Two gorilla treks and four nights on the Mara River, with both permits and every flight already included.
The Luxury Uganda Gorillas and Maasai Mara Safari is a 10 day, 9 night journey combining mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with the Maasai Mara. Guests spend one night in Entebbe, three nights at A&K Gorilla Forest Lodge inside Bwindi with two gorilla treks, one night at Hemingways Nairobi and four nights at A&K Sanctuary Olonana on the Mara River. Both Uganda permits at USD 800 each, every flight and all park fees are included. Prices start at USD 11,600 per person sharing.
Uganda holds roughly half the world's remaining mountain gorillas, in a forest that has stood unbroken for about 25,000 years. A permit costs USD 800. The same hour in Rwanda costs USD 1,500.
That difference is the whole argument for this journey. Two treks here cost less than one and a half in Rwanda, and the money saved buys four nights on the Mara River rather than three.
Gorilla Forest Lodge sits inside Bwindi itself, which almost nothing else does. The trailhead is a walk from your suite rather than a drive to a gate, and habituated families move through the grounds often enough that guests have watched them over breakfast.
Then Sanctuary Olonana, fourteen glass fronted suites on a private bend of the Mara River, each with a private plunge pool and a resident hippo pod below the deck.
Why we love this journey: it is the honest answer for anyone who wants to see mountain gorillas properly without spending thirty thousand dollars. Two treks, a lodge inside the forest, four nights in the Mara, and both permits paid for. Nothing about it is a compromise except the price.
Two treks, both permits included · USD 800 each in Uganda against USD 1,500 in Rwanda. Two treks here cost less than one and a half there.
A lodge inside the forest · Gorilla Forest Lodge sits within Bwindi's boundary at Buhoma. The trailhead is a walk, not a drive.
Four nights on the Mara River · Long enough to stop rushing. Game drives, bush walks, a night drive and the rhino sanctuary, without a schedule.
Everything at the lodge included · All meals, all drinks including premium brands, concession fees, laundry and medevac sit inside the Bwindi rate.
No single supplement · Neither lodge charges one from January to May or September to December, which is rare at this level.
Fourteen suites on the Mara River · Olonana's suites are glass fronted to the water, each with a private plunge pool and a resident hippo pod below.
Fly into Entebbe International on the shore of Lake Victoria, where you are met and driven ten minutes to your hotel. Entebbe sits on a peninsula and is mercifully free of Kampala's traffic, which makes it the sensible place to sleep rather than pushing inland. If you land early there is time for the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, a boat ride offshore, or the botanical gardens beside the hotel.
A light aircraft south west to Kihihi, then about ninety minutes on mountain road into Buhoma. Bwindi has stood unbroken for some 25,000 years and holds roughly half the world's mountain gorillas. Gorilla Forest Lodge sits inside the park boundary itself, eight suites facing straight into the canopy. The afternoon is for settling in and a guided forest walk, and the noise at night takes some getting used to.
Briefing at the park headquarters, a few minutes from the lodge rather than an hour's drive, then into the forest. Bwindi is steep, dense and often wet, and treks routinely run four to eight hours. Porters are essential rather than optional and are worth every shilling. When you reach the family you have one hour, and the seven metre rule is one the gorillas ignore entirely.
Out again, usually to a different family in a different part of the forest. This is the one guests remember. The nerves have gone, you know what the ground does underfoot, and the hour goes on watching rather than concentrating. In the afternoon, a walk with the Batwa, the forest people displaced when the park was gazetted, or birding for the Albertine Rift endemics with the lodge naturalist.
Back to Kihihi and the flight to Entebbe, then on to Nairobi. You are met and driven to Hemingways in Karen, on the quiet southern edge of the city looking out at the Ngong Hills. Every room is a suite with full butler service. A long bath after four days in the forest, dinner, and an early night.
A short transfer to Wilson Airport and a light aircraft south west across the Rift Valley to the Kichwa Tembo airstrip. Sanctuary Olonana sits on a private bend of the Mara River, fourteen glass fronted suites each with a plunge pool, and a hippo pod that will keep you company all night. Afternoon game drive as the light goes long.
