Uganda Gorilla Trek & Kenya Big 5 safari – 8 days

Day 0: Arrival at Entebbe

Arrival at Entebbe airport, transfer to your hotel in Entebbe City.

Dinner and overnight as per the standard and comfort of accommodation option requested

Full Board Meals: Lunch, Dinner included.

Day 1: To Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Today you will transfer by road to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is in western Uganda. After a long driving day, you will check-in at your lodge. Both lodging options, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge and Mahogany springs lodge are only a 10-minute walk to the national park and have sweeping views of the valley and forests that surround it.

The lodge has sweeping views of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – a 124-square-mile UNESCO site home to approximately 350 mountain gorillas (half of the world’s remaining population), non-habituated chimpanzees, more than 100 other species of mammals, 346 species of birds, and 163 species of trees. Accommodation is at a lodge in Bwindi impenetrable Forest.

Please note: To reduce your traveling time (driving 8 to 10 hrs) to Bwindi, you may wish to consider a flight from Entebbe airport to Bwindi north- Kihihi airstrip or Bwindi South – Kisoro airstrip at additional cost.

Dinner and overnight as per the standard and type of accommodation option requested.

Day 2: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – Gorilla Trekking

After breakfast transfer to the park headquarters, for a briefing by the park ranger on how you need to conduct yourself before the gorillas.

At 8.30 am begin hiking along well-established trails in the forest. Gorilla tracking is a strenuous exercise but the joy you experience after encountering the gorillas is overwhelming. The time taken to encounter these apes ranges from an hour to several hours depending on their movement in the jungle.

Today our guide will pick you up from your lodge, at 7.30 am transfer you to the park gate (5-10 minutes) Pre-tracking orientation starts at 8:00 AM. Trekking through the thick jungle, traversing canopies of thick undergrowth can be tough, wet, strenuous but not impossible – the tracking can last from as little as 45 minutes to as much as 10 hours. The activity depends on the location of the gorillas the previous day.

Visitors, therefore, are supposed to move along with packed/picnic lunch and water, and should be equipped with strong water-proof clothing and must be averagely healthy.

Coming face-to-face with a mountain gorilla is a truly humbling and emotional experience. This is a fantastic and privileged opportunity to get up close and personal with Uganda’s very own ‘Gorillas in the Mist’.

Bwindi impenetrable forest National Park is about 330sq km, with spectacular scenery, impressive forest views. The whole geographical scenery is basically hilly and mountainous. At an elevation between 1160 to 2607m (3806 to 8553ft) rains can shower anytime in Bwindi forest, it is recommended that visitors pack rainwear, waterproof clothing, and appropriate hiking shoes to wear on during gorilla tracking or forest walks. Daytime temperatures range from 23C/73F at times dropping to as low as 11C/52F.

There are 20 gorilla families which have been habituated for gorilla viewing, all of which can be accessed from specific locations/sectors of the forest. Eight people are permitted to view a single family per day.

After gorilla trekking, our guide will transfer you 2 hours to Lake Bunyonyi for relaxation described by BBC media as ‘probably Africa’s most beautiful lake’. Lake Bunyonyi is a lava-dammed lake, formed when a river was dammed by lava and the valley filled up. This is one of Africa’s deepest and probably most beautiful lakes at an elevation of 1960m (6400ft). Lake Bunyonyi is known to be a place of so many little small birds.

The most popular is a boat ride to punishment island – Look out for “akampene” – the punishment Island – where until 1940s unmarried pregnant girls were dropped and left to die helplessly or starve to death, some drown trying to swim ashore; they were often saved my poor men who could not afford pride price. It was taboo to pregnant before the recommended marriage age.

Activity duration: 1 hour.  Cost $10 per person.

Dinner and overnight as per the standard and type of accommodation option requested

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 3: Bwindi – Entebbe Airport – International Flight to Nairobi City (Kenya)

Depart Bwindi transfer by road to Entebbe (8 hours). Depending on your connecting flight timing, expect to arrive back in Entebbe in the late afternoon. Then, catch a flight to Nairobi airport to begin the Kenyan leg of your journey. You will be received at Nairobi airport on arrival and transferred to your hotel in Nairobi City.

