14 Day Gorilla Encounter - East Africa Overland Safari
Highlights of the Mountain Gorillas to the Mara safari include:
- Game drive and view the flamingos on the soda lake at Lake Nakuru National Park.
- Interact with the local community on the Soft Power Project.
- White water raft the river Nile.
- Swim or Canoe the islands of Lake Bunyonyi.
- Trek the world's most endangered mountain Gorillas.
- Game drive Masai Mara, Kenya's most visited Game Reserve
Itinerary
DAYS 1 & 2: Nairobi, Nakuru, Eldoret
Kenya is East Africa's most popular destination and has a long tradition of tourism and of welcoming visitors. Very often the first word you hear is the Swahili greeting 'Jambo' (hello), often followed by 'Hakuna matata' (no problem!). We recommend you arrive the day before the tour departure in order to relax and overcome any jetlag before your trip. Nairobi has seen rapid growth in recent years but has a comparatively small city centre, a highly interesting city market (great for sharpening your bargaining skills!), as well as craft shops, book shops and plenty of cafes and restaurants to sit and relax in. We depart Nairobi and descend into the 'Great Rift Valley', an enormous cleft in the Earth's surface stretching from the Red Sea to Madagascar but with particularly marked escarpments here in Kenya.
Our first stop is Lake Nakuru National Park, a relatively small park (by African standards) located on the Rift Valley floor. Nakuru's shallow soda lake attracts a huge variety of birdlife - especially flamingos, which may gather in such numbers that from the nearby viewing point they form a strikingly pink 'fringe' around the lakeshore. But Lake Nakuru is not simply a bird sanctuary, it is also home to lion, rhino, leopard, warthog, baboon, antelope, and a variety of smaller animals. A delightful introduction to East Africa's wildlife diversity. From Nakuru we continue northwest to Eldoret, and the Uganda frontier.
DAYS 3 to 6: Jinja, Kampala
We cross into Uganda, Winston Churchill's 'Pearl of Africa'. This is a wonderfully fertile country of green terraced hillsides, lush banana plantations, steep mountains and tangled forests. But we spend our first couple of nights on the grassy banks of the River Nile, near the town of Jinja. It was in 1862 that the British explorer John Hanning Speke recognised Lake Victoria as the 'source of the Nile' settling a long running dispute about Africa's (and the world's) longest river. From this modest monument the Nile begins its 4132 mile course through Uganda, Sudan and eventually Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea.
Our camp overlooks a dramatic set of rapids known as Bujagali Falls. It is here that we usually have the option to try rafting - an exciting day out for those enjoying the thrill of 'white water'. There is also the opportunity to make some difference to local children at a local school project: 'Softpower' is a locally run voluntary programme aimed at building and improving schools in the Jinja area to which your contribution of a few hours of painting or plastering is always most welcome. Other activities at Jinja include quad biking, village walks and even bungy jumping! From Jinja, we move on to Uganda's capital Kampala, an attractive hilly city bustling with African street life - roadside traders, markets and busy matatu (mini-bus taxi) stands.
DAYS 7 to 14: Gorilla Trek, Nairobi
From Kampala, we travel south and west, skirting Lake Victoria and heading into the mountainous region of southwest Uganda. Although a long drive, the scenery is very rewarding as we cross the equator and pass through areas of thick papyrus which give way to mountain valleys and ancient forests. Heading deep into the Kigezi Highlands we stop at picturesque Lake Bunyoni, an ancient flooded valley, before arriving at Bwindi National Park. This region of Africa is home to the world's remaining 700 mountain gorillas, half of which inhabit Bwindi.
Please note: Occasionally we may travel into neighbouring Rwanda to trek for the gorillas. On the day of our trek we gather in the early morning to meet our local guide and tracker. Walking in small groups we trek into the thick rainforest. The trekking can be demanding at times with uneven terrain and hilly rainforest but the privilege of spending time with a family of these gentle apes makes the effort well worthwhile. To many people, even those who stay in Africa longer than this two week tour, the day's trek and time with the gorillas remains their most exciting wildlife encounter in Africa.
The usual procedure, once we have located the gorilla 'family', is to squat or sit down and simply observe them for around an hour - the time set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (the national body charged with controlling and maintaining the gorillas in Uganda). Gorillas are sociable creatures, living in groups between 12 and 20 individuals, usually led by an 'alpha male' (the 'silverback' - so called because of the silver hair on his back which grows once the male gorilla attains maturity). Most people find that the gorillas are remarkably human-like at close quarters - particularly in the social interaction between family members and in 'play' activity in which the young engage. Photography is permitted (although not with a flash and there are restrictions for those who wish to use a video camera.)
Your permit allows you one trek and gorilla viewing (time limited to one hour). However because the authorities maintain strict limits on the number of visitors allowed to view the gorillas each day we may spend several days in the area while all passengers in our group complete the trek and viewing.
We return to Kenya via Kampala and Eldoret and cross the Rift Valley to Nairobi.
DAYS 15 to 18: Nairobi, Masai Mara National Reserve
We have the day in Nairobi to relax and replenish supplies. We switch to smaller and more suitable safari vehicles and depart the Kenyan capital and cross the Rift Valley once again to the Masai Mara National Reserve. We spend two nights camping on the edge of this world renowned wildlife reserve and spend our days exploring on game drives.
The 'Mara' is the Africa of Hollywood films; sweeping grassy plains, open horizons, low slung Acacia trees and small coppices of vegetation, where perhaps leopard or lion sit. The Mara's plains are crossed every year from July to October by large herds of wildebeest, zebra and other hoofed animals that migrate from the adjoining Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, on a continuous circular migration. Predators (lion, cheetah) and scavengers (hyena, vultures) follow the huge herds and together form a spectacular sight. But the Mara is excellent for game viewing at any time of year and with luck we hope to spot some, if not all, of Africa's 'Big Five' (elephant, lion, rhino, buffalo and leopard) as well as an inspiring array of other African animals and birdlife.
Please Note:
- Accommodation in Nairobi on nights 14 & 15 is not included in the tour price or your Local Payment. Please put aside between US$25-35 per night for meals and accommodation here.
- Depending on the availability of gorilla permits the tour itinerary may vary in day to day running order from the above running order which is based on the brochure itinerary. From time to time we may visit neighbouring countries, eg Rwanda, for the gorilla trek (instead of Uganda) and this may entail extra visa fees although we shall endeavour to advise you before departure of any significant change to the tour itinerary.
