Gorilla and chimpanzee photo safari, Uganda

Planet

This Gorilla and Chimpanzee photographic tour located in West Uganda is run with the knowledge of conservation and preservation in mind.

In Bwindi Forest, where the Mountain Gorillas are situated, there is a great amount of funding from tourist visitors that protects these vulnerable primates day in and day out. When on our tour, we respectably photograph these animals with park rangers at our sides. Tourism is the main source of funding for these rangers. Since 2008 the number of mountain Gorillas has increased from 680 to over 1000 due to conservation and the support from tourism overall.

With Kibale Forest being one of the best places on Earth for primates to thrive, it is crucial to protect the area. Visiting the Chimpanzees of Kibale Forest (the biggest primate in the area, supports the protection of this species and the many other primate species that call Kibale Forest home. Your payment to enter the national park goes directly to the preservation of the forest, surveying, and monitoring the wild and habituated Chimpanzees. By donating to this cause, guests are also promoting conservation to the Forest Elephants, primates, birds, and other wildlife that live in this jungle.

Outside of the large primates here in Uganda, this photographic tour visits some remarkable wildlife hotspots such as Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake Mburo National Park. Our visit into these parks contributes to the funding of the protection of wildlife and provides jobs for the local residents within the park.

The different accommodations used throughout this photographic safari hold ethical values to the land and its surrounding wildlife. We reduce our waist by offering reusable water bottles for each guest, minimising the use of single-use plastic.

All safari lodges are run on solar energy therefore reducing the impact on the environment.

Most of the lodges we visit during this photo safari have been built from restored and recycled local materials to help offset their carbon footprint.

During this photographic safari, we have kept the group size of clients to a small number there for using a maximum of two vehicles per safari. Offering walking safaris during this tour, this will reduces our carbon emissions when on tour.

People

All lodges hire locals staff and provide training programs for them to become higher in their field. The accommodations contribute to the livelihood of the surrounding communities by involving the local families in different service areas, ranging from employment in the supply of locally grown products to providing hand made crafts and cultural performances.

We proudly support Ride4aWoman, a charitable organisation that empowers local widows through skill training, micro-finance and mentoring. In support of the charity, one of our lodges contract Ride4aWoman to work at the lodge, making curtains, mosquito nets, clothing, cushions, lampshades and more. Located just a 2 minute walk from our Bwindi accommodation, clients are able to visit this project. This is a complimentary activity for any guest.

Bwindi Plus Nursery and Primary Orphanage School
This unbelievable project was setup by one of our house keeping team, a young man called Moses. Moses was an Orphan from a young age and was raised by the community. Moses’ dream was to give something back and with the support of numerous clients as well as the lodge itself, his dream came to fruition in 2015. Now with over 200 children at the school, it is constantly growing and providing education, accommodation and food to lots of children in need. The school is located just 2 minutes from Mahogany Springs and is a complimentary activity if you would like to pay them a visit.

Each lodge sells the local neighbouring crafts that are available for all guests to purchase. All lodges give 100% of the craft profit back to the original craft makers on behalf of the tourists staying at the lodges.