Overview
This 10 days Kenya safari and Uganda gorilla trekking in Uganda combines meeting the endangered mountain gorillas and the Big 5. The latter comprises lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffaloes, all in the wild. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park covers 331 sq.km, and inside live 459 mountain gorillas. This implies that almost a half of the mountain gorillas alive live here.
Meanwhile Masai Mara National Reserve covers 1,510 sq.km. where a variety of savannah African animals live. This itinerary also includes hot air ballooning, visit to the Maasai, boat cruise and game drives. The 10 Days Kenya Safari and Uganda gorilla trekking offers views of the Great Rift Valley and its lakes. Start the safari in Entebbe and end it in Nairobi. With our experienced professional guides, the experience will meet your high expectations.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Pick up from Entebbe and Transfer to Bwindi NP.
Pick up at your accommodation or Entebbe International Airport by our guide. Drive from Entebbe to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Enjoy enroute lunch during the 527 km drive to southwestern Uganda. Experience how it is like to stand between hemispheres at the equator crossing in Kayabwe. Arrive in Bwindi to check in at your lodge. Soak in air from the lush dense forest. Have dinner later in the evening as you prepare for overnight sleep in the lodge.
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking.
Early in the morning, prepare for breakfast before the gorilla trek in the forest. At the trailhead the warden ensures that you are adequately briefed for successful gorilla trek. Enter deeper into the forest under the guidance of a tracker. Locate a habituated gorilla family to watch them for a full hour in their home. Return to your lodge to relax and later eat your dinner. In the night sleep to rejuvenate.
Day 3: Drive back to Entebbe. Night flight to Nairobi and Overnight Stay
Have morning breakfast and check out of your lodge. Drive to either Kisoro or Kihihi airstrip for a flight to Entebbe. To the airstrip, it is a scenic drive that takes less than 2 hours. Take photos along the way. In Entebbe you will have your lunch. Later, at night, fly to Nairobi and arrive at Jomo Kenyatta Airport. Check in at your hotel and enjoy your overnight stay.
Day 4: Travel to Naivasha. Afternoon boat cruise to Crescent Islands
After taking breakfast in the hotel, check out and embark on a 105 km journey to Lake Naivasha northwestwards. Enroute, you will see and photograph the Great Rift Valley. Check in at your lodge and have your lunch. In the afternoon do a boat cruise on Lake Naivasha to spot hippos, buffaloes, waterbucks and buffaloes. Also see water birds such as pied kingfishers, herons, the rare flamingos and others.
The boat cruise takes you to the beautiful Crescent Islands. Step out of the boat for an exciting walking safari. Do this to see so many wild animals that live in the game sanctuary. The destination shelters giraffes, hippos, ostriches, zebras and waterbucks among others. Its island landscape, including surround hills is extremely breathtaking to see and photograph. Return to your boat and head back to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Full Day Game Drive in Lake Nakuru National Park
Get morning breakfast to feel energetic enough for a journey southwestward, to Lake Nakuru National Park. Driving covers only 79 km and upon arriving, do a full day game drive in the park. A chance to explore the different habitats of the park are offered. Animals and birds to see are plenty, which is also a chance to capture a lot of photos. The highlight of Lake Nakuru National Park is the flamingos on the lake. Pelicans also make a beautiful scene on the lake.
Nevertheless, Lake Nakuru National Park is also home to black rhinos, leopards, hyenas, cape buffaloes, zebras and lions etc. Return to your lodge for lunch and continue the game drive. Besides the lake, other physical features in the park offer lovely scenes. The Lion Ridge and Enasoit hills etc. are so beautiful and shelter some wildlife as well. Enjoy your dinner at your lodge before going to bed for a comfortable sleep.
Day 6: Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara Reserve
Have your morning breakfast as you prepare to head southwest to Masai Mara National Reserve. The 221 km trip to the reserve is scenic, with guaranteed lunch along the way. Arrival at Masai Mara offers immediate experiences. Views of the Big 5 immediately you enter through the gate. Additionally, cheetahs, giraffes, side-stripped jackals, bushbucks, and hartebeests etc. present more views. Drive to your cozy accommodation for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 7: Full Day Game Drive
Today you have a full day to explore various areas of the Masai Mara National Reserve to watch the various wildlife. The Big 5 are a major highlight of course. However, the Great Migration in the Musiara and Mara Triangle sectors also offer exhilarating experiences during a game drive. This is an event mostly experienced from July to October every year. Have picnic lunch and view more animals and birds. Also, the forest, woodland and grassland habitat is amazing to view. Return to your accommodation for some dinner and overnight stay.
Day 8: Hot air balloon safari, game drive and community tour
After breakfast, drive to the hot air balloon launch pad to have an aerial experience this time. As soon as briefing ends, enter the hot air balloon and fly over the different habitats of Masai Mara National Reserve. Almost every large mammal can be observed from here. After your descent to the ground, enjoy bush breakfast. Champagne is available for you if you enjoy it. Afterwards head to the Maasai community living adjacent to the reserve.
Gain firsthand knowledge about one of the most popular tribes in the African continent. Learn about their culinary style, dressing style, dancing style and singing among other aspects of Maasai culture. How they have survived alongside the Big 5 and other iconic wildlife of the reserve should be shared with you. Have a game drive while in the reserve to see more wild mammals and birds. Return to your accommodation for dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Game Drive in Masai Mara
After a warm breakfast at your accommodation, explore the Mara Triangle and Musiara sector in a 4X4 safari car. Do this to catch some of the mammals and birds you could not see previously. Another opportunity to watch the amazing Wildebeest Migration is here. Enjoy picnic lunch and proceed to explore the plains, because they are vast. Return later in the afternoon to the lodge to relax while expecting dinner and overnight.
Day 10: Return journey to Nairobi. Departure
Check out of your accommodation after your leisurely breakfast in the morning. Do this while you prepare for a 230 km journey to Nairobi from the Sekenani Gate. Your destination is the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to catch your flight home. The journey to the capital also includes lunch enroute. This is the end of your 10 days Kenya safari and Uganda gorilla trekking.