East Africa overland tour
| country: | Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda |
| departures: | 2009: 21 Nov 2010: 2 Jan, 13 Feb, 27 Mar, 8 May, 19 Jun, 3 Jul, 17 Jul, 14 Aug, 18 Sep, 23 Oct, 4 Dec 2011: 22 Jan, 19 Mar, 30 Apr, 4 Jun |
| price: | From £2085 (22 days) excluding flights. Local payment US$800 . We can arrange flights from the UK |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This is the big one - combining the 'Gorilla Express' with the 'East Africa Safari'. East Africa's premier three countries, (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania) are explored, showcasing the best of east Africa's wildlife, scenery and people, over a magical 22 days.
Over the first week we spend time with the rare mountain gorilla, on the slopes on Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, before visiting a chimpanzee sanctuary on a small island, on Lake Victoria. Seeing these endangered gorillas in their own environment is a real privilege and an experience that is sure to be indelibly etched in your memory. The intimacy of contact with these giant apes is, for many, a deeply moving experience. Quite simply, trekking to visit the mountain gorillas is one of those 'must-do' things in your life and Uganda offers an incredible opportunity to achieve this. Having the services of a local tour leader to give us valuable insights into the cultural aspects of the country, as well as getting opportunities to meet local Ugandans, admiring incredible landscapes and visiting the deepest crater lake in Africa, all amount to a first week packed with highlights!
After travelling across to Nairobi, two incredible weeks are spent enjoying a traditional safari through the best areas of east Africa. The vast grasslands of Kenya and Tanzania support the largest concentration of wildlife in the world, where massive herds of wildebeest and zebra roam through the Serengeti Plains and the Masai Mara, along with elephant, giraffe and many predators. Ngorongoro Crater is considered by many to be Africa's 'jewel in the crown', being home to an amazing variety of wildlife, including the highly endangered black rhinoceros. We spend six days in parks and conservation areas to ensure our game viewing opportunities and experiences are diversed and incredible! We also allow time to partake in further activities - on foot or by mountain bike. We also have the opportunity to interact with some special children at a Kenyan orphanage and a Tanzanian school, as well as meet various tribal groups. We travel deep into spectacular wildlife arenas, down into the Great Rift Valley, up through highlands and tea estates, along lakeshores and into traditional tribal communities. We visit some worthwhile community projects that we support. By participating in this tour, you are helping to support two worthy causes - the East African Mission Orphange in Kenya and the School of St Jude in Tanzania.
Over the first week we spend time with the rare mountain gorilla, on the slopes on Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, before visiting a chimpanzee sanctuary on a small island, on Lake Victoria. Seeing these endangered gorillas in their own environment is a real privilege and an experience that is sure to be indelibly etched in your memory. The intimacy of contact with these giant apes is, for many, a deeply moving experience. Quite simply, trekking to visit the mountain gorillas is one of those 'must-do' things in your life and Uganda offers an incredible opportunity to achieve this. Having the services of a local tour leader to give us valuable insights into the cultural aspects of the country, as well as getting opportunities to meet local Ugandans, admiring incredible landscapes and visiting the deepest crater lake in Africa, all amount to a first week packed with highlights!
After travelling across to Nairobi, two incredible weeks are spent enjoying a traditional safari through the best areas of east Africa. The vast grasslands of Kenya and Tanzania support the largest concentration of wildlife in the world, where massive herds of wildebeest and zebra roam through the Serengeti Plains and the Masai Mara, along with elephant, giraffe and many predators. Ngorongoro Crater is considered by many to be Africa's 'jewel in the crown', being home to an amazing variety of wildlife, including the highly endangered black rhinoceros. We spend six days in parks and conservation areas to ensure our game viewing opportunities and experiences are diversed and incredible! We also allow time to partake in further activities - on foot or by mountain bike. We also have the opportunity to interact with some special children at a Kenyan orphanage and a Tanzanian school, as well as meet various tribal groups. We travel deep into spectacular wildlife arenas, down into the Great Rift Valley, up through highlands and tea estates, along lakeshores and into traditional tribal communities. We visit some worthwhile community projects that we support. By participating in this tour, you are helping to support two worthy causes - the East African Mission Orphange in Kenya and the School of St Jude in Tanzania.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Entebbe |
| Day 2-3: | Kabale - Bwindi Impenetrable Forest |
| Day 4: | Gorilla Trekking (Bwindi - Uganda) |
| Day 5-6: | Bushara Island Camp - Lake Bunyoni |
| Day 7-8: | Entebbe - Chimpanzee Sanctuary - Kampala |
| Day 9: | Private transfer Kampala - East Africa Mission Orphanage, Nakuru |
| Day 10: | Lake Nakuru National Park |
| Day 11: | Lake Naivasha |
| Day 12-13: | Masai Mara National Reserve |
| Day 14-15: | Kenyan Highlands - Lake Victoria |
| Day 16-17: | Serengeti National Park |
| Day 18: | Serengeti National Park - Ngorongoro Conservation Area |
| Day 19: | Ngorongoro Crater - Mto Wa Mbu |
| Day 20-21: | Masai Village Visit - Arusha - School of St Jude |
| Day 22: | Arusha - Nairobi |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. how this holiday makes a difference
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This trip combines the best game viewing in Africa with plenty of cultural interaction. We spend half of the trip in National Parks and Conservation areas searching for big game such as lion, elephant, rhino and cheetah. We do not disturb the delicate eco-systems of the Mountain Gorillas in Uganda, Masai Mara, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Crater as we camp in designated areas, and rigidly adhere to low impact camping guidelines.
The other half of the trip concentrates on local interaction. A highlight is our stay is a visit to the East Africa Mission Orphanage. We are proud to help support these efforts by enabling our travelers to have meaningful interaction with the kids at the orphanage. We have also donated a large part of the funding to build a new nursery, enabling the orphanage to provide care to abandoned babies. We also join a specialist local guide to visit a very traditional Masai ‘manyatta’ (village) in northern Tanzania. Here we learn about this ancient culture first-hand. We shop at the local market, visit the village school, herd goats with the children, watch the women making handicrafts and eat a meal with the tribal elders. This trip is focused on respecting and benefiting the local people and the environment of this country. On this trip you will be lead by an experienced local leader passionate about their country's history, heritage and natural beauty that will help you to get 'under the skin' of their country and see it through the eyes of a local. This trip stays at locally run accommodation; we eat at local restaurants and travel on local transport. This ensures the financial return to the local economy opens up training and employment opportunities - and allows for informal and meaningful interaction between our travellers and local people. In 2009, we aim to neutralise all major emissions created by our trips, so that they can be offered as the best green alternative available. This means all greenhouse gases emitted by transport and accommodation during all of our trips will be balanced by an Australian-based ‘profit for purpose’ company that invests all funds into renewable energy and will invest in projects aimed at ‘neutralising’ your contribution to greenhouse gases. The maximum group size on all of our adventures is 15 passengers – with exception of some African trips (24 max). Travelling in small groups ensures we make significantly less impact on the natural environment, as well as breaking down many of the communication barriers presented by a larger group. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |