yet.

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Uganda – Women Only Great Apes & Wildlife Photo Safari 2021