Gorillas & Game Parks

Tour Itinerary 

Day 1:                         Accommodation:        (D)        

On arrival in Kigali this evening, you will be met and transferred to your accommodation at the Chez Lando Hotel. Located on the outskirts of Kigali, this boutique hotel boasts a popular bar and rooftop restaurant – the perfect place for a welcome dinner and get to know your fellow travelers.  (Accommodated)

Day 2:                         Accommodation:     (B, L, D)

This morning we’ll spend a few hours at the Genocide Museum, a sobering reminder of the atrocities that occurred in Rwanda in 1994.  After lunch we drive over a scenic mountain road to Ruhengeri where we’ll be based at The Pastoral Centre of Our Lady Fatima for 2 nights.  There’s a lively rooftop bar and it’s only a short walk in to the centre of town.  (Accommodated)

Day 3:                         Accommodation:    (B, L, D)             

Gorilla Trekking Day! We will be picked up early in the morning and taken up to the park entrance headquarters. From here we will be split into groups of 8 with a guide and park rangers and driven to the Parc National des Volcans to begin our hike in to see the awesome Mountain Gorillas. Expect to trek anything from 1 to 4-hours around and up a thickly forested volcano with overhanging vines, moss covered trees and giant Lobelias that thrive in the tropical climate. Depending on where the gorillas are, you may have to go off the track and climb steeply through thick bush.  After all the effort of your climb, your heart will be in your throat when you finally come across a family of gorillas.  There are only around 700 gorillas left in the world and nothing could be more of a privilege than to spend an hour watching them as they go about their daily routine of feeding, playing, cleaning and resting in their own territory.  An unforgettable experience!  (Accommodated)

Day 4:                         Accommodation:     (B, L, D)         

It’s a picturesque drive today with plenty of varied scenery, as we leave Rwanda and cross in to Uganda.  We stop in the colourful town of Kabale for supplies before driving up a steep road lined with quarries mined by hand, and down a winding road with stunning vistas into Lake Bunyoni.  (Accommodated)

Day 5:                         Accommodation:     (B, L, D)     

Lake Bunyoni is reputed to be one of the deepest in Africa and is fantastic for swimming in. The surrounding hills are the home of the Bakiga people who are cultivators by tradition.  Guided walks, visiting an orphanage, and canoeing are just some of the optional activities on offer here.  We’ll spend a leisurely afternoon cruising by boat around the islands and visiting a boarding school.  (Accommodated)

Day 6:                         Accommodation:    (B, L)            

An early start for a particularly scenic drive through lush Ugandan banana and tea plantations to Queen Elizabeth National Park.  We enter the Park after lunch and game-drive through to Mweya Lodge and our camp for the evening.  The camp is basic but is in a fantastic location overlooking the Kazinga Chanel.  If you feel like some luxury tonight, you can upgrade to a room at Mweya Lodge (subject to availability).  Tonight we dine at the Lodge (own expense).  (Camping – upgrades from US$150 per person).

Day 7:                         Accommodation:      (B, L, D)             

Queen Elizabeth National Park is especially scenic, with two lakes connected by a channel overlooked by a high peninsula.  This morning we cruise the Kazinga Chanel by boat with a guide to see the many Hippo, abundant bird life and busy fishing village.  In the afternoon we drive through to Lake Nyabikere.  Our base for the next 2 nights is the CVK Lodge, located right on a tranquil crater lake.  Nyabikere means lake of frogs and there are thousands of these elusive amphibians singing around the lake, along with cheeky monkeys swinging from trees right in front of your room.  (Accommodated)

Day 8:                         Accommodation:      (B, L, D)            

Free day.  You have the opportunity to do a chimpanzee walk and see these primates in their natural habitat, take a hike around the surrounding crater lakes nearby, or just spend a relaxing day swimming in the lake.  (Accommodated)

Day 9:                         Accommodation:     (B, L)  

Depart Lake Nyabikere this morning and drive on to colourful, chaotic Kampala - Uganda’s capital.  We’ll be stopping the night at the Kampala Backpackers/Camp which has a bar, pool table, restaurant and handicraft shop.  You will have some free time this afternoon to explore the city at your leisure.  This evening we’ll take a minibus taxi into the city to dine out in one of the great restaurants on offer.  Partygoers might like to stay on and experience the night life of Kampala.  Dinner at your own expense.  (Camping – upgrade to room priced from US$20 per person)

Day 10:                       Accommodation:      (B, L, D)

This morning we’ll spend some time at a large, modern shopping centre where you can stock up on personal items, have lunch in a café etc.  Then it’s a relatively short drive through to Jinja where we will spend the night over-looking the source of the Nile at Bujagali Falls.  The luxuriant vegetation covering the river banks and islands, and the diversity of bird life attracted by the multitude of fish, complete the stunning vista from our campground. The camp has a great bar overlooking the river and bungy jump. (Permanent tent with bedding)

Day 11:          Accommodation:     (B, L, D)       

Our drive today brings us to Sipi Falls.  We’ll spend the afternoon walking the trails around the Falls with a local guide. Our camp is located overlooking the Falls with the foothills of Mt Elgon in the background – a truly great place for a sundowner.  (Camping)

Day 12:                       Accommodation:    (B, L, D)       

We cross in to Kenya today and drive through to Eldoret.  We will be staying at Naiberi River Camp up in the highlands where it is much cooler. The camp is more of a laid-back resort and has a pool, shady gardens, great restaurant and a very vibrant bar with unique furnishings. (Accommodated in dormitory – upgrade to private room from US$40 per person)

Day 13:          Accommodation:     (B, L, D)     

The drive today is stunning along high altitude passes where Kenyan marathon runners train, and down the very picturesque Eldama Ravine to Nakuru.  We enter Lake Nakuru National Park this afternoon and spend the day game driving.  This park is small and packed with wildlife. The soda lake has over 400 species of birdlife, including thousands of pink flamingos – an ornithologists paradise.  It is also home to both the black and white rhino, and where many of the scenes from the movie “Out of Africa” were filmed.  We will be camping at one of the sites in the park tonight.  (Camping)

Day 14:                       Accommodation:     (B, L, D)         

Another game drive this morning, before departing the Park for a really short drive in to the bustling town of Nakuru.  This is a good place for souvenir and handicraft shopping, or catch up on emails at an internet café.  Later this afternoon it’s an easy drive to our accommodation for the night.  This camp is located in the Rift Valley and set in a well secured farm with beautiful gardens and excellent facilities.  A relaxing place to kick-back.  (Accommodated)

Day 15:                      Accommodation:      (B, L, D)        

Today is a reasonably long, but interesting, drive into The Masai Mara National Reserve stopping along the way for lunch.  As we get closer to the park you will see herds of goats & cows wandering the vast plains and dutifully looked over by their Masai owners.   We enter the main gate by mid afternoon and game drive through to Acacia Tented Camp, where we will spend the next two nights.  (Permanent tent with bedding)

Day 16:                      Accommodation:     (B, L, D)            

Day 17:                      Accommodation:   (B, L, D)                  

Day 19:                      Tour Ends  (B)                  

NOTE:
Africa does not run like clockwork; therefore please do not expect the streamlined travel arrangements associated with some other continents. There will be times when you will need to be patient and philosophical about your travels and have a sense of humour.