This 12-day adventure safari visits three East African safari destinations, including some of the most renowned safari parks. Air transfers and road travel are combined, with small plans and a customized safari van in Kenya and a safari jeep in Tanzania. Adventure activities such as hiking, nature walks, night game drives, and village visits are allowed and possible at the reasonably priced mid-range and budget lodges and camps where guests are accommodated.
Today in Kigali, the sun shines brightly over the city, casting a warm glow on the lush hills surrounding it. The bustling streets are alive with the vibrant energy of the new year, as locals and visitors prepare for the celebrations ahead. The air is fresh, filled with a sense of anticipation and optimism for the opportunities this day holds.
At your hotel, breakfast. After checking out of the hotel, depart for Kigali City's half-day tour. It's the most efficient way to see and experience Kigali quickly. The tour includes a walk along a mural, a visit to a local market, fresh milk at a milk bar, and a visit to the summit of Mount Kigali for views of the city and countryside.
The Kigali Genocide Memorial is where the tour comes to an end. Proceed to the border crossing point to enter Uganda after lunch. The trip to the Pearl of Africa is incredibly picturesque and will take you through a nation with a thousand hills. You enter Uganda at the border, stop in Kisoro (Chanika), and then continue on to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to spend the night.
You will walk to the park headquarters for a gorilla trekking briefing after breakfast and with your packed lunch. Following your guide's explanation of all the dos and don'ts when interacting with mountain gorillas, you will be taken to the gorilla family's starting location.
Please be aware that your age, fitness level, and interests will determine which gorilla family you are assigned to. Before you begin the forest walk, let your guide know what interests you, and he will try to get you a gorilla family of your choice. A certain level of fitness is necessary for gorilla trekking, which can be quite demanding.
One must be ready for both because gorilla trekking can take anywhere from thirty minutes to three-quarters of the day. Until you arrive at a particular gorilla family, your guide will make an effort to educate you about the trees, birds, and other forest inhabitants.
You will only have an hour to take pictures and watch the mountain gorillas as they go about their daily lives. After that, you will have to hike back to the park headquarters to pick up your certificates, have dinner, and spend the night at your lodge.
One must be ready for both because gorilla trekking can take anywhere from thirty minutes to three-quarters of the day. Until you arrive at a particular gorilla family, your guide will make an effort to educate you about the trees, birds, and other forest inhabitants. You will only have an hour to take pictures and watch the mountain gorillas as they go about their daily lives. After that, you will have to hike back to the park headquarters to pick up your certificates, have dinner, and spend the night at your lodge.
Take a picturesque drive to Lake Nakuru National Park after breakfast. Savor a thrilling game drive through the park while seeing a variety of wildlife. After enjoying a delectable lunch at the lodge, go on a game drive in the afternoon, and then return for a filling dinner and a comfortable night's sleep.
Arrive at the Maasai Mara National Reserve in time for lunch after driving across the Loita Plains and the Rift Valley floor. Drive back to your lodge for dinner and overnight after an afternoon game viewing excursion. Including breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Early morning and afternoon game viewing drives are part of a full day in the Maasai Mara.
One of Africa's top wildlife destinations, the park is home to nearly every species of animal, big or small. Today, we take morning and afternoon game drives to find the "Big Five" (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, and rhino).
This is Africa at its most breathtaking, and safari at its finest. Southwest Kenya, known as the "Heartland of the Masai," offers a view of Africa in all its splendor. Here, the never-ending battle for survival is fought out over this fascinating land's expansive open plains and riverine forests.
The annual migration of massive herds of wildebeest from the Serengeti to new pastures in the north causes the Mara to burst into life every year. Approximately 1.3 million animals cross the Mara River between July and October, bringing with them the inevitable dramas and predators alike.
We are going to leave early today. The drive and the day will be rather long. Following an early breakfast, we pack picnic lunches and head for the 300-kilometer (approximately 5-hour) journey to Isabania, which is the Kenya-Tanzania border. From there, we cross into Tanzania and head to the stunning Serengeti National Park; the duration of our journey depends on the chances for game viewing.
Great herds of zebra and wildebeest form an uneasy alliance against the constant threat of some of Africa's most formidable predators in the Serengeti, Tanzania's oldest game park. It is a breathtaking spectacle of incredible diversity.
We depart from Serengeti National Park this morning and travel to the Ngorongoro Conservancy region. Before continuing on to the Ngorongoro Conservancy area, there is a brief detour to Olduvai Gorge, where some of the oldest human remains ever discovered were discovered (160 KM/approximately 3 hours – travelling time depends on game-viewing opportunities).
Following breakfast, we enter the magnificent natural amphitheater of Ngorongoro's volcanic crater, which is home to about 30,000 animals and provides an amazing backdrop for one of the world's most spectacular wildlife experiences.
With its seemingly endless herds of big game, massive predators, and the expanse of the African savannah, the scene is reminiscent of classic Africa. Later in the afternoon, depart from the crater and head back to the lodge:
We plan to arrive in Nairobi by late afternoon after leaving by road this morning after breakfast. We'll have lunch in Arusha. Continue to the Tanzania-Kenya border from Arusha and then return to Kenya. Nairobi arrival and airport transfer for a flight home
