gap year and adventure travel programmes

Explore the Masai Mara and Meet African Mountain Gorillas

Masai Mara and Meet African Mountain Gorillas

COUNTRIES VISITED: KENYA, UGANDA / RWANDA

Big Skies and Big Apes await you on this fabulous trip through one of Africa’s most popular game reserves and then onto visit the mountain Gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda.

Explore the Masai Mara and Meet African Mountain Gorillas: Tour High lights

Masai Mara National Reserve, Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Bunyoni Impenetrable Forest, Mountain Gorilla, Lake Nakuru National Park, Lake Victoria, Great Rift Valley, Nile River, Ngamba Island, Lake Bunyoni, Queen Elizabeth National Park

Xtreme Gap's Africa overlanding truck adventure tours are ideal for the budget conscious traveller, will a strong craving for adventure! The Tour comprises of an all inclusive experience, with integrated cultural interaction, game viewing, and social interaction, with the opportunity to book additional adrenaline based experiences such as white water rafting, Skydiving, walking with lions and swimming with dolphins!

DAY 1 NAIROBI TO MARA

The Masai Mara National Reserve is the Kenyan side of the Serengeti National Park (located in Tanzania). Today the tour will be entering this huge area of spectacular game viewing to photograph some of Africa’s most abundant wildlife. Famous for the annual migration of around 1.5 million wildebeest, the Masai Mara is also home to many other plains animals, including lions. We will only arrive after lunch, but in time for an afternoon game drive.

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

DAY 2 MARA TO NAIVASHA

In addition to what we hope will be a successful day’s game viewing, cultural interaction with Kenya’s native Masaai people will round off your experience. After lunch we will leave the Mara to travel to Lake Naivasha.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 3 NAIVASHA (HELLS GATE NP) TO NAKURU NP

Today we will spend the morning at Hell’s Gate NP. The interesting name comes from the huge red-coloured cliffs that form the entrance to the geothermal interior. This is the only National Park where you can go hiking and activities include game and bird watching. The park entry fees are included and one of the more popular optional activities is to go game viewing from a bicycle. In the afternoon the tour will travel towards Lake Nakuru, the home of the greater and lesser flamingo. White Rhino inhabit the transitional savanna area surrounding the lake and if you are lucky you will get some great pictures. Optional Activities: Bicycle Hire

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 4 LAKE NAKURU TO ELDORET

We will spend a relaxed morning at Lake Nakuru before driving across the equator to Eldoret. When crossing the equator today there will be opportunity for photography. Eldoret is the 5th largest city in Kenya and is currently the fastest growing. The Great Rift Valley is still the dominant geographical feature of this region and the altitude at Eldoret is 2100 metres above sea level.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 5 ELDORET TO KAMPALA

Today we cross the border in to Uganda. Border crossings require patience as they can take much longer than one may expect. In the afternoon we will enter Uganda’s capital city, Kampala. This evening we have the opportunity to dine out at one of the local restaurants. Optional Activities: Dinner Out

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 6 KAMPALA - CRESCENT ISLAND EXCURSION

Although officially this day is set aside for everyone to explore Kampala most people use this day to take an optional day trip to the Chimpanzee Sanctuary of Ngamba Island. This non-profit eco-friendly project was set up in 1998 to care for orphaned chimpanzees. Ngamba Island is situated 23 km from Entebbe (near Kampala) on Lake Victoria and is only accessible by boat.

The Chimpanzee Sanctuary & Wildlife Conservation Trust (CSWCT) manages the project and, as only one third of their operating costs are covered by visitors’ fees, all interested parties are encouraged to join ‘Friends of the Sanctuary’. Should the weather be unfavourable, or the lake too rough for this excursion, there are many other activities available in Kampala. Optional Activities: Ngamba Chimpanzee Excursion, Kampala Markets, Dinner Out.

Meals: Breakfast

DAY 7 / 8 / 9 KAMPALA TO GORILLAS

The Mountain Gorilla is extremely endangered and while exact numbers vary it is widely assumed that there are only 650 left. Visiting the Gorilla’s is a great way to support their future on earth as the money spent on permits is used for their protection. An extremely important part of the future conservation of the remaining Gorilla’s rests in the community development work – as local communities change their attitudes towards wildlife and start to protect rather than poach the future of the Mountain

Gorilla’s is assured.

As permits granting permission to visit the gorillas are extremely limited we require flexibility in both the tour itinerary and where we actually visit them. The home of the Mountain Gorillas is completely at odds with man-made borders and so their range encompasses Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo). Whenever possible we choose to make use of the NP in Uganda, but this depends on the availability of permits. Please note that each permit is only valid for one day. It is normal that the group will be split and will trek on different days; it all depends on the availability of the permits.

Should we not obtain permits to visit the Mountain Gorillas in either Bwindi or Mgahinga NP in Uganda then we will inform all passengers beforehand that the tour will travel to Rwanda or DRC. Visas for all nationalities are available on the DRC and Rwandan borders.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 10 / 11 GORILLAS TO QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK

Today we will leave the Gorillas behind and visit some of Uganda’s other wild animals at Queen Elizabeth National Park. Many game species are to be found in this mainly Wetland Park including the (elsewhere elusive) giant forest hog, and the legendary tree-climbing lions of the Ishasha Sector. The 1995 square kilometers of exceptional bio-diversity contain over 600species of birds and nearly 100 mammals. Game is best viewed from the water and we recommend a sunset cruise on the Kasinga channel. Optional Activities: Kasinga Channel Sunset Cruise

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 12 /13 QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK NP TO JINJA

We depart early for the long drive to Jinja where we will spend the entire following day. Jinja is Uganda’s second largest city and is famous as the point where the Nile (officially the Victoria Nile) flows out of Lake Victoria and begins the 6695 kilometre journey to Egypt and the Mediterranean. If you do not want to go rafting, why not volunteer for the day at Soft Power Education, a UK registered charity that is doing a wonderful job with the education of Jinja’s youth. Spending your day helping out will not only assist their projects, but will also afford you the opportunity to spend a day at grass-root level helping Africa’s youth. Optional Activities: White Water Rafting, Soft Power Education Project

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 14 JINJA TO NAIROBI

It is a very long drive to Nairobi. The city of Nairobi was originally founded as a camp for the Mombassa-Uganda railway in 1899 and had since become the largest city in both Kenya and the East Africa region. As this is the last evening the group may choose to dine together at Nairobi’s famous Carnivore Restaurant, where vegetarians are catered for, but not encouraged… Optional Activities: Meal out in Nairobi

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

NB: The itinerary is flexible and can be changed without notice in order to accommodate the best possible viewing of the Gorillas. The Permit price to visit the Gorillas can also change without notice.

Included in the program

Services of a tour leader

All transportation by private adventure vehicle

camping fees & equipment

Most Meals

Not included in the program

Flights

Visas

Insurance

Gorilla Permit: Between US $ 505 - $ 605

Masai Mara and Meet African Mountain Gorillas

DATES