Embrace International Foundation’s Motorcycle Tours of Uganda

Purpose:

Motorcycles have become critical public health tools in remote areas of the developing world. They are able to reach rural regions quickly and inexpensively. Nonetheless, new motorcycles cost approximately $6,5000. However, participating riders will receive a tax receipt for the full cost of his / her motorcycle. Additional expenses for food, lodging and gas are to be covered by the visiting rider, but Embrace will take care of all of logistical support and trip planning. The following paragraphs briefly describe the details of these two trips. The most meaningful element of this trip, however, will be the gifting of a new motorcycle to a Ugandan healthcare worker.

Itinerary:

Day One: Hotel pick up from the Entebbe Airport. Riders will spend the first night at the Lake Heights Hotel in Entebbe. This is a Four Star hotel about a 15-minute drive from the airport. Unfortunately, all hotels in Entebbe are relatively expensive. With an Embrace discount, the cost per night is approximately $100USD per night.

Day Two: We will ride in a comfortable van the 300K from Entebbe to Fort Portal. We sleep in the Kalya Courts Hotel. This is a Four Star hotel that costs $60USD per night –including Internet and breakfast. Fort Portal is where EIF’s Ugandan partner charity has its offices. The Kyaninga Child Development Centre (KCDC) will be assisting EIF in the logistics of the ride.

Day Three: The motorcycles will be waiting for us at the hotel. After breakfast we will load the support truck with everyone’s luggage and pack minimal supplies on the bikes. We will then undertake a modest orientation ride from Fort Portal to Little Elephant Camp just outside of Kasese. Approximately 200 kilometres

Day Four:

We will ride the motorcycles into Queen Elizabeth National Park and then take a boat tour of Lake George. This tour will show us hippos, elephants, crocodiles and an amazing assortment of tropical birds. After the boat tour we will drive to the Jungle River Lodge in the Ishasha region of Uganda. This is a spectacular jungle lodge situated beside a remote river.

Day Five: From the Jungle Lodge we will head into the park to see the “sleeping tree lions.” This is one of Uganda’s primary tourist attractions. After hanging out with the lions we will take a back road and drive to Kisoro.

Day Six: Kisoro is ground zero for visiting Uganda’s giant guerrillas. This town is situated in the Bwindi National Park and is an attractive tourist centre located in a mountainous region of the country. We will dine at Dian Fossey’s favourite East African restaurant.

Day Seven: This will be a big day. We will drive all the way back to Fort Portal – stopping for lunch at the Kalinzu Chimp Tracking and Eco-Tourism Project. We will sleep in Fort Portal.

Please note that this is a tentative schedule / itinerary and may be changed due to weather or other factors once the team arrives in Uganda. For more information, or to make application to join one of these service opportunities, please write to Paul Carrick at info@embracecanada.ca.

*Individuals interested in participating in Embrace’s Ugandan motorcycle tours must be over 18 years of age, physically fit and hold a Class 6 Drivers License. They must also be comfortable riding in off-road conditions and be good spirited / flexible people.