Gorilla & Zanzibar Adventure

Day 1 Queen Elizabeth National Park

 Entebbe ,  Queen Elizabeth National Park

On arrival in Entebbe you will be met and driven to Queen Elizabeth National Park by your guide. You'll have a game drive this afternoon and settle in for the night.

Day 2 Queen Elizabeth National Park

 Queen Elizabeth National Park

You'll have a full day of game viewing in Queen Elizabeth National Park today. The Kasenyi plains are where game viewing is best. These are the mating grounds of the famous Ugandan kob and there are plenty grazing on the plains along with buffalo, warthog and elephant. Lion are also very common here. Other predators include leopard, hyena and jackal and even if you're not lucky enough to spot any there is plenty of skeletal evidence scattered around the plains to prove their existence.

Day 3 Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

 Queen Elizabeth National Park ,  Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Day 4 Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

 Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Gorilla tracking day today! You will get up early and head to the park headquarters for your pre-trek briefing. You will then be driven by your guide to the start of your trek, which will take up to an hour and a half, depending on which gorilla group you are visiting. Start your trek from here, and then once you reach the gorillas, you can spend an hour watching them interact, play and eat. You will then trek back out of the forest to meet your guide who will drive you back to your lodge for a well-earned hot shower and dinner.

Day 5 Zanzibar Island

 Bwindi Impenetrable Forest ,  Entebbe ,  Nairobi ,  Zanzibar Airport ,  Zanzibar Island

You take a light aircraft from Bwindi to Entebbe today, where you can get some lunch (meal and drinks payable locally) before you take the afternoon flights to Nairobi and on to Zanzibar. Here you will be met and driven to your beach hotel.

Day 6 Zanzibar Island

 Zanzibar Island

You can spend your time at the hotel doing as much or as little as you choose. The beach is a fantastic place to have a stroll or read a book under the shade of a palm tree, and the shady beach bar is a great spot for unwinding during the heat of the day. There isn't a dive centre on site, but if you want to arrange a dive or snorkelling trip, just ask the managers and they can point you towards the dive centre down the beach, or make the necessary arrangements for you. There are bicycles to hire, which are a fun way to explore under your own steam, too!

Day 7 Zanzibar Island

 Zanzibar Island

We would highly recommend heading out on a snorkelling trip at some point during your stay - you will sail in a traditional dhow to one of the reefs, and can spend an hour or two watching the colourful marine life living in the corals off Zanzibar. This is a lovely way to spend a morning or afternoon and a good opportunity to sail on a dhow as well!

Day 8 Zanzibar Island

 Zanzibar Island

One of our favourite things to do in Zanzibar is to visit one of the small-scale spice farms on the island - you get a really hands-on experience tasting and smelling the spices for which the island is famous, and children from nearby villages often run out to greet you. This can be easily arranged either in advance or when you're at the hotel, so you can see how you feel day by day.

Day 9 Zanzibar Island

 Zanzibar Island

The dhow building sanctuary in the North of Zanzibar is a lovely place to visit if you want to see traditional craftsmanship at work.

Day 10 Zanzibar Island

 Zanzibar Island

Another good way to spend a morning or afternoon if you're looking for a change of scene from the beach, is to visit the Jozani Forest in the centre of the island. It is home to the rare Kirk's red colobus monkeys endemic to the island, which are really entertaining to watch leap and play in the trees.

Day 11 Zanzibar Island

 Zanzibar Island

For something completely different to the beach, you could head into Stone Town for a day trip - the town is located on the west coast, around an hour and a half away, and is a busy and fairly dusty town. However, it's full of shops and street stalls, so if you're looking to buy souvenirs this is the best place for it, and the narrow winding streets are reminiscent of Marrakech.

Day 12 Return home

 Zanzibar Island

You will check out of your room this morning but can store your bags and spend the day relaxing by the pool until you are picked up in the mid-afternoon and driven to the airport.