Overview

This unforgettable 15-day adventure features the very best of East Africa, from legendary big game action in Tanzania’s Serengeti and Kenya’s Masai Mara, to gorilla trekking and cultural encounters in Uganda.

Begin your safari at the foot of the Great Rift Valley, on the shores of Lake Manyara. The lake dominates the landscape, which is home to richly diverse habitats – forest, wetland, floodplain and woodland – that support an impressive variety of wildlife, from tree-climbing lions to flocks of flamingos.

Your next stop is the Serengeti’s rolling grasslands, the quintessential African setting where wildebeest and zebra, buffalo, elephant, giraffe and gazelle roam free. Statuesque Maasai herdsmen watch over their cattle, looking out for Africa’s big cats and other predators. When you cross the border into Kenya and the Masai Mara, you remain in the same ecosystem but the ‘Mara’ has a distinct Out of Africa ambience.

It’s here that a million wildebeest and zebra begin their annual Migration, following the summer rains and sweet grasses into the southern Serengeti, along a soft curve west and then north across treacherous rivers, returning to the Mara. Enjoy classic safari experiences: game drives, hot-air balloon flights and cultural encounters.

Your journey continues to Uganda’s vast green swathe of rainforest that covers the Rift Valley mountains. Gorilla trekking has contributed directly to saving the mountain gorillas from extinction and is an exceptional wildlife encounter that belongs on every bucket list. Explore this teeming ecosystem, home to the great apes and almost a dozen other primate species and about 350 bird species.

Itinerary Highlights

• Wildebeest Migration (seasonal)
• Big 5 game viewing
• Gorilla trekking
• Cultural encounters
• Night game drives
• Guided nature walks

Day to day itinerary

Days 1-2

Your adventure begins in Arusha

You are met on arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to Tanzania’s largest coffee plantation to spend the night at Arusha Coffee Lodge. The lodge makes the most of its luxurious heritage and setting, with pretty walkways in the lush garden and glorious views of Mount Meru. Taste the freshest cup of coffee you will ever have at the resident patisserie shop and recover from your long-haul flight in the lodge’s spa.

Days 2-5

Off to Lake Manyara

This morning you fly from Arusha Airport to Lake Manyara, where you settle into the Escarpment Luxury Lodge for three nights. Feast your eyes on breath-taking views of the lake and surrounding wilderness – a scene so tranquil and naturally beautiful that Hemingway called it ‘the prettiest place in Africa’.

Explore the area on day and night game drives, guided nature walks and even cycling excursions. An exclusive sundowner experience is included in your stay, along with evening entertainment provided by Maasai dancers and singers.

Days 5-8

Sightseeing on the Serengeti

Fly to the Serengeti, where a warm welcome awaits you at Sanctuary Serengeti Migration Camp, your home for the next three nights. This intimate, comfortable camp follows the migrating herds, moving location with the changing seasons.

Its dedicated staff and passionate professional guides will ensure that you witness one of the greatest natural spectacles on earth as it plays out between predators and prey on the endless plains of the Serengeti.

Days 8-9

Touchdown in Uganda

A series of flights will take you from Kogatende in the Serengeti to Entebbe in Uganda via East Africa’s flight hub of Nairobi. Overnight at The Boma Entebbe, a charming homestead set in tropical gardens in one of Entebbe’s leafy neighbourhoods with views of Lake Victoria.

The Boma provides modern comforts in a charming, 1940’s setting – expect warm hospitality and excellent food served in an elegant atmosphere.

Days 9-12

Meet the gorillas

Fly to Kihili, where a road transfer delivers you to Gorilla Forest Camp, your base for three nights. Set in a private concession within Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – a World Heritage Site – Gorilla Forest Camp makes the most of its stunning location, providing luxurious tented suites.

Bwindi is the foremost destination for gorilla trekking and boasts a 90 percent success rate for its treks. Professional guides lead you into the emerald heart of the rainforest, searching out the great apes for an unforgettable encounter with these gentle giants in their natural habitat.

In addition to your trekking permit, a visit to the local Batwa Pygmy community is included in your stay, along with guided scenic walks to admire the dramatic mountain ranges with their volcanoes, hidden valleys, waterfalls and lakes.

Days 12-15

The Masai Mara is calling

From the gorillas it is back to the game: flights and a road transfer deliver you safely to Olonana, a tented camp in the Masai Mara and your home for three nights. Olonana is tucked away in woodlands along the banks of the Mara River in a private concession.

Luxurious, intimate and perfectly positioned to show you the very best of the Mara, this lodge is also in the pathway of the Great Migration (between July and October) and offers the chance to see massive herds making the treacherous river crossings.

Year-round, the Mara’s resident game make most wildlife reserves jealous – expect to see plenty of predators, the Big 5 and your favourite African animals on game drives and guided nature walks. Visit a Maasai village or take flight in a hot-air balloon at sunrise for a bird’s eye view of this incredible landscape.

As you pack your bag for your flight home, what lifelong memories will you carry home with you, what incredible fireside tales will you remember, as your flight takes off from Nairobi?