Gorillas & Masai Mara - Camping

Magical Journey

We travelled on the same trip as Angela, and agree with everything that she said.
The wildlife sightings in the Masai Mara were excellent; the boat trip on the Kazinga Channel was every bit as good; the trip to the source of the Nile is fun; and then there is the big finale of the chimp and gorilla trekking, all making this a wonderful journey.
Only one site, near Lake Nakuru, had poorer facilities, although as it had baboons and colobus monkeys in the camp while we were having lunch, we could happily overlook that.
This is definitely a trip where you need to have the right mental attitude, and then just go for it. The trip notes say that you will remember the time with the gorillas for the rest of your life. That is not an exaggeration, but it could be applied to the rest of the trip as well.

Amazing Wildlife, Amazing People

What an incredible trip. The scenery, the wildlife viewing and the people all combine to make a fabulous itinerary. We were incredibly lucky with the wildlife from the very start, with the Big 5 achieved between the Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru, along with five cheetah, lions, baby giraffe, elephants, zebra and so much more.

We were incredibly lucky with the boat trip in Queen Elizabeth NP, getting to spend time watching two herds of elephants, both with babies, come down to the water’s edge to drink.

The whitewater rafting in Jinja was intense but absolutely brilliant