This morning you will be briefed by your guide before we depart for the Uganda border to complete border formalities. A short drive to our first activity, the Batwa Trail, a cultural experience that offers a glimpse of the traditional life of the Batwa (pygmies) who were forest dwellers. The activity introduces travelers to Batwa life comprised of hunting, fruit gathering, collecting honey and performing of rituals in the caves within the forest. The Batwa lived in harmony with forest animals including the mountain gorillas for over 500,000 years. They are the main beneficiaries of the activity. Continue to check in to our lodge in the Bwindi area for check in, dinner and overnight rest.

Today you set off on your Uganda gorilla tracking adventure in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – home to half of the world’s total mountain gorilla population. While trekking through the dense forest you’ll have the opportunity to view the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. Looking deep into the expressive brown eyes of the Gentle Giants of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park surely is the most exciting and poignant wildlife encounter that Africa has to offer. After this captivating and unforgettable experience you will head back to your lodge for some relaxation.

We depart this morning to return back across the Rwandan border and on to Kigali where a tour will be undertaken the Genocide Memorial site, a grim reminder of a senseless massacre of innocent’s lives in 1994. Learn about Rwanda’s history from pre-colonial times to the 1994 genocide and how Rwanda has dealt with that past. The recovery has been incredible, a testament to humankind’s resilience. After a visit we continue to the airport for your flight to Nairobi (cost of flight not included). Upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will clear customs and collect your luggage before being met by our representative and transferred to the Ole Sereni Hotel. 

Depart this morning with your guide for a day tour of Nairobi. Our first stop is for a visit to the Giraffe Centre where you can interact with the Giraffes. Next we will head to the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage for the public viewing between 11 AM – 12 PM to gain insight into the great work the trust does in working with orphaned elephants. We’ll make a stop ay the Tamambo Blixen’s Coffee Gardens where you have the option of buying lunch. Our last stop will be at the Kazuri Beads Factory which is a women’s cooperative whose work is distributed and prized around the world. Back to the hotel to freshen up before our Welcome Dinner at Carnivore Restaurant.

Depart Nairobi after breakfast and drive to the Masai Mara National Reserve offering wonderful scenery and plenty of game. It is perhaps the only region left in Kenya where the visitor may see animals in the same super-abundance as existed a century ago. Settle in to the Kilima Safari Camp for the next three nights. Kilima Camp is located in Kenya on the western border of the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Kilima Camp has been built on a private concession bordering the current boundary, the official perimeter of the Mara Triangle Wilderness Area. Kilima means “mountain or little hill in Swahili”. Kilima Camp is situated on the edge of the Siria escarpment (also called Oloololo escarpment) at 1,800 metres above sea level, overlooking the Mara River The Mara River and the Masai Mara plains are at an altitude of 1,500 metres. Hence Kilima Camp has a fantastic and phenomenal view over the Masai Mara plains and the river Mara, truly “the Gods’ window”.

Enjoy an afternoon game drive in the Mara.

Spend the day on safari in the Masai Mara with morning and afternoon game drives. The plains around the camp are filled with an extraordinary concentration of wildlife, from plains game to large herds of elephant and buffalo – and, of course, predators. You may wish to book an optional Mara Balloon Safari (cost extra).

Depart again for a day of game drives in the Masai Mara with morning and afternoon game drives. In the months of July – October you may be lucky to catch the ‘Great Migration’. It is these mighty rivers that are the greatest obstacles for the hundreds of thousands of wildebeest on their journey north. The currents are strong, the banks are steep and thousands perish in the jaws of massive Nile crocodiles. Crossings are spectacular and frenetic and provide thrilling game viewing either from a vehicle.

After breakfast transfer to Ol Kiombo airstrip for a short 30 minute morning flight to Migori Airstrip where upon arrival you road transfer across the border for immigration procedures into Tanzania. Continue to Tarime airstrip for a 30 min flight to the Serengeti. Met on arrival by your Tanzanian guide and proceed for check in to Acacia Bliss Tented Camp for the next three nights. Enjoy lunch followed by your first game drive in the world-renowned Serengeti.

You will enjoy a full day of game drives in the Serengeti today either with morning and afternoon excursions or a full day exploring the reaches of the Seronera area, the most wildlife-rich region of the Serengeti. Whilst the annual migration is the Serengeti’s most famous attraction, the park is also renowned for its wealth of lion,cheetah, zebra, giraffe, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle, eland, impala, klipspringer, hippo and warthog.

Spend all day on safari in the reserve with morning and afternoon game drives. The Serengeti is one of the most densely populated wildlife arenas anywhere on earth. You also have the option of doing a memorable morning Hot Air Balloon Safari at an additional cost.

After breakfast depart with game drive en route through the Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area. We will stop for a visit to the world-famous Olduvai Gorge Palaeolithic site and reputed ‘Cradle of Mankind’ as well as visit a traditional Masai homestead. Continue to the Ngorongoro area and check in to the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge which offers the finest location of all the crater rim lodges. This afternoon is free for you to enjoy the majestic setting of the lodge.

Rise early with a packed breakfast to descend for half day game drive in the crater. Often referred to as ‘the eighth wonder of the world’ the Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa’s best-known wildlife arenas. The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the largest volcanic craters in the world covering a total area of 264 square kilometres. An utterly unique biosphere, the Crater harbours grasslands, swamps, forests, salt pans, a fresh water lake and a glorious variety of birdlife, all enclosed within its towering walls. It boasts a high concentration of wildlife with exceptionally close range viewing opportunities. Leaving the crater behind, we will continue to the visit our local school project, Simba Milima Primary School where you will have the opportunity to learn about the school and interact with the students. After this experience continue to check in to Manyara Escarpment Luxury Lodge for a late lunch and much needed rest.

Rise early this morning for breakfast and set out for nearby Lake Manyara on an early morning game drive to explore the park. There is plenty to see including the famous ‘tree-climbing lions’. After a game drive you have the option of being dropped of at Manyara airstrip should you wish to fly down to Zanzibar for some post-safari relaxation or continue back with your guide to to Arusha for a late lunch at Arusha Coffee Lodge and then dropped off at Kilimanjaro airport for your flight home.