Tour will run in reverse with the Kigali departure.
With a mixture of wildlife, local culture and stunning landscapes this tour takes in the very best of East Africa. From Africa's rift valley with its wildlife to the banks of the Nile and on to the Rainforests of the last Gorillas, this tour will undoubtedly be a photographer's paradise.
Day
Full Itinerary
Inclusive Highlights (Indicated as red text)
1 - 3
Leaving Nairobi we head for the Nakuru region on the Great Rift Valley. We spend the first three nights on a large working farm not far from the small town of Nakuru and close to the Nakuru National Park. Next morning we take a full day's game drive into the Nakuru National park with a local operator with a good chance of seeing Rhino and even the elusive Leopard as well as a number of other game species. Our third day in the area is given over to a local community project - this could be helping paint a school, or helping with some building work. It will be good fun and will enable you to mix with the locals. We would like you to give something back to the locals so Africa-in-Focus will fund half the cost of the project and we hope that clients would be happy to pay the other half but to a maximum of US$25 per person. CAMPING
Nakuru National Park all day game drive.
Local Community Project.
Local walks around the Farm.
4
The next morning we stop of in Nakuru town for a little shopping before driving north to Eldoret spending the night at a scenic campsite just outside of town. CAMPING
Eldoret
5 - 7
Today there is a drive of about 250km crossing the border into Uganda. The border crossing can be slow but it can be an interesting experience. Once over the border we drive to Jinja, were the Nile meets Lake Victoria and we camp beside the Nile. The next two days are given over to the various activities on offer in the area. The rafting here is amongst the best in the world with several grade-five rapids providing an exhilarating experience. We also see some typical village life along the river. Alternatively there is the opportunity to visit Bujagali Falls and the Source of the White Nile, an excellent village walk, a vibrant community project known as Soft Power which supports education, quad biking or even bungy jumping! CAMPING
Bujagali Falls/Village Walk and Soft Power Project.
Optional Activities - White Water Rafting, Quad biking, Bungi Jumping.
8
Continuing along Lake Victoria we head for Kampala/Entebbe visiting Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Reserve on Lake Victoria, where orphaned chimpanzees have been relocated under the management of a group of dedicated conservationists, including the Jane Goodall Institute.
Ngamba Island is part of the Koome group of islands located on Lake Victoria 23km south of Entebbe, Uganda. It consists of approximately 100 acres, 98 of which are forested and separated from the visitor's area by an electric fence. Ngamba Island was officially opened to visitors in October 1999 and is currently home to 45 orphaned chimpanzees, many of which have been confiscated and brought to the island since its opening. As well as viewing the chimps, we can canoe or simply relax.
CAMPING
Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Reserve.
9 - 10
Leaving Lake Victoria behind us we head south west ascending into the highlands heading for Lake Bunyoni. We have a day to relax here, enjoy the impressive landscape and excellent bird life at a scenic camp on the lake shore. CAMPING
Local Community visit.
11 - 13
Today we head to Ruhengeri and Parc National des Volcans in Rwanda as this is the best place to see the gorillas. Our plan is for each member of the group to visit the gorillas once. It may not be possible for the group to all visit the gorillas on the same day.
Owing to the nature of the terrain and the need to explore in order to find the gorillas, there are no paths to follow in Virunga and our guides will occasionally need to cut a way through the undergrowth. At times there are some steep ascents and descents over muddy slopes, so strong footwear is essential. You must expect a minimum of three hours walking to find the gorillas.
Despite the challenging terrain, the jungle scenery makes the walking very interesting, and to be close to the gorillas in their natural habitat is an experience you will never forget. An adult male can weigh up to 195kg, a female up to 100kg, and a male can reach 1.7m in height. The gorillas are almost exclusively vegetarian and are quite destructive eaters, which makes them unpopular with the farmers lower down the mountain slopes, as they have been known to wreck a whole field of crops just to eat one plant. For this reason, and also because of poaching, the gorillas are very carefully protected. We can venture to within three metres of the gorilla families with reasonable safety as, in spite of their reputation; they are gentle creatures and are not known to attack unless very severely provoked. Also, we do not venture any closer because the gorillas are very susceptible to human disease - please note that anyone with a cold or any similar ailment may not be allowed near to gorillas.
CAMPING
Gorilla Trek and permit.
14
Our final day we drive to Rwanda's small and attractive capital, Kigali. Rwanda is a country widely remembered for the genocide of 1994 in which over a million people were killed. There is a moving and disturbing museum that commemorates this time in their history. However, Rwanda is trying to look forward as well as back and Africa-in-Focus clients can help bring money into the area by spending time in the market here and sampling the local restaurants. Hotel - own expense.
Kigali City tour
Included
Tour price includes all highlights, all ground transport, all road tolls and vehicle taxes, camping and cooking equipment, services of 3 crew and use of digital download facility.
In order to ensure your Gorilla and Chimpanzee trekking permits an extra deposit (£400 per person) will apply at time of booking. This additional deposit is on top of the usual £200 per person paid at time of booking and will be credited to the final balance of your booking. Please note your deposit for permits is non refundable.
Not Included:
Nile White Water rafting, Quad-biking, Bungi Jumping - Jinja.
Lake Bunyoni activities.
Activities undertaken while waiting for Gorilla Trek.
Hotel in Kigali.
Visas, travel insurance, vaccinations, flights, airport taxes, sleeping bag, pillowcase, towel, items of a personal nature, curios and alcohol.
Transfers back to Nairobi will be available at the discretion of Africa-in-Focus and our driver.
