8 Days Bwindi Gorilla Trekking & Masai Mara Safari

8 days Bwindi Gorillas & Masai Mara safari combines  gorilla trekking experience in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park  with remarkable wildlife safari in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve.

Your journey will commence in the mountainous jungles of Uganda, where you will engage in the exhilarating experience of gorilla trekking, regarded as one of the premier wildlife excursions. Uganda hosts almost fifty percent of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, located in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Encountering the formidable Silverback Gorilla is arguably the most gratifying and enriching wildlife experience available.

Fatigued from the remarkable gorilla trekking in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you will embark on a rejuvenating safari in the Masai Mara plains. The Masai Mara National Reserve provides an unparalleled safari experience for observing wildlife in Africa. The savannah plains of the Mara are teeming with wildlife, particularly during the wildebeest migration period (June – October), when millions of animals, including wildebeest, zebras, and antelopes, populate the plains to the horizon. Concurrently, predators such as lions, cheetahs, leopards, and hyenas are plentiful, benefiting from the abundance of prey.

A Detailed 8 Days Bwindi Gorilla Trekking & Masai Mara

Day 1 – Arrival in Entebbe, Uganda

Upon your arrival in Entebbe, Uganda, Our company representative will greet you at the airport and facilitate your journey to the hotel. Available accommodation alternatives:

Mid-range: Two Friends Beach Hotel

Luxury: Hotel No. 5

Meal Plan: Dinner

Day 2 – Journey to Bwindi National Park

You will be met at 7 AM to commence the extensive journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the habitat of the Mountain gorillas. The drive lasts 7 to 8 hours. A lengthy journey, however not tedious, as you appreciate the picturesque scenery and pause at notable locations, like the Uganda Equator.

 

If you prefer to avoid the lengthy trip, we can explore the option of a local flight to southern Uganda near the gorilla park.

Available accommodation alternatives:

Midrange: 4 Gorillas Lodge

Luxury: Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 – Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Awake early, eat breakfast by 6:30 AM, collect your lunch bag, and proceed to the park office by 7:00 AM. You will convene with the other gorilla trekkers for a training regarding the gorillas and the regulations, after which you will be assigned a gorilla group to track. A maximum of eight individuals may track a single gorilla group. Upon assigning the gorilla groups, you will embark into the jungle to locate the gorillas, following which you will spend one hour with them.

Return to the lodge and unwind for the remainder of the day.

Gorilla Habituation  Experience

The Gorilla Habituation Experience: To spend over one hour with the gorillas, opt for the Gorilla Habituation Experience rather than the normal gorilla tracking. The gorilla habituation experience entails up to 4 hours of tracing the gorillas from their last observed location, during which participants may spend over one hour with the gorillas if located promptly. The gorilla habituation experience is more exclusive, with only four places available daily.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4 – Bwindi National Park – Entebbe – Kenya

Following an early breakfast, you will drive back to Entebbe to board the evening flight to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Evening meal and overnight stay in Nairobi.

If you choose not to undertake the lengthy drive, we can facilitate a local flight from southern Uganda

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5 – Nairobi to Maasai Mara

You will be collected from your hotel in Nairobi at 7 AM to commence the journey to Masai Mara National Reserve. The journey from Nairobi to the Mara takes around 6 hours, incorporating breaks to appreciate the scenic vistas of the Rift Valley and to visit curio shops for refreshments or to study and acquire exquisite African goods.

 

You will arrive in the Mara and move to the lodge for lunch, followed by a period of relaxation while appreciating the picturesque views of the savannah.

At approximately 3 PM, you will embark on your inaugural wilderness trip in the stunning plains of the Mara. You will observe numerous animals and acquire more about the Mara.

At nightfall, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight accommodation.

Midrange: Pride Inn Mara Camp

Luxury: Masai Mara Sopa Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6 – Full day Masai Mara Excursion

You will rise at 6 AM for breakfast, collect your lunch pack, and embark on a full day of exploration in Masai Mara, experiencing the African savannah. You will look into the game-rich regions of the park and the migratory route if you visit during the migration season. You will aim to observe all the Big Five: lions, leopards, buffalo, elephants, and rhinoceroses.

Observe thousands of wildebeest and zebras traversing the plains, study several species of antelopes, and appreciate the stunning vistas of the magnificent Masai giraffes. Enthusiastic birdwatchers will delight in observing the formidable Secretary bird, Ostrich, various raptors, particularly vultures at corpses, and the vibrant Lilac-breasted Roller and Superb Starling, which are consistently encountered throughout the park.

Optional activity:

Early morning balloon safari: The balloon safari provides spectacular aerial views of the Mara plains and an opportunity to observe wildlife in areas inaccessible by vehicle. The rhino is challenging to observe in the Mara, and the balloon safari enhances the likelihood of sighting it in the highlands and thickets inaccessible by vehicle.

Balloon safaris commence around 5 AM, with a flight duration of approximately one hour. Subsequent to the balloon safari, you will proceed with the game drive.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7 – Safari in the Mara and Masai village tour

Today, you will return to the Mara for an additional game drive. The Mara offers an inexhaustible array of experiences, each characterized by distinct wildlife encounters and observations. You will go through other parts of the park and aim to identify more animals and birds that you may have overlooked during earlier game drives.

Later today, you will visit a Masai cultural community to gain insight into the lifestyle of the Masai people, who have inhabited the wilderness for centuries. The Masai will greet you with their remarkable warrior dance, after which their leader will guide you through the village, elucidating the lifestyle, culture, and traditions of the Masai.

Following the Masai village tour, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight accommodation.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8: Departure

Following your breakfast, you will return to Nairobi to either board your flight or stay overnight.

The aforementioned schedule includes driving to the parks (Entebbe – Bwindi, Nairobi – Masai Mara); however, flights can be utilized during the trip. If you want to travel by air, please inform us in your request.

8 days Uganda Gorillas & Masai Mara inclusions 

• Tour car and tour driver driver/guide
• All meals
• Building
• Gorilla tracking permit ($800)
• All safaris and activities included in the itinerary
• Flight from Uganda to Kenya
• Drinking water

Not Included

• Optional activities
• Visa fees
• Individual insurance
• Airfares (excluding the Uganda-Kenya flight)
• Advice
• All personal expenditures, including laundry, telephone bills, and curio acquisitions

How to prepare for your journey

• Reserve and secure your tour well ahead of time, since the scarcity of gorilla permits may result in the unavailability of your desired dates.
• Achieve optimal fitness to prepare for an extended walk and enhance your enjoyment of the hike.
• Ensure you are free from transmittable infections such as cough and influenza, which can be easily spread to gorillas because to their 98% genetic similarity to humans. If you are found to possess any of these, you will be prohibited from participating in the tour.
• Necessary materials to bring for the walk comprise: quality hiking footwear, long trousers and a long-sleeved shirt, a rain jacket or poncho, insect repellent, sunscreen, gaiters, a cap, and a compact bag.