Day 1
Nairobi
Starting your journey at London Heathrow (other airports and routes available), board your British Airways flight for your direct flight to Nairobi in Business Class. You will land in the evening, where you will be met at the airport and escorted to your private transfer to your hotel for check in and dinner.
Overnight: Macushla House (Half Board).
Day 2
Sheldrick Wildlife Nursery
Today is a day to catch your breath before your adventure starts. After a leisurely breakfast, you will be met and transferred to the Sheldrick Wildlife Nursery. Here you will see the amazing work this organisation does in the rescue and rehabilitation of elephants and learn how the organisation is involved in anti-poaching projects.
Lunch is included at the Karen Blixen Coffee Gardens. Visit the Karen Blixen Museum before returning to your hotel late afternoon to enjoy the rest of the day and evening at leisure.
Overnight: Macushla House (Half Board).
Day 3
Meru National Park
After an early breakfast you will be met and transferred to Wilson Airport for your short flight of around an hour to Meru with Air Kenya. At the landing strip, you will be met and transferred to your camp set in the park itself. Check in and take some time to settle into your tent, relax around the property and enjoy the pool area.
After lunch is your first game drive around the park. Meru is a lesser visited National Park, allowing you to get an instant feel of the rustic exclusivity the park offers. Additionally, Meru National Park is a birdwatchers paradise with over 450 species of bird. Search and view all the incredible wildlife you wish to see as well as spot both the critically endangered black rhino and white rhinos in the protected vast sanctuary area within the park.
Return to camp for a dip in the gorgeous camp swimming pool ahead of pre-dinner drinks and conversations with other guests and the property team. Enjoy a relaxed evening meal.
Overnight: Rhino River Camp, Meru (Full Board with drinks).
Day 4
Meru National Park
Enjoy both morning and evening game drives to spot more of the big game including lions, elephant, Grevy zebra – only seen in more northern parts of Kenya - and to try to track elusive leopards.
You will be joined during the day by the Born Free organisation, giving a unique opportunity to have access to the team and their activities. They will explain their work both historically and currently with a focus on the monitoring of lions in Meru. Watch how they monitor lions and learn how they work with local communities to ensure that human-wildlife conflict is minimalised.
Overnight: Rhino River Camp, Meru (Full Board with drinks).
Day 5
Ol Pejeta Conservancy
After breakfast and a morning game drive, you will be taken to the landing strip for a very short flight to Nanyuki airport. Arrive in less than an hour, through the very small airport and into your personal game vehicle and then onwards entering the Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
Traverse this conservancy, home to the big 5, on route to camp and enjoy your first sightings of the rhino population and most likely the less common reticulated giraffe, hyena, elephants and possibly lion.
Arriving at camp, check into your tents and have some time to relax around camp and enjoy the view to the saltlick with animals constantly coming and going right in front of camp.
Enjoy lunch and then head out for your first game drive. You will see numbers of Black and White Rhino in this game area as it is the biggest rhino sanctuary in East Africa. Seek out one of the resident lion prides as well as the other big game.
Overnight: Porini Rhino Camp, Ol Pejeta (Full Board with drinks).
Day 6
Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Today enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner at camp with morning and evening game drives around the 90,000-acre wildlife conservancy. Witness and understand the purpose of wildlife corridors linking a variety of wildlife areas across this Laikipia area of Kenya.
During the day you will have a unique opportunity to witness the very last of the Northern White Rhinos. Very sadly this species is about to become extinct, a shocking reminder to us all that we must take care of our planet and wildlife.
After this, visit behind the scenes of the Chimp Sanctuary. Guides will explain their role in the rescue of these animals who have all been illegally exploited and extracted from the wild, and how they are providing refuge within the sanctuary.
Overnight: Porini Rhino Camp, Ol Pejeta (Full Board with drinks).
Day 7
Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Enjoy all meals at camp today as well as morning and afternoon game drives.
You will have the chance to join expert guides in a lion tracking experience. Guides will explain how the GPS equipment works and why lions are collared, tracked and monitored as part of the preservation efforts within the conservancy. See how individual lions are identified, and logs kept of movements and interactions.
Enjoy a last sundowner in this conservancy, enjoying panoramic views at sunset before returning to camp.
Overnight: Porini Rhino Camp, Ol Pejeta (Full Board with drinks).
Day 8
Maasai Mara
After breakfast and an early game drive, head back to Nanyuki airport for your flight to the Mara. Taking around an hour, you will enjoy the scenic views of the Aberdare Mountain range en route before seeing the vast plains and ecosystem of the Mara.
You will be met at the landing strip and taken to camp for check in and lunch.
After lunch, meet the conservancy manager from the local Maasai Community over tea and coffee and learn how this pioneering community conservancy model has benefited wildlife and the community landowners. Then head out into the Ol Kinyei Conservancy, part of the wider Maasai Mara ecosystem,and see an abundance of big game, birds and plenty of the smaller fascinating animals such as Warthogs and varieties of antelope.
Overnight: Porini Mara Camp, Ol Kinyei, Maasai Mara (Full Board with drinks).
Day 9
Maasai Mara
Today you will have breakfast, lunch and dinner at camp and enjoy morning and afternoon game drives, with a sundowner watching the sun set.
Overnight: Porini Mara Camp, Ol Kinyei, Maasai Mara (Full Board with Drinks).
Day 10
Olare Motogori Conservancy
Enjoy a restful morning and a leisurely breakfast before finishing packing and heading to your next camp. Traverse conservancies into the Olare Motogori Conservancy on the northern part of the Maasai Mara ecosystem. En route, enjoy an extensive safari experience and see a variety of scenery on your journey. The distance is not far but it will take a couple of hours as no doubt you will want to stop along the way for game viewing.
Upon arrival, check in, enjoy lunch and explore around camp.
Today you will have a talk with the Kenya Wildlife Trust on their Mara Predator Conservation Programme. Learn about the monitoring of big cats around the Mara, how this is done and why it is important for an insight into the health of the wider ecosystem. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions. If the pride that are tracked in the area are close by, you will have the chance to experience an additional lion tracking experience with the KWT on one of your days in the Mara.
In the evening, embark on a game drive with sundowner.
Overnight: Porini Lion Camp, Olare Motogori, Maasai Mara (Full Board with Drinks).
Day 11
Olare Motogori Conservancy
On this day, have breakfast, lunch and dinner at camp and enjoy morning and afternoon game drives, with a sundowner watching the sun set.
Overnight: Porini Lion Camp, Olare Motogori, Maasai Mara (Full Board with Drinks).
Day 12
Nairobi - Entebbe
After a morning game drive and breakfast, you will be transferred to the airstrip for your hour's flight back to Nairobi Wilson. On landing, you will be met and transferred to a local restaurant in Karen for your complimentary lunch and the unique chance to meet with Dr Mohanjeet Brar, Director of Game Watchers Safaris. Dr Brar, as a leading expert in this field, will be delighted to discuss the importance of Biodiversity in the Mara, as well as the Porini pioneering work with conservancies.
After lunch, you will be transferred to Nairobi Airport for your short flight to Entebbe, Uganda, taking around 1 hour 15 minutes. You will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel for an overnight stay. Dinner is not included this night as you will have enjoyed a full lunch, so dining is at your leisure at your hotel or close by.
Overnight: Hotel No.5, Entebbe (Bed and Breakfast).
Day 13
Bwindi
After breakfast you will be transferred to Entebbe Airport for your short flight of around one hour to Bwindi. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel in the incredible Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Check in, relax, have a superb evening meal, and head to bed ready for your adventure the next day.
Overnight: Mahogany Springs, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Full Board).
Day 14
Bwindi
Rise early for a quick breakfast before being escorted to the Gorilla Trek station where you will be allocated your guide. Fitness levels are assessed at this stage to determine which route is more suitable to take. Some routes require more physical ability than others as some habituated gorilla groups are located higher up the mountains than others.
When you arrive with the group, receive information about the trek and instructions on interactions before you are underway on this exhilarating adventure.
You will spend an hour with the gorillas once you arrive, which will become one of the most breathtaking experiences you will ever have. The trek itself is likely to take a minimum of four hours and can be up to eight hours in total to trek there and back.
It is always advisable to take a local porter on your trek. This will be payable locally, but they will help with steep parts of the climb as well as take back packs for you as you will need to carry water, lunch snacks and usually water proof clothing in case of rain.
The evening in the bar and restaurant will certainly be memorable as guests compare stories of their day and gorilla encounters.
Overnight: Mahogany Springs, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Full Board).
Day 15
Departure
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Entebbe. Check in and board your flight back home, taking with you memories of a fantastic journey discovering Africa's wildlife.
Tailor made options are available, simply speak to your team should you want to explore Uganda or anywhere else further.
