Gorilla Trek Information Pack

Uganda Gorilla Trek Information Pack

www.eastafricanplaygrounds.org/ugt/ #playeveryday

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Summary Description

This is the Uganda Gorilla Trek.

You’ll transform an empty field into a safe and exciting playground for generations to enjoy, whilst running creative play sessions with the children: teaching them to make the most of their imagination in education and employment. You’ll take on the challenge of trekking and canoeing through the beauty of western Uganda, meeting locals such as a genuine herbalist healer along the way, before finishing your time by walking alongside the last remaining wild silverback gorillas – experiencing something very few people ever have, and making a huge impact whilst doing so.

Date & Duration

21-24 days between June and September

Cost

£200 deposit £1,700 minimum fundraising target £500-800 flights to Uganda (cost can be fundraised) Other expenses such as insurance, vaccinations, kit list and extension trips will be incurred on a case by case basis.

Challenge Level

Medium level difficulty: though we believe that this trek is accessible to everyone, a reasonable level of physical fitness is required, and those who do not engage in regular exercise are advised to train in the weeks and months before the project begins.

Sign up

You can sign up via http://eastafricanplaygrounds.org/ugt/ Places are limited, so make sure you get yours before they all go!

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Gorilla Trek Itinerary Day 1:

After your flight lands in Entebbe airport, you’ll be greeted by a member of EAP staff and transferred via Rosa (a Ugandan bus) to your accommodation for the evening – dormitories located within a zoo! With some quick icebreakers, and a chilled evening, you’ll be ready for the excitement of the weeks ahead of you.

Day 2:

Arriving at the school in the early afternoon, you will be greeted by the build team, who will quickly become your brothers, and the cook, who will quickly become your best friend. They will give you a tour of the site, helping you to settle into your new home for the week.

Day 3-8:

Working alongside our brilliant build team, you will transform the school’s empty playing field into a beautiful playground – filled with vibrant colours and a swing-set to match!

Your mornings will be spent working with the builders, whilst your afternoons will be taken up with running creative play sessions, teaching the kids to use the most of their imagination and creativity in employment, education and life. Evenings will be spent playing card games and visiting nearby attractions, all of which will vary from project to project. This is a fantastic opportunity to engage with the local community, get to know the children and pick up a word or two of the national language.

Day 9:

Your first of two rest days provides a roster of opportunities from bungee jumping to simply chilling out at the campsite on the source of the world’s longest river, letting you get some relaxation in before starting to trek through Western Uganda.*

Day 10:

A day’s travelling through the Ugandan countryside sees you arrive for a sunset tour of the home of Edrisa, a beautiful camp on the bank of Lake Bunyoni, an evening feast and a campfire talk from the guides who will be your fountains of knowledge during the trek.

Day 11:

Taking a dug-out canoe to Kyabahinga peninsula, a steep climb will take you through a day of local culture – from a sip of the local brew to a visit to Jeremiah, the herbalist healer – before heading back to the dugout canoes and crossing to Tom’s Island, where you will share stories around a campfire and get the rest in before the hardest day.

Day 12:

Boating to the western shore of Lake Bunyoni, you will engage in a multi-hour climb to some of the best views of your life, before a two hour trek through the Echuya Forest Reserve – travelling through deep jungle and marshy swamp, guided by a native Pygmy leader – taking you to breath-taking views of Rwandan volcanoes. You will then trek down to a Church of Uganda site, where you will spend the evening.

Day 13:

After a bit of a lie in and a later breakfast to recover, you will take the bus to Kisoro Town, through main roads and small towns, before stopping for an incredible lunch and wifi break at the Coffee Pot, with an hour to explore the town. This will refresh you for the afternoon’s hike before you boat onto Mutanda Island, an island paradise reserved just for you!

* Activities on this day are an optional extra.

Gorilla Trek Itinerary Day 14:

An hour and a half will see you across Lake Mutanda on a motorboat to Chameleon hill, after which a short but sharp climb will take you to Chameleon lodge resort, with phenomenal views of at least three volcanoes and a tasty meal. The last part of the trek will be energetic but easier, with sloping valleys taking you towards the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and your camp, where you will spend the night with an open air shower and bar.

Day 15:

The final day of the trek will make you feel like a proper explorer as you make your way through Bwindi forest with your guide and find the gorilla family closest to you, taking anywhere between an hour and six. You will spend an hour in the company of the gentle giants and see them in their natural habitat, an unforgettable experience to be sure, before heading back to camp for another shower and a quick journey back to a hostel in Kabale.

Day 16:

This day will mostly be a bus ride from Kabale in western Uganda to the campsite in the southeast of Uganda, near Jinja and Lake Victoria. A stop at the equator will serve for a perfect photo opportunity and allow some quick shopping on the way, before settling in for the restful days ahead with a beer or two overlooking the River Nile.

