Highlights
- Go on safaris in Amboseli National Park and the Maasai Mara
- Enjoy a hot air balloon ride over striking natural landscapes
- See mountain gorillas while trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Brief Itinerary
| Day | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrive at Amboseli National Park | Amboseli |
| Day 2 | Explore Amboseli National Park | Amboseli |
| Day 3 | Transfer to Maasai Mara National Reserve | Maasai Mara |
| Day 4 | Go on a Safari in the Maasai Mara | Maasai Mara |
| Day 5 | Continue Exploring the Maasai Mara | Maasai Mara |
| Day 6 | Depart Kenya & Fly to Uganda | Entebbe |
| Day 7 | Discover Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | Bwindi |
| Days 8-9 | Experience a Gorilla Trek | Bwindi |
| Day 10 | Depart Uganda |
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive at Amboseli National Park
Welcome to Kenya! After arriving in Nairobi, you'll catch a connecting flight to Amboseli. Amboseli means “salty dust” in Maa, the language of the Maasai. It's a place of stark contrast. Set in rolling savanna scenery, the park is dwarfed by the pink-tinged, snow-capped peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, and the world’s highest free-standing mountain.
The area is known for its magnificent elephants—some of Africa’s largest reside in this unique ecosystem. In addition to elephants, the area is home to lions, leopards, cheetahs, gazelles, impalas, zebras, wildebeest, giraffes, warthogs, and striped hyenas, jackals, bat-eared foxes, African wild cats, honey badgers, and ostriches. You'll spot a variety of animals in the wild on your way to Kibo Safari Camp, a luxury tented camp offering amazing views of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Day 2: Explore Amboseli National Park
You'll spend today on a safari in Amboseli National Park, the second most popular national park in Kenya after Maasai Mara National Reserve. This low-rainfall area, with a dried-up lake and semiarid vegetation, offers one of the best wildlife viewing experiences in the world. Keep your eyes open for more than 400 species of birds, including pelicans, kingfishers, and raptors, not to mention elephants, giraffes, leopards, cheetahs, zebras, and more.
Day 3: Transfer to Maasai Mara National Reserve
Early this morning, you'll travel to the Maasai Mara by plane. Check in at Basecamp Maasai Mara, where you'll have a leisurely lunch and some time to rest before heading out on an afternoon game drive. During the adventure, you'll have the chance to view wildlife on the plains, including elephants, zebras, lions, cheetahs, leopards, giraffes, buffaloes, rhinos, and more. Return at dusk to your riverside tent on the banks of the Talek River, the natural border to the Maasai Mara National Reserve. The dense riverbed foliage allows for privacy, comfort, and wonderful views of the surrounding landscape.
Chat with a local specialist who can help organize your trip.
Day 4: Go on a Safari in the Maasai Mara
The Maasai Mara is home to one of the most abundant wildlife populations in the world. Your safari adventure begins before sunrise, as wildlife is most active in the early and late hours of the day. Lucky travelers might even witness animals hunting during these hours—a lion hunting and killing a wildebeest, or a cheetah chasing down a gazelle, for example. You'll have a picnic lunch and plenty of drinking water available so you can properly enjoy a full day of adventure.
Day 5: Continue Exploring the Maasai Mara
Early this morning, you'll rise above the Maasai Mara on a hot air balloon ride, taking in breathtaking vistas and enjoying unique perspectives of the park. Make sure your camera is ready—you'll have great photo opportunities of the wildlife below. Later, you'll have another game drive where you can see a range of animals in the wild, with the possibilities ranging from elephants and lions to leopards and rhinos.
Day 6: Depart Kenya & Fly to Uganda
You'll cross the border to Uganda today. On arrival in Entebbe, you'll have free time to explore your accommodation's facilities.
Day 7: Discover Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After breakfast, you will travel by plane and car to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (also known as Bwindi Impenetrable Forest). On the way to your lodgings, you'll pass through the highlands of Kigezi, known as the "Switzerland of Africa," thanks to the picturesque mountain scenery.
You’ll arrive at your eco-lodge in the afternoon. After settling in, go on a guided forest walk. Ahead of your gorilla trekking experience the next day, you'll have the chance to see Bwindi's diverse wildlife: the forest is home to rare forest elephants, giant forest hogs, and eleven kinds of primates, including monkeys, baboons, and chimpanzees. Over 200 species of butterflies live here, too. Watch your surroundings carefully as you hike along a trail that leads to the Munyaga Falls waterfall.
Days 8-9: Experience a Gorilla Trek
On the last two days of the trip, you'll have the chance to see mountain gorillas in the wild. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to this endangered species. Sightings are likely, though not guaranteed. Your trekking excursion will be an active one: gorillas move continuously through the rainforest, and so will you. The terrain is often steep, and you'll trek through areas without marked paths. It's all part of the adventure!
Day 10: Depart Uganda
Today you'll depart Uganda. Safe travels!
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