20 Days Gorillas and Kilimanjaro Trekking (Uganda & Tanzania Safari)

 Tour Summary

• Safari starts with pick up in Kigali
• Activities include gorilla trekking and game drive.
• Transfers will be by a 4×4 safari vehicle
•  Accommodation before and after a trip can be arranged on request at an extra cost

What you need to know

• Accommodation & meals are provided as included 
• Pack the right Gorilla trekking clothes
• Tour can start any time of the year
• The minimum age for Gorilla trekking is 15 years

Itinerary Highlights: Gorillas and Kilimanjaro Trekking

• Day 01: Arrival in Kampala – Kibale National Park
• Day 02: Kibale Forest – Chimpanzee Trekking & Bigodi Swamp walk
• Day 03: Transfer to Bwindi
• Day 04: Gorilla Trekking
• Day 05: Canoeing & transfer to Ssese Island on Lake Victoria
• Day 06: Leisure at the Island
• Day 07:  Transfer to Entebbe – fly to Arusha
• Day 08: Transfer to Machame camp to begin your Kilimanjaro Trek
• Day 09: Machame – Shira Camp
• Day 10: Shira Camp – Barranco Camp
• Day 11:  Transfer from Baranco Camp to Karanga Valley Camp
• Day 12: Karanga Valley – Barafu Camp
• Day 13: Barafu Camp – Mweka Camp
• Day 14: Descend to Machame Park Gate and Transfer to Arusha
• Day 15: Transfer to Ngorongoro
• Day 16: Game drive in the Crater, Visit the Masai Village and Transfer to Serengeti
• Day 17: Full Day Serengeti
• Day 18: Optional Balloon safari and Serengeti Game drive
• Day 19: Transfer to Tarangire National Park
• Day 20: Transfer to Arusha to Arusha or Airport

What’s the real story?:

Itinerary Details: Gorillas and Kilimanjaro Trekking

Day 01: Arrival in Kampala – Kibale National Park

You will meet your safari driver guide who will give you a warm welcome to the country. He/she will then transfer you from Kampala to Kibale forest National Park via Fortportal to begin your 20 days Tanzania safari, where you will enjoy great views and sighting experiences. You will have lunch en-route. When you arrive at the, you will continue and go for a visit to the beautiful crater lakes area, you will also get a chance to see the terraced tea estate. You will enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at your already booked safari accommodation

Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner

Day 02: Kibale Forest – Chimpanzee Trekking & Bigodi Swamp walk

After early morning breakfast, your tour guide will lead you to Kanyanchu park had quarters for a briefing from the senior park rangers. At exactly 8:00 am, you will join the rest of the trekking group and continue with your journey to the starting point.

While in the forest, you have a great opportunity to sight several primate species and other inhabitants including the L’Hoest monkey, baboons, white and black colobus monkeys, grey checked mangabey, red colobus, blue monkeys, and pottos.

Later in the afternoon, you will embark on a guided nature walk in the Bigodi wetland where you will have a great opportunity to see several birds and other habitats.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 03: Transfer to Bwindi

Following Breakfast, you will depart for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to almost half of the remaining mountain gorillas. Along the way you will enjoy an incredible view of the scenic landscape as you enjoy your en-route lunch. You will arrive in the afternoon and check-in your lodge for Dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 04: Gorilla Trekking

In the early morning, have breakfast at the hotel before heading out for your gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi. Your driver will drive you to the park head offices you’re your packed lunch, for briefing and joining others before heading into the forest for your gorilla trek. This trek can last for between 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on the location of the mountain gorilla family on that particular day. Once the gorillas are located, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them while observing their behavior, taking photographs before you return to the park headquarters for your certificate of participation, evidence that you did the trekking.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 05: Canoeing & transfer to Ssese Island on Lake Victoria

After breakfast, you will embark on an early morning canoe cruise on Lake Bunyonyi, famously known for hosting several islands with around 29 found there. The cruise in the morning is a soothing recreational encounter that is worth exploring and refreshing. Later in the afternoon, you will continue with a transfer to Ssese Island on Lake Victoria after having your lunch. The journey will take up to 6hrs meaning you will arrive late in the evening. You will then check-in at your hotel where you will enjoy an overnight stay and dinner

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 06: Leisure at the Island

Today you will spend the whole day at leisure on the Island. You can go swimming in the swimming pool or decide to relax at the beach. There are other optional activities that you can participate in while here like fishing, quad biking, water bikes, boat cruise, nature walks, and bicycle riding

You will enjoy dinner and overnight stay at your accommodation late in the evening

 Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 07:  Transfer to Entebbe – fly to Arusha

After breakfast, you will bid farewell to this beautiful island and start your transfer to Entebbe Town via the water with MV-Kalangala arriving in time (11:00 AM) to catch your outbound flight. Your driver will transfer you from the docking area to Entebbe town to catch your outbound flight to Arusha for overnight

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 08: Transfer to Machame Hut Camp (10,000’)

After breakfast, you will be picked from your Hotel in Arusha and drive for 1 hour to Machame gate (10,000 ft) for registration. Here you will meet the rest of the crew (Cooks and Porters) and we shall all prepare for the climb. We will start the climb through rain forest and the giant heathers for 6 hrs. We climb the giant until we arrive at our first overnight camp.

Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 09: Shira Camp (12,480’)

To climb from 10,000ft to 12,480ft will seem like a short distance and day but rather a steep rocky and dusty trail. It’s a slow hike with plenty of breaks and enough time to acclimatize. Most of the route is rather bare of vegetation providing little shade from the heat. You will cross many ridges and see the first of many Senecias.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 10: Barranco Camp (13,000’)

Today we will start climbing over boulders and very few rocks, then make our way to a steady uphill climb to Lava tower, and where we stop for lunch around noon. For those interested, we may climb up the Lava tower, which is 14850ft (you may start to get a mild headache due to altitude change). From Lava Tower, we will go down for about 2 hrs through dusty and rocky trails to the Barranco Camp at 13000ft.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 11: Karanga Valley Camp (13,450’)

On this day of our Kilimanjaro climbing safari, we start scrambling up the Barranco wall for an hour and half. As this is steep, you will be using your hands to reach and steady yourself like rock climbing, although not as challenging as you may think. At the top of the wall you can see the Barranco valley and the campsite you spent a night before. You will walk up and down the greener valley, which is the last water point to the mountain.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 12: Barafu Hut Camp (14,200’)

Crossing from Karanga valley cap to Barafu hut camp is a short distance but steep uphill climb across the barren landscape with lots of boulders and shattered rocks. You will see the decken glaciers on your left. We will keep going through a very steep ridge until we reach a rocky section for more scrambling, which will last for about 1.5 hrs. Our next camp will be on large rocks with very steep cliff faces. We will cap off the night early as we need to wake up at 11:00 pm for the summit.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 14: Descend and Transfer To Arusha

The hike will take us about 4 to 5 hours to make the 4,500 feet descent to the park gate. We will check out and receive the Kilimanjaro climbing certificate at the park gate office, then eat our lunch and say goodbye to our mountain staff. After lunch, we will drive through very beautiful coffee plantations and small villages of the Chaga people back to Arusha for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 15: Transfer to Ngorongoro

Today after early morning breakfast, you will be transferred to Ngorongoro Conservation Area where you will check in your lodge for a day stay, dinner, and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 16: Game Drive in the Crater, Visit the Masai Village and Transfer to Serengeti

After breakfast, you descend 600m into this magnificent crater for a morning, half-day game drive. The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most densely crowded African wildlife areas in the world and is home to an estimated 30,000 animals including some of Tanzania’s last remaining black rhinos. Supported by a year-round water supply and fodder, the Ngorongoro Crater supports a vast variety of animals, which include herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, and giant African elephants. Another big draw card to this picturesque national park is its dense population of predators, which include lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, and the ever-elusive leopard, which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot. We will enjoy a picnic lunch in the crater, after which we travel to the famous Serengeti National Park. Dinner and overnight as per the standard and type of accommodation option request

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

DAY 17 & 18: Full Day At Serengeti National Park

Today will be the “Serengeti game viewing day”. After breakfast this morning, enjoy an amazing game drive. The great diversity of Serengeti wildlife is evident here—look for buffalo, hippopotamus, elephant, giraffe, antelope, Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelle, and lions. If you are there during the spectacular wildebeest migration, you will be more than astonished. In the late afternoon, we venture out in another game drive.

Everywhere there are animals, monkeys, and, yes, birds but look closely and you will be thrilled to see the huge jungle cats—lion, leopard, and cheetah—watching the world go by. And go by it does. Rhino, gazelle, antelope, and massive elephants by the hundreds. Animals in the trees, flying, camouflaged in the bush, in rivers, and in streams. This is the adventure of a lifetime! After an evening game drive, you head to your already booked and stated accommodation for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 19: Transfer to Tarangire National Park and Afternoon Game Drive

After breakfast, you will depart for Tarangire National Park and enjoy an afternoon game drive. Bush savannah, seasonal swamps and giant baobab trees make up the landscape of this natural reserve and perhaps the best places in East Africa to see elephants. Not only they are found in thousands but also they seem to be more accustomed to vehicles, and for this you can be closer to these gigantic animals. It is not only the elephants rather a varied numbers of animals such as to Masai giraffes, various gazelles, antelopes, buffaloes, lions, leopards, baboons and more than 500 types of birds that make this the one stop solution for both the bird and the animal lovers.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 20: Transfer to Arusha or Airport

Today following breakfast, you will continue with a transfer to either Arusha or Airport depending on your scheduled flight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

End of the 20 Days Gorillas and Kilimanjaro Trekking

Cost Inclusions

• All activities as included
• Accommodation & meals as indicated
• 4×4 Safari Vehicle
• A professional English-speaking knowledgeable driver guide. (other Language speaking guides are provided at an extra cost)
• Bottled drinking water on board
• Regional flights between Kigali and Arusha, Tanzania with accompanying ground transfers

Cost Exclusions 

• International flights & Visas 
• Tips
• Travel and medical insurance
• Drinks
• Any changes to the itinerary 
• Laundry

Transport 

• 4×4 safari land cruiser for luxury travelers
• 4×4 safari van for budget travelers