Gorilla to Gnu

Masai Mara

Day 01 - Masai MARA Today you shall be met upon at your hotel by our staff and given complimentary safari hat BEST way to start your African safari in Kenya. After a safari briefing you shall then transfer you to the Wilson Airport for your scheduled flight to the Mara. Arrival and warm welcome at the local airstrip and then drive enroute to the Royal Mara Safari Lodge offered free welcome drink as you check in and then time for hot lunch. The Royal Mara is located in the Mara North Conservancy which is the richest and most varied wildlife section of the Masai Mara wildlife ecosystem.     1600hrs - After enjoying your afternoon Kenyan tea and coffee - Head out this afternoon, for an exciting game viewing adventure.   MAASAI MARA GAME RESERVE The world-renowned Masai Mara National Reserve is a huge expanse of tawny, sunburnt grasslands pocked with acacia trees and river woodlands, and heaving with animals’ great and small. Impressive at any time of year, it's at its best between July and October when a million migrating wildebeest and tens of thousands of topis, zebras and other animals pour into the reserve from Tanzania in search of fresh grass. It is, arguably, the most spectacular wildlife show on the planet and the one thing that no visitor to Kenya should consider missing. Reliable rains and plentiful vegetation underpin this extraordinary ecosystem and the millions of herbivores it supports. Wildebeest, zebras, impalas, elands, reedbucks, waterbucks, black rhinos, elephants, Masai giraffes and several species of gazelle all call the Mara home. Predators here include cheetahs, leopards, spotted hyenas, black-backed jackals, bat-eared foxes, caracals and the highest lion density in the world. 1830hrs- After game drive head back to your lodge. Accommodation: Royal Mara Safari Lodge https://www.royalmara.com/ Meal Plan: Full board - lunch /dinner.

Nairobi

Day 01    Nairobi - Maasai Mara Game reserve Enjoy your lunch at the camp. 1600 hrs - After enjoying your afternoon Kenyan tea and coffee, on today’s afternoon game drive the choice is up to you: search for the Big 5 or expand your horizons to discover something different.   1830hrs- After game drive head back to your camp. Overnight: Royal Mara Safari Lodge. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Lake Nakuru | Nairobi

Day 06    Lake Nakuru - Nairobi Breakfast at the lodge After breakfast, proceed via Lake Naivasha for a boat ride to the crescent island for an experience CRESCENT ISLAND This private island sanctuary can be reached by boat, or by driving across the narrow, swampy causeway from Sanctuary Farm. It's one of the few places in the Rift Valley where you can walk among giraffes, zebras, waterbucks, impalas and countless bird species. Lucky visitors might even spot a leopard, but don't count on it. Island walks, led by a guide, last between 90 minutes and three hours. Later proceed on your drive to Nairobi to later check in at your hotel for your afternoon at leisure utilizing hotel facilities. NIROBI CITY East Africa's most cosmopolitan city, Nairobi is Kenya's beating heart, an exciting, maddening concrete jungle that jarringly counterpoints the untrammeled natural beauty to be found elsewhere in the country. With a fabulous national park on its doorstep, some wildlife-centric attractions, the excellent National Museum and a series of quirky sights, Nairobi's reality – like that of so many places with a bad reputation – will often come as a pleasant surprise.     Overnight: Crown Plaza Airport www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/nairobi/nboir/hoteldetail Meal Plan: Bed & Breakfast.

Bwindi Impenetrable

Day 08    Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Breakfast at the lodge Proceed on your Gorilla trekking experience in the park     BWINDI IMPENETRATABLE NATIONAL PARK As names go, there's hardly a more evocative African destination than the Impenetrable Forest of Bwindi. This swath of steep mountains covered in thick, steamy jungle is just as magnificent as it sounds. The 331-sq-km World Heritage–listed Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of Africa’s most ancient habitats, even surviving the last Ice Age as most of the continent's other forests disappeared. The combination of its broad altitude span (1160m to 2607m) and its antiquity has produced an incredible diversity of flora and fauna, resulting in some 120 mammal species and over 350 bird species calling Bwindi home. The stars of the show, however, are the approximately 400 mountain gorillas living here. This is one of the best places in the world to see mountain gorillas up close. Having a look at these critically endangered creatures up close is an unforgettable experience. Overnight: Mahogany Springs Lodge Meal plan: Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast.