Itinerary | Nairobi to Gorillas

We recommend you arrive in Nairobi the day before the trip departs. If you’re there with time to spare there are lots to see and do around the city. In Nairobi town is the National Museum and markets. Also Karen Blixen’s house, Langata Giraffe Centre, Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage and Nairobi National Park for the first glimpse of African wildlife. In the evening before the trip departs we have a pre departure meeting at the departure hotel to prep you for the trip.

WEEK 1: Nairobi, Kenya to Jinja, Uganda

Leaving Nairobi we stop at the Rift Valley scenic lookout its 8,000 feet high and overlooks Mount Longonot and Lake Naivasha.  We camp beside the lake. Close by is Hell’s Gate National Park where you can hire bikes to take you around the park and see the herds of zebra, buffalo and antelope. You can also wander in the predator free reserve amongst African game. There is spectacular scenery here; red cliffs, grassy plains and rock towers made of hardened lava and the remains of ancient volcanoes.

By the lake is Elsamere; home of Joy Adamson and Elsa the lion of ‘Born Free’ fame. Elsamere is now the centre of the Born Free Foundation and you can find out more about their work and take afternoon tea in the gardens. Lake Naivasha, camping under the fever trees on the shore of Lake Naivasha, with hippos grazing on the shore in the evening

We camp near Nakuru at a campsite on a local farm. Nakuru is Kenya’s fourth largest town and sits in the Rift Valley, beside Lake Nakuru National Park.

At Lake Nakuru, viewing game in a park; famous for its soda lake surrounded by thousands, sometimes millions of pink flamingos. The park is home to over 400 species of bird, and we should spot leopard or black and white rhino among the zebra, waterbuck, impala, giraffe and tree climbing lions. Leaving the park we return to our camp.
Included Activity: Lake Nakuru National Park

Crossing the Owen Falls dam we arrive at Jinja on the shores of Lake Victoria. Our campsite for the next few days above Bujagali Falls is a welcome break from travelling; we can have a lazy afternoon to put up our tents on the grassy terraces overlooking the Nile River. – You can spend an action-filled day white water rafting down the Nile. As well as grade 5 rapids this river has a lot of bird and wildlife to view while drifting between the rapids. The rafting is rounded off with a sunset BBQ and drinks, then back to camp to re-live it on video. There are no shortages of other activities in Jinja; quad biking, bungee jump, fish on Lake Victoria, take a guided village walk or give up a day of your holiday to volunteer for the local community education project.

WEEK 2: Kampala to Gorillas

Uganda is a green fertile country and head on via Jinja on Lake Victoria to Kampala. Its landscapes vary from the fertile green areas around the northern shores of Lake Victoria to the snow-capped Ruwenzori Mountains. Kampala, the capital city is bustling and friendly.

Stopping for photos as we cross the equator, we continue southwest to Kabale town; gateway to the Mountain Gorilla Reserves. Climbing through lush terraced hills to Kisoro, there are panoramic views of the Ugandan hills on every turn. From the road, we have outlooks over three countries – Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda; Virunga Mountains; Mountains of the Moon, – home of the rare Mountain Gorillas.

Trekking to the mountain gorillas
The park rangers monitor the gorillas on a daily basis and know pretty much where they are each day. As the gorillas share much of our DNA, anyone with cold or flu cannot trek. Trekking is also only open to people over 16 years old. Due to the restrictions on the daily numbers of visitors, we depart from our base in Bunyoni in small groups over a few days. Whilst others are searching for the great apes you can; see the local markets, walk to the nearby mountain lakes, go to Magahinga National Park to hike up a volcano, or go on a guided nature trail.

Dependant on where permits are available
We may spend a night in either Kisoro or in Rwanda. The following morning, after packing our picnic lunch, we are transferred to a ranger’s station where the trek commences. Your rangers will lead you through the cultivated lands and villagers of subsistence farmers, into the dense rainforest and on to find a gorilla family.

Trekking Time
It can take from one to eight 8 hours walking past the terraced farms into the forests and the hills with the guides sometimes cutting a path through the forest undergrowth. On finding a gorilla family visiting time is just one hour. Watch them, while the ranger guides give you the background of the family you are visiting.

The prices of trekking permits
This fluctuates. There is a local transport & handling fee which covers the return public transfer and the Wildlife Authority’s booking fee. We normally visit the gorillas in Uganda, but depending on conditions, we may see them in Rwanda.
Optional excursion Gorilla Trekking

WEEK 3: Gorillas to Nairobi

We return from the Mountain Gorillas to cross the Equator for the second time and stop for the classic – one foot in each hemisphere photo opportunity. We spend the night in Kampala and have the opportunity to try its nightlife. We pass from the dramatic landscape of the Rift Valley to the highlands and spend our first night on the highland route to Eldoret

We head south to Narok and on to Masai Mara National Reserve; camping on the edge of the park.

The sweeping plains evoke a picture of East Africa that most people hold in their minds and are rarely disappointed when confronted with the real thing. Great game viewing is assured all year round. The Mara offers us everything, amazing scenery and abundant wildlife; including the big five.
Included Activity: Masai Mara Nature Reserve and game drives

We climb out of the Rift Valley, hopefully with a mist free view of the valley below from the escarpment. We return to Nairobi, arriving around noon.