Mountain Gorillas & Masai Mara Safari

This budget East African camping safari explores Kenya and Uganda visiting top game parks and travel destinations in these scenic and diverse countries.

This African Budget Safari goes Mountain Gorilla Trekking to encounter the endangered mountain gorillas of Uganda in Bwindi Park's ancient forests - an unforgettable wildlife experience! 

In Uganda we also go game viewing in Queen Elizabeth National Park and trek for chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge.

In Kenya the highlight of this affordable camping tour is game viewing in the world-renowned Masai Mara National Reserve, a beautiful game park covering vast grassy plains teeming with wildlife.

The Mountain Gorillas & Masai Mara Safari also travels through the Great Rift Valley and stops at Lake Nakuru National Park to see its abundant wildlife and huge flocks of flamingoes.

A wildlife, cultural and scenic African Safari Trip of a lifetime!

Tour Highlights:

• Journey through the Great Rift Valley in Kenya
• See Lake Nakuru National Park’s huge flamingo flocks
• Go game viewing in Queen Elizabeth National Park
• Trek for chimpanzees in Uganda's Kyambura Gorge
• Venture into the diverse Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
• Camp at scenic Lake Bunyonyi in the Kigezi Highlands
• Trek endangered Mountain Gorillas in Uganda's rainforest
• Explore Uganda’s bustling capital city of Kampala
• Skirt the shores of Lake Victoria and camp beside the Nile
• Enjoy adventure activities and volunteer in Jinja
• Go game viewing in famous Masai Mara National Reserve

DAY 1 – 2: Nairobi to Nakuru & Eldoret, Kenya

This Mountain Gorillas & Masai Mara Safari starts in Kenya’s bustling capital city of Nairobi.

Nairobi, known as the "Green City in the Sun", has in recent years undergone rapid growth and is today not only Kenya’s largest city but the most populated city in East Africa.

We recommend that you arrange to arrive a day or more before the safari begins, giving you time to rest and explore the relatively small city centre of Nairobi. Practice your bargaining skills at Nairobi’s fascinating market, browse its bookshops and craft stores, or sit back and relax at one of the numerous cafes and restaurants in the city. 

Meet the friendly people of Kenya, the most popular travel destination in East Africa, keeping an ear out for the Swahili “Jambo” which means hello. Kenya has long had a well-established tourism industry and you’ll often hear the words ‘Hakuna matata’, meaning no problem.

Leaving Nairobi we travel northwest descending into the vast Great Rift Valley, stretching around 6000km’s in length from Southwest Asia to central Mozambique.

We make our way to the compact Lake Nakuru National Park, situated in the Great Rift Valley.

Nakuru Park is best known for the impressive number of flamingoes that gather along the shores of shallow Lake Nakuru. At this soda lake as many as 2 million flamigoes can be seen, as well as a staggering variety of other birds.

The Nakuru National Park is also home to black and white rhino, lion, leopard and various antelope species, in addition to python snakes and smaller wild animals such as warthog.

After experiencing the rich birdlife and diverse wildlife of Nakuru we keep driving northwest to our next stop, the rapidly expanding town of Eldoret.

DAY 3 – 5: Kampala & Queen Elizabeth Park to Lake Bunyoni, Uganda

Today we travel west into landlocked Uganda, home to the world’s highest concentration of primates, including the endangered mountains gorillas.

Driving through scenic landscapes is easy to see why Winston Churchill called Uganda the ‘Pearl of Africa’ when visiting this beautiful green country in 1907.

Uganda boasts diverse terrains, from dense forests and high mountains to lush plantations and fertile terraces. Lake Victoria, recognized as the source of the Nile in 1858 when British explorer John Hanning Speke visited its shores, also lies in Uganda.

Next our Mountain Gorillas & Masai Mara Safari travels to hilly Kampala, the tourist-friendly capital city of Uganda. Kampala is the largest city in Uganda, bustling with markets, street-side traders, Matatu (mini-bus taxi) stands, ethnic restaurants and more. Meet the friendly people of this confident, safe and lively African city.


From Kampala, we travel west to Queen Elizabeth National Park through the fertile Ugandan countryside of green terraced hillsides, lush banana plantations, steep mountains and tangled forests.


We enter Queen Elizabeth Park, overlooking the mountains between Uganda and central Africa to the west.

In the morning we embark on a game drive in search of the Uganda Kob (an antelope) as well as elephant, lion, buffalo, hyena and hippo. Then we visit the nearby Kyambura Gorge for the trek to see chimpanzees.

Unlike the larger gorilla, chimps live mostly in the trees and so our viewing is done at some distance. Seeing man’s closest relative in the wilds is however a memorable experience.

Continuing into the heart of the breathtaking Kigezi Highlands of Uganda we arrive at scenic Lake Bunyoni, our base for mountain gorilla trekking. 

DAY 6 – 9: Mountain Gorilla Trekking to Kampala, Uganda

The ancient valley of Lake Bunyoni in the Kigezi Highlands region, known as the “Switzerland of Africa”, is a picturesque birding paradise. In fact the the word Bunyoni means “the place of many little birds”.

This African region is home to the 700 wild mountain gorillas remaining in the world today. We will visit Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where many of these endangered primates are found (occasionally we travel into neighbouring Rwanda to trek for the gorillas).

We spend an unforgettable day trekking these gentle primates – one of Africa’s most unique and intimate wildlife encounters.

Mountain Gorilla Trekking

On the day of our gorilla trek in Uganda we meet with our local guide and tracker, early in the morning.

We set off in small groups, trekking into the dense rainforest on foot. The mountain gorilla trek takes us through uneven and hilly rainforest, which means that the going can get a little tough at times. A reasonable level of fitness is therefore required for the trekking excursion.

The rare privilege of spending time with a family of endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat makes the effort of trekking well worthwhile!

The experience of trekking mountain gorillas in the wild is for many travellers the most exciting and memorable African wildlife encounter on safari! 

Once we locate a mountain gorilla family or group in the rainforest, we usually crouch down or sit and simply watch these gentle primates for about an hour. The time we are able to spend with the gorillas is regulated by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (the national body that controls and maintains the gorilla population in Uganda).

These gorillas are social animals, living in groups of 12 to 20 individuals. The groups are usually led by an ‘alpha male’, known as the ‘silverback’, due to the silver hair growing on the male gorilla's back when he matures.

Observing the mountain gorillas from up close, you will see how remarkably human-like they seem. The way that the gorillas interact with each other and the young primates ‘play’ especially resembles human behaviour!

You are allowed to take photographs (without a flash) and restricted use of video camera is permitted.

The gorilla trekking permit allows you one trek and gorilla viewing (limited to an hour with the gorillas). Due to strict limits on the daily number of visitors viewing the gorillas we may spend several days at our Lake Bunyoni base, allowing time for all our group members to experience gorilla trekking and viewing.

The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, hosting one of the world’s highest diversity of species. Bwindi’s primeval forest is home to half the world's population of highly endangered Mountain Gorillas, estimated at around 340 gorillas. 

DAY 10 – 14: Kampala & Jinja to Nairobi, Kenya

After our once-in-a-lifetime wildlife encounter with these extremely rare gorillas we make our way back to Kampala. 

We overnight in Kampala before travelling on to Jinja where we camp on the grassy banks of the Nile River.

In 1862 British explorer John Hanning Speke recognised Lake Victoria as the ‘source of the Nile’ settling the long running dispute about Africa’s (and the world’s) longest river. From here the Nile flows 4132 miles through Uganda, Sudan and eventually Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea.

Our overnight safari camp looks out over Bujagali Falls, a dramatic set of rapids. From camp you have the option of taking a rafting day trip - a thrilling ‘white water’ experience.