A full day in the reserve with a picnic lunch. The Mara holds the highest density of large predators in Kenya, and between July and October the wildebeest columns run through it. Your guide will work the river line for hippo, crocodile and the leopards that hunt the riverine forest.
A bush walk in the cool of the morning, which changes the scale of everything after days in a vehicle. In the afternoon a visit to the KWS rhino sanctuary, then a night drive after dinner. The camp's own organic garden is worth half an hour, and the community projects are within walking distance.
A hot air balloon at first light, a Maasai village visit, or two more drives and nothing else. After a week of forest and plains most guests are content to sit on the river deck and watch the hippo. Dinner can be laid privately on the bank.
A last drive at dawn if your flight allows, then the flight back to Wilson. We transfer you across the city to Jomo Kenyatta International for your onward connection, with a dayroom held if it is a late one.
A quiet first night on the shore of Lake Victoria, ten minutes from Entebbe International and a world away from Kampala.
Entebbe sits on a peninsula in Lake Victoria and is where Uganda's international airport is, which makes it the sensible place to sleep rather than pushing on to Kampala in traffic.
The hotel is small, modern and calm, with a pool and a garden running down towards the water. It exists to solve the arrival problem, and it does it well.
Generous rooms and suites with lake or garden views, air conditioning and proper beds. Quiet, which after a long flight is the only thing that matters.
A restaurant working from Ugandan produce, and breakfast served early enough for the first flight to Kihihi.
The Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary is a boat ride away and worth a morning if your schedule allows. The Entebbe Botanical Gardens and the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre are both minutes from the hotel.
The only lodge inside Bwindi Impenetrable Forest itself, so the trailhead is a walk from your suite rather than a drive, and the gorillas sometimes come through the grounds.
Bwindi is one of the oldest forests in Africa, unbroken for some 25,000 years, and it holds roughly half of the world's remaining mountain gorillas. Gorilla Forest Lodge sits within the park boundary at Buhoma, which almost nothing else does.
The practical effect is that you start the trek where you are staying. There is no early drive to a gate, and habituated families move through the lodge grounds often enough that guests have watched them from the veranda over breakfast.
Eight suites with private verandas facing straight into the forest canopy, deep tubs, and outdoor showers. The forest is loud at night, which is the point.
Fully inclusive, and unusually so. All meals, all drinks including premium brands, concession fees, laundry and emergency medical evacuation sit inside the rate. Dining moves between the terrace and the fireside depending on the rain, of which there is plenty.
Gorilla trekking, with a minimum age of 15. Beyond it, guided forest walks, birding for the Albertine Rift endemics, and a community visit, all included. Massage is available in a treatment room built out over the forest.
With sweeping views of the Ngong Hills and interiors that reflect the grace of Kenya's heritage, Hemingways Nairobi blends timeless hospitality with thoughtful design.
Set between Nairobi National Park and the foot of the Ngong Hills, Hemingways Nairobi is an exclusive boutique hotel far from the bustle of central Nairobi. An all suite property providing full butler service, a brasserie and a bar, it is perfectly placed for trips to Nairobi National Park and the capital.
Hemingways Nairobi has a sophisticated and tranquil ambiance. Each of the 45 suites is a generous size, all with walk in dressing rooms and a terrace with magnificent views of the Ngong Hills.
Hemingways' 45 loftily ceilinged rooms are bright, open and fresh, decorated with soothing, muted colours and canopied beds, with touches of brass and mahogany. Large Italian marbled bathrooms, a personalised bar, in room dining and the attentive service of your butler are testimony to Hemingways' dedication to surpassing the very highest expectations.
The Dining Room serves delectable cuisine from the hotel's Michelin starred chef. Top notch culinary creations have placed Hemingways on Africa's gourmet food map, with contemporary European styled dishes and a variety of international flavours to suit every palate.
