Overview
Take part in this 17 Days East Africa Primate Trekking & Wildlife safari where you will encounter different primates such as mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys among others. You will encounter savannah wildlife in different national parks such as Serengeti, Masai Mara national reserve Amboseli National park, Queen Elizabeth National Park among others. The big five and big cats will be observed, the rare tree-climbing lions, among others.
Detailed itinerary
You will fly to Nairobi in Kenya where you will take a great adventure of visiting city-based attractions. The guide driver will take you through the different dos and don'ts while on this safari and you will after head to the booked lodge for an option of massage.
Drive to Amboseli National Park which is well known to have elephants and on arrival, you will take an afternoon game drive which will mark the end of the day. You will encounter different animals like zebras, hyenas, cheetahs, warthogs, buffalos among others. This park is the commonest Kenya national park and the name Amboseli comes from Masai word meaning "Salty dust". The journey to the park takes about 3 to 4 hours' drive covering a distance of about 230km.
Take a full-day game drive in this park where you will be able to encounter different wildlife covered by beautiful scenery like the Kilimanjaro Mountains in the background. You will encounter African elephants, lions, spotted hyenas, zebras, jackals, buffalos among others. The swamp area has hippos and the game drives will take different intervals which are morning, afternoon, and evening.
Head to Masai Mara national reserve as you pass through Lake Nakuru National Park where you will spot Cape buffalo, African wild dog, zebra, eland, waterbuck, and lion. In recent years Nakuru has attracted fame for the high number of leopard sightings and the rare Rothschild's giraffe. Proceed to Masai Mara National Reserve which home lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras, and hippos. Wildebeest traverse its plains during their annual migration. You will arrive late evening and leisurely at the lodge as you prepare for the evening dinner.
During these two days, you will have different game drives with the help of the expert driver-guide who knows the location of great wildlife such as elephants, rhinos, lions, leopards, buffalos, cheetahs, zebras, hippos, Topis, hyenas, jackals, warthogs, mongoose, Jackson hartebeests among others. Birds like marabou stork, egrets, vultures, Secretary birds, ostriches among others are also identified. You are required to have your binoculars, camera and maybe an animal checkbook to help you check the identified animals. During the periods of June to September, this reserve hosts the world wonders of wildebeest migration and this will be a great chance to witness them in case your safari is carried out during these months.
Depart to Serengeti National Park in Tanzania after breakfast with your packed lunch a journey that will take 8hours plus crossing the Isebania border. After the clearance of immigration documents, you will be handed over to the Tanzania border or the guide-driver will proceed with you to Serengeti National Park that neighbors Masai Mara national reserve. You will arrive late evening and then have the option of taking an evening game drive.
During this day, you will explore the endless plains of Serengeti National Park where you be taking part in game drives as you will be encountering different wildlife such as the black rhinos, jackals, hippos, lions, leopards, cheetahs, zebras, Masai giraffes, hippos, elephants, warthogs, among others. You will also spot different bird species like grey throated spurfowl, Schalow's wheatear, red-throated tit, Rufous-tailed Weaver, grey-crested helmet shrike, among others. The game drive will take in the morning, afternoon, and evening.
Head to Ngorongoro craters after your breakfast with a lunch box. This area is interesting and homes a large concentration of animals with a large volcanic Caldera in the area which is recognized as one of the seven wonders of Africa. Ngorongoro craters have different vegetation covers and land scrapes such as Highland plains, savannah woodlands, forests and savannahplains among others. This area has different attractions like the Masai culture, the wildebeests, gazelles, giraffes, Zebras, buffalos, rhinos, impalas, elephants, lions among others.
Have breakfast and head to Tarangire national park where you will encounter different wildlife. You will take part in the evening game drive on this day and the morning game drives the next morning where you will encounter different animals like elephants, cheetah, rhinos, and tree climbing African python among others.
Tarangire national park gets its name from the Tarangire River that is a source of water in the area and during the dry season, you will witness the different animals that migrate from Lake Manyara National Park to this park. Check in the lodge after the game drive.
Have a morning game drive to meet more of the Tarangire national park wildlife and after you will head to Arusha where you will fly to Uganda on this day and meet the tour representative who will take you through a briefing about the remaining days. He will later take you to the booked hotel in Kampala with an option of visiting Uganda museum, local markets like Nakasero Market with its fresh fruits or even taking a nightlife experience.
Head the home of 13 primates which is Kibale national park that is located in Western Uganda, Fortportal being the nearest city. This park homes chimpanzees our close relatives and the road network makes it easy to access the park. On arrival, you will visit Isunga Community where you will take part in entertainment for both Bakiga and Batooro which will be through music, dance and drama. This community initiative of Isunga at the edge of Kibale national park will offer you the best of African culture through this entertainment.
Take breakfast at the lodge and then the driver guide will take you to the Kanyanchu visitor center in Kibale Forest national park where you will encounter a briefing. Join another team to track with and the park ranger guide will help you to locate these beautiful primates. You will then enter the forest after a short drive to the starting point. Have a great time of an hour in their presence and while on the trail, you will encounter other primates like the olive baboons, vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, colobus monkeys among others.
After, you will straight away head to Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda. This is an amazing national park that has abundant wildlife that normally roams around the park premises. You will head for a boat cruise after lunch where you will encounter the hippos and crocodiles plus elephants and buffalos on the banks of Kazinga Channel.
Take part in the morning game drive where you will encounter different wildlife in the plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Among others include Uganda Kobs, Sitatunga, Topis, Waterbucks, Lions, Leopards, Civet, carvel cats, elephants, buffalos, warthogs, and different bird species like an African mourning dove, swamp flycatcher, Grey-headed kingfisher, pin-tailed Whydah and slender-tailed Nightjar.
The game drive takes about 2 hours of adventure and you will encounter the true African wildlife in this park. You will head to Bwindi national park where you encounter the mountain gorillas but you will pass in the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park where you will be able to spot the rare tree-climbing lions in sycamore fig trees, and acacia trees.
On this day, you will encounter gorillas after breakfast and briefing. The briefing will be done at the park offices which covers different activities like checking gorilla trekking permits, alerting the dos and don'ts, among others. The park guide ranger will take you into the interior of the forest where you will find these beautiful primate species.
Upon finding the gorilla family, you will encounter different behaviors of these beautiful human cousins such as feeding, playing, breastfeeding in case they have young ones, moving among others. This will take an hour while in their presence and after you will trek back to the lodge and you will have leisure time after this trail.
You will have breakfast served and then transfer to Kigali airport in Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills that where you will have a chance to visit the Rwanda genocide memorial Centre. After learning the political history of this country, you will be served lunch and then, be dropped at the airport and fly back home. This will be the end of your 17 Days East Africa Primate Trekking & Wildlife safari.