Joining East Africa’s fantastic wildlife experiences in one itinerary has got better. This 12 Days Africa Primate Trekking & Lion Viewing Safari commences with gorilla trekking in Uganda’s impenetrable forests and climaxes with wildlife encounters of the Savannah rich Maasai Mara and Serengeti reserves and admire the Great Wildebeest Migration. It also includes a tour within the Ngorongoro Crater – a paradise to Africa’s Big 5 – lion, elephant, rhino, leopard and buffalo – as well as a home to other lesser mammals. Completely rich in experience and biodiversity, this is an East African tour that appeals to nature lovers and wildlife photographers.
Primate Trekking & Lion Viewing Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Airport arrival
Dependent on arrival time, your 12 Days Discover East Africa Safari Adventure guide will be ready at Entebbe airport to welcome you and introduce you to the Pearl of Africa. A drive through the colonial town of Entebbe will reward you with short tours to different historical sights, shopping malls, botanical gardens and the zoo. Be dropped off at the lodge, have dinner and a night stay.
Day 2: Entebbe to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After breakfast, begin transferring towards the south western in Bwindi national park. The journey is approximately 9-10 hours away from Entebbe. Upon arrival in Bwindi, you will be welcomed by lodge staff, a welcome juice and refresh in the evening. Before bedtime, be briefed about the following day’s program which features your first gorilla trekking encounter inside the misty jungles.
Day 3: Bwindi Gorilla Trekking
After breakfast at 7:00am, head to the park headquarters and attend a briefing session by the park rangers which begins at 7:30am. During this session, you will be divided into groups of 8, and each assigned a specific gorilla group to trek. You will enter the foggy jungles thereafter and start off your gorilla trekking safari under the guidance of park rangers. Meeting the gentle, shy mountain gorillas in their natural home is purely a magnificent experience as you watch them play, feed and move about their usual jungle life.
Mountain gorilla trekking lasts between two and eight hours depending on the mobility of the assigned gorilla family being tracked. Trekkers are however only permitted to spend one hour with a family of habituated gorillas. When your one hour elapses, retreat to the lodge for lunch and rewind.
An optional community tour to explore the native Batwa people. Watch them as they entertain, tale their tales, and portraying their unique culture and history. In the night, arrange for a campfire and some roasted meat “Nyama Choma” to refresh from a long day.
Day 4: Transfer from Bwindi Impenetrable NP – Kampala
After breakfast, leave Bwindi to Kampala. This trip rewards with fantastic sights and sounds of western Uganda’s rolling landscapes. The drive is soon interrupted by a stopover at the Equator for memorable photos and water experiments that justify the geographical divide between the north and southern poles.
Take your lunch at the equator and continue on the drive to Kampala. Be dropped at your overnight place of accommodation, refresh in preparation of next morning’s flight transfer to Nairobi, Kenya.
Day 5: Kampala – Nairobi – Maasai Mara N.P
After breakfast you will board a plane at Entebbe International Airport in Kampala for a transfer to Nairobi. This is approximately one-hour flight to the Jommo Kenyatta International airport in Nairobi. Meet and greet with your Kenyan safari driver and immediately begin the transfer towards Maasai Mara National Reserve. Drive for about 3-3.5 hours until you arrive in the magnificent Mara this afternoon for a hot lunch and a splendid sunset game drive.
Day 6: Maasai Mara Game drive
After breakfast, take a full day of game viewing, move with packed lunch provided at the lodge. Maasai Mara reserve is famous for its black-maned lion, as well as its abundant resident wildlife. It is one of the few places where it’s possible to meet the big five mammals during a morning game drive.
It is home to many cheetahs that have been tamed and they can be seen as they seek shelter from the hot sun under safari jeeps and several others climbing onto the roof to get a better view of unsuspecting prey.
For the bird lovers, Maasai Mara is home to over 500 species that have been recorded: among these include 16 eagle species, as well as many hawks and falcons, 8 species of storks, 6 species of vultures, the Kori bustard – world’s heaviest flying bird and up to 9 species of sunbirds.
Day 7: Maasai Mara – Tanzania (Serengeti National Park)
After breakfast, start transferring southwards to the endless plains of Serengeti, a journey that will take you approximately 4-5 hours on road. Expect to arrive at the Tanzania/Kenya border of Hisbania in the afternoon, check in at immigration and exchange vehicles with our Tanzanian driver. Continue to your safari lodge / camp in Serengeti which is more three-hours’ drive away from the border.
Day 8: Full Day in Serengeti
On this day, you will wake up to explore the Serengeti National Park. During short rainy seasons of October through to early December, vast animal herds can be found in the southern plains of Serengeti, returning north during the longer rainy season from March to May. The exact location of the animals differs yearly as they migrate according to the rainfall seasons, but your safari guide will know where you will be able to view them best. On a fortunate day, you may even spot some predators including leopards, cheetahs and lions.
After a safari day with wildlife on Serengeti’s magnificent savannah plains, the guide will drive you back to your campsite / overnight lodge for your evening meal and overnight stay.
Day 9: Serengeti – Ngorongoro
Have a morning short drive within Serengeti to explore more wildlife and later set off to Ngorongoro region. The entire journey is rewarded with magnificent views, but even better ones the following day when you explore the Crater floor on a full-day safari drive. Ngorongoro is a destination famed for its easy and regular sightings of the Big 5 mammals, as well as home to spotted hyenas, hippos, flamingos and big herds of antelopes, zebras and more.
Proceed and check in at your camp in a simple but cosy tented suite with a private bathroom and hot-water to fulfil your quest for comfort and relaxation.
Day 10: Ngorongoro Crater full day exploration
Early breakfast and set off to explore one of the world’s greatest wonders. Traverse the Ngorongoro plains and soon have a quick stop over at the viewing point high up on the rim of the Caldera, presenting a bird eye’s view of this extreme land of beauty.
Later descend down onto the crater floor for a full day of game viewing within one of the seven wonders of the world and most incredible places to visit in Africa. Created due to the massive volcanic eruptions about three million years ago, this Caldera is home to 25,000 ungulates and makes a paradisiacal playground for the big 5 plus more than 500 species of bird.
A stop for a picnic lunch can be made near the hippo lake, with more wildlife viewing in the early afternoon, drive up the steep road out of the crater, passing through different climatological zones, enroute game viewing is a must until you return to the lodge for evening coffee and relaxation.
Day 11: Ngorongoro – Tarangire NP
Leave Ngorongoro this morning and head to one of Northern Tanzania’s based national park, Tarangire. It is one of the most adorable parks though less visited unlike other parks in North Tanzania.
Tarangire river is the main animal magnet, especially during dry season when it remains the only source of water in the park. Tarangire River presents great walking safaris, coupled with lovely sunsets, baobab trees and beyond. Mammals to spot include prides of lions, wild dogs, elephants, cheetahs, leopards, monkeys and so much more.
Day 12: Tarangire NP – Arusha Airport & Departure
Spend your final day with a morning game drive before heading to Arusha airport. Tarangire National Park is a great complimentary destination to add onto the famous other destinations in Tanzania. After this exploration, head back to Arusha for your onward flight.
End of 12 Days Africa Primate Trekking & Lion Viewing Safari.
Book your dream safari below.
Do you want to customize this safari by adding more activities, days or destinations? There is a much more detailed contact form with all these details. Kindly click the book now button below.