The utterly unique Nairobi National Park, offering authentic big game viewing with a city skyline, lies just a few minutes away, while the Karen Blixen Museum, Giraffe Centre and Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage are also nearby.
Fourteen glass fronted suites on a private bend of the Mara River, with hippo below the deck and the Oloololo Escarpment rising across the water.
Olonana sits on the western bank of the Mara River, looking across to the Mara Triangle. The suites are glass on the river side, each with a private plunge pool, and the resident hippo pod is close enough to hear all night.
It is a comfortable base rather than a remote one. The camp is a short drive from the reserve, and its own stretch of riverbank gives you a quiet place to be between drives, which matters on a longer stay.
Fourteen suites, each glass fronted to the river with a private plunge pool, a lounge area and a large bathroom. The Geoffrey Kent Suite is a two bedroom unit with its own staff, taken on exclusive use.
Meals on the river deck, in the dining room, or set out privately on the bank. The kitchen runs a serious organic garden and guests are welcome in it.
Game drives in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, bush walks, night drives, and a visit to the KWS rhino sanctuary. A Maasai village visit and the camp's own community projects are within walking distance.
This journey runs on request rather than on fixed departure dates. You choose the dates, we hold the camps. What changes is the season you travel in, and each band below is priced from our contracted rates for that window.
| Travel Window | Season & Availability | From | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|
5 January – 28 February 2027 Shoulder |
Good availability | USD 14,000per person sharing | Get a Quote |
1 – 31 March 2027 Shoulder |
Good availability | USD 13,900per person sharing | Get a Quote |
1 April – 31 May 2027 Green |
Wide open Best Value | USD 11,600per person sharing | Get a Quote |
1 – 15 June 2027 Shoulder |
Good availability | USD 14,150per person sharing | Get a Quote |
16 – 30 June 2027 Peak |
Limited | USD 19,150per person sharing | Get a Quote |
1 July – 31 October 2027 Peak, Migration |
Limited, book early | USD 19,650per person sharing | Get a Quote |
1 November – 20 December 2027 Green |
Wide open | USD 12,250per person sharing | Get a Quote |
21 December 2027 – 2 January 2028 Festive |
Very limited | USD 19,650per person sharing | Get a Quote |
Rates are per person sharing in United States dollars, based on two adults travelling together. Both Uganda gorilla permits at USD 800 each are inside the price, along with every flight and all Maasai Mara park fees. There is no single supplement at either lodge from 1 January to 31 May or 1 September to 31 December 2027. Permits are limited and sell out ahead for July to October, so we confirm availability before holding anything. Prices are held for 14 days from the date of quotation and confirmed on receipt of a 30 percent deposit, with the balance due 60 days before departure.
This ten day journey starts at USD 11,600 per person sharing in April and May and rises to USD 19,650 through the July to October migration. Both gorilla permits, every flight and all Maasai Mara park fees are inside that figure.
Considerably. A Uganda permit is USD 800 against Rwanda's USD 1,500, so two treks here cost less than one and a half in Rwanda. The lodges are more affordable too. The gorillas are the same species in the same forest system.
Harder than Rwanda, honestly. Bwindi is dense, steep and often wet, and treks routinely run four to eight hours. Gorilla Forest Lodge sits inside the park so the walk to the trailhead is short, but the forest itself is demanding. Porters are essential rather than optional and cost around USD 20.
Gorilla Forest Lodge is at Buhoma within Bwindi's boundary, so you walk to the briefing rather than driving an hour to a gate at dawn. Habituated families also move through the lodge grounds often enough that guests have watched them over breakfast.
Between July and October, yes. The wildebeest columns move through the Maasai Mara in those months and Olonana sits on the Mara River, which is where the crossings happen. Outside that window the reserve still holds the highest density of large predators in Kenya, so the game viewing does not fall away.
Unusually so. Neither lodge charges a single supplement from 1 January to 31 May or 1 September to 31 December 2027, which removes the penalty that normally makes solo safari travel expensive.
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