Gorillas & Masai Mara - Camping Reverse
Gorillas & Masai Mara - Camping Reverse
Gorillas & Masai Mara - Camping Reverse
15 Days Starting in Kigali and ending in Nairobi
Visiting: Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda
Tour operator:
Tour code:
WYUR
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
6 - 18
Age range:
16-99
Special diets catered:
Please inform Exodus of specific dietary requirements
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Interests:
Tour Overview
The Masai Mara, a vast grassland teeming with animals, has an astonishing amount and mixture of game, including lions, cheetahs and at certain times of the year, the wildebeest migration. Lake Nakuru National Park has an incredible variety of birds as well as a healthy population of White and Black rhinos while Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to hippos, elephants, buffalo, leopards and the elusive tree-climbing lions as well as a huge variety of birds. Murchison Falls National Park is one of the most impressive parks in Africa, renowned for its scenic beauty, spectacular falls and abundant wildlife, including elephants, buffalo, Ugandan kobs (antelope), leopards, and over 450 different species of birds. The highlight of the trip is undoubtedly an hour with Mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda. This close-up encounter is arguably the most sensational wildlife experience of them all.
Highlights
Itinerary
Depart London.
Day 2
The group flight usually arrives into Kigali this afternoon and will be met
and transferred to the start hotel. Land Only clients should aim to arrive at
the hotel this afternoon. This evening's Welcome Briefing is the perfect
opportunity to meet your guide and get to know your fellow travellers.
Accommodation: Beausejour Hotel or similar
*Standard Hotel*
Day 3
Rwanda is a country widely remembered for the genocide of 1994 in which over
a million people were killed. There is a moving museum in Kigali to
commemorate this time in Rwanda's history which we visit this morning. After
lunch we will cross the border into Uganda and drive towards Bwindi
Impenetrable Forest, the home of wild Mountain gorillas.
Accommodation: Casa Gorilla Lodge & Campsite or similar
*Full-service Camping*
Day 4
You will probably remember today for the rest of your life as we spend a full
hour in the company of a family of Mountain gorillas! Owing to the nature of
the terrain and the need to explore to find the gorillas, our trek doesn't
follow a path and instead our guides will cut a route through the
undergrowth. After a safety briefing, we are assigned to a gorilla family
group and begin our trek. You should expect a minimum of three hours walking
on irregular terrain in order to find the gorillas; steep ascents and
descents over muddy slopes are the norm. Strong footwear is essential and we
recommend hiring a local porter to help you carry your bag/camera equipment
and provide a steady, supportive hand (porters will be arranged and paid for
locally on the day).
Seeing wild Mountain gorillas in their natural habitat is an experience you
will never forget. An adult male can weigh up to 195kg, a female up to 100kg,
and a male can reach 1.7m in height. They are almost exclusively vegetarian
and quite destructive eaters, which makes them unpopular with the farmers
lower down the mountain slopes as they have been known to wreck a whole field
of crops just to eat one plant. For this reason, and also because of
poaching, the gorillas are very carefully protected. Gorillas are gentle
creatures and are not known to attack unless very severely provoked. The
family groups that we trek to see are habituated to human presence but to
prevent over familiarisation our time with them is limited to one hour. The
minimum distance that we must keep is 8 metres - we are not permitted any
closer because gorillas are very susceptible to human disease. Please note
that anyone with a cold or any similar ailment may not be permitted to join
the trek.
Accommodation:Â Casa Gorilla Lodge & Campsite or similar
*Full-service Camping*
Day 5
This morning there is the option of getting a second gorilla permit, though
due to the limited number of permits, this should be obtained at time of
booking. For those who choose not to go on a second gorilla trek, there are
other walks which you can do nearby or you can relax at our campsite,
reminiscing about the previous day’s encounters.
Please note that on some departures, due to availability of permits, we may
have to swap these two days over with the free day (and optional second
gorilla trek) on day 3 and the included gorilla trek on day 4 or we may have
to split the group to trek with gorillas across both days.
Accommodation: Casa Gorilla Lodge & Campsite or similar
*Full-service Camping*
Day 6
Today we drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP). The park resides in a
fertile, equatorial area and has beautiful scenery. It is Uganda’s most
popular and accessible savannah reserve, with a total area of 1978 square
kilometres. It is primarily associated with grassy savannah plains, but this
impressive park also includes within its boundaries leafy rainforests, dense
papyrus swamps and natural volcanic crater lakes. As a result it has one of
the highest biodiversity ratings of any game reserve in the world, including
a total of 95 recorded mammal species and more than 610 species of birds.
