Book by 30/04/2024 for travel from 01/06/2024 onwards and Find out more
Book by 30/04/2024 for tour departures before 31/05/2024 & Find out more
This budget East African camping safari explores Kenya and Uganda visiting top wildlife areas and travel destinations in these beautiful and diverse countries.
The highlight of this African Budget Safari is going Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Uganda's Bwindi National Park. Encounter the endangered mountain gorillas of Uganda in this diverse game park's ancient forests - the rare wildlife experience of a lifetime!
The Kenya & Mountain Gorillas Camping Safari travels through the Great Rift Valley and visits Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya to see its abundant wildlife and rich birdlife. In Uganda we go game viewing in Queen Elizabeth National Park and trek for chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge.
On this two-week camping safari visitors get to experience rich African cultures, meeting the welcoming people of Kenya and Uganda on stops in bustling Nairobi, Uganda's Kampala and other interesting towns.
An unforgettable wildlife and cultural African safari through scenic Kenya and Uganda!
This Kenya & Mountain Gorillas Camping 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 also 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 early on day one, we travel northwest descending into the vast Great Rift Valley. Stretching around 6000km’s in length from Southwest Asia to central Mozambique, the Great Rift Valley is a massive natural feature offering spectacular scenery. We make our way to the compact Lake Nakuru National Park in the Great Rift Valley, pausing along the escarpment to take in the stunning views.
Nakuru Park is best known for the impressive number of migratory flamingoes that sometimes gather along the shores of the shallow lake. Lake Nakuru National Park hosts over 400 other bird species, including the Great White Pelican, Grey-crested Helmet-shrike, African Spoonbill, Yellow-billed Stork and Long-crested Eagle. The Nakuru National Park is also home to black and white rhino, lion, leopard, buffalo and various antelope species, in addition to python snakes and smaller wild animals such as warthog. We take a game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park with local guides in smaller safari vehicles.
Having experienced the rich birdlife and diverse wildlife of Nakuru, we drive northwest on day two, to our next stop - the rapidly expanding town of Eldoret. Crossing the equator along the way and stopping to take photos, we head to our camp located in the hills near Eldoret, an area once inhabited by the ancient Sirikwa tribe.
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.
We make our way 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 crossing the Equator again along the way. Our drive takes us through the fertile Ugandan countryside of green terraced hillsides, lush banana plantations, steep mountains and dense forests. Arriving at our camp near Queen Elizabeth National Park on day four you are free to explore the area on foot, visit the local community or simply take it easy.
On the morning of day five, we embark on a game drive in search of the Uganda Kob antelope, as well as elephant, lion, buffalo, hyena and hippo. Enjoy spotting a variety of wildlife and birds in Queen Elizabeth National Park, which overlooks Lake Edward, Lake George and the mountains between Uganda and central Africa to the west.
Then we visit the nearby Kyambura Gorge to track chimpanzees. Unlike the larger gorillas, chimps spend most of their time in the trees, therefore we watch them high up, from a distance. Seeing man’s closest relative in the wilds is, however, a rare and memorable experience. The chimpanzee treks are conducted in groups of eight people, therefore you may go trekking on the afternoon of day four, the morning or afternoon of day five, or the morning of day six (depending on the size of your safari group).
Continuing into the heart of the breathtaking Kigezi Highlands of Uganda we arrive at scenic Lake Bunyonyi, our base for mountain gorilla trekking. The ancient valley of Lake Bunyonyi in the Kigezi Highlands region, known as the “Switzerland of Africa”, is a picturesque birding paradise. In fact, the word Bunyoni means “the place of many little birds”.
This African region is home to the 1000 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. When not trekking you are free to relax at the camp and enjoy optional activities at Lake Bunyonyi. Dotted with 29 islands, Bunyonyi is one of the deepest lakes in Africa, surrounded by lush hills.
On day nine we make our way back to Kampala, after our once-in-a-lifetime wildlife encounter with the extremely rare gorillas. We drive through green landscapes, crossing the equator and skirting the northern shores of Lake Victoria. Enjoy the city's nightlife, sample some Ugandan cuisine and mingle with the friendly locals.
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 Bwindi rainforest on foot. The mountain gorilla trek takes us through the 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 Bunyonyi 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 primaeval forest is home to half the world's population of highly endangered Mountain Gorillas.
Travel on to Jinja where we camp on the grassy banks of the Nile River at its source, Lake Victoria. The longest river in Africa, the Nile flows from Lake Victoria over 4132 miles through Uganda, Sudan and Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea.
From camp, you have the option of taking a rafting day trip - a thrilling whitewater rafting experience. You also have the chance to volunteer at a local schools project, making a difference to local children. This Softpower Project is a locally run voluntary program 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, mountain biking, village walks and even bungee jumping! Days 11 and 12 are free for you to do optional activities of your choice.
After our thrilling adventures in Jinja, we journey back into Kenya on day 13. Travelling to our camp near Eldoret we celebrate our final night on safari together. On the morning of day 14, we return to bustling Nairobi and our unforgettable Kenya and Mountain Gorilla Camping Safari comes to an end.
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.
This tour comes with a Mandatory Adventure Pass, which is charged in addition to the tour price. This Mandatory Adventure Pass, includes major tour highlights and activities. The Adventure Pass can be pre-purchased when booking your tour, or at the start of your trip, payable in cash, directly to your tour guide.
Contact African Budget Safaris for a detailed and up-to-date itinerary description, including everything that is covered by the Mandatory Adventure Pass. See full pricing info above for Mandatory Adventure Pass pricing.
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. Game drives in a 4x4 safari vehicle.
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.
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. Using local African guides and service providers also adds to our safari experience and allows us to contribute to the local communities.
For up-to-date and confirmed pricing info for optional items, please drop us an enquiry.
Lake Bunyoni, Uganda
Jinja, Uganda
This tour does not take children.
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