12 Days – Gorilla Trekking – Maasai Mara – Serengeti and Crater Safari

On arrival at Entebbe Airport you're warmly welcomed by your guide, who takes you to your hotel in Kampala for an overnight stay, a journey of about one hour. It is an easy first evening to rest after your flight before the long drive to Bwindi.
 

After breakfast your driver-guide picks you up from your hotel in Kampala for the transfer to Bwindi, near the gorilla sanctuary. Lunch is taken on the way at the Igongo Cultural Centre in Mbarara, and you may have a few stopovers en route, such as at the Uganda Equator. It is a long day on the road, around 8 to 9 hours, but the scenery along the way builds the sense of anticipation. You arrive at Four Gorillas Lodge for dinner and overnight.
 

After an early breakfast you head to the park headquarters for a briefing from the ranger guides at 7:30am, then begin your gorilla trek at 8:00am through steeply forested landscape along several animal trails. Some of the terrain is steep and strenuous, but the reward of watching gorillas undisturbed in their natural habitat is unmatched. No more than eight people may visit any gorilla family on any given day, so the experience is intimate, and once you reach the gorillas you have an unforgettable hour to spend with them. Waterproof ankle shoes or good athletic shoes are recommended, along with thick long pants, heavy long socks pulled over the pants to guard against stinging nettles and ants, sturdy gardening gloves and a rain cover for your camera, which a plastic bag or shower cap can provide. After the trek you return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, subject to time and interest, you can take a village walk through the Bwindi villages, a great chance to meet the people around the forest and support the local community, or simply relax at the lodge and trade stories with fellow adventurers. Dinner and overnight at Four Gorillas Lodge.
 

After an early breakfast you transfer by road from Bwindi to Entebbe, with lunch en route in Mbarara. On arrival you check in for your onward flight to Nairobi, Kenya. At Kenyatta Airport you're met by our representative and transferred to The Boma Hotel Nairobi for your overnight. If you prefer to fly rather than drive between Bwindi and Entebbe, optional return flights from Entebbe to Kisoro Airstrip and back are available at an extra cost, taking about 1 hour 15 minutes subject to flight routing. From the airstrip you travel by 4x4 safari vehicle for about one hour to the park or lodge, with all internal transfers and the transfer to the tracking group included when you choose this option. The flight to Kisoro leaves Entebbe at 7:00am and arrives at 8:15am, and the return leaves Kisoro at 8:35am and reaches Entebbe at 11:25am, though schedules may change.
 

At 7:30am you're picked up from your hotel and driven through the Great Rift Valley to the Maasai Mara National Reserve, arriving in time for lunch at your lodge at 12:30pm. After a leisurely afternoon, at 4:00pm you head out on your first game drive in the reserve, continuing until late in the evening before dinner and overnight at Mara Sopa Lodge.
 

Early risers can take an optional balloon ride at 6:00am, which can be booked with us at an extra cost, followed by a balloon bush breakfast. Otherwise you set off on an early morning game drive at 6:30am, returning to the lodge around 8:30am for breakfast and a relaxed break. Lunch is served at your lodge at 1:00pm, and at 4:00pm you head out on an afternoon game drive, returning in the evening for dinner and overnight at Mara Sopa Lodge.
 

The day begins with an early morning game drive in the Maasai Mara as you make your way out of the reserve toward the Isebania border. After border formalities you cross into Tanzania and continue to Serengeti National Park. It is a long day of driving, but game drives in and out of the parks can be surprisingly rewarding. Dinner and overnight at Elwai Camp.
 

After breakfast you leave with a packed lunch for a game drive across the Serengeti's acacia savannah in the central and eastern parts of the park. Between 12:30pm and 1:00pm you break for a picnic lunch, then continue with an afternoon game drive before returning to Elwai Camp for dinner and overnight.
 

You spend another full day exploring the central and eastern Serengeti, setting out after breakfast with a packed lunch and breaking for a picnic between 12:30pm and 1:00pm. A second day in the park gives you more time to search for the resident predators and the huge variety of wildlife across the plains before you return to Elwai Camp for dinner and overnight.
 

After an early breakfast you pack, check out and drive with a packed lunch toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with game viewing along the way. On arrival you descend into the crater floor for game viewing, the crater being rich in wildlife with each species holding its own territory. Lunch is a picnic at the site near the Lerai Forest or Hippo Pool. In the late afternoon you ascend the crater and drive to Karatu for dinner and overnight.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, depending on your flight, you can relax at leisure at the lodge or transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home.