Accommodation: Irungu Forest Campsite or similar
*Full-service Camping*
Day 7
This morning we will explore QENP on a game drive in search of wildlife
including elephants, lions, buffalo, leopard, hyena, jackal, topi, kob, bush
buck and various others. In the afternoon there is an optional boat trip of
about two hours along the Kazinga Channel to view some of the largest
concentration of hippo in the world (reported to be about 30,000) and other
game with excellent birding. The game drive will continue in the afternoon
for those who do not join the boat trip.
Accommodation: Irungu Forest Campsite or similar*
Full-service Camping*
Day 8
We have a long drive today covering about 450 kms from Queen Elizabeth N.P.
to Budongo. The drive goes north along the eastern length of the Rwenzori
Mountains, where, weather permitting, we can see the glaciated peaks. We will
pass through tea and sugar cane plantations, stopping for lunch en route. We
expect to arrive in Budongo in the late afternoon.
Accommodation:Â Machison River Lodge or similar
*Full-service Camping*
Day 9
We depart early this morning for Budongo Forest, which is home to the largest
numbers of chimpanzees in Uganda; we will go on a trek in search of
chimpanzees and other wildlife. Â The walking is fairly easy due to the
well-maintained trails and reasonably flat terrain. Whilst trekking in the
depths of the lush green forest, you will be surrounded by bird song and hope
to see both Velvet and Colobus monkeys, wild pigs and of course the
chimpanzee. Once a chimpanzee family is found, we will have an hour with
these fascinating creatures, to watch them interact and play with each other.
In the afternoon we drive to Murchison Falls where we spend the next two
nights.
Accommodation: Red Chili Murchison or similar*
*Full-service Camping**
Day 10
This morning we have an early morning game drive in search of wildlife in
Murchison Falls N.P. We transfer by ferry to the north side of the Nile
where we embark our game drive. Murchison Falls N.P. is home to elephants,
giraffe, buffalo and Uganda kobs, as well as the predators: lions and
leopards. After lunch we travel by boat up the Nile, passing hippos and
crocodiles, searching for elephants and waterbuck that come to the river to
drink. The cruise lasts about 3 hrs, and will travel upstream to the bottom
of the falls, stopping near the ‘Devil’s Cauldron’, the place where the
water bursts through the narrow gorge and creates an outstanding rainbow.Â
Accommodation: Red Chili Murchison or similar
*Full-service Camping*
Day 11
After a short game drive through the park, we leave Murchison Falls National
Park and drive to Jinja today, a journey which should take us 6 hrs.Â
Passing through untouched forest and tree plantations, we arrive in Jinja
around 3pm, and the rest of the afternoon is free to relax. Â Â
Accommodation: Adrift Camp or similar*
*Full-service Camping**
Day 12
Today is free to choose from a range of optional activities. White-water
rafting in Jinja is considered to be amongst the best in the world, with a
half or full day route that varies from quiet pools and forested islands to
thunderous rapids and drops. There are several grade V rapids to navigate
including 'Big Brother', 'Overtime' and 'Silverback'. If rafting doesn't
appeal, you can visit the source of the White Nile.
Accommodation: Adrift Camp or similar
*Full-service Camping*
Day 13
Today there is a long drive of about 250km to Eldoret which should take about
8 hours, including a border crossing into Kenya. The border crossing can be
slow but we leave plenty of time for this and you'll no doubt find the
experience interesting!
Accommodation: Green Wood Campsite or similar
*Full-service Camping*
Day 14
We depart the Eldoret in the morning after breakfast and drive to Lake Nakuru
National Park, one of the finest small parks within Kenya, where we spend the
day on a game drive in the park. Protected by an electric fence, the park is
widely known for its impressive population of Black and White rhino which are
relatively easy to spot on game drives in the open savannah. Fever trees line
the park and are a well-known spot for leopards to laze in, whilst one of the
most impressive sights is the vast flamingo population. Owing to flooding the
alkaline content of the lake has changed in recent years and as a result the
flamingos no longer tend to be found in such large numbers, but this can
change depending on the rainfall.
