SPECIAL DISCOUNTS ON SELECTED MASAI MARA & GORILLA TOURS
NMG / NAMG 1337 (Camping OR Accommodated):  8th May 2013  Discount: 15% Permit Price:  US$350 (Normal price between US$520 and US$620)
NMG / NAMG 1341 (Camping OR Accommodated):  22nd May 2013  Discount: 15% Permit Price:  US$350 (Normal price between US$520 and US$620)
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Activity Package
This is a compulsory payment that covers what we consider to be ‘an essential activity’ on our Masai Mara & Gorillas tour and therefore this itinerary has been written with this item included in the day-by-day itinerary. This payment is 100% transparent and is listed below.

Masai Mara camping excursion

*The Gorilla Permit is compulsory payment, the cost is between US$520 and US$620

Day 1 Masai Mara National Reserve
We leave the capital and travel to the Masai Mara National Reserve. Today the tour enters this huge area of spectacular game viewing to photograph some of Africa’s most abundant wildlife. Famous for the annual migration of around 1.5 million wildebeest, the Masai Mara is also home to many other animals, including lions. Cultural interaction with Kenya’s native Masaai people completes our experience.
Activity Package: Masai Mara excursion
Meals:     Lunch, Dinner

Day 2 Lake Naivasha
After an early morning game drive in the Mara, we depart towards Lake Naivasha for a relaxing day on the lakeshore. You can go hiking in the area and activities include game and bird watching. One of the more popular optional activities is to go game viewing from a bicycle. An alternative way to spend your afternoon is to take high tea at Elsamere, the former home of Joy Adamsson, best known for her autobiographical novel, Born Free. Optional Activities: Cycle hire, High Tea at Elsamere.
Included highlights: Cultural interaction with Masai
Meals:     Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 Lake Nakuru
Leaving the Masai Mara, we travel north to Lake Nakuru where we will spend the afternoon game driving. Originally created as a bird sanctuary, Lake Nakuru was upgraded to National Park status in 1968. White rhino inhabit the transitional savannah area surrounding the lake, with excellent photographic opportunities.
Meals:     Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4 Lake Nakuru - Entebbe
Leaving Lake Nakuru we head towards Uganda, briefly stopping for a photo at the equator. Entebbe is situated on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake.  During our stay in Entebbe, we will have the opportunity to visit the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, which originally opened in 1952 as an animal orphanage, but today is the Wildlife Education Centre.  Optional activity: Visit Wildlife Education Centre
Meals:     Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5 Entebbe
Today is set aside for everyone to explore the area.  Most people take an optional day trip to the Chimpanzee Sanctuary of Ngamba Island. This non-profit eco-friendly project was set up in 1998 to care for orphaned chimpanzees. Optional Activities: Ngamba Chimpanzee Excursion, visit the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, Dinner Out.
Meals:     Breakfast

Day 6 Entebbe - Lake Bunyoni
Lake Bunyonyi is a small but attractive lake with steep sides and abundant birdlife. Ringed by mountains, the lake is best known for its dense Otter population and stunning scenery. We make use of this beautiful spot to relax the night before the final drive to the gorillas.
Meals:     Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
 
Day 7/8 Gorillas (Lake Bunyoni)
The mountain gorilla is extremely endangered and while exact numbers vary it is widely assumed that there are only around 650 left. Visiting the gorillas is a great way to support their future on earth as the money spent on permits is used for their protection. An extremely important part of the future conservation of the remaining gorillas rests in the community development work – as local communities change their attitudes towards wildlife and start to protect rather than poach, the future of the mountain gorilla is assured.

As permits granting permission to visit the gorillas are extremely limited we require flexibility in both the tour itinerary and where we actually visit them. The home of the mountain gorillas is completely at odds with man-made borders and so their range encompasses Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo). Whenever possible we choose to make use of the National Park in Uganda, but this depends on the availability of permits.
Should we not obtain permits to visit the mountain gorillas in Uganda then we will inform all passengers beforehand that the tour will travel to Rwanda or DRC.

On your free day in Bunyoni you will have the opportunity to participate in certain optional activities. You can embark on a boat ride to the community of the Batwa (pygmies) who stay in the islands adjacent to the lake to observe their social lifestyle, behaviour and be entertained by their cultural performances. You can also go hiking or explore the area on a mountain bike.Optional activities: Visit to the Batwa (Pygmies) tribe, mountain biking, nature walk, hiking
Meals:     Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Please note: Although there are 2 days allocated to Gorilla Trekking you will only spend one day on the trek. The other day are there to provide a large enough window in which to obtain permits and to allow the entire group to trek if there are more than 6 of you on the tour.

Day 9/10 Queen Elizabeth National Park
Leaving Lake Bunyoni, we venture to the Queen Elizabeth National Park, where we will spend the next 2 nights.  Many game species can be found in this wetland park as well as the (elsewhere elusive) giant forest hog and the legendary tree-climbing lions of the Ishasha Sector.  We will enjoy an included 4x4 game drive on day 10 through the NP. Optional Activities: Kasinga Channel Sunset Cruise, Chimpanzee trekking at Lake George
Meals:     Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11/12 Jinja
Jinja is Uganda’s second largest city and more famous as the point where the Nile (officially the Victoria Nile) flows out of Lake Victoria and begins the 6695 kilometre journey to Egypt and the Mediterranean. Optional Activities: White Water Rafting.
Meals:     Breakfast, Lunch (Day 11 only), Dinner

Day 13 Kenya - Eldoret
Returning to Kenya we visit Eldoret, the country’s 5th largest city. The Great Rift Valley is still the dominant geographical feature of this region and the altitude at Eldoret is 2100 metres above sea level.
Meals:     Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 14 Nairobi
Returning to Nairobi, the largest city in the East Africa region, there’s an optional dinner, where we can swap stories and exchange contact details. Optional Activities: Meal out in Nairobi.
Meals:     Breakfast, Lunch

NB: The itinerary is flexible and can be changed without notice in order to accommodate the best possible viewing of the Gorillas.  The Permit price to visit the Gorillas can also change without notice.