Saturday. Welcome to Nairobi! We’ll be there to collect you at Nairobi Airport. Your first night will be spent at our preexpedition hotel in the centre of town. West from Nairobi on day 2, we reach possibly Kenya’s most famous natural attraction - the Masai Mara National Reserve. The Kenyan section of the wildly beautiful Serengeti Plains teems with wildlife. The highlight of the Mara is no doubt the annual wildebeest migration, when literally millions of these beasts plus zebra and Thomson’s gazelle stray north from the Serengeti in neighbouring Tanzania in search of lush grass on the savannah plains. Elephant, lion, cheetah, giraffe and a multitude of hooved herbivores also inhabit the reserve. A morning and evening game drive through the Mara gives us the chance to spot the Big Five. During our stay we can also opt to visit a local Masai tribe. Overnight - Nairobi (1) Masai Mara (2) (B:1, L:2, D:2)

Departing the Masai Mara early we will travel to our lakeside campsite in Kericho. Kericho is Kenya’s main harbour town on Lake Victoria – the largest lake in Africa.

On day 5 we cross the border into Uganda, we travel via the lakeside town of Jinja (the Source of the Nile) before reaching Kampala, Uganda’s capital, for an overnight stay. Uganda is a small country of striking physical beauty. Its landscapes vary from the fertile green areas around the northern shores of Lake Victoria to the snow-covered Ruwenzori Mountains in the west and the semi-desert parts of the north facing the border of Sudan. Overnight - Kericho (1) Kampala (1) (B:2, L:2, D:2)

From Kampala we drive to Lake Bunyoni, the deepest Crater Lake in Africa and home to a large and varied number of beautiful birds, which is the base from which the optional Gorilla trek takes place. Whilst in Lake Bunyoni there will be plenty of time to hike, partake in water activities or just chill-out in this region of amazing beauty.

Dependant on where trekking permits are available, we trek in the Magahinga or Bwindi National Parks in Uganda, the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or the Ruhengeri National Park in Rwanda.

Winding our way through arguably some of the most picturesque scenery in Africa, we head to the town of Kisoro where we spend the night (should we be trekking in Rwanda our overnight will be in Ruhengeri). The following morning, after packing our picnic lunch, we are transferred to a ranger’s station where the trek commences. Your rangers will lead you through the cultivated lands and then into the dense rain forest and on to a gorilla family. Trekking can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 8 hours and it can be quite strenuous, so a reasonable level of fitness is required. To ensure the gorillas do not get too used to the presence of humans and because they share many of our genes (and therefore able to catch our diseases), the maximum time permitted to spend with them is 1 hour. You will have plenty of time to watch their activity and to take photographs. The rangers will be able to provide you with a background to the gorilla family you are visiting. Once our hour is up, we trek back out of the rain forest and transfer back to the Lake Bunyoni campsite. Overnight - Lake Bunyoni (3) Kisoro (1) (B:4, L:4, D:4)

After enjoying the peaceful surrounds of Lake Bunyoni we drive to Kampala for another overnight stay. The next day we cross the equator for the second time to reach Jinja. Here we have the option to either white water raft the Nile or visit Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary. Our overnight camp is right on the edge of the Nile River where there is an abundance of resident bird life. Overnight - Kampala (1) Jinja (1) (B:2, L:2, D:2)

Crossing back into Kenya, we begin the long drive back to Nairobi along the Great Rift Valley via Lakes Nakuru and Naivasha. Lake Nakuru National Park is home to a veritable colony of wildlife. The park supports a population of black rhino, lion, leopard, zebra, antelope and giraffe not to mention millions of pink flamingos. The lake itself is a shallow soda lake. On day 13 we enjoy a day of game driving here.

Moving further east, on day 14 we drive to Lake Naivasha where we make camp in peaceful surroundings beside the lake. The highest of the Rift Valley lakes, the freshwater Lake Naivasha is a sanctuary to bird life. From here, you can opt to visit Elsamere (home of Joy Adamson of ‘Born Free’ fame), Crescent Island Game Sanctuary or Hells Gate NP. Descending the Rift Valley, we return to Nairobi on day 15. Our late afternoon arrival on Saturday brings our incredible expedition to an end. Lake Nakuru (2) Lake Naivasha (1) (B:4, L:3, D:3)