Game parks, landscapes and culture. This safari gives a glimpse of East Africa's enormously diverse scenery and some of its friendliest people. From the Great Rift Valley dotted with lakes, to the terraced hillsides of fertile Uganda, and a very special wildlife encounter - the opportunity to trek and view the magnificent gorillas in their fragile habitat is an unforgettable experience.

DAYS 1 - 2, Nairobi, Great Rift Valley
Our safari begins in Kenya, one of Africa's most welcoming countries, where the first words you hear are the Swahili greeting, Jambo! (Hello!), often followed by Hakuna matata! (no problem!) From Nairobi we cross the Great Rift Valley, an enormous cleft in the Earth's surface stretching north to the Red Sea and south to Mozambique.

After stopping to admire the spectacular views over the Valley we continue to Lake Nakuru National Park, our first night's camp. Rhino, leopard, warthog, baboon and numerous lesser animals inhabit the park, but Nakuru is best known for its wealth of birdlife, especially flamingos which feed in such numbers in the shallows that they form a pink 'fringe' around the lake shore.

Leaving Nakuru we travel north through the highlands of Eldoret to the lush green hills of Uganda.

DAYS 3 - 6, Uganda, Kampala
Uganda (Winston Churchill's 'Pearl of Africa') is a friendly and surprisingly green country. Our first stop is Jinja, near the source of the Nile River. Time permitting there are various activities available including white water rafting, guided walks, quad biking - or simply admire the world's longest river from the camp. Here you have the option of taking part in the 'Softpower' charity project, a volunteer programme to uplift and build community schools. We also have an opportunity to explore the capital city, Kampala.

DAYS 7 - 11, Gorilla Trek
Continuing to rural southwestern Uganda we pass through Mbarara and Kabale, and stop at Lake Bunyoni, a picturesque highland lake. We then move on to visit one of the gorilla parks in the area for the most exciting part of the trip - the trek to see the gorillas (on occasions we may visit Rwanda to see the gorillas). This region is home to roughly half of the world's remaining mountain gorillas, and is one the few places where they survive in their natural habitat. Local guides lead us through thick mountain jungle.

The trekking can be hard going at times but the hard work is forgotten once the gorillas have been located. We then have a one hour 'audience' with these gentle apes. Gorillas are very sociable creatures and live in families of 12-20 individuals, led by a dominant male (the so-called 'silverback') together with several adult females and numerous young. (NB: group sizes on trek are kept small to minimise the impact on the sensitive natural habitat, we may therefore spend several days here to allow all members of the group to view the gorillas.

DAYS 12 - 14, Kenya
From Uganda we return to Kenya, passing down the Rift Valley to the bright lights and bustle of Nairobi where our tour ends. Game parks, landscapes and culture. This safari gives a glimpse of East Africa's enormously diverse scenery and some of its friendliest people. From the Great Rift Valley dotted with lakes, to the terraced hillsides of fertile Uganda, and a very special wildlife encounter - the opportunity to trek and view the magnificent gorillas in their fragile habitat is an unforgettable experience.