Day 1 & 2
Our safari begins in Kenya, one of Africa’s most welcoming
countries, where the first words you hear are the Swahili
greeting, Jambo! (Hello!), often followed by Hakuna matata!
(no problem!) From Nairobi we cross the Great Rift Valley,
an enormous cleft in the Earth's surface stretching north
to the Red Sea and south to Mozambique. After stopping to
admire the spectacular views over the Valley we continue
to Lake Nakuru National Park, our first night’s camp.
Rhino, leopard, warthog, baboon and numerous lesser animals
inhabit the park, but Nakuru is best known for its wealth
of birdlife, especially flamingos which feed in such numbers
in the shallows that they form a pink 'fringe' around the
lake shore. Leaving Nakuru we travel north through the highlands
of Eldoret to the lush green hills of Uganda.
Days 3 to 6
Uganda (Winston Churchill’s
'Pearl of Africa') is a friendly and surprisingly green country.
Our first stop is Jinja, near the source of the Nile River.
Time permitting there are various activities available including
white water rafting, guided walks, quad biking - or simply
admire the world’s longest river from the camp. In
Kampala, there is the opportunity to visit the Ngamba Island
chimpanzees on Lake Victoria, an ideal opportunity to learn
something of the complex nature of these primates.
Days 7 to 11
Continuing to rural southwestern
Uganda we pass through Mbarara and Kabale, and stop at Lake
Bunyoni, a picturesque highland lake. We then move on to
visit one of the gorilla parks in the area for the most exciting
part of the trip - the trek to see the gorillas. This region is home to roughly half of the world's remaining
Mountain Gorillas, and is one the few places where they survive
in their natural habitat. Local guides lead us through thick
mountain jungle. The trekking can be hard going at times
but the hard work is forgotten once the gorillas have been
located. We then have a one hour ‘audience’ with
these gentle apes. Gorillas are very sociable creatures and
live in families of 12-20 individuals, led by a dominant
male (the so-called 'silverback') together with several adult
females and numerous young. (NB: group sizes on trek are
kept small to minimize the impact on the sensitive natural
habitat, we may therefore spend several days here to allow
all members of the group to view the gorillas.)
Days 12 - 14
From Uganda we return to Kenya, passing down the Rift
Valley to the bright lights and bustle of Nairobi where our
tour ends.
Notes And Ideas
Gorillas are a rare species indeed, to ensure you have the best chance of seeing
them, gorilla permits must be booked well in advance. Got time in Nairobi
before or after your tour? Discover Kenya’s bustling city on a 3-day
Nairobi City Stay, or the 3-day Masai Mara Safari
Must Do’s
- Eye a gorilla in the mist
- Trip over rhino in Nakuru
- Meet Uganda’s people on
an informative village walk
- Go white water rafting on the
longest river in Africa
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