YRU10E: Gorillas + Maasai Mara + Lake Victoria

Day 1

Arrive at Entebbe Airport, Uganda and transfer to your light aircraft flight to Bwindi.

You will be met at the airstrip and transferred to your lodge situated in the dense equatorial Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Check into your accommodation and enjoy the beautiful scenery of your remote forest surroundings.

Day 2

At leisure to relax at your lodge and enjoy the natural beauty of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Day 3

Rise early today to travel to the National Park entrance, where rangers will allocate you to a small group to track a troupe 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 behavior up close - a rare privilege indeed!

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

Day 4

Transfer to the airstrip for your light aircraft flight to Entebbe Airport for your onward flight.

You will be met at Nairobi Airport and transferred to 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 July 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 in 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 an early morning game drive in Maasai Mara National Park, transfer to your light aircraft flight to beautiful Lake Victoria.

Check into your lodge, settle in and relax in this area of great natural beauty.

Days 8 - 10

At leisure to relax on the shores of Lake Victoria, the largest inland lake in Africa and the source of the great River Nile.

Situated on an elevated plateau in the western section of the Great Rift Valley and straddling the equator, Lake Victoria is a biological hotspot with great biodiversity. The lake contains more than 3,000 islands and its shoreline, which stretches 2,138 miles (3,440 km), forms the border of three countries - Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Day 11

Transfer to the airstrip for your light aircraft flight to Nairobi Airport for your flight home.