The ground shakes, and the squeal of pain and trumpeting come from two bull elephants in musth fighting in the gathering dusk. They are dangerous, highly aggressive, short-tempered, and in a deadly battle. Their penises dribble urine with a sharp, acrid odor that drifts on the wind.
Rearing on hind legs, massive heads crash with a loud “Thwack!” Tusks lock, twist, and thrust upward to impale with snorts and grunts. The next terrible charge is in slow motion as the big bull pushes the other back in a maniacal dance with locked tusks and trunks quivering with fury.
The fight is clearly over dominance, territory, and sex. Opaque dust clouds rise in the moonlight as a female waits nearby.
Are you prepared for the circle of life?
Fly to Entebbe International Airport (EBB) early and be met by one of our owner guides and your helicopter pilot. We’ll handle your luggage and escort you to the helipad for a long, scenic flight to Murchison Falls National Park.
Your helicopter flies over the source of the Nile River as it flows from Lake Victoria to Lake Kyoga and its wetlands on its way to Lake Albert. Murchison Falls is on the Victoria Nile, located in the oldest and largest National park in Uganda, Murchison Falls National Park. It is the highlight of the East African safari circuit. The name Murchison was given by Sir Samuel Baker during his explorations of Uganda during the 19th Century.
Murchison Falls is home to most of Africa’s major mammals. It has a lion conservation unit and one of the largest populations of endangered Rothschild giraffes within a single conservation area.
Our pilot lands on Nile Safari Lodge’s helipad. The Lodge overlooks the Nile River and offers spectacular views from your room and public areas.
Luxuriate in a “Strength of the Nile” deep muscle 90-minute massage per person on a dhow, a once-in-a-lifetime floating massage experience on the Nile River. You’ll appreciate it after long international flights and many time zones.
A bush breakfast with South African sparkling wine is during the morning’s game drive. The Reserve provides many photo opportunities with dramatic backgrounds, like the Nile.
Your helicopter flight heads down the Nile River as it flows northwards towards the Mediterranean. Photograph from above the wild and rugged land with its abundant wildlife.
A morning sport fishing trip on the Nile is planned for you avid anglers who want a fishing trip you will never forget.
The Nile perch is a freshwater fish growing up to 6 ½ feet (2m) long and weighs as much as 440 pounds (200 kg). Your family or friends who don’t want to fish can do a 4-hour Delta cruise instead with gin & tonic while photographing wildlife along the riverbanks.
A game drive in the afternoon returns in time for a cheese and wine evening cruise. Glide along in the Nile’s currents and watch wildlife in the setting sun.
For thrill-seekers, the helicopter drops you off at the top of the falls.
Stand at the cliff’s edge with the ground vibrating beneath your feet as the most powerful waterfall in the world thunders down through the Murchison funnel with a roar, a rushing rage of water seeking its escape in a mad dash to Lake Albert and the Mediterranean.
Hike down an ancient trail to the base of the falls and catch the next boat to the lodge.
Your afternoon game drive will look for the world’s largest concentration of Nile crocodiles, and a sundowner helicopter flight over the top of Murchison Falls will reveal how the falls were created.
Your morning scenic flight is to Semliki Safari Lodge.
Step back in time as it evokes the spirit of the old explorers. It’s secluded and intimate. The lodge is situated in the Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve in the heart of the Albertine Rift Valley and borders the Rwenzori Mountains and Lake Albert in the remote western part of Uganda next to the Congo border.
First established in 1926 by the British colonial government, the reserve is one of the oldest protected areas in Uganda.
Indiana University, Bloomington, in the US, has primate researchers who operate the Semliki Chimpanzee Project. They love to have a cold drink at the Lodge, so talk with them about their project and how you can get involved.
Surprise! You’ll have the extraordinary opportunity to spend the day with these chimpanzee researchers, currently concentrating on female chimps near their camp. The project’s founder and Director is Professor Kevin Hunt, an Anthropology and Animal Behavior expert at Indiana University.
Chimpanzees build their beds, called nests, in tree canopies using branches harvested from specific tree species. If the researchers nest them the night before, you’ll leave camp at 6 am and follow the chimps wherever they go until their mid-day rest.
Lunch is at the researcher’s base, where they will teach you many extraordinary scientific chimp facts. Help the researchers nest the little guys before turning in, saving them time the next day to locate the troop. Immerse yourself in the rugged wilderness and learn about the conservation measures to protect these wonderful, curious, and intelligent creatures.
They’ll even let you name a chimp after yourself or a loved one.
Your sundowner helicopter flight is along the Albertine Rift, flanked by highlands, consisting of some of the highest peaks on the continent. This endemic area is home to Africa’s deepest lakes, volcanic mountain ranges, and ancient montane forests.
A Lake Albert boat trip is a fantastic way to view the elusive and endangered Shoebill, a large, prehistoric-looking bird that haunts the freshwater marshes in East Africa, thus fondly referred to by many as the “King of the Marshes.”
We also put together a night game drive after dinner. Experience the ancient forest’s wild animals in the dark of the night with a light...
A morning helicopter flight delivers you to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to over half of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bwindi is one of the most extensive forests containing lowland and montane species. And it’s the only place you can see gorillas and chimpanzees in the same forest. We’ve heard tell that Tarzan visited the Impenetrable long ago.
Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge is the highest Lodge in Uganda, which sits on a ridge above the clouds overlooking the Virunga volcanoes, and behind you is the primordial, mysterious, and impenetrable forest that is Bwindi.
Park rangers enter the forest at dawn to find the different troops and report back before the first gorilla trek. After breakfast, you’ll walk from the Lodge to the Nkuringo trailhead, where a ranger guides you to a gorilla troop he spotted earlier. Many troops are led by silverbacks.
This guarantees an up close and personal visit for a magical hour with the mountain gorillas.
Gorillas are on the verge of extinction due to deforestation, habitat loss, and meat poaching, considered valuable in parts of the world. After your gorilla trek, luxuriate in a 90-minute Clouds Massage per person. You’ll love it!
Your wine is served with spectacular views, and you smile because your personal butler is lighting a fire in your cottage and setting out freshly laundered clothes. And in the kitchen, the Chef is preparing a culinary delight.
Your helicopter flight is over Bwindi’s rugged forests and narrow valleys intersected by rivers. The steep hills are adjacent to the Congo and Rwanda borders. This is fantastic helicopter country! Fly daily.
Buniga forest walk is with a Batwa warrior who guides you through the primeval forest. He’ll share his tribe’s wealth of knowledge about nature, their primitive hunter-gatherer ways, and how they survive.
The forest is home to giant forest hogs, eleven kinds of primates, such as gorillas, red-tailed and blue monkeys, chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, baboons, rare forest elephants, and over 200 species of butterflies. We’ll assist with a photo shoot for your social media platforms.
Afterward, a champagne picnic lunch is in a scenic grotto in the forest. A porter will carry the lunches, your backpack, and other items to keep your hands free for photographing. Sundowners are around the firepit as the night comes alive. You may hear a leopard’s deep sawing roar as it hunts for one of its favorite meals, a primate.
Your last helicopter flight explores the Virunga Mountain Range next to the Rwanda border and ends at Entebbe for your international flight home.
If your safari lodge or camp is sold out, we use a comparable property in location, price and services. Alternate dates are helpful.
