11 Days Uganda Gorillas & Masai Mara

The moment you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived: this is when your Ugandan safari begins.
Upon your arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be warmly welcomed by your safari guide/driver who will help you with your luggage and give you a short briefing about the safari before transferring you to your booked hotel in Entebbe just a few minutes from the Airport for relaxation and overnight.

Kibale National Park is best known for its population of around 1,000 chimpanzees, man’s closest genetic relative. The park is home to a dozen other primate species, including Uganda mangabey, a type of monkey that is unique to Uganda and difficult to see anywhere other than Kibale.

In the morning after an early breakfast, meet your driver guide for a transfer to Kibale National Park by road the the best place in Africa to see chimpanzees in their natural habitat. Enjoy scenic views of tree plantations, as you continue your journey to the primate capital. Arrive in time for lunch, and then relax or you can choose to go for a community and swamp walk as you appreciate nature and interact with the locals. Later head back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Come with us as we trek through the forest in search of chimpanzees. Once we find these remarkable primates, you’ll share an extraordinary encounter with some of our closest relatives in the animal kingdom. Wake up to an early morning breakfast and transfer to the park offices for a briefing. After we leave for Kanyanchu Visitor Centre for a briefing on our 2-4 hours trek to see Kibale chimpanzees along the way, other species of primates, birds, and flora can be sighted. You will only enjoy 1 hour with chimpanzees immediately after you have got them, a moment for you to also take photos. Getting close to these creatures that share so much of our DNA is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the excitement of walking through the forest and knowing that they are close will stay with you forever.
After, return to the lodge for lunch and later connect to Queen Elizabeth arriving in the evening check in to your lodge for dinner and relaxation.

Wake up to an early morning breakfast and prepare for a morning game drive. This time of the day allows a great game viewing as animals tend to be more active during this time, the cats normally hunt and the other animals get up to graze. After your 2-3 hours of game viewing, return to the lodge for some time of relaxation and later have lunch.

After lunch, set out for an exciting boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel that joins Lake Edward and Lake George. The channel attracts a lot of wildlife including Hippos, Buffaloes, Elephants, Crocodiles, and lots of water birds aligning the shores of the Kazinga channel with the most breathtaking sight. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Supporting almost half the world’s mountain gorillas, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is arguably the best place anywhere in the world to track these charismatic gentle giants through their misty forest home. But there is far more to this UNESCO World Heritage Site than just gorillas. 

After breakfast, you will check out of the safari Lodge with your packed lunch and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, driving through the Ishasha sector for a chance to see the tree-climbing lions. After breaking off for lunch, later continue with your drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and upon arrival, you will check into your booked safari lodge for dinner and overnight.

After an early breakfast, you will be guided to the park headquarters for the briefing session about the gorilla trackers’ code of conduct from the park’s guides. Thereafter, you will get ready, to embark on a lifetime memorable experience in this magnificent forest for gorilla tracking. Trek through the beautiful nature and spend one hour with the gorillas, an unforgettable experience. This Impenetrable Forest is also full of birds, butterflies, and plant species plus

forest hogs, forest elephants, sitatungas, and dikers. The trek may be tough and slippery at some points but it all supersedes the excitement of viewing the gorillas at the end of the forest tour (This may probably be the highlight of the whole safari for you!). Tracking Mountain Gorillas will be rewarded with a signed Gorilla tracking/trekking certificate with your name on it to show to family and friends. Return to the lodge for refreshments before the Batwa community walk, which is indigenous to the Ituri forest of Congo

Today after an early breakfast together with your Lunch box, get ready to transfer to Kisoro Airport by road for your morning scheduled/charter flight to Entebbe Airport for a connecting charter flight to Masai Mara National Reserve. On arrival at the airstrip, you will be welcomed by our tour guide who will transfer you to your pre-booked lodge for relaxation as you prepare for the next day’s activity.

Big cats are sure to be a highlight of your time in the Masai Mara, with lions, leopards, and cheetahs all commonly seen stalking prey on the Masai Mara’s savannah grasslands. Elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, wildebeests, zebras, hippos, and hyenas are also often seen here.

Today before breakfast, join us on a balloon safari out over the Masai Mara. You’ll watch the sunrise from the air, and the scenery and possible wildlife sightings from up here as the new day dawns are always incredible. This truly is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and a special way to see this place. After the Hot Air Balloon Safari starts have Breakfast, and Carry Lunch boxes drive around Masai Mara National Park for a game drive until late, or you can choose to relax and head for an evening game drive after a hot lunch.

Balloon Safari, Masai Mara National Reserve
Rise above it all in a hot-air balloon and take in the extraordinary views on our balloon safari. It’s an unforgettable experience and the photos you’ll take from up here will include views other travelers can only dream of.

Spend more time exploring the stunning natural landscapes and extraordinary wildlife of the Masai Mara National Reserve, your Driver guide pilots you on an extended GAME DRIVES in the “Mara,” as the locals call it.
Part of the Serengeti ecosystem, the reserve boasts a strong permanent population of game. When the Great Migration of wildebeest and zebra arrives, the population enlarges by almost 2 million. This provides a great food source for predators such as lions, leopards, and hyenas. 

You will enjoy picnic lunches at the Mara River picnic site after you can enjoy visiting a Maasai village to learn about the culture of the famous Maasai People. Your guide will lead you through the village as you discover their traditions, beliefs, and daily practices like demonstrations of how to make fire using sticks. At the end of the tour, you can buy some gift souvenirs made by the villagers – a chance to give back to the local community.

You’re in for a real treat when you visit Lake Nakuru National Park. It’s one of the best places anywhere for seeing both black and white rhinos, but there are other highlights as well, including the possibility of seeing lions (some even climb trees here), leopards, flamingos, and endangered Rothschild’s giraffes. 

In the morning after breakfast, be ready for a transfer to Lake Nakuru National Park arriving around midday, following a relaxed lunch, and later an afternoon/evening game drive returning to the lodge as the sun sets for dinner and overnight stay.

In the morning after breakfast, check out from your Lodge and you get a second chance to explore Lake Nakuru with a morning game as you exit the park for a transfer to your hotel or to the airport for your flight back home. 
It’s a pity that it has to end, but this is where your safari will draw to a close. We’re sure that you will return home with so many exciting and happy memories, and we hope that you will join us again on safari sometime in the future.