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Wilderness of Kenya & Uganda
10th Sep - 18th Sep 2019
Welcome to East Africa as we embark on a journey of a lifetime to the majestic Masai Mara tracking the Great Wildebeest Migration and then to Uganda for a surreal encounter with the Mountain Gorillas on this incredible and epic expedition that will be eternally life-changing.
HIGHLIGHTS
Follow the wildebeest migration on the "other river crossing"
Encounter the Mountain Gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Enjoy an intimate experience on a small group expedition
Witness an incredible variety of fascinating wildlife species
ITINERARY
10th Sep DAY 1 (TUE): ARRIVE NAIROBI
Recommended Flight Info:
Ethiopian Airlines 639 Singapore 0215hrs Addis Ababa 0605hrs (Duration: 8h 50mins)
Ethiopian Airlines 302 Addis Ababa 0815hrs Nairobi 1025hrs (Duration: 2h 10mins)
Upon arrival at Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be met and then assisted through immigration and baggage collection.
We then begin a visit to the Karen Blixen Museum, for a glimpse into the fascinating world of this pioneer coffee farmer, who achieved world fame through her highly-acclaimed memoir, “Out of Africa”. Your
next stop is the Giraffe Center, where you will be given a rare opportunity to get up close to these gentle giants in this natural sanctuary, which has been founded by Jock Leslie-Melville, the Kenyan grandson of a Scottish Earl, to protect the endangered Rothschild Giraffe. A heart-warming visit to the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage will then wrap up your outing today where you can witness the heroic efforts of the dedicated team who rehabilitate orphaned elephant calves and other vulnerable animals. Finally, we transfer to the Hemingways Nairobi where you enjoy a refined and relax setting to rest and rejuvenate for the day.
Overnight: Hemingways Nairobi
Meals: Dinner
11th Sep DAY 2 (WED): NAIROBI / MASAI MARA
Early this morning, we will leave from Hemingways Nairobi to Wilson Airport. Embark on your Air Kenya Aviation flight from Wilson Airport to Ol Kiombo, gateway to Maasai Mara National Reserve. The quintessential Maasai Mara safari delivers many attractions and is home to an excellent year-round concentration of game as well as the two million animals that make up the Great Migration.
Upon arrival at the Ol Kiombo airstrip, hop onto your jeep vehicles as we begin a drive to the Rekero Camp where we will be staying for the next 3 nights. En route, there are many possibilities of animal sightings where we may make spontaneous tracking to admire the incredible array of wildlife.
Overnight: Rekero Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
12th Sep - 13th Sep DAY 3 & 4 (THU & FRI): MASAI MARA
Enjoy the next 2 full days in Masai Mara, enjoying game drives tracking the fascinating wildlife. The Rekero Camp is perfectly located allowing you to experience and explore every corner of the Masai Mara. Close to the Talek River, this is home to the lesser-known wildebeest river crossing where some herds of the wildebeests are making their return south towards the Serengeti in Tanzania during this season.
A Typical Day:
Game drives begins early in the morning at 0530hrs till around 1100hrs with bush breakfast served. Return to camp for lunch where you have time for siesta and rest until 1600hrs where we begin an afternoon/evening game drive till around 1830hrs.
Wildlife in the Masai Mara:
Few destinations in the world could rival the magnitude and abundance of Maasai Mara National Reserve's sheer quantity of fascinating wildlife. At the center of attention are the wildebeests and those who made it across the Mara River from the Serengeti begins another adventure into the unknown with tracking predators waiting in anticipation in the shadows. Home to the Big Five, the Maasai Mara also teems with healthy numbers of lions, zebras, cheetahs, hyenas, thompson's gazelles, giraffes, buffaloes, impalas, elephants, the endangered black rhinos, hippos and leopards.
Overnight: Rekero Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
14th Sep DAY 5 (SAT): MASAI MARA / NAIROBI / ENTEBBE
We enjoy another morning game drive today before leaving the Rekero Camp to the Ol Kiombo airstrip for our return flight to Wilson Airport, Nairobi.
