This 12-day sojourn through the most iconic safari destinations in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania provides the unique opportunity to combine gorilla trekking with the unforgettable experience of the Great Wildebeest Migration. Begin your safari overlooking Lake Victoria before setting off for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and then continuing onward through the greater Serengeti eco-system. Here you’ll visit the Masai Mara, the Serengeti National Park and descend into Ngorongoro Crater.
Welcome to Uganda! After clearing immigration and customs in Entebbe, meet your representative, who will accompany you on a road transfer to your hotel.
After breakfast, embark on a road transfer to Entebbe International Airport and depart on your flight to Kihihi Airstrip. Your lodge representative will meet you on arrival and drive you to your safari lodge, perfectly positioned on the forest edge. Relax after lunch and take the afternoon to prepare for your gorilla trek the next day.
After an early breakfast and briefing from your guide, set off into the rainforest in search of your gorilla family. The trek will take place through dense forest with steep slopes. Once you’ve found the gorillas, spend quality time with them, watching them feed and socialise, before trekking back to your starting point and lodge.
After breakfast, embark on a road transfer to Kihihi Airstrip for your light-aircraft flight to Entebbe. After your flight to the Masai Mara, you will be met and transferred to the camp. Settle in and relax before you join in on the safari activities. End the day off under the African sky, taking in the sounds of the night around a crackling fire.
At Sanctuary Olonana, game viewing starts from the camp. A pod of hippo lives permanently in the river just below camp, and many other species come to drink there. Your experienced guides take you to all the hidden spots in customised open safari vehicles that offer all-round views, allowing for excellent photography opportunities. You can also enjoy a nature walk and learn about the plants and trees and their medicinal uses. Find out about insects, birds and animal signs, which are everywhere but not easily noticed.
After breakfast, enjoy the day’s safari activities, which could include a nature walk, game drives or a visit to the village accompanied by an experienced Maasai guide. The villages are built along traditional lines, complete with cattle enclosure, outer palisade and mud-and-cow dung huts. Meet the elders, their wives and families and learn about the social structure of the homestead, the role of women in their society and many more aspects of their daily life.
Enjoy breakfast and head off to the airstrip for your journey into the Serengeti, where you will be met and transferred to camp. Here you will have the opportunity to intimately experience the movement of a million-plus wildebeest and zebra as they follow the fresh grasses across the Serengeti plains during the annual migration cycle. Settle in and join the safari activities.
Enjoy game drives and wildlife viewing from open plains, sweeping grasslands and rocky kopjes. The stars of this seasonal path are wildebeest, zebra, Thomson’s gazelles and the predators that this migratory journey attracts. The Serengeti is known for having the Big Five; cheetah are a highlight, along with wild dog, giraffe, waterbuck and impala. End off the day with a sundowner, enjoying the magnificent African sunset, all while being surrounded by thousands of wildebeest and zebra.
Today brings another day in the Serengeti to enjoy the camp’s five-star facilities. Savour international flavours alongside kachumbari (traditional Tanzanian salsa), coconut beans, paprika, cinnamon, chilli from nearby Zanzibar, conjured up by the chef and his team. Evenings can be spent gathered by the traditional fire pit, exchanging stories under starry skies and listening to tales of wildlife encounters and historical derring-do from the passionate guides.
Enjoy breakfast then take a light-aircraft flight to Lake Manyara, where you will be met and transferred to Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp. Situated in the Ngorongoro Crater rim valley, it’s close to the access road into the crater, giving guests unrivalled access to the crater floor. Settle in on one of the comfy sofas in the lounge area (perfect for afternoon relaxation) or head to the lounge bar, where pre-dinner drinks are served.
After a very early morning descent along the narrow track to the crater floor, your game drive commences along the myriad tracks on the crater floor – an exceptional experience in this magical setting. The crater floor is a mini biosphere with a multitude of animal and bird species, including black rhino. Later, ascend back up the narrow track to your lodge, where you can enjoy lunch with the rest of the afternoon at leisure. Settle in for the evening with dinner and drinks around the campfire.
Enjoy breakfast and embark on a road transfer to Lake Manyara Airport, where you will take a light-aircraft flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward travel arrangements.
