9-Day Mgahinga Gorilla Trek, Masai Mara & Lake Nakuru NP

• You'll be collected from the airport.
• Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.

Nairobi City - Masai Mara National Reserve

You will be picked up from the airport or your hotel and receive a pre-departure briefing before you start your safari. We drive through the viewpoint of the Great Rift Valley escarpment to Narok County, the land of the Maa people.

The Masai Mara National Reserve is part of the vast Serengeti plains famously known for its spectacular great wildebeest migration. It is also home to the Big Five (lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo, and rhino). The intercounty borders split the two great national parks. Arrive for lunch at the lodge and relax before departing for the afternoon game drive.

The Masai Mara National Reserve lies within the Mara ecosystem that includes the Mara Triangle and other conservancies like Ol Chorro Oirowua, Ol Derkesi, Maji Moto, Siana, Olkinyei, Naikara, Koiyaki, and North Mara. The Masai Mara is also part of the greater ecosystem that extends to Serengeti National Park in the northern part of Tanzania.

Main Destination:

Masai Mara National Reserve (Kenya)

Best Time To Visit June to October (For general wildlife viewing) and August to October (For wildebeest migration)

High Season June to October and December to March

Best Weather June to October (Sunny, but not too hot)

Wildlife in Masai Mara NR

ElephantCommon

GiraffeCommon

LionCommon

CheetahCommon

ZebraAbundant

WildebeestAbundant

Show more

BuffaloCommon

HippoCommon

HyenaCommon

LeopardOccasional

Black RhinoRare

Wild DogVery Rare

White RhinoNone

Accommodation:

Aa Lodge Mara

• Mid-range lodge located just outside Masai Mara NR (Kenya)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Masai Mara National Reserve

On the second day, have breakfast before you head out to enjoy a full-day game drive in the reserve with your picnic lunch. The Masai Mara National Reserve is an area of preserved savannah wilderness in southwestern Kenya along the Tanzanian border. The Mara Triangle borders the Mara River with lush grassland and acacia woodlands and is always good for game drives. The Mara is perhaps best known for the great migration which takes place every year. During these months, the yellow savannah is dotted black by more than 1.5 million wildebeest, zebra, and antelope that migrate from the Serengeti to the Mara in search of food and water.

Main Destination:

Masai Mara National Reserve (Kenya)

Accommodation:

Aa Lodge Mara

• Mid-range lodge located just outside Masai Mara NR (Kenya)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Masai Mara National Reserve - Lake Nakuru National Park

After a sound sleep, wake up for breakfast and then depart to Lake Nakuru National Park. It is one of the best national parks in Kenya given that it has one of the Rift Valley soda lakes. On arrival, you get a welcome and are shown to your room. After lunch, take a game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park which is well known as a bird lover’s paradise. The park is home to over 400 bird species including flamingos on the lake and in the park’s savannah grasslands. The bird species include African fish eagle, slender-billed greenbul, long-tailed widowbird, rufous-throated wryneck, montane white-eye, red-capped lark, Northern puffback, Rüppell’s robin-chat, shining sunbird and many more.

Main Destination:

Lake Nakuru National Park (Kenya)

Best Time To Visit June to February (Best for wildlife viewing; little rain)

High Season July to February (The park gets very busy)

Best Weather June to February (Little rainfall)

Wildlife in Lake Nakuru NP

GiraffeCommon

White RhinoCommon

BuffaloCommon

ZebraCommon

HippoCommon

Black RhinoOccasional

Show more

LionOccasional

LeopardOccasional

HyenaOccasional

WildebeestVery Rare

ElephantNone

CheetahNone

Wild DogNone

Accommodation:

Lake Nakuru Lodge

• Mid-range lodge located inside Lake Nakuru NP (Kenya)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Lake Nakuru National Park – Jinja (the source of the Nile River)

After breakfast in your hotel, you will depart from Nakuru and head for Jinja, driving across the Malaba border. You will pass by the source of the world's longest river, the Nile River. It begins its journey here before crossing through ten African countries and plunging into the Mediterranean Sea.

Jinja town is regarded as the adventure capital of East Africa. It is a place brimming with adventure sports and activities, including white-water rafting, bungee jumping, and kayaking. We recommend that you go on a boat ride (additional cost). It is like a dream come true as you cruise on the longest river across Africa.

