Gorilla safari & the Masai Mara





Optional single supplement from £190 - £210.
Minimum age 16.
Late availability on these dates: 18 Jan, 03 Feb
Description of Gorilla safari & the Masai Mara
This epic 18 day gorilla safari and the Masai Mara will take you over the wildlife filled grass plains of Kenya and national parks of Uganda, before coming to a thrilling climax within a trek to meet the gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
This small group holiday begins in Kenya, where youll take game drives in the Masai Mara. Look out for lions and cheetahs, as well as numerous other species and, at certain times of year, you can watch as the Great Migration of wildebeest thunders past. Then its on to Lake Nakuru National Park, one of Kenyas best small parks, home to a population of black and white rhino. Once in Uganda, well make for Jinja, the adventure sport capital of the country, where you have the option to try white water rafting on the Nile. We spend time in Murchison Falls National Park, seeing the famous falls and enjoying a game drive on the north side of the Nile, before heading to Budongo Forest. This is your first opportunity to meet one of our closes relatives, chimpanzees, as we trek into the trees to see them. In Queen Elizabeth National Park, enjoy game drives or an optional boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel to see huge numbers of hippo, before finally, in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, we pull on our walking shoes again and go in search of gorillas a truly breathtaking finale to this wonderful adventure.
Another exciting dimension to this wildlife adventure is the accommodation. For 13 nights we will camp, with all meals prepared by the team. Its a chance to stay deeply connected to nature and brings a real sense of immersion in the landscapes and life of East Africa. This is a small group holiday with a maximum of 18 people.
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14 Reviews of Gorilla safari & the Masai Mara
Reviewed on 23 Oct 2019 by Madeleine walker
We had the best wildlife encounters ever! Read full reviewReviewed on 20 Jul 2019 by Violeta Maftei
Just returned from my first African wild adventure and I'm still day dreaming of it!...Absolutely awed day in day out. This being my first experience camping and group travelling i must say it has been a blast! Read full reviewReviewed on 15 Jan 2019 by lisa houston
Very good great experience very well run and crew are fantastic. Read full reviewReviewed on 23 Oct 2018 by Billie Jean Stubbs
Excellent. It is a shame that we did not do this before we reached our sixties. Read full reviewReviewed on 01 Aug 2018 by Kay Emblen-Perry
Too many to pick just one highlight - spending an hour with a family of 10 mountain gorillas, a balloon flight over the Masai Mara at sunrise, seeing wild chimpanzees, spotting elephants, big cats, hippos.... The list could go on. Read full reviewReviewed on 03 Jan 2018 by Xi Wang
White Water Rafting in river Nile is very interesting. Seeing Lion, Elephant and Zebra. Read full reviewReviewed on 16 Jul 2017 by Alice Neeson
The most memorable moment was getting up close to a gorilla family at Volcanoes National Park; seeing white and black rhinos in Lake Nakuru NP; seeing the Wildebeest migration in the Maasai Mara. Read full reviewReviewed on 07 Jan 2017 by Adam Southorn
This is by far the best holiday I have ever been on, and I've been on quite a few! Nothing beats the natural untouched beauty of Africa, but it was the beauty of the people that helped us feel at home that I will remember most. Read full reviewReviewed on 28 Mar 2014 by Valerie Koppi
Every day was fabulous always something different... travelling with like minded people was also a good thing. Read full reviewReviewed on 12 Mar 2014 by Mark Asquith
Gorillas!!!!! Interacting with them was the most exceptional experience of my life and the biggest adrenaline rush I have ever had. It is without comparison. The Masai Mara was amazing, wild camping was a buzz and white water rafting on the Nile was an amazing experience but being close to the African people(especially the happy kids) and not isolated in 5 star resorts made the trip a once in a lifetime experience. Read full reviewReviewed on 01 Feb 2014 by Sally Knowles-Jackson
It was excellent. I would go again tomorrow... it was such a fabulous trip from the start in Kigali to the end in Nairobi. Seeing the gorillas was obviously so special and memorable and the rafting in jinja was an unexpected highlight. Also the people in my group and our fabulous tour operator's team who were so efficient, friendly, patient and organised. Read full reviewReviewed on 26 Mar 2014 by Chris Hehir
Wildlife from Masai Mara to Rwanda was amazing, varied and stunning...Brilliant - one I shall never forget. Read full reviewReviewed on 08 Jan 2014 by Mary-Laure Bollini
It was a really great holiday, great wildlife, beautiful scenery, great people, and well organised. Read full reviewResponsible Travel
Planet
Accommodation & meals:The majority of this trip is spent camping, therefore reducing our energy consumption and carbon footprint for the whole trip. Each tour has their own chef, dedicated to buying produce from local stalls and markets and making a range of traditional meals. Guests might have the chance to learn to make an African Lakes regional specialty such as stew with Ugali - a maize flour and water mixture with the consistency of dough.
Group size:
This is a small group tour and so numbers do not exceed 18, meaning that local environments and the communities and variety of species (endangered and otherwise) that we encounter are not seriously impacted by our stay. This group size also allows us to travel with ease and therefore to stay at a number of unique, lesser known campsites and one hotel that would not usually benefit from tourism commerce due to its limited size.
UK office:
It all starts at home so we have first worked at reducing our carbon footprint in our UK offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.
Conservation:
The permit fee charged to see the Gorillas in in Parc National des Volcans goes directly towards the preservation of this endangered species and their fragile but beautiful environment. By travelling with us, you ensure that rangers are paid a fair wage and have the provisions and personnel to protect themselves and wildlife against harmful poaching activity.
People
Community:We employ local tour guides, drivers, porters and chefs and so all of these employment opportunities provide financial benefit for people in the community. Beyond this, we also work directly with a number of charitable organizations in the area. Along with offering the opportunity to get involved in a school project in Jinja, for example, we make a point of visiting the genocide museum in Kigali, Rwanda. This helps to educate visitors, drive income to the area and to support the work of the Aegis Trust which prevents further acts of atrocity in the region.
Local Crafts & Culture:
In addition to purchasing supplies locally, tour guides encourage travelers to purchase goods and souvenirs from a Maasai village. Through this we encourage and respect their customs and craftsmanship while sharing with our visitors at a fair price for the Maasai people. Our guides are also keen to teach Swahili as a means of making a more genuine connection with people they meet on the trip.
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