Kenya to Rwanda: The Maasai Mara, Gorillas & Chimps

Arrive at any time. Attend a welcome meeting in the evening where you will get to know our fellow group members and meet your CEO.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel in Nairobi then travel by private vehicle to Lake Nakuru National Park. Enjoy an included lunch at the lodge before heading out on a sundown safari drive inside the park in search of the area's wildlife. Return to the lodge in the afternoon, then join the group for dinner on the property.

Rise early as the sun is just beginning to colour the sky and enjoy a morning safari drive into Lake Nakuru National Park. Return to the lodge for lunch before enjoying free time to explore the area. You can choose to embark on another safari drive into the park this afternoon or simply relax at the lodge property. Dinner is included at the lodge tonight.

• Lake Nakuru Afternoon Safari Drive: Considered one of the best national parks in the mighty Rift Valley, Lake Nakuru National Park is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Most famous for colonies of flamingos living on the shores of the park's namesake lake, you are likely to see a variety of protected wildlife while on open-air safari drive here. Think black and white rhinos and plenty of bird species. This experience comes later in the day when you can enjoy slightly fewer vehicles on the trail and animals often heading to watering holes or returning from whatever mid-day shade they could find.

After breakfast at the lodge the group will travel to Maasai Mara National Park and arrive around lunch time. Head out on a visit to Masai Village and then an afternoon safari drive outside of the Maasai Mara National Park on a private concession to search for giraffe, zebra, hyena, antelope, lions, leopards, rhinos, buffalos & elephants as you enjoy the beautiful scenery. Return to the lodge, relax, and have dinner in the evening.

This morning choose to pre-book an early morning safari drive or a hot air balloon safari over the plains of Masai Mara. Then, set out on a full day safari drive. Search for wildlife and enjoy this beautiful part of Kenya. Gather for a packed lunch before arriving at your tented camp area in the later afternoon. Spend the night in this tented camp amid the sounds of the plains.

• Masai Mara Balloon Safari: Choose to pre-book a Hot Air Balloon safari over the plains of the Maasai Mara. Your balloon adventure ends with a delicious breakfast. Float above the Mara plains in a dimension of unsurpassed tranquillity and beauty. The hot air balloon lifts you into the clear blue sky at dawn and gives you an eagle’s view of the wildlife pageant below. You will glide over the treetops with the early birds and be wafted gently over the plains, above the bustle and bumps of the ground below, but cruising close to enjoy the spectacular scenery. Balloon Flight Times Pickup at 05:00 Flight at 06:00
• Morning Masai Mara Wildlife Safari Drive: Enter the park early in the morning to witness the magnificent wildlife as the first light begins to glow over the land.

In the morning leave camp and begin to travel back to Nairobi on a route that allows you to spot some wildlife as your exit the area. Stop along the way for lunch at a G Adventure-supported community project. Arrive back to Nairobi and attend an optional group dinner this evening at a nearby local restaurant.

Catch a flight this morning from Nairobi to Kampala. Enjoy free time to become settled and explore the city on your own before the next part of the adventure begins tomorrow.

Take the scenic route to Fort Portal at the edge of Kibale National Park. Spend the night on a guest farm listening to the sounds of monkeys and birds.

Accommodation in Fort Portal is on a farm in simple furnished tents with shared bathroom facilities.

Explore the evergreen rainforest and trek to spot chimps in the morning or afternoon. Enjoy a traditional lunch in the Bigodi Community. Opt to venture deep into the wetlands to spot more wildlife on a guided walk through the Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary.

• Bigodi Swamp Walk: Take a guided walk through the Bigodi wetlands. On your tour, you will likely see several kinds of monkeys including black and white colobus, red colobus, mangabey, red tail, vervet, and L’Hoest. Other wetlands mammals include baboons, sitatunga (an increasingly endangered swamp antelope), bush pigs, civet cats, mongooses, bush bucks and an occasional chimpanzee. The area also boasts an incredible bird population. Walking poles are provided, subject to availability. If you require poles, we suggest bringing your own.

Continue on to Queen Elizabeth NP, stopping at the equator. Head out on a wildlife safari drive in the afternoon. Keep your eyes peeled for warthogs, elephants, buffalo, five different species of primates, and hippos. Queen Elizabeth National Park is characterized by open savannah, large areas of swamp around Lake George, the extensive Maramagambo Forest in the southeast, and the forested Kyambura Gorge along the border with Kyambura Game Reserve.

Tonight's accommodation is located on a hill, on the border of Queen Elizabeth National Park. It offers spectacular views of Lake George and the savannah plains.

Take an early morning wildlife safari drive and enjoy lunch inside the park. Opt for an evening cruise along the Kazinga Channel. Enjoy a wildlife safari drive with possible sightings of buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs, lions, leopards, hyenas, giant forest hogs, and elephants.

• Kazinga Channel Cruise: Take a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel, a waterway inside Queen Elizabeth National Park that connects Lake George and Lake Edward. Look out for a variety of wildlife who are drawn to the channel shores. Spot birds, crocodiles, hippos, and reptiles.

Enjoy the scenic drive south, with views of forests, volcanoes and lakes. Spend the night on the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Accommodation at Bwindi Impenetrable NP is in simple furnished tents/rooms with ensuite bathroom facilities.

Rise early for the tour's main highlight – gorilla trekking! Head into Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to meet the park ranger/guide for orientation. Embark on the trek, which can vary in length and difficulty, depending on the location of the gorilla family that's being visited. Spend 1 hr (max) observing these beautiful and endangered creatures, a truly privileged experience. Trek back and return to town. Enjoy free time in the afternoon.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has four areas; Rushaga, Buhoma, Nkuringo, Ruhija. Depending on permit availability your group could be tracking gorillas from different areas of the park, it is all still part of Bwindi.

• Porter Hire: Hire a local porter to carry your day pack throughout the trek, giving you more ease on your journey.

Cross the border into Rwanda, then head to the capital city, Kigali. Visit the genocide museum to learn more about the dark history of this fascinating country. Enjoy lunch at the G Adventures supported Nyamirambo Women's Centre.

The tour ends following lunch at Nyamirambo Women's Centre. Please book onward flights no earlier than 6pm.