Kenya & Uganda Wildlife Adventure

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Day 01: Nairobi – Arrival
Upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be transferred to your for a rest and overnight.
No meals included today.

Day 02: Lake Nakuru National Park – 160kms, 3hrs
After breakfast drive into the Great Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru National Park. Arrive at Lion Hill Lodge for lunch.

The most famous of the Great Rift Valley lakes, Lake Nakuru is renowned for its magnificent birdlife, especially the flamingos which seasonally flock there to be deemed ‘the greatest bird spectacle on earth’. Its alkaline waters, the pink-frosted shores and sky-mirrored waters of Lake Nakuru yield some of the most evocatively beautiful photo-images in Africa. This 188 square kilometre park is a paradise for those who are particularly interested in ornithology and also offers the opportunity of seeing both white and black rhino, the rare Rothchild’s giraffe, large herds of cape buffalo, and an abundance of various plains game.
Sightings of leopard resting in the branches of acacia trees are very common.

Dinner and overnight: Lion Hill Lodge*

Day 03: Maasai Mara National Reserve – 300kms, 6.5hrs
After breakfast drive to Maasai Mara National Reserve – home to lion, elephant, cheetah, buffalo, zebra, antelope and giraffe. Arrive at Sentrim Mara Camp for lunch.

Teaming with wildlife, the Mara is famous for the large herds of elephant and buffalo that meander its plains; also for the fat pods of hippo that wallow in its mud-brown rivers. Other stars of the reserve include the distinctive Maasai giraffe, plum-coloured topi, Coke’s hartebeest, Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelle, zebra, impala, Kirk’s dik-dik, bushbuck, waterbuck, and red duiker. The Maasai Mara also boasts plentiful Nile crocodile, monitor lizard, baboon, vervet monkeys, blue and red-tailed monkeys, nocturnal bush babies, and tree hyrax plus a plethora of resident and migratory birds.

Afternoon game drive.

Dinner & overnight: Sentrim Mara Camp*

Day 04 & 05: Maasai Mara National Reserve
TWO DAYS with morning and afternoon game drives in this 1800-sq-km game reserve of rolling plains, woodlands and rivers that make up the Maasai Mara triangle – one of the world’s richest wildlife sanctuaries. The camp has spectacular views of the surrounding landscape of the wildlife and birdlife that inhabit the park.

All meals and overnights: Sentrim Mara Camp*

Day 06: Lake Naivasha – 250 kms, 5.5 hrs
This morning we proceed to Lake Naivasha, a freshwater lake and the highest of the string of lakes that glitter down the vast trench of the Great Rift Valley. Towered over by the brooding bulk of Mount Longonot (2 776 m), and featuring a submerged volcanic island known as Crescent Island, this beautiful lake is best known for its high numbers of water birds.

This afternoon we will take a boat trip to Crescent Island, now preserved as wildlife sanctuary, where we’ll walk among giraffe, wildebeests, zebra, and impala.

Dinner and overnight: Fish Eagle Inn*

Day 07: Flight Nairobi to Entebbe
Early breakfast and drive to Nairobi for 11.40 hrs flight to Entebbe. On the shores of gorgeous Lake Victoria, Entebbe is an attractive, lush town that served as the capital city during the early years of the British protectorate. Today it’s the relaxed pace of life and nearby natural attractions that give the city its charm rather than any notable colonial relics.

Upon arrival at the Entebbe Int’l Airport, you will be met and transferred to Cassia Lodge for overnight (Lunch and dinner not included)

Day 08 Kibale Forest Reserve – 6 – 7 hrs drive
After breakfast drive to Kibale Forest Reserve in Western Uganda, through a very scenic route through tea plantations and dense forests. Arrive at Kibale Forest Lodge outside the town of Fort Portal for lunch.

Kibale Forest Reserve is a 795-sq-km national park located just outside Fort Portal and made up of dense tropical rainforest, within which dwell enormous numbers of primates. Afternoon at leisure.

Dinner and overnight: Kibale Forest Lodge.

Day 09 Kibale Forest Reserve
Today, either full day chimpanzee habituation experience (MUST be booked in advance) OR normal trek……
There are 4950 chimpanzees within Uganda, Kibale Forest alone has the most with almost 1500 Chimpanzees.

Normal Trek; after breakfast, you are transferred to the park headquarters for registration, enter the forest in search of the cheeky chimpanzees, return to the lodge for lunch. Afternoon guided swamp walk.

Habituation (Full Day); an early breakfast, you will be transferred to the Kanyanchu Visitor’s Centre to attend the morning briefing on Chimpanzee Habituation. From here, you depart with a researcher and ranger (could be 2 or more, max clients allowed 6 pax) will lead you through the forest as they search for the troop of chimpanzees. On sighting the chimps, you will spend time with them, following them up to their nests and etc. You will have packed lunches, and the return to the lodge will be late in the afternoon at approx… 1800 hours (extra cost for habituation is US$70.00 per person)

Dinner and overnight: Kibale Forest Lodge.

Day 10 Queen Elizabeth National Park – 4 hrs drive
After breakfast, you will drive southwards via Kasese, brief stop at the Equator crossing. Proceed cutting across the Queen Elizabeth National Park to the southern tip of the park, Ishasha sector.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is understandably Uganda’s most popular tourist destination. The park’s diverse ecosystems, which include sprawling savanna, shady, humid forests, sparkling lakes and fertile wetlands, make it the ideal habitat for classic big game, ten primate species including chimpanzees and over 600 species of birds.

Set against the backdrop of the jagged Rwenzori Mountains, the park’s magnificent vistas include dozens of enormous craters carved dramatically into rolling green hills, panoramic views of the Kazinga Channel with its banks lined with hippos, buffalo and elephants, and the endless Ishasha plains, whose fig trees hide lions ready to pounce on herds of unsuspecting Uganda kob.

Check in for lunch at The Bush Lodge. Late afternoon game drives in search of the famous tree climbing lions……

Dinner and overnight: The Bush Lodge.

Day 11 Queen Elizabeth National Park
Morning game drive in the park, teeming with plains game including elephants, warthogs, Uganda kob, buffalos, lions, leopards and hippos.

Lunch at the lodge. Afternoon safari cruise on the Kazinga Channel. From the boat you will be able to see hippos, buffalos, elephants and lots of birds.

Dinner and overnight: The Bush Lodge

Day 12 Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Reserve – 7 hrs drive
Morning breakfast at the lodge and have another game drive in search of the Elephants, birds and other wildlife.

Check out and drive through the park, arriving at Buhoma sector of the Impenetrable Forest in time for lunch at Mutanda Lake Resort. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies in southwestern Uganda on the edge of the Rift Valley. Its mist-covered hillsides are blanketed by one of Uganda’s oldest and most biologically diverse rainforests, which dates back over 25,000 years and contains almost 400 species of plants. More famously, this “impenetrable forest” also protects an estimated 400 mountain gorillas – roughly half of the world’s population, including several habituated groups, which can be tracked.

This biologically diverse region also provides shelter to a further 120 mammals, including several primate species such as baboons and chimpanzees, as well as elephants and antelopes. There are around 350 species of birds hosted in this forest, including 23 Albertine Rift endemics.

Afternoon at leisure to prepare for next day’s gorilla trek.

Dinner and overnight: Mutanda Lake Resort.

Day 13 Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Reserve – Gorilla tracking!
Wakeup call and have breakfast at the camp. Later, drive to the nearby park offices to attend a briefing by the Tourism Conservation and the gorilla guides. Uganda’s dense forests are home to over half the world’s 750 or so mountain gorillas – the rest live in the neighbouring Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As they do not survive in captivity, preservation of these fragile habitats is essential for their survival. Gorillas display uncanny human characteristics. The close-knit family groups are headed by a silverback – a mature male – who selects places for the group to eat and sleep, and has many privileges, including the right to feed first. This privilege pays off for the rest of the family, as if the group is threatened, the silverback – weighing up to 120kg (260lbs) – will defend them to the death, if necessary.

Generally though, the gorilla is a gentle species. They are considered to be highly intelligent, have been observed using tools like other great apes, and communicate using a variety of vocal sounds. You will be briefed on how to behave in the forest while in the presence of the gorilla family. Later, after registration, the gorilla trekking starts with trackers, guides and porters and this may take as little as a few minutes to as long as a several hours. Once the gorilla group is found, you will be allowed an hour to stay with the gorillas before breaking off for lunch in the forest.

After this incredible experience walk back to your waiting vehicle and return to the park offices to receive a Gorilla Trekking Certificate. You will later return to your accommodations to freshen up.

Dinner and overnight: Mutanda Lake Resort.

Day 14 Entebbe and depart – 10 – 12 hrs drive.
Breakfast and drive back to Entebbe airport for your departure flight.

(Option to fly from Bwindi to Entebbe: Add US$350.00 per person – You will be transferred to Kihihi airstrip for your morning schedule flight at 0945 hours to Entebbe, upon arrival at 1125 hours, met and assisted to connect your onward flight).

Thanks for travelling with Finisterra!

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Nairobi – Eka Hotel
Lake Nakuru – Lion Hill Lodge
Maasai Mara – Sentrim Mara Camp
Lake Naivasha – Fish Eagle Inn
Kibale Forest – Kibale Forest Lodge
Queen Elizabeth National Park – The Bush Lodge
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Reserve – Mutanda Lake Resort

Please Note that these are just sample hotels and can be upgraded to best suit your needs.

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Tour Inclusions:

Tour Exclusions:

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