Are you planning to go for a Luxury African Safari but not sure where to go or what to see? Here is the is a detailed guide to help you when planning an East African safari to Masai Mara, Serengeti and Gorillas.
1: Is it possible to combine a migration safari with Gorilla trekking?
Yes, its very possible and indeed advisable for you to combine your visit to Masai mara with Serengeti, and the gorillas.
A safari in East Africa guarantees you the authentic luxury Africa Safari experience given that the concept of Safaris started in East Africa. There are four Major Safari countries in East Africa namely; Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda each unique in its own measure and each having a couple of national parks with lots of wildlife. Most travelers visit East Africa to track the endangered mountain gorillas and to experience the Great wildebeest Migration where millions of wildebeests migrate annually from Masai Mara (Kenya) to Serengeti (Tanzania) and back.
Combining your East African Safari allows you book a single trip with a single tour operator, which makes its logistically convenient, while allowing you tick off all these bucket list activities at a go. Its quite easy to route this tour, as you can start from Kenya, visit the Masai Mara national reserve, cross over to Tanzania where you visit the Serengeti National Park and probably the Ngorongoro crater before flying from Arusha Tanzania to Uganda or Rwanda for mountain Gorilla trekking. You can check out the 14 Days Masai Mara, Serengeti and Gorilla safari itinerary offered by All in Africa Safaris, a renowned East African tour operator.
2: Masai Mara and Serengeti which is better?
Masai Mara national reserve and Serengeti National Park are part of the same Mara-Serengeti Eco system this therefore means that the wildlife and landscapes are relatively the same. The wildlife is free to roam between both parks as there is no physical barrier. However, the parks have different seasonal patterns which determine where exactly you can see the wildlife at a particular period. On that note therefore, when planning a combined safari, its best to look out for a period when there is much activity in both parks.
3: Gorilla trekking Rwanda Vs Uganda
After choosing to combine, Masai mara and Serengeti, many travelers still wonder, where too for the Gorilla trekking; Rwanda or Uganda?
There are only three countries where you can see the Endangered Mountain the wild, and that’s Uganda where gorillas exist in its Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national Park and the Mgahinga Gorilla national park, then Rwanda which has gorillas in Volcanoes national Park and lastly the democratic republic of Congo which has the mountain gorillas in Virunga national park. At the moment its only advisable to visit either Uganda or Rwanda given that the security situation in Congo at the moment does not favor tourism.
As for Rwanda and Uganda, Rwanda has positioned itself as a luxury destination and therefore gorilla trekking in Rwanda is more expensive as compared to Uganda Gorilla tours. The Rwanda gorilla trekking permit costs $1500 while on the other hand the Uganda gorilla trekking permit costs $800. Uganda has many more gorilla groups open for tourism and therefore caters for all travelers whether budget, mid-range or luxury while on the other hand Rwanda caters majorly for luxury travelers. Never the less, the chances of seeing the gorillas in Rwanda or Uganda are the same at 99.9% and therefore you can choose either of the locations.
4: Best time to visit for a combined Masai Mara, Serengeti and Gorilla Safari
In order to enjoy the best gorilla and wildlife safari experience in East Africa, it’s best to plan your trip between June and October or December and February. During these months, the weather in East Africa is generally good and conducive for safaris. Also its during this time that the chances of observing the wildebeest migration.