You also have the chance to volunteer at a local schools project, making a difference to local children. The ‘Softpower’ is a locally run voluntary programme aimed at building and improving schools in the Jinja area of Uganda. Your help painting or plastering for a few hours is always most welcome.

Other exciting activities at Jinja include quad biking, village walks and even bungy jumping!

After exploring Jinja we return to Uganda’s capital Kampala and journey back into Kenya, driving via Eldoret and the Great Rift Valley.

Our Mountain Gorillas & Masai Mara Safari spends the night in bustling Nairobi. 

DAY 15 - 18: Nairobi to Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Today there is free time for you to explore Nairobi, relaxing and stocking up on supplies, before we transfer to smaller safari vehicles that are more suitable for exploring the Masai Mara National Reserve.

We cross the Great Rift Valley again and head for the Masai Mara, famous for its large populations of big cats, stunning scenery and the Great Migration.

We spend the next two nights camping on the outskirts of the world-renowned Masai Mara Reserve, home to Africa’s Big Five - elephant, lion, rhino, buffalo and leopard. Our days are filled with game viewing drives in search of the abundant wildlife found in this 1510 sq km game park.

The Masai Mara looks like an idyllic African scene in movies, consisting of wide-open plains dotted with Acacia trees and thickets of vegetation; as well as fertile riverine woodland along the meandering Mara and Talek rivers.

Anywhere we go in the Mara we will see numerous wild animals including Masai giraffe, wildebeest, baboons, warthogs, bat eared foxes, grey jackals, spotted hyena, topis, impala and hartebeests.

The Masai Mara is known for its’ annual Wildebeest Migration, when thousands of wildebeest, zebra and other herbivores stampede across the plains in search of fresh grazing. They migrate north from Tanzania’s Serengeti in about July and return south crossing the Mara River in about November. This dramatic migration is one of the most impressive wildlife spectacles in the world, especially seeing the grazers plunge into the Mara River inhabited by crocodiles and hippos. An impressive number of predators and scavengers, such as lion cheetah and hyena, follow the herbivore migration adding to this truly spectacular sight.

The Masai Mara Reserve is home to huge numbers of elephants, buffaloes, zebras and hippos, making for superb bird watching and game viewing all-year round. Lions are also commonly sighted as they lounge around after a heavy meal, or search the plains for their next prey. Cheetah and leopard are fairly common in Mara, although these more elusive cats are harder to spot.

On the last day of the Mountain Gorillas & Masai Mara Safari we depart from the Masai Mara Game Reserve making our way back across the Great Rift Valley to our final safari stop in Nairobi.  

Please Note:

The day-to-day running order of the itinerary may vary from the above order, depending on the availability of gorilla permits. 

Occasionally we may visit a neighbouring country, such as Rwanda, for the gorilla trek and this may involve extra visa fees. We do our best to let you know about any major changes to the tour itinerary, before the safari departs.

Tour Transport

Transport on this tour is in a 24-seater, custom-built safari truck for 13 days. The self-contained truck is fitted with onboard tables, individual lockers (70-litre) and a freezer, as well as safety features. The safari truck also features plug sockets, a library and an i-pod jack. On the last 3 days of the tour transport is in smaller safari min-vans that are more suitable for the game viewing trip to the Masai Mara Nature Reserve.

Meals on this Tour

The following meals are included: 

• Breakfast (B) x 15
• Lunch (L) x 17
• Dinner (D) x 15

The group prepares these meals in camp and help with preparation is invited. Most dietary requirements can be catered for on the road, upon request at the time of booking.

Game Park Visits

Some of our National Park visits and game viewing drives are conducted using local services, to ensure the best quality game driving and to comply with local authority rulings. Especially in the Masai Mara, where smaller, lighter vehicles are used as they are better suited to the narrow tracks and routes within the game park.

Using local African guides and service providers also adds to our safari experience and allows us to contribute to the local communities. These local services are included in the Local Payment of the tour.