Spend the most incredible days of your life traveling to East Africa’s top wildlife parks, rain forests, beaches, and lakes on this overland safari.
Embark on a Kenya wildlife safari in Masai Mara, drive through the Great Rift Valley and visit Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya. Round off this excellently-priced overland tour & gorilla safari with the magical experience of Uganda gorilla trekking in the rain forests of Bwindi and chimpanzee tracking in Budongo Forest.
Explore Nairobi, Kenya’s capital. Your guide can help you to book optional excursions for today. There are plenty of exciting things to do in Nairobi and the surrounding area.
Optional activities include visiting the Nairobi Giraffe Centre, Nairobi National Park, Karen Blixen Museum, Nairobi Elephant Orphanage, and the Boma of Kenya. Or you can take city and township tours, walk in Karuma Forest and explore the local markets.
Therefore, 4×4 car rental with driver drive southwest to the legendary Masai Mara National Reserve which is (arguably) the best safari destination in Africa. This is the game-rich landscape where wildlife documentaries and films of untamed Africa are made – the quintessential African safari destination.
Travel via the Great Rift Valley of East Africa passing through scenic landscapes dotted with rural villages. The semi-nomadic Maasai people are from this region of Kenya and are best known for their brightly – coloured robes and fierce warriors, as well as their traditional dancing.
You will need to pack an overnight bag with camping essentials for your Kenya wildlife parks trip as smaller safari vehicles are used, so space is limited.
Take an exciting day of wildlife adventures in Masai Mara lies ahead! Today we explore the world-renowned Masai Mara National Reserve, home to the highest concentration of wildlife in Kenya.
Located along the Kenya-Tanzania border the Masai Mara Reserve is best known for the annual Great Migration that takes place between its vast plains and the Serengeti Park in Tanzania.
We spend the whole day game viewing in Masai Mara, one of the greatest wildlife parks on earth lauded for its spectacular scenery. The rolling grasslands inhabited by an abundance of wildlife make for excellent photographic opportunities and animal sightings.
Game drives take you in search of the Big 5, the big cats, and the abundance of other interesting wild animals found in this beautiful 1500km² Kenyan game reserve.
We are almost guaranteed to see the Big 5 of Africa – lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and buffalo – in Masai Mara, as well as cheetah, hyena, giraffe, and zebra.
Masai Mara is also home to the hippo, jackal, bat-eared fox, wildebeest, baboon, warthog, and numerous antelope species, such as impala and Topi.
The Great Migration as the annual wildebeest migration is called an awe-inspiring wildlife spectacle where thousands of wildebeest, zebra, and Thompson’s gazelle stampede across the open plains dashing through the Mara River dodging the Nile crocodiles lying in wait.
Travel north to Lake Nakuru. This Great Rift Valley soda lake is famous for the huge flamingo flocks that sometimes gather here. In the afternoon we head out into the bush on a game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park.
The Game Park is home to more than 25 black rhinos, one of the highest concentrations in Kenya, as well as about 70 white rhinos. Wild animals commonly sighted include impala, gazelle, warthog, water buck, resident hippos, and large tree pythons.
Lion, cheetah, buffalo, Rothschild giraffe, eland, and leopard also inhabit Lake Nakuru Park. Originally established as a bird sanctuary this national park is home to a wide array of birds, with over 400 resident species as well as various migratory birds.
Cross to Uganda and start with Jinja, well known for its variety of adventure activities, such as white-water rafting. Jinja is located at the starting point of the Nile (officially called the Victoria Nile), where the river flows out of Lake Victoria. From here the famous river flows 6695 kilometres through East Africa to Egypt and the Mediterranean in the north.
Head to Murchison Falls National Park, making our way toward Lake Albert. One of Uganda’s oldest national parks, Murchison is also one of the top safari destinations in the country. The national park covers some 3 840 km² (1 480 mi²) of wilderness in the Albertine Rift Valley, part of the western section of Africa’s Great Rift Valley.
The Victoria Nile River runs through the national park, plummeting through a narrow gorge to form the spectacular Murchison Falls, after which the park is named. Also known as Kabalega Falls, Murchison Falls drops about 45m into the river after a series of rapids. Below the cascading falls the great Nile fans out into a broad and placid river flowing into Lake Albert.
Set off for chimpanzee trekking in Budongo Forest, East Africa’s biggest forest of Mahogany trees. Budongo is home to the largest population of chimpanzees in Uganda, hosting around 600 to 700 chimpanzees. The forest is also home to eight other primate species, along with an array of other species.
This mahogany forest is known for its incredible biodiversity, including 24 species of animals, over 360 bird species, 290 butterfly species, 130 species of moth, 465 tree species, and numerous other plants and creatures.
Time for one of the most memorable highlights of the overland trip – a gorilla safari in Uganda. From Lake Bunyonyi you set off on your thrilling gorilla trekking expedition, in groups of a maximum of 6 people.
African Mountain Gorillas are critically endangered, with only around 800 wild mountain gorillas remaining in the world. By visiting the gorillas, you will be directly supporting the efforts to protect these highly endangered primates.
The money spent on gorilla trekking permits is used to help ensure the future of these rare mountain gorillas. Gorilla trekking permits are extremely limited, which calls for flexibility in our tour itinerary and the exact location that we trek in.
The mountain gorillas’ habitat spans the borders of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Bwindi National Park in Uganda is our intended gorilla trekking destination, but this is subject to the availability of permits.
