YRH9N: Lake Nakuru + Maasai Mara + Gorillas

Day 1

You will be met at Nairobi Airport and transferred to your hotel in this bustling city.

Check in after midday and relax by the hotel swimming pool in your warm and friendly African surroundings.

Day 2

Today transfer from Nairobi and travel 2-hours overland to the Lake Nakuru area in the heart of the Great Rift Valley.

Check into your lodge and relax in your warm East African surroundings.

Day 3

Today enjoy a 4x4 excursion to Lake Nakuru.

A soda lake on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, Lake Nakuru is home to millions of flamingos and over 400 different bird species. The sight of these flamingos in flight at certain times of the year is quite spectacular and makes the lake appear pink from a distance. The lake is also a haven for certain endangered species including the Rothschild giraffe and black and white rhino.

Late afternoon at leisure at your lodge.

Day 4

Today you will be transferred to Naivasha Airport for your light aircraft flight to the Maasai Mara National Park, named after the Maasai people and the Mara River, which divides the park.

Maasai Mara National Park is famous for its exceptional population of game and the annual migration of zebra and wildebeest from the adjoining Serengeti National Park, which occurs every year from September  to October, when these ungainly animals migrate along a circular route from the plains of the Serengeti to the pastures of the Maasai Mara and back again in search of fresh pasture followed by hungry predators - most notably lions and hyena.

After checking in to your lodge, enjoy a late afternoon game drive into this magnificent wildlife sanctuary.

Days 5-6

Today is dedicated to game viewing in the world famous Maasai Mara National Park.

Nestled within the enormous Great Rift Valley, Maasai Mara National Park is famous for its lions and abundant wildebeest, which number over one million. All the Big Five can be seen as well as numerous other species including gazelle, impala, topi, hartebeest, roan antelope, hippo and huge herds of zebra and giraffe. The nocturnal bat-eared fox, rarely found elsewhere in Kenya, and the spotted hyena also inhabit this park, as well as the endangered cheetah and black rhino. Bird watching is also outstanding with over 450 different species including the vulture, marabou stork, secretary bird, hornbill, crowned crane, ostrich, long-crested eagle and african pygmy-falcon. The terrain is primarily open grassland and seasonal riverlets, with most game concentrated around the swampy ground on its western border.

Set off early each morning, when game viewing conditions are at their best, to view the abundant wildlife of the Maasai Mara region. Return to the lodge to rest in the heat of the day, before setting off again in the late afternoon for another game drive.

Day 7

After a final early morning game drive in the Maasai Mara, transfer to the airstrip for your light aircraft flight to Nairobi Airport for your onward flight.

You will be met at Entebbe Airport and transferred 4-hours overland to your lodge situated in the dense equatorial Gorilla Forest of Uganda.

Check into your accommodation and enjoy the beautiful scenery of your remote forest surroundings.

Day 8

Rise early today to travel to the National Park entrance, where rangers will allocate you to a small group to track one of two troupes of endangered Mountain Gorillas, accompanied by a guide.

You will be allocated according to your age and level of fitness, with one group being required to walk for 2-3 hours, and another for 4-6 hours, tracking a family of these gigantic animals on foot and observing their behaviour up close - a rare privilege indeed!

You need to be sufficiently fit to walk for the period indicated, in walking boots & weatherproof clothing

Day 9

At leisure to relax at your lodge and enjoy the natural beauty of the Gorilla Forest area of Uganda.

Day 10

Today return transfer overland to Entebbe Airport for your flight home.