Main Destination:

Jinja (Town, Uganda)

Accommodation:

Hotel Paradise on the Nile

• Budget hotelin Jinja (Town, Uganda)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Jinja Town - Kabale - Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda

You will wake up in a different climate zone and have breakfast. Drive to Kabale, Uganda’s highest town (2,000m), witnessing beautiful, lush scenery along the way. We will camp at Lake Bunyonyi, Africa’s deepest crater lake (900m). Bunyonyi means “place of the little birds”, so you can expect to view interesting and unique birdlife while staying here.

Enjoy a beautiful drive over the mountains as we transfer to our base in Kisoro, which sits on the southwestern tip of Uganda. You will have a relaxing evening as we prepare for the trek ahead. This is an excellent place to rest before your gorilla trek.

Main Destination:

Lake Bunyonyi (Uganda)

Accommodation:

Bunyonyi Overland Resort

• Budget resort located at Lake Bunyonyi (Uganda)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Trek in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Today we embark on the experience of a lifetime! Trek through the early morning mist in the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, which is home to roughly half of the world's seven hundred remaining mountain gorillas. The trekking can be demanding and take as long as a full day - a water bottle and good walking shoes or boots are highly recommended. Experienced local guides will lead you through the thick mountain jungle.

Once we locate the gorillas, we will observe them for about an hour (this time is strictly regulated by the Uganda Wildlife Authority). Photography is permitted, although not with the use of flash (there are also restrictions on the use of video cameras). With or without a camera, however, this is one of the most breathtaking and emotional experiences Africa can offer and is certainly one that will remain with you long after your journey.

Main Destination:

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park (Gorillas)

Best Time To Visit June to August and December to January

High Season June to September (Gorilla permits are scarce)

Best Weather Jun to Aug and Dec to Jan (Less rainfall)

Wildlife in Mgahinga Gorilla NP

GorillaCommon

ChimpanzeeNone

ElephantOccasional

BuffaloOccasional

LeopardRare

White RhinoNone

Show more

GiraffeNone

Black RhinoNone

LionNone

CheetahNone

ZebraNone

WildebeestNone

HippoNone

Accommodation:

Bunyonyi Overland Resort

• Budget resort located at Lake Bunyonyi (Uganda)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Bunyonyi, Uganda - Kabale - Jinja Town

After breakfast, you will be driven to Jinja town. Today, you have time to partake in extra activities at your own cost. In Jinja, you can do water tubing at the White Nile River. Exhilarating white-water tubing, flat-water tubing, extreme tubing, white-water rafting, bungee jumping, quad biking, kayaking, horse riding, bike riding, boat cruises, and many more activities offer fun and memorable adventures if you're interested. Take a walk with your guide around the town and later return for an overnight stay in your hotel.

Main Destination:

Jinja (Town, Uganda)

Accommodation:

Bunyonyi Overland Resort

• Budget resort located at Lake Bunyonyi (Uganda)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Jinja Town, Uganda - Lake Naivasha National Park

After breakfast, head north, passing through Naivasha town, and drive around the southern end of the lake past the flower farms to the entrance of Hell’s Gate National Park. Soon after you enter the park, the impressive landscape unfolds before you; a semi-arid world with sheer rugged cliffs, open plains, and deep, concealed gorges.

An afternoon boat ride (at an extra cost) among colonies of hippos will offer the ideal view over Lake Naivasha. There are many activities you can do in Hell’s Gate including walking, cycling, rock climbing, bird watching, and trekking through the gorge amongst the geysers, the choice is yours.

Main Destination:

Lake Naivasha (Naivasha, Kenya)

Accommodation:

Naivasha Kongoni Lodge

• Mid-range lodgenear Lake Naivasha (Naivasha, Kenya)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Lake Naivasha National Park - Nairobi City (JKIA)

Wake up for breakfast at 7:30 am and be ready for pick-up by your driver-guide at 8:30 am. End your time in Lake Naivasha National Park with an early drive back to Nairobi, at which point the tour will come to an end.

Main Destination:

Nairobi Airport (Nairobi, Kenya)

Accommodation:

No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

• Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
• You'll be dropped off at the airport.