RTT-PRM009 - Romance of the Nile & Gorillas

Because it is your romantic getaway, you get to choose what to do with your day on the mighty River Nile. We have a couple of active and laid-back activities to build your romance.

One, you can take the whitewater rafting challenge in some of the most famous rapids on the continent. Rafting will test your endurance and trust in each other in challenging situations. You will have an expert train you before the session and guide you during the activity down the Nile.

If you are not up to the rafting challenge, riding a horse into the sunrise on the shores of the longest river should be fun. Also guided, the horse-riding experience will get you in the mood for adventure with your partner.

Alternatively, if you are an adrenaline seeker, you can get on a quad bike on the dusty country roads to stir up some things. How about bungee jumping off the edge of the Nile cliff? That should fire up some nerves.

On the tranquil side of things, you can brush off these active adventures and go for a simple drive around Jinja, a walk through the town and to the local markets or stay in your riverside cottage for private romance. The sounds and views are charming!

Stay: Lemala Wild Waters (luxury) Meals: Full Board

You shouldn't be in a hurry to leave the luxuries of Lemala, but you've got to watch the sunrise; the love its golden colors come with is to die for!

Check out of your cottage and hit the highway to Entebbe, but we will stop by the ancient Mabira rainforest for a short walk. The 300 square kilometers (120 sq mi) is one of Uganda's most treasured forest reserves protecting many plant and animal species. It lies on gently undulating country, with many flat-topped hills separated by wide stream valleys and bordered by Lake Victoria on one side.

You will spend another romantic night in Entebbe and catch an early drive to Kibale Forest in western Uganda, in the shadows of the Rwenzori Mountains.

Stay: Boutique Hotel Number 5 (Luxury)

After breakfast, we will get you on the highway by 8:00 am, drive west to Kibale National Park via Fort Portal City, and check you into a rustic forest cottage with exceptional views.

The road journey through western Uganda is exceptionally captivating for a couple watching through the large windows of a 4x4 safari truck. An endless stream of emerald green banana and tea plantations, cattle ranches, beautifully terraced garden slopes, and valleys and hills make up the visual diet on this road trip. It is like driving through Bali, Switzerland, or Tuscany on a spring morning.

You will have a lunch stop in Fort Portal, one of Uganda's oldest towns located on the base of the Rwenzori Mountains, with gorgeous views of the imposing snow-capped peaks. You will explore a bit of the town and drive a couple of miles to your forest lodge for a romantic dinner and dreamy night.

You will stay at: Ndali Lodge (FB- Luxury)

Be up early, have breakfast, and transfer to the briefing point to begin the chimpanzee trekking excursion. We cannot be exact about your time in the jungle, so you must take your lunch pack and a few liters of drinking water.

Chimp trekking is an active experience because once you find the chimps, you may have to stay on your toes to keep up with their movements for close to an hour. Uganda's habituated chimps are loud, active, intimate with each other, shameless, and mindless of your presence. They'll do things that will leave you awestruck!

Most of the time, they'll swing off tree branches, fight, fornicate, groom each other or engage in primeval social dynamics. Watching these basic great apes behave in their natural setting will surely build up tanks of appreciation for your romantic partner and the human race.

You have a choice to make, though, take the one-hour trekking experience or the lengthy Chimpanzee Habituation Experience that can last for close to the entire day. Whichever you choose, very few experiences can top walking with wild chimpanzees in an African rainforest on a safari honeymoon vacation.

On your morning chimp trek, it is prevalent for other primates to cross your paths, like the rare L'Hoest's monkey and red colobus monkey. Other primates you may encounter include the black & white colobus, red-tailed monkey, blue monkey, olive baboon, and grey-cheeked mangabey.

Afternoon excursion to the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary

This sanctuary is a paradise for bird watchers; skilled birders can spot up to 50 species on an afternoon nature walk. On a good day, you may see more than seven primate species in Bigodi treetops. It is one of the best places to find monkeys in Uganda because of the abundance of fruit trees. Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary is an excellent example of a community-based approach to natural resources management that has greatly benefited the residents living within the area.

You will stay at: Ndali Lodge (luxury) Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (Packed), Dinner

You will be up early to catch a one-hour domestic flight from Kasese (a 1.5-hr drive from Kibale) to Kisoro airport at 7:30 am. Kisoro airport is just outside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park's south side. A driver will pick you up and transfer you to where the village walking experience starts.

The trail will take about 45 minutes between Kisoro Town and Lake Mutanda, following village footpaths through remarkable scenery of cultivated mountain slopes, rainforests, and human settlements.

Walking through village paths, you will meet fascinating locals and learn powerful knowledge of the rural people's daily lives. Excited children and adults will greet us as they tend their fields and livestock and collect water from local springs.

The path will take you to the edge of Lake Mutanda's calm waters, where you will meet the fishermen and board traditional dug-out canoes. You will row in a northerly direction listening to tales from your guide and the chants from fishermen.

The 2.5-hour canoeing journey is not just a boat ride, but the healing calmness of the enchanting landscape, water, rowers, and sound is unmissable. The local lives around the lake will cross your boat trail with fishers checking their nets, people taking produce to market by canoe, and others cutting reeds for creativity and construction.

At the other end, your walking safari guide will lead you to the road to catch your ride to the lodge.

Stay: Nkuringo BWindi Gorilla Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

It will be an early start of another active day; you must be up by 7:00 am, have breakfast, get your lunch pack, and check your gear. Your private driver will have you at the briefing point before 7:30 am. gorilla trekking starts at about 8:00 am, irrespective of the weather and group size.

You may take almost the better part of the day in the jungle, but definitely more time trekking the mountain gorillas than watching them. You have about one hour to watch the dark-furred giant beasts staying 10 meters away from them. But sometimes they come closer, and you must follow the rules of the jungle.

The time you spend with the great apes will greatly compensate for all the jungle hiking that challenges your health and fitness. I recommend you work out for a few days before you come.

You will be out of there relatively by 2:00 pm; you will have lunch somewhere in the jungle and get back to your cottage for the evening. Take advantage of the after-dinner talk in the lounge.

Stay: Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (packed), and Dinner.

The fourth day of this romantic getaway has some optional activities to keep you active. Otherwise, you can chill at your forest cottage for a relaxing honeymoon holiday.

Stay back at the lodge and relax, read a book, join a cooking class, book a spa massage, or take a calm walk around the property and talk to some locals.

Go back into the mysterious jungle to meet with the gorillas for a second time. Maybe join the rangers for the habituation experience that gives you more time with the gorillas. But remember, you must have pre-booked the permit.

Drive down to Lake Mutanda for a traditional dug-out canoeing experience with some of the most enchanting views on the volcano lake.

Forest walk either on a Batwa Forest Trail or the Circular Trail through Bwindi Impenetrable Forest; this time not for gorillas but everything else ethereal about the jungle.

Go on a sundowner picnic on top of the world with 360-degree spellbinding views of the hilly landscapes. It is within walking distance from the lodge.

Stay: Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

You will have breakfast early to catch the 8:00 am flight from Kisoro to Entebbe.

The most exciting thing about this part of ending your safari honeymoon in Uganda is driving through the steamy sunrays over the mountains, streams, and valleys all the way to the airport. The feeling of connectedness to the region will wash over you as you remember your experience with the land.

The enchantment continues as you fly over the magnificent forest swatch, the Virunga volcanos chain, and the rift valley rugged region. The flight is how you say goodbye to Uganda's romantic journey of a lifetime.

We will check you into your hotel to prepare for your international flight back home.

Optional accommodation: Boutique Hotel Number 5 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (packed)