Dinner and overnight as per the standard and type of accommodation option requested

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 4: Nairobi—Lake Nakuru National Park

Depart Nairobi for Lake Nakuru after breakfast and head north, driving along the escarpment of the Great Rift Valley. Have lunch this afternoon you will visit Lake Nakuru National Park by four-wheel-drive vehicle (4×4) – the park’s lake is its stunning center piece. You might see why this great soda lake has been described as the world’s greatest ornithological marvel; great seas of flamingos often turn the landscape a sweeping shade of pink. Please note that Flooding in recent years has unfortunately caused a decline in birdlife. Head out for an afternoon game drive. Keep your eyes peeled for one of Africa’s most endangered creatures, the elusive black rhinoceros. While white rhino sightings are fairly common, spotting a black rhinoceros is a real treat. The park boasts of a number of other species, including waterbuck, reedbuck, and gazelle. Leopards are also to be found here, and the chances of sighting one are significant.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 5: Masai Mara National Reserve

Mornings can be cold here so it’s important to bring warm clothes. Head southwest to the Masai Mara, one of the finest game reserves in Africa. Cross the striking Great Rift Valley and pass by the remote region of Loita Hills, home of the Maasai people. This is one of the few places they still practice their traditional way of life with little influence from the western world. Stop to meet your Maasai warriors, take a walk to the community village and enjoy a fascinating talk full of insights into this remarkable and ancient culture. Learn about village life and be shown around a traditional Maasai home, and their cattle enclosures.

Dinner and overnight as per the standard and type of accommodation option requested.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 6:  Masai Mara National Reserve

The most recognized are known worldwide as the African Big 5 which includes the African Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Rhinoceros, Leopard, and the King of the beasts, the Lion.  The term Big 5 was coined by big-game hunters as these species were the most difficult and dangerous to track and hunt.

Subsequently, the term was adopted by the tourism industry.  Numerous other species of bird and wildlife inhabit this dynamic location including Hyenas, Gazelles, Impalas, Giraffes, Zebras, Vultures, Cranes, Eagles, Falcons, and Ostriches.

1600 hrs – Head out, for an exciting game viewing adventure.  Search some of the area`s wildlife hot-spots determined by your driver-guide, as they`ve learned and now understand the game’s daily routines through tracking.  Some wildlife is more difficult than others to spot, for instance, the Leopard.  These spotted cats blend almost seamlessly into the tall grass and undergrowth and are even more challenging to spot up in their favorite hangout, the trees.  Your guide will take you to nearby watering holes, where on a hot day, you might spot many bird and wildlife species, including the elusive cats; leopard or cheetah might appear, with some luck. As the sun starts to set, stop and take a moment to soak it all in with a drink in hand – there are few better ways to wrap up a day of wildlife spotting in one of the world’s most magical places. As dusk falls, a variety of animals might be visible in the vicinity of your camp.

1830 hrs – After game viewing drive head back to your tented lodge.

Overnight: at your tented accommodation

Day 7: Masai Mara

Today morning is free to break for relaxation and optional. You may like to sit back with a cup of coffee on your private deck, keep an eye out for animals in the reserve, or forgo a sleep-in in favor of an early morning game drive or walking safari. You may like to see the Masai Mara from a different viewpoint by a sunrise hot air balloon ride – another memorable experience. Balloon rides are optional and can be booked ahead of time or on the ground (subject to availability). Sundowner and snacks & Masai Mara – Afternoon 4×4 Game Drive.

Day 8: Masai Mara to Nairobi

Say goodbye to the Masai Mara and return to Nairobi. Expect to arrive in the late afternoon. This marks the end of our adventure safari.

Please do not book any international flights departing from Nairobi International Airport before 20:00hrs this evening to allow for any unexpected traffic delays. If you would like to extend your stay in Nairobi, additional accommodation can be booked in advance at an additional cost (subject to availability).

Special Information

Today’s total driving time is approximately 6 hours. To reduce your traveling time back to Nairobi, you may wish to consider a flight from Masai Mara to Nairobi (additional cost). This gives you the chance to catch a late afternoon international flight out of Nairobi. Please note that the flight from Masai Mara arrives at Wilson Airport (Nairobi). International flights leave from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). If staying in Nairobi, you may require a transfer from Wilson Airport back to our Nairobi hotel. Please inform our safari consultant if you wish us to book a local flight from Masai Mara. We are able to book the flight and also the transfer to our Nairobi hotel (additional costs involved).

ACCOMMODATION:

Midrange/Deluxe

• Ichumbi Gorilla lodge:
• Arcadia cottages:

Luxury lodge

• Mahogany Springs:
• lake Nakuru lodge.
• Ilkeliani Lodge