The 8 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking & Maasai Mara Safari takes you to the best of Africa that offers incredible wildlife and primate viewing such as the mountain gorillas and animal viewing like lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffaloes. Uganda stuns as home to half of the world’s population of the endangered mountain gorillas. In Uganda can be seen in two national parks – Bwindi and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Generally, Uganda is relatively greener and with greater biodiversity and the best region to travel to is western Uganda while Kenya is not primate’s destination but one of the three best place to go for a safari in Africa.
Masai Mara ranks the seventh wonder of the world and stands as the fourth most visited national park in the world. It offers the most gorgeous tourist attraction in Kenya thus home to vast mammals including elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, hyenas, jackals, leopards, lions, rhinos, warthogs, wild dogs, wildebeests and zebras, crocodiles, hippos many more.
Masai Mara is also a great stopping site to go for a great annual wildebeest migration event which usually occur in the month of July to October.
Safari Highlight of the 8 Days Uganda Gorilla &Masai Mara
Day 1: Transfer from Entebbe to Kibale National Park – Visit the Bigodi Swamp and Crater lakes
Day2: Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest –Transfer to Bwindi
Day3: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi – Visit the Batwa pygmies
Day 4: Drive back to Kampala –Evening city tour
Day5: White Water Rafting in Jinja and Visiting the Source of the Nile – Departure to Nairobi
Day 6: Depart from Nairobi to the Masai Mara National Reserve
Day 7: Full Day Game Drive in Masai Mara Game Reserve
Day 8: Visit the Masai Villages – Drive back to Nairobi for Departure.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Transfer to Kibale National Park – Visit the Bigodi Swamp and Crater Lakes
Depending on your point of location, our profession driver guide will pick you up to start the driving journey to Kibale National Park. You will drive passing through beautiful Ugandan countryside and view the tea plantations and the rolling hills. You will have a picnic lunch in beautiful town of Fort portal. After lunch, continue to drive to the park. Arrive, check into the lodge for rest.
After resting for a while, you will go and visit the Bigodi swamp and crater Lakes.Bigodi swamp is perfect for birding and primate viewing.
Crater lakes are beautiful natural creation that resulted from the formation of the East African Rift Valley. Dinner and overnight stay.
Meal plans: Breast fast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 2: Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale Forest and transfer to Bwindi Forest National Park
Wake up enjoy your early morning breakfast and ask your hotel to provide you with light snacks to take with you for the activity which can last 6hours. Your driver guide will pick you up to drive you to the park offices for briefing. After briefing, head out in the forest in search for chimps –accompanied by the ranger guide. When they are found, one hour is given to visitors to spend with chimps -learning about their behaviors and habits as well as capturing videos for your future remembrance. Return to the lodge for lunch and check out of the lodge. Embark the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National park
Kibale forest hosts the largest population of over 1500 individuals of chimpanzees thus making it the best place for tracking wild chimpanzees in the world.
Day 3: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi – Visit the Batwa Pygmies
Wake up early at 6:30am have breakfast as you wait for the guide to take you to the park headquarters for briefing and always ask for packed snack or lunch box. You never know –gorilla trekking might take long depending on their location. After briefing, you will be led by park guide who will share information about Mountain gorillas and conservation. The trekking experience involves in 8 people assigned in one gorilla group.
Once you find them, one hour is given to you to spend with them as they play, feed, build their nest in the evening. After meeting up with gorillas, you will be led back to the park offices to get your certificate of completion. The guide will take you back to the hotel for lunch and refreshments.
Then, in the late afternoon, the guide will take you to visit the Batwa pygmies. The Batwa pygmies have lived in the forest of Bwindi for over decades of year, as forest gatherers and hunters with no knowledge about how to survive in a competitive world. Today, they live outside of the park as local guides to the park. During your visit to Batwa community, can interact with them, enjoy their traditional dances among other. Dinner and overnight stay.
Meal plans; Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day4: Transfer back to Kampala – Visit Igongo cultural Centre, Equator crossing /Kampala City Tour in the evening
Wake up enjoy leisurely breakfast, driver to start the journey back to Kampala. On the way, you will visit the Igongo culture Centre for cultural visit through learning about long horned cattle, milking the Ankole cattle. Proceed the drive to the Equator in Kayabwe ‘’Masaka district’ where you will enjoy memorable photography at a point where the earths northern and southern hemisphere meets.
Continue a drive to Kampala straight to your hotel for relaxation, shower. Then after, you will go for an evening City tour to visit most of city hustling site like the Uganda museum, Bahai Temple, Namugongo shrine, Kasubi tombs among others. Return back to the hotel. Dinner and overnight.
Meal plans; Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day5: Whitewater rafting in Jinja – Visiting the Source of the Nile –Transfer to Nairobi
After morning breakfast, embark the journey to Jinja – a town known for having some of the best adrenaline raising activities in Africa. Jinja has got a lot of splendid place to visit like a visit to the source of the Nile enjoy whitewater rafting, bungee jumping, sport fishing or engage in horseback riding around the Nile. After completing all your activities in Jinja, start the journey back to Entebbe to catch your flight to Nairobi. Dinner and overnight.
Meal plans; Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 6: Drive from Nairobi to Masai Mara National Reserve – Afternoon Game drive
After morning breakfast, drive to Masai Mara a home to large population of wildlife. Arrive at the park in time, check into your hotel, have lunch and then after, go for evening game drive which will end at sunset, back to the lodge for rest. Dinner and overnight.
Meal plan; Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Full Days –Balloon tours, Game drives and exploring the Masai Mara National Game reserve
You will be picked up by your guide after taking breakfast. You will start with hot air balloon where you will enjoy great aerial view of large herd of elephants, wildebeest, buffaloes, watch cheetah, hyenas, impales, zebras among others. In the middle of the day, you will have picnic lunch at the hippos with gainful view of crocodiles and hippos. Dinner and overnight.
Meal plan; Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 8: Visit the Masai Village – Transfer back to Nairobi
Wake up at your leisure time and enjoy your breakfast check out of the camp. Your driver guide drives you to visit the Masai warriors and nomadic herdsmen who live within and outside the reserve taking care of their domestic animals for survival. You will learn about their cultural heritage from the elders. After spending time with the Masai, you will start the journey back to Nairobi to be dropped at the Airport or at your hotel.
End of 8 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking & Maasai Mara Safari.
Cost Includes;
Gorilla trekking permits
Chimpanzee permits
All Park entrance fees
Cutltural visits to the Batwa and Masai People
Game drives and balloon tour fees
Full board accommodation with meals
Ground transportation
Knowledgeable English speaking driver guide
Water and lunch while traveling
Domestic flight from Uganda to Kigali
Airport transfers
Cost Excludes;
International flights and visas
Personnel expenses like laundry ,souvenirs ,soft drinks ,tips ,telephones .
