14 Days Big Cats, Wildebeest & Gorilla Trekking Safari
This 14 Days East Africa Safari combines the best of East Africa adventures including Big Cats (lions, leopards and Cheetahs), Wildebeest migration safari and mountain Gorilla trekking in Uganda creating a real lasting East African safari experience at a low cost!
Day 1; Arrival and Hotel Transfer
You will be welcomed by your driver / guide and our company representative on arrival for your 14 Days East Africa safari at Mt Kilimanjaro or Arusha airport and transfer you to Planet lodge Arusha. Dinner and overnight stay at Planet Lodge Arusha.
Day 2; Transfer to Lake Manyara & Game Viewing
Your guide will greet you and conduct a pre-departure briefing and can assist you if you’d like to exchange money or purchase something. Depart for Lake Manyara, via Arusha. Have a picnic lunch prior to taking on a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park. Dinner and overnight stay at Kirurumu – Overnight private campsite inside Manyara National Park.
Day 3; Game drive & Transfer to Ngorongoro
Enjoy early morning breakfast and a morning game drive inside the park before making your way through the bustling towns of Mto-wa-Mbu, where there is a lively curio market, and Karatu. You will then weave your way upwards into the densely forested slopes of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, pausing to admire the splendid view of the crater floor 600m below at Heroes Point, before driving on to Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge located close to the rim of the Ngorongoro caldera on your 14 Days East Africa Safari.
Arrive late afternoon and if you arrive in good time, you may like to consider an optional extra of an early evening/sunset visit to a Maasai village boma where you can spend some time learning about the culture, traditions and beliefs of this ancient, noble warrior tribe. This is at an additional cost, and should be discussed with the guide, and paid directly to the guide. Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge.
Day 4; Discover Ngorongoro
You will have breakfast and descend the steep walls of the crater to admire the microcosm of life within it. You will have a picnic lunch on the floor of the crater at a pleasant lakeside location where you can stretch your legs and soak up the magnificent scenery. Dinner and overnight at Ngongoro Sopa Lodge as above.
Day 5; Visit Olduvai Gorge & Game Drive in Serengeti
Enjoy breakfast and embark on a game drive into the great Serengeti plains. Before crossing from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area into the Serengeti National Park, you should take the opportunity to visit the Olduvai Gorge Museum where you may attend a short talk on the archaeological importance of Olduvai and the work of Mary and Louis Leakey in excavating the area and discovering some of Africa’s most important hominid fossils. Dinner and overnight at Ikoma Safari Camp
Days 6 & 7; Explore Serengeti
Morning and afternoon game drives in Serengeti National Park, home of the wildebeest migration safari where you will encounter countless herds of gazelle and zebras, giant African elephants and more wildlife grazing the magnificent plains. All meals and Overnight at Ikoma Safari Camp as above because of its strategic location on the main wildebeest migration route between the Serengeti and the Masai Mara.
Day 8; Connect to Arusha and Fly in to Entebbe – Uganda
We strongly suggest you take the flight back from the Serengeti safari to Arusha as you will have done a lot of driving up to this point. This is an exceptionally scenic flight over the highlands of Ngorongoro, across the vast expanse of the Rift Valley escarpments, and through to the green coffee plantations surrounding Arusha airport.
On a clear day you will see amazing views of Mount Meru’s dark profile rising up above the town, cloaked in wisps of cloud. If you’d like to reduce the cost of your safari, you could drive back to Arusha arriving late afternoon having a picnic lunch en route and check in for your connecting flight to Entebbe airport in Uganda where you will be welcomed and assisted. Dinner and overnight at Cassia lodge.
Day 9; Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
Enjoy breakfast and transfer to Kibale forest national park in western Uganda driving through Mityana town and across the beautiful countryside. You may have a stopover at the Murambi royal tombs of Tooro and lunch in Fort Portal town. Proceed to Kibale arriving in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at Kibale forest camp or Chimpanzee forest guest house
Day 10; Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale & Bigodi Walk.
You will have breakfast and head into the forest with the ranger guides for chimpanzee tracking Uganda.
As you follow the trail, you will be equipped with rich information about the forest and various trees as you track the elusive primates. Return to the camp in time for lunch and later embark on an afternoon nature walk to the Bigodi wetland where you will experience nature and a number of bird species and beautiful butterflies. Dinner and overnight as above.
Day 11; Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable forest
Enjoy breakfast and transfer to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park with lunch en-route in Ishaka or Kabale town. Proceed to Bwindi arriving late afternoon. Dinner and overnight at Nkuringo Gorilla Camp. This will be one of the long days on this 14 Days East Africa safari.
Day 12; Gorilla trekking in Bwindi
After an early morning breakfast, you will drive to the park headquarters for briefing with your packed lunch and later go for gorilla trekking, this could take 4-8 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas. After trekking, meet your driver and transfer back to the hotel where you will unwind as you reflect on the memorable gorilla trek! Dinner and overnight as above.
Day 13; 2nd Gorilla Trek in Bwindi
Enjoy early morning breakfast and set out for another gorilla trek as above to boost your chances of gorilla viewing and photography. Dinner and overnight at Nkuringo Gorilla Camp as above.
Day 14; Back to Kampala & Departure.
You will enjoy breakfast and transfer back to Kampala with lunch en-route in Mbarara town and a stopover at the equator for photography and experiment if you please. Proceed to Kampala arriving in the afternoon. Drop-off at Entebbe airport for your flight back home with fond memories of an East African safari!
Price for this 14 Days East Africa safari begins at 6570 USD Per person for 2 people sharing
Includes;
2 Gorilla trekking permits per person at $600 each.
1 chimpanzee permit per person
All park entrance fees
Meals fully inclusive on safari
All accommodation as per itinerary
All safari transportation by 4×4 customised vehicle
Fuel
Services of full time English speaking driver/ guide
All meals as indicated
Airport pickup and transfer
Bottled mineral water for drinking while on safari
Exludes;
Tips
Visa fees
Air tickets (both domestic and international flights)
Additional extras to the itinerary
All items of personal nature like laundry, phone calls, beer, among others.
Things to note on this 14 Days East Africa Safari:
The migration itself involves around 1.5 million wildebeest, gazelle and zebra on the move. Resident game (predators and other mammals) are generally fixed to territorial areas and don’t follow the migration much beyond their own ranges; they can be found in their home ranges year round.
The migration is largely driven by the rains, which determine when the animals start moving and it is important to remember that rains cannot be timed exactly, and so the migration doesn’t operate on a set schedule! It also doesn’t follow a set route; nor, indeed, do the animals all go the same way. This is part of what makes the sight of the migrations so spectacular – hundreds of thousands of animals following different routes to the same destination, spread across the vast plains as far as the eye can see.
So when the migration is “on”, space is at a premium, prices are relatively high and advance bookings are essential.
All accommodations on this 14 Days East Africa safari have been especially selected to balance the cost and bring out the best of this experience.
Considering your schedule, the best time to embark on this safari would be the last days of June (around 25th or 28th and into July) so as to avoid the so heavy crowds and as it can be dusty during the real dry season of July.
