8 Days Uganda Gorilla trekking, Chimpanzees and Masai Mara Safari
8 Days Uganda gorilla tour and Masai Mara safari gives you an opportunity to see mountain gorillas, lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffaloes.
Uganda is home to half of the world’s remaining endangered mountain gorillas and Chimpanzees.
They Mountain gorillas can only be found in two national parks of Bwindi and Mgahinga while although you can find many destinations for chimpanzee tracking, the primate Capital still remains the best.
While Kenya’s Masai Mara – is home to various mammals including buffaloes, crocodiles, elephants, giraffes, hippos, hyenas, jackals, leopards, lions, rhinos, warthogs, wild dogs, wildebeests and zebras.
This 8 days Uganda and Kenya safari includes chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park, Gorilla trekking, white water rafting, visiting the source of the Nile and Wildlife experience in Masai mara.
Highlights of the 8 days Uganda gorilla trekking and Maasai Mara safari
Day 1: Transfer from Entebbe to Kibale National Park – Visit the Bigodi Swamp and crater lakes
Day 2: Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park – Transfer to Bwindi
Day 3: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi – Visit the Batwa pygmies
Day 4: Transfer back to Kampala – Evening city tour
Day 5: White Water Rafting in Jinja and Visiting the Source of the Nile – Departure to Nairobi
Day 6: Transfer from Nairobi to the Masai Mara National Reserve – Afternoon game drive
Day 7: Full day Game drives in different areas of the Masai Mara game reserve
Day 8: Visit the Masai Villages – Return back to Nairobi for departure
Detailed Itinerary For 8 Days Uganda Gorillas, Chimps & Masai Mara
Day 1: Transfer to Kibale National Park – Visit the Bigodi Swamp and Crater Lakes.
Early in the morning, you will be picked from your hotel or Entebbe International Airport, by Bushtroop tours and safaris expert driver guide.
He will brief you about the 8 days Uganda gorilla trekking and Maasai Mara safari, then after you will be transferred to kigale forest national Park, with an en route break in Fort Portal.
You will arrive in time for lunch at the hotel, check in, rest a little, and then proceed for the afternoon Bigodi Swamp walk and the crater lakes visit.
The Bigodi Swamp is one of the best birding habitat in Uganda. It is also a home for smaller primates and antelopes like the Sitatunga. The crater lakes are an amazing natural creation that resulted from the formation of the East African Rift Valley.
Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Day 2: Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale – Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Rise up early in the morning for breakfast, then depart for Kanyanchu Visitors center for chimpanzee tracking briefing.
Thereafter you will go into the Bush to look for the chimpanzess. Chimpanzee trekking may take between 2 hours to 5 hours with an inclusive 1 of being close to them as watch them play, breastfeed their children, as well as jump from one tree branch to another.
From here, you then return to the park headquarters to pick your certificate upon your successful chimpanzee tracking activity followed by lunch break at the hotel.
After a while, embark on your drive with the guide to Bwindi Impenetrable forest, where you will arrive in the late evening for dinner and overnight rest.
Day 3: Gorilla tracking in Bwindi – Visit the Batwa Pygmies
Wake up early in the morning for breakfast and leave for the park office for briefing about gorilla trekking rules and regulations.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi takes between two to six hours on average. Chances are high that you might also encounter other small primates, birds, butterflies and rare plants. Upon finding them, you will be allowed to spend at most 1 hour in their presence, then return to the park head quarters to receive a certificate of successful Gorilla trekking for the group assigned.
Lunch will be at the hotel, after then you will visit the pygmies for a cultural retreat, so that you can learn about why they were evicted from the park, yet they were the first inhabitants.
Dinner and Overnight the Lodge (Luxury)
Day 4: Transfer back to Kampala – Igongo Cultural Centre – Equator crossing – City Tour in the Evening
After breakfast, journey back to Kampala through Kabale and Kisoro. You will enjoy breathtaking scenery of the highlands and valleys. Lunch will be in Mbarara (Igongo Cultural Centre) or at Equator crossing in Kayabwe (Masaka District), where you can take great photos.
On reaching Kampala for checkin, you can spend the evening resting in your hotel, you can opt to enjoy a nightlife in the city.
Dinner and Overnight at the hotel in Kampala
Day 5: Whitewater rafting in Jinja – Visiting the Source of the Nile – Transfer to Nairobi
Have breakfast in the morning and leave for Jinja for half day white water rafting at the source of the Nile.
You will then return to Entebbe International airport reaching in time for your flight to Nairobi.
Dinner and Overnight will be at booked Lodge.
Day 6: Transfer to Masai Mara National Reserve – Afternoon Game drive
Have breakfast and journey to Masai Mara, reaching in time for lunch. You will arrive at the Masai Mara Game Reserve in time to check-in to your hotel. Have lunch , then head for the afternoon or evening game drive to see some of wild game such as the dik dik, hartebeest, wildebeest, Masai giraffe, and the Thompson’s gazelle among other even the Big 5. The game drive ends at sunset after which you will go back to the lodge for rest.
Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Day 7: Full day of Balloon Safari in the Mara, game drives and exploring the Masai Mara national game reserve
Have breakfast very early in the morning, then the driver will transfer you to the briefing point of the hot air balloon.
Your excursion then starts instantly with the balloon safari, soaring high over the beautiful savanna. You will see all of the big five mammals – lions, leopards (If you are lucky), Rhinos, elephants and buffaloes. You might also see foxes, Jackals, Zebras, impala, cheetahs and hyenas among many other great creatures.
Upon landing on the ground, you will proceed for your picnic lunch at the hippo pool as you enjoy watching observing crocodiles and hippos.
Dinner and overnight at your lodge.
Day 8: Visit the Masai Villages – Transfer back to Nairobi
Wake up at your leisure for breakfast and depart for Nairobi, after a visit to the Masai warriors and nomadic herdsmen. Arrive in the afternoon for lunch break, then proceed to your hotel or back to Nairobi where you are will be dropped at the airport or at your hotel.
