A Tale Of Serengeti And Mountain Gorillas

Our safari begins after breakfast when we pick you up from your hotel and drive to Tarangire National Park. This reserve is known for its large herds of elephants and an abundance of the Baobab tree, the largest, oldest tree on the continent also known as “The Tree of Life”. Our open roof vehicle provides a 360° view of the Tarangire River, its seasonal swamps, and the surrounding savannah as well as a variety of bird species and wildlife including giraffes, impalas, zebras, lions, leopards, elands, warthogs and elephants. We stop for a picnic lunch that offers a spectacular view. After lunch, we return to our game drive for the remainder of the day before retiring to our lodge to relax, dine, and rest ahead of our next adventure.

Accommodation: Fig tree lodge

Meal plan: F/B

After breakfast, we depart for Serengeti National Park. It is a challenging but worthwhile four or five-hour drive up through the crater highlands to reach the stretches of the Serengeti. We enjoy a picnic lunch upon reaching our destination. After check-in and a brief rest, we take an evening drive into the park. The setting sun marks our return drive to Seronera campsite for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Seronera Campsite

Meal plan: F/B

We depart at sunrise in the cool morning air to explore the remarkable landscape of the Serengeti and spend the morning searching for the big 5 (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and buffalo). We drive back to the campsite for lunch before returning for an afternoon game drive. The Serengeti is known for its high diversity of animal species and of course the famous annual migration of wildebeest, gazelles, and zebras. It is also a habitat to over 500 bird species including the ostrich, secretary bird and black eagle. Our drive presents an opportunity for us to observe the bounty of wildlife that inhabit this beloved UNESCO site including the endangered black rhino, wild dog and cheetah. We return to camp at sunset to have dinner and settle in for the night.

Accommodation: Seronera Campsite

Meal plan: F/B

We rise before dawn to make it for a sunrise game drive; a final chance to spot wildlife during the most active time of day. With luck, one might spot the endangered black rhino, wild dog, and cheetah. A breakfast picnic is in order after a busy morning before we continue with our game drive. Come noon we return to base for lunch and then depart, driving to Ngorongoro where we will have dinner and a night at Simba campsite.

Accommodation: Simba Campsite

Meal plan: F/B

After breakfast, we descend immediately to Ngorongoro Crater with the hope of sighting its incredible collection of species in the early morning. Ngorongoro is an extinct volcanic caldera that lies 120 km west of Arusha. Apart from its diverse array of animals, including the densest lion population, it is also known for Lake Magadi which attracts large flocks of pink flamingos. Today you decide between a picnic lunch by the Hippo Lake or a hot meal back at the campsite. After lunch, we set off to Arusha for the night or onward to the airport to check-in for our evening flight into Uganda.

Accommodation: 

Meal plan: H/B

Welcome to Uganda. After breakfast, our safari driver is ready and waiting for our day’s drive southwest. We stop briefly at the Uganda Equator for a cup of coffee and a chance to browse through the equatorial craft markets for souvenirs and gifts. It’s a short drive to Mbarara city where we stop for lunch before continuing directly, to Bwindi Impenetrable. Upon arrival, we check into our lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal plan: H/B

Accommodation: Ride 4 a woman.

After breakfast, we trek on foot into the dense and verdant undergrowth of the forest. Even with experienced guides, it is no easy task to press through walls of vines in search of these great apes. Anticipation is high. It may take minutes or hours of trekking before we encounter a Gorilla family. When we do, the experience is transcendent. We watch from a distance as the juveniles play and the adult's groom. They seem engrossed in their activities but keep a keen eye on us, small visitors lucky enough to share a moment in their world.

We return to the lodge for a brief rest before moving on to visit the territory of the Batwa people, pygmies that are thought to originate from the Ituri Forest of Congo and who have long lived in harmony with the forest and its wildlife. By evening we return to our lodge for dinner and a full night’s rest ahead of our return journey.

Meal plan: F/B

Accommodation: Ride4 a Woman.

Our safari comes to its conclusion as we exit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and drive back to Kampala. We stop en-route for lunch at the Igongo Cultural Centre and then embark on our final drive, homeward bound.

Meal plan: H/B