7-day Kenya safari and Uganda gorilla trekking

Overview

Seven days is tight for two countries, and this itinerary manages it by flying every long leg: Nairobi to the Mara by light aircraft, Nairobi to Entebbe by scheduled service, and Entebbe to Bwindi by charter. Nothing is driven that can be flown.

What you get is three full nights in the Masai Mara and a proper gorilla trekking day with a night either side of it. What you give up is margin — there is no spare day if weather delays a light aircraft.

Highlights

• Three nights in the Masai Mara, including the river crossings in season
• One hour with a habituated mountain gorilla family in Bwindi
• Every long transfer flown — no six-hour road days
• Private vehicle and driver-guide throughout the Kenyan leg

Day by day

1. Arrive NairobiMet at Jomo Kenyatta International and transferred to your hotel. International arrivals are mostly late evening, so this is a travel day whatever else is planned.

2. Nairobi to the Masai MaraTransfer to Wilson Airport for the light aircraft to the Mara, about 45 minutes. Met at the airstrip and into the reserve, with an afternoon game drive on the way to camp.

3. Masai MaraFull day of game drives. Early start for the best light and the most active predators. Between roughly July and October, the day is built around the Mara River in the hope of a crossing.

4. Masai MaraA second full day. Options include the conservancies along the northern boundary, where walking and night drives are permitted that the reserve does not allow.

5. Mara to Nairobi to Entebbe to BwindiThe long day. Morning flight back to Nairobi, then the scheduled service to Entebbe, about an hour and twenty minutes. Charter onward to Kihihi or Kisoro, roughly 45 minutes, and a road transfer to your Bwindi lodge for the evening.

6. Gorilla trekkingBriefing at the sector headquarters at 07:00, then into the forest. The trek can take thirty minutes or eight hours. One hour with the family, then back to the lodge for the afternoon.

7. Bwindi to Entebbe and departureCharter back to Entebbe and connect to your onward flight. Note that this is a same-day departure — if your international flight is early, we will discuss adding a night.

Accommodation

Three nights Masai Mara, two nights Bwindi. We build this at whichever level suits you, from well-run tented camps to lodges on the forest edge. Specific properties are named in your written itinerary once dates are confirmed and availability is checked — naming them here would be misleading, since availability drives it.

Fitness and difficulty

The Kenyan leg is undemanding. The Bwindi trek is a real hike on steep, often muddy ground above 2,000 metres, lasting anywhere from half an hour to most of a day. Hire a porter. Minimum age is fifteen and is enforced at the gate.

More on trek difficulty

Best time

July to September is the strongest window — Kenya's dry season, the Mara river crossings, and drier trekking in Bwindi. Late December to February is the good alternative. April and May bring Kenya's long rains but Uganda's USD 600 permit rate.

Included

• Uganda gorilla permit, booked in your name
• All park and reserve entry fees
• Accommodation as specified, with meals as noted
• Light aircraft Nairobi-Masai Mara-Nairobi
• Scheduled flight Nairobi-Entebbe
• Charter Entebbe-Bwindi-Entebbe
• Private vehicle with driver-guide on the Kenyan leg
• All airport and airstrip transfers

Not included

• International flights
• Kenya eTA, Uganda e-visa or East Africa Tourist Visa
• Travel insurance, including cover for non-refundable elements
• Porters at the trailhead, tips for guides, rangers and porters
• Drinks, laundry, personal items