Accommodation: KWS Campsite or similar*
Full-service Camping*
Day 15
Today we travel into the Masai Mara, one of the most famous ecosystems in the
world. This vast grassland is teeming with life; plains game including
wildebeest, gazelle, topi, zebra and buffalo abound in the rolling savannah,
and never far away lay the predators; cheetah, lion and hyena. Between
mid-August to late October one of the greatest spectacles on Earth takes
place in the Mara - the annual migration of thousands of wildebeest, gazelle
and zebra trampling their way across the long grass. Nothing is guaranteed on
safari, but with the help of our brilliant guides you should see and learn a
huge amount about the Masai Mara's resident wildlife as we game drive through
the park this afternoon.
Accommodation: Mara Springs Camp or similar
*Full-service Camping*
Day 16
A full day game drive in the Masai Mara to increase our chances of
encountering many of the wildlife species found in the reserve. We find a
quiet spot inside the park to enjoy lunch by our vehicle, looking out across
the plains. There is also an optional Hot Air Balloon Safari in time for
sunrise (including champagne and breakfast).
Â
Accommodation: Mara Springs Camp or similar
*Full-service Camping*
Day 17
We will depart after breakfast for Nairobi. We travel up through the
escarpement of the Rift Valley looking back on classic African views with
acacia trees scattering the vast landscape.
For those on the group flights, these will usually depart in the evening. For
clients who have booked land only, the trip ends on arrival in Nairobi.
Day 18
Arrive London.
What's Included
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Meals
14 breakfasts, 13 lunches, 13 dinners.
* 15 breakfasts, 14 lunches and 14 dinners
* All accommodation (see below)
* All transport and listed activities
* Tour leader throughout
* Flights from London (if booking incl. flights)
* 1 chimp permit and 1 gorilla permit
What's Not Included
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Visas or vaccinations
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Travel insurance
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Single accommodation (available on request)
Food
Virtually all meals are included and will be prepared for you by our chef and
crew.They are adept at catering for large groups of hungry travellers!
Breakfasts will usually include cereal, toast and hot food such as porridge
or eggs. Lunches tend to feature a range of sandwich options as well as a
selection of fruit. Dinners usually feature soup, main (a mix of local and
international cuisine) and dessert (typically fruit salad). All cooking
equipment is loaded onto the overland vehicle and so our crew are ready to
prepare food wherever we stop - don’t worry about going hungry on this
trip! You will have time to stock up on snacks and drinks along the journey.
For meals not included, it would be a good idea to allow a further US$100 to
cover these.
Accommodation
On this trip into the wilds of Africa, we embrace our adventurous spirit and spend 13 nights camping. It's a back-to-basics experience, but the camping is full-service, which means the tents are put up and taken down by our crew. We use standard two-person tents and provide mattresses and all other equipment you’ll need (except a sleeping bag and pillow). East African campsites vary in terms of facilities – do not expect hot showers, flushing toilets or Western standards of cleanliness. Upgrades to a room are available at some locations – these can only be booked and paid for locally. In Kigali, we stay in a small hotel.
Worth knowing
We have more than one accommodation option on some nights, which means that where we stay may differ to what is listed in the daily itinerary. The accommodation we select around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is dependent on the gate we are using to access the park.
Check out our Q&As
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What is the standard of the hotels on this tour?
The camping is full-service
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Are children permitted to take part in the tour?
16+ age people can go on this tour.
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What is the maximum group size?
18
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Are the local guides on the tour English speaking?
Yes
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What happens if I need to change my holiday date once I’ve booked?
If you wish to make any changes to your booking, particularly if you need to alter any flights booked through us, please let us know as soon as possible. There is a booking or flight amendment fee of £40 per change and flight amendments often incur extra airline costs depending on the changes to be made and if the ticket has been issued or not.
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Exodus has been trading since 1974
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What documents will I receive before I travel?
Your final joining instructions and flight details, if booked with us, will then be sent out 2 to 3 weeks before departure. If you would like a hard copy posted, or if you require these any earlier, please contact the customer operations team. We advise that if you are booking connecting travel before receiving these, please ensure you leave plenty of time.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Travellers are welcome to opt to share a room with a tour member of the same gender for no additional charge. If you'd like your own room, we can request a single supplement so that you will have your own room throughout.
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Can I join the tour once it has departed?
You are welcome to meet the group after the tour has departed however there is no reduction in rate for joining a tour after the departure date.
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Transfer as credit to Future Tours
Exodus Adventure Travels allows you to transfer existing payments to a future tour to avoid cancellation fees if you can't travel and inform exodus adventure travels, 43 days before departure.
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Low Deposit
Exodus Adventure Travels requires a minimum deposit of 25% or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 90 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of exodus adventure travels charges.
Up to 70 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.