Combine Uganda gorilla tracking & Masai Mara.

Gorilla trekking is an exhilarating outdoor adventure that allows visitors an opportunity to observe mountain gorillas in their natural environment. This interesting activity is usually guided by professional guides and game Rangers who take you through the thick rainforests, hike through the mountains, and maneuver through the valleys while crossing streams and bushes to ensure that you access the gorilla families within.

All these explorations in the thick rainforests make these experiences worthwhile and therefore contribute to the overall adventure.

National parks with gorillas in Uganda.

Uganda has two national parks that are inhabited by mountain gorillas, that is to say Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

This National Park is the home to Africa’s oldest tropical rainforest and is located in the southwestern part of Uganda in Kanungu district. The National Park was established in 1991 to protect the endangered mountain gorillas that were on the road to extinction due to human activities such as poaching and encroachment on their land for purposes of agriculture and settlement.

Bwindi impenetrable National Park has four gorilla sectors that are open for tourism activities that is to say Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo. This National Park can be visited all year round.

Mgahinga National park.

Mgahinga is the smallest National Park in Uganda but stands out with extraordinary beauty especially for the fact that it has lush vegetation and is home to extinct volcanoes which give it a magnificent look.  The National Park is home to three of the 8 Virunga mountains namely Gahinga, Sabyinyo and Muhabura. These mountain bases and slopes are inhabited by primates highlighted by the endangered mountain gorillas. The National Park is a renowned home to the gorillas in the southwest of Uganda in Kisoro district. 

Mgahinga National Park only has one gorilla family called Nyakagezi which is comprised of nine members, it is open for gorilla trekking and can be accessed throughout the year.

How to book a gorilla permit in Uganda?

Booking a gorilla permit in Uganda takes quite a simple process and it can be done with the help of the tour operators. The tourists willing to visit the gorillas in the southwest of Uganda leave the hassle of getting a permit to the tour operator and only has to come and enjoy the experience. 

The tour operators do the boring stuff such that visitors don’t have to do them. Gorilla permits are booked in advance and it is here that a visitor is allocated a date on which to have the experience.

Masai Mara national reserve in Kenya.

Masai Mara National Reserve is one of the largest conservation areas in Kenya, located in the South of the country in Narok region. This national reserve was named after the Masai people since it is located on their land.  The word Mara is a Masai word that translates as “spotted” in English which was coined due to the various short shrubs and trees that appear as dots in the dry savanna grassland landscape. Masai Mara stands out as one of the most beautiful areas in East Africa and it prides itself as a real definition of the African wilderness and gives experiences that describe a true African safari.

Tourist attractions in Masai Mara.

There is quite a variety of attractions in Masai Mara and they incorporate;

The great wildebeest migration.  Wildebeests in the Masai Mara land often engage themselves in a great migration as they move southwards to the Serengeti and back in the north.  Thousands of wildebeests can be viewed in this activity and attracts quite a number of tourists from all corners of the world to come and experience it.

Mara river.  This serves as one of the breathtaking landforms that are popular spots for viewing animals within the reserve since they normally branch by to take water or predators hunting for prey.

Mara triangle.  This is a renowned area in the reserve that is home to the big 5 animals and cheetahs.  Visitors get the chance to view these animals as they hunt down their prey in this part of the reserve.

The beads museum.  It is important to remember that the Masai people present beads as some of their traditional artifacts and they have a cultural attachment to them.  Beads are valued so much in the Masai society and various stories can be told about the beads in the museum. Such interesting folklore makes trips to the area worthwhile.

Masai encounters.  Visitors to this magnificent wild reserve get opportunities to visit the inhabitants of the area that is to say the Masai people.  While in their land, visitors get opportunities to interact with them and learn more about their pastoral way of life.

Activities done in Masai Mara.

A handful of interesting tourist activities are carried out in the Masai Mara National Reserve and they encompass;

Game drives.  These are carried out with the help of professional tourist guides or tourists can be guided using a map for solo travelers. It is on these game drives that visitors get the opportunity to spot rare animals that inhabit the national reserve and also get views of the captivating reserve.

Hot air balloon safari. Visitors to the national reserve are also presented with the golden opportunity to observe the endowments of the national reserve through aerial views. This helps the visitors to observe more of the animals within and beautiful bird species.

Bird watching. This is yet another beautiful activity in which tourists get to indulge in the captivating Masai Mara National Reserve.  Visitors get the chance to observe beautiful bird species that are endemic to the area that is to say yellow billed, piapiacs, egrets, hammerkops, African fish eagles, turacos, Abyssinian ground hornbill, black bee eaters, cinnamons, cuckoo shrike, marabou stocks and secretary birds.

Camping can also be done in the area as visitors enjoy the golden hours and storytelling at the campfires which adds up to the sensational experience of the safari.

How possible is it to combine a gorilla tracking safari in Uganda with the Masai Mara National Reserve?

 Combining a gorilla tracking safari in Uganda with a visit to Masai Mara National Reserve is very possible and it can be started with a visit to one of the national parks with mountain gorillas either Bwindi or Mgahinga.

After visiting the national parks in Uganda with mountain gorillas, visitors can then continue to Kihihi airstrip for the sake of Bwindi or Kisoro airstrip for Mgahinga. At the airstrip, visitors catch the flights to Entebbe International Airport and at Entebbe, they catch onward direct flight to Masai Mara.

Alternatively, visitors after having the exciting gorilla tracking adventure can drive back to Entebbe International Airport and board flights to Nairobi and land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.  Continue to your accommodation facilities in Nairobi and rest overnight and later the next day have a morning flight from Wilson airport to Masai Mara National Reserve for a spectacular safari.