On arrival, we will transfer to Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta Airport for your Kenya Airways flight to Entebbe, Uganda where we will spend the night at the Laico Lake Victoria Hotel.
Flight info:
Kenya Airways 416 Nairobi 1835hrs Entebbe 1950hrs (Duration: 1h 15mins)
Overnight: Laico Lake Victoria Hotel, Entebbe
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
15th Sep DAY 6 (SUN): ENTEBBE / BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK
Early this morning, we transfer to Entebbe Airport for our scheduled flight to Kihihi airstrip arriving around 0845hrs. where thereafter, we continue by road (1hr drive) to the Silverback Lodge located in the Buhoma sector of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where we spend the next 3 nights.
This afternoon, we enjoy a visit to the Batwa Community. This hands-on experience will open your eyes to another world – that of one of Uganda’s longest forest surviving tribes. It will also show you what other wonders Bwindi Impenetrable Forest has to offer, in the heart of gorilla land.
In the evening, we will enjoy an interactive briefing and presentation of the mountain gorillas for the next 2 days over questions and answers where we learn about its habitats, behavior and the families that call Bwindi home.
Overnight: Silverback Lodge, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
16th Sep - 17th Sep DAY 7 & 8 (MON & TUE): BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK
We will spend the next 2 days embarking on full day gorilla tracking in the forests of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to more than half of the remaining mountain gorillas in the world. Through the undergrowth and thick creepers of the dense Bwindi rainforest, track the famous gorillas. Being in company with the most peaceful, rarest and endangered of all the apes, is a fascinating experience that cannot be put into words.
A Typical Day:
Gorilla tracking is a taxing activity and requires participants who are physically fit. Activities such as briefing and registration are done at Buhoma park office and Nkuringo begins at 0745hrs and tracking usually starts at 0830hrs. This activity may take a full day or a few hours depending on where you will get to see the gorillas.
Overnight: Silverback Lodge, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
18th Sep DAY 9 (WED): BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK / DEPARTURE ENTEBBE
After breakfast, we transfer by road to Kihihi airstrip (1hr drive) to catch our scheduled flight return to Entebbe where on arrival, we enjoy lunch in a local restaurant and time at leisure before boarding our flight home. You have the option to continue your adventures in Uganda or perhaps consider an extension program to Ethiopia.
Recommended Flight Info:
Ethiopian Airlines 335 Entebbe 1845hrs Addis Ababa 2050hrs (Duration: 2h 05mins)
Ethiopian Airlines 638 Addis Ababa 2320hrs Singapore 1450hrs+1 (Duration: 10h 30mins)
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
HOTELS
Set between Nairobi National Park and the foot of the Ngong Hills, Hemingways Nairobi is an exclusive boutique hotel far from the bustle of central Nairobi. An all-suite property providing full butler service, gourmet restaurant, a brasserie and a bar, it is perfectly placed for trips to Nairobi National Park and the capital.
Deep within the Kenya Masai Mara National Reserve, Rekero Camp offers a spectacular location from which to watch the Great Migration as the wildebeest thunder across the river just outside camp. This traditional camp evokes the romance of safaris from a bygone era with elegant tents creating a tranquil oasis perched strategically above the mighty Talek River offering sweeping views of the surrounding plains of the Maasai Mara,
Laico Lake Victoria Hotel became operational in 1948 during the colonial time under Governor Cohen who lived in the current State House. This place had been designed to be his recreational center named after the lake in tribute to the Queen of England, Queen Victoria.
Silverback Lodge, located in the Buhoma sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in western Uganda, is only a 5 minute walk to the national park. The lodge has sweeping views of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park - a 124-square-mile UNESCO site home to approximately 350 mountain gorillas (half of the world's remaining population), Rooms are built and designed using local materials creating a comfortable atmosphere.