Uganda / Rwanda

Hi All,

Hopefully people who have been to Uganda or Rwanda can give some advice.  I am going on a birding trip to Uganda next year.  One day of the trip is for gorilla tracking.  My flights to Uganda may be via Kigali, Rwanda.  Here are my questions:

1.  I'd like to get to Uganda a day or 2 early to adjust to the time change.  Does anyone have experience with, or knowledge of, any lodging near Entebbe airport that would be safe for a single traveller and would have opportunities for bird photography?

2.  Since there is just one chance to see gorillas in Uganda, does it make any sense to spend a few days in Rwanda and try to have a day of gorilla tracking and a day of bird photography there?  What are the odds of seeing (and having photographic opportunities with) gorillas on a single day?  If I am traveling all that way, and may never get back, I'd hate to strike out on seeing gorillas.

3.  If the above is reasonable, can anyone recommend where to stay in Rwanda (safety, not luxury, is my main concern) how to get a tracking permit and any other useful information?

4.  Are there any locations in Rwanda that can be recommended for bird photography?

That is a lot questions.  Cost is definitely a factor, but I'm just trying to investigate my options.

Thanks for any advice.

JAL

If you have a day for gorilla trekking in the schedule for your Uganda visit, you will definitely see gorillas. You will be escorted to a group of them and will allowed to spend one hour with them taking photographs. I found the photo opportunities for gorillas better in Uganda (Bwindi) than in Rwanda and I found my 70-200mm f2.8 zoom the most useful lens. In terms of safety, never felt even slightly worried in Uganda; Rwanda is definitely a bit edgier. I found lots of bird photography opportunities around the edge of Lake Victoria, which was just a short walk from where we were staying. We stayed at the Boma Hotel, or you could try the Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel which is right on the Lake and next door to the Botanical Gardens, so it should be good for bird photography. If you don't feel comfortable being on your own, you could contact a local safari company and ask them to provide you with a guide for the day - we used a company called The Far Horizons based in Entebbe and they were excellent.

Thanks so much for the information, Phil.  It's very helpful.

JAL

Just wanted to post a follow up with the idea that it may be useful to someone.  

I ended up staying at the Boma Hotel.  It is a bit pricey but it was safe, comfortable, close to the airport, has a helpful staff and includes airport pickup/drop off.  There were bird photography opportunities on the hotel grounds.  Close by is the Botanical Garden, which is more like a big park, that had some good photo ops for monkeys and birds and seemed quite safe.  It was easy to fill a day.

As far as the gorillas go, they have something like a 99% success rate at Bwindi in finding them with their system.  So it seems that was a needless worry.

On the birding tour, the local guide was Kalema Livingstone from Livingstone African Safaris.  He was outstanding.  I highly recommend him for birding or bird photography.

JAL

JAL wrote: On the birding tour, the local guide was Kalema Livingstone from Livingstone African Safaris.  He was outstanding.  I highly recommend him for birding or bird photography.

JAL

Thanks for the update. Is Kalema from Rwanda or Uganda? Thanks again.

He is based in Uganda but I think he also does trips in Rwanda.  It is probably better to ask him.  His website is http://www.tours-uganda.com  

JAL

Thanks a lot.