Price
Sale
Share this with a friend
From
From Discovery and CruisingTo Advanced Mountaineering Expedition
On this wonderful adventure we have the ability to engage in 2 service programs, both aiding local communities in Uganda. The first is a conservation project working with the communities in one of Africa's most bio diverse parks, Queen Elizabeth National Park. Here we team up with an experienced wildlife vet Dr Margaret Driciru, to help settle animal - human conflict that occurs in the area. We then travel to the region of Bwindi and and join the local Primary School to help renovate their current classrooms and build desks for the students. The adventure is combined with games drives in 3 of Ugandas most beautiful and popular National Parks whilst staying at lush campsites and lodges with great amenities. Uganda is considered to be the most beautiful country in Africa, with rolling hills, hundreds of lakes, and dramatic mountains. Our travels take us to the southern regions, the most beautiful region. There is a huge diversity of tribal peoples and an array of national parks that are home to some of the world’s most endangered species. Uganda sits on the equator, but with an average altitude of around 1500 metres, the average daytime high where we travel will be around 25 deg.C. Uganda’s greatest asset is its people – friendly and genuinely welcoming – they make each day a delight. It is a safe country to visit, and for many visitors the appeal is the relatively low number of tourists. Lodges and hotels are friendly and personal, and you won’t experience crowds in any place you visit. English is widely spoken, and is the official language. This is truly a wonderful experiential program to get excited about!
Countries:
Start and Finishing Point:
Entebbe
Activities:
Grading:Introductory to Moderate
Addressing:
Expand all | Collapse all
Day 1
Arrive Entebbe
We fly into Uganda, a land of green rolling hills and land at Entebbe airport. Entebbe is located on the shores of Lake Victoria, the most significant lake in Africa. Entebbe is a calm and modern airport, and the small town of Entebbe where we will overnight is nearby. Our guides transfer us to our hotel located on Lake Victoria. We can walk into the town centre or relax in the hotel grounds.
Meals: D
Day 2
Transfer to Kibale National Park
We leave our hotel and by-pass the traffic of Kampala to head west on the highway towards Fort Portal. The rural highway is not busy, and wanders across the rolling green hills past small gardens of tropical fruit tended by families who sell their products in the city markets. Views of the Rwenzori mountain peaks come into view as we turn south to drive parallel to the range. Huge and picture-perfect commercial tea plantations give way to lush tropical forests as we near Kibale National Park. We have a combination of bungalows and large walk-in safari tents with a verandah and twin beds at the camp. Driving distance: 339 km (212 mi) Driving time: 6 hours
Meals: B,L,D
Day 3
Chimpanzee Trekking, Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast we continue our journey into the tropical forest for a chimp-tracking briefing. While the briefing takes place, park rangers are locating chimp families for us to visit. Kibale National Park covers 795 square kilometres (497 square miles). It encompasses some of most beautiful and varying tracts of tropical forest in Uganda, and is home to 13 species of primates, including chimpanzees. We drive to the nearest point to our designated chimp family, and walk through the forest to find them. They are always on the move, either in the trees or on the ground, and we will be moving with them to keep contact. We return to our vehicles and continue to Queen Elizabeth National Park that stretches from the crater-dotted foothills of the Rwenzori Range in the north, along the shores of Lake Edward to the remote Ishasha River in the south, and incorporates a wide variety of habitats that includes open savanna, wetlands and lowland forest. We will meet the project coordinator on arrival at the national park. Our accommodation is within the park, in comfortable large permanent safari tents with twin beds. Driving distance: 120 km (75 mi) Driving time:3 hours
Day 4-5
Conservation Project Queen Elizabeth National Park Communities
The biggest risk to wildlife in Africa is the interaction between wildlife and farmers. The cultivated farm fields are very tempting to wildlife that will naturally move to the crops to graze. To protect their family’s livelihood, and for self-preservation, the farmers will fight for their crops, and many animals are killed. If an effective barrier can be built to separate the fields from the wildlife, many animals and farming families can be saved. We will assist the farmers and the park rangers in an on-going program by preparing trenches as a barrier to the wildlife from Queen Elizabeth National Park. This is important work that prevents animals raiding farms and lessens the impact of animal and human interaction.5
Day 6
Conservation project Queen Elizabeth National Park Communities
Today you will participate in an apiary project as a method of preventing elephants from raiding farms. Elephants are one of the animals in Queen Elizabeth National Park that have been reported by local residents to have encroached on farms of maize and other food crops, and more so endangering the local communities lives.
Day 7
Game Drive. Kazinga Channel Wildlife Experience
We depart early this morning for a game drive in the Queen Elizabeth National Park. There are over 100 mammal species in the park, including lions, hippos, buffaloes, leopards, spotted hyenas, elephants, baboons and monkeys. Ugandan Kob, the national animal of Uganda, and various other antelope species are found here. In the afternoon, we will enjoy one of the wildlife highlights of Africa on a safari by boat in the Kazinga Channel, where we can approach hippos, swimming elephants and a range of mammals as they come to the river for their afternoon drink. The bird life is amazing, and binoculars are a must to see the delicate and vibrant colours of the birds. Tree-climbing lions are often seen from the boat.
Day 8
Ishasha Game Drive. Drive to Kihihi Primary School for Community Service Project
This morning we will take another game drive to maximise our opportunity to see animals in the wild including lions, as well as various other animals, including leopards. We continue our journey with views of the hills and farmlands to reach Kihihi Primary school in the Bwindi District, and meet the students and teachers to learn more about their daily school activities and the challenges they face. Our hotel is nearby and has comfortable bungalows in the grounds around the main lodge. Driving time: 3 hours
Day 9-12
Community Service Project at a local school
During our 3 days at Kihihi, we will spend time with the local students as we participate in projects to assist the school maintain and renovate their buildings and grounds. Painting, plastering, laying pathways and planting trees are some of the tasks we may undertake during our time here., On the last day, we sadly bid the school farewell and commence our journey back towards Entebbe. This experience will stay with you as we see how our work has touched the local community and will help them for generations to come.
Day 13
Drive to Lake Mburo National Park
Today, drive to Lake Mburo National Park. Even at the entrance to the park you can watch impalas and zebras. You will have a game drive as you enter the park. The Lake Mburo National Park forms a mosaic-like habitat with rocks, dry slopes, open and wooded savannas, forests, and swamps increases. This diversity of habitats has the diversity of bird life with 313 bird species recorded in the park, including flame head Barbet, Long-tailed Zitting Cisticola (Tabora), African Bins Rail, Collared Barbet, binding Bush singer among others. Once you have settled in, you will visit a cattle keeping family and learn about the lives of cattle keepers, participate in milking and learn milk is churned into butter. Driving distance: 220 km (138 mi) Driving time: 5 hours
Day 14
Guided Nature Walk and Game Drive, Cycling, Drive to Entebbe
After an early breakfast, you will go for an early morning nature walk and game drive in the park. You will have a well guided bike ride in the park and you will ride among the zebras, antelopes, buffaloes with in the flat areas of the national park. This is also the best way to get out of the vehicle into the nature. Afterwards you will start your journey back to Entebbe, crossing the equator along the way. You will have time to take photos and buy a few souvenirs, arrive later in Entebbe for an overnight. Driving distance: 271 km (169 mi) Driving time: 5 hours
Day 15
Depart Entebbe
After an early breakfast we will drive you to Entebbe Airport and you catch your flight back home.
Meals: B
Quality Education: Obtaining a quality education is the foundation to improving people’s lives and sustainable development.
Life On Land: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss
Sustainable Cities And Communities: There needs to be a future in which cities provide opportunities for all, with access to basic services, energy, housing, transportation and more.
Industry Innovation And Infrastructure: Investments in infrastructure are crucial to achieving sustainable development.
World Expeditions Schools journeys are designed to encourage positive personal development and the learning of life skills, while leaving the communities and environments we travel to, in a better condition than when we arrived.The programs are designed to:• Build strong friendships and bonds with their peers, their teachers, and the local people they meet. • Increase the confidence to engage with new people, and collaboratively make informed decisions.• Discover the benefits of working cooperatively together as a cohesive team, to achieve a common objective.• Increase the ability to face, and cope with, mental and physical challenges and therefore increase resilience.• Give students a chance to appreciate and care for the natural world. The environments we travel through are beautiful and often pristine, invariably the students will gain a deeper appreciation and understanding about how their individual actions impact on the environment.• Learn personal skills i.e., time management, personal hygiene, responsibility for personal gear, patience, tolerance, and public speaking.We help encourage students to learn what it means to be a true global citizen.
What's included
What's not included
Overall this expedition has a grading of level 3 - "Introductory". This trip involves walking for up to five hours a day at a slow but steady pace. You will need a reasonable level of fitness and good health. Suggested preparation: 30 minutes of aerobic type exercise, (either cycling or jogging) three times a week. For trekking, hill walking with a daypack in variable weather conditions is also recommended. The fitter you are for your trip, the more of a holiday it will be. Activities as close to the actual activity on your trip are the best training; in this instance walking with a light pack is the best form of training. This builds leg strength, aerobic capacity and confidence in your ability to travel comfortably with a pack for extended periods. The walking component is easy in terms of degree of difficulty, however the heat can be a major factor and we will be taking advantage of the cool mornings to cover the majority of the days required kilometres. You will be walking through rough country for up to five hours per day at a steady pace. The community project is also another physical component of the expedition. Although there is no trekking, the restoration and building work being done around the school will be demanding. There will be lots of sanding, hammering, possible painting, load carrying, sweeping, digging and erecting - all of which is tiring but character building! Please speak to your teacher if you are unsure about your suitability for this expedition.
Per Person, Twin Share
We can fully customise a School Travel Program to suit your students' learning objectives and budget. Whether you require a Service Learning program, physical challenge, cultural immersion or certain curriculum targets - talk to one of our educational travel experts about the elements you need in your itinerary. We pride ourselves on developing unique itineraries to meet the learning requirements for schools.
World Expeditions Schools is a division of one of the world's leading adventure travel companies, World Expeditions. We can develop itineraries in any destination that is offered by World Expeditions, which is to every continent on earth.
Use our simple Expedition Design Form to contact us with your requirements and an educational travel expert will be in touch to assist.
Since the 1980's, we have helped students from around the globe to experience the world's most exciting destinations, allowing them to travel, give, grow.
Together with students, we have completed over 400 Service Learning programs in developing countries. We will always continue to support causes including social justice, animal welfare, the environment and more.
Want to include service learning, your school curriculum and a physical challenge, or any of the above? Contact us and we can design a program fully catered for your students and budget.
Every school receives a detailed risk management plan that is guided by government advisories and the local partners we work with. We never compromise on the safety of your students to reduce the price of the program.
|
Our educational travel experts are ready to help you tailor an itinerary or service learning project to suit your school’s needs and budget. Contact us today to receive a free consultation.