Day 17-18:

These two days will take you back to an older East African Playgrounds school to revitalize the children with energy for the Creative Play program, whilst doing some minor maintenance work on the playground itself – touching up paint here and there, ensuring the sand is raked to stay soft, etc: this is an awesome opportunity to see the impact you’re making a few years down the line.

Day 19:

Your second rest day provides the same roster of opportunities from bungee jumping to simply chilling out at the campsite on the source of the world’s longest river, letting you get some relaxation in before the incredible playground opening day.*

Day 20:

The final full day in Uganda will see you open the playground to the joy of the school children and local community – with thank you speeches, congratulation certificates and the widest smiles you’ll have witnessed all year – before enjoying a traditional dinner and saying your teary goodbyes.

Day 21:

With your three weeks in the Pearl of Africa with East African Playgrounds at an end, we will escort you to the airport and wave you goodbye, with a camera full of photos and a mind full of memories – but we know it will not be goodbye, but rather as a “see you soon!”

OR Day 21-24 :

These days will allow you to explore Uganda with one of our awesome extension trip partners – either getting to grips with the incredible white water of the River Nile, riding along the banks of the shore on one of the world’s most beautiful horses or going on a traditional Safari in Murchison Falls – getting a chance to see the big five on a game drive and a boat drive to boot, before waving goodbye to an incredible experience and going back home with a heart full of stories!

Support Fundraising

East African Playgrounds will provide everyone that signs up to the Gorilla Trek with a variety of physical materials – from a vibrant orange t-shirt to a fundraising guide, bursting with ideas and how-to guides, all of which will help you hit (and maybe even exceed) your £1,700 target.

Alongside this, all EAP-partnered universities will have regular group fundraisers organized by their group leaders, being anything from a doughnut sale on campus to our huge London street collection the week after Easter. These will allow you to get to know your group, the charity and raise some hard earned money along the way!

You will also be in regular contact with Andy, our full time staff member in charge of the Gorilla Trek, who will answer any questions that you might have and give you all the ideas you could need.

Preparation

Alongside a full Uganda Gorilla Trek handbook, which will feature information from which vaccinations you will need to elements of Ugandan culture, you will receive training on what you should expect in country and what will be expected of you. You will also be supported by members of staff and interns in country and receive regular communications from our UK staff to ensure that you remain comfortable and excited about everything you will experience.

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Frequently Asked Questions Why playgrounds?

It is widely known that children need to be able to play and to be children, however, across the world the UN’s Children’s Right to Play is a hugely overlooked, but a vital part of early childhood development and education. It has been shown that without access to play facilities, children are unable to fully develop. Play is vital in developing a child’s fine motor, social, cognitive, problem solving and a range of other skills. It has also been proven that play alleviates stress, improves concentration and helps children who are living through difficulties. Playgrounds create the perfect, safe environment for children to express themselves and learn about the world around them.

How ethical is this trip?

At East African Playgrounds, our predominant concern is that the volunteer and the community get equal amounts out of our volunteering projects. We reflect this in many ways: for example, the moneys received via fundraising is split between three beneficiaries: East African Playgrounds ourselves, the Ugandan Wildlife Authority who ensure the safety and preservation of the silverback gorillas and Home of Edirisa, a social enterprise that works on changing the internal and external perspectives of East Africa. We also ensure that we do not use volunteers to perform jobs that locals could do, build and maintain our playgrounds to UK playground standards and ensure that our volunteers are taught the cultural norms of the communities they will live and work within.

What are the living conditions like?

Living conditions in Uganda are basic but comfortable – with long drops for toilets and mostly bucket showers – and accommodation being shared tents or classroom-turneddorm rooms, with mosquito nets provided. This will allow you to get to know your team well and help you to get stuck in with the Ugandan culture in every sense, rounding off your experience with East African Playgrounds.

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Do I need to be physically fit to complete the trek?

Though the trek has no particular difficulty rating, it is a five-day trek through Western Uganda, and as such we encourage a basic level of fitness that anyone who engages in regular exercise should have. For those who are possibly less physically able, we encourage them to start training – via walking or jogging – in the weeks and months before flying out.

Safety in Uganda

Each year over 250,000 people visit Uganda. Uganda has won awards as a travel destination due to the range of activities, the friendliness of the locals and the stability and safety of the country. Our volunteer’s safety whilst they are with us in Uganda is our prime concern. We follow all British common foreign wealth office travel advice, work alongside the British high commission, have an excellent in country and on project support network, following British Standards in international volunteering projects and have 7 years experience of working in Uganda.

Will I be ATOL protected?

The reason we ask our volunteers to pay for their own flights (which they can reclaim the cost of should they exceed the £1,600 fundraising target, by the amount they exceed the target, up to the full cost of the flight) is to ensure that they are ATOL protected through their own means, as unfortunately charities cannot currently purchase ATOL licenses due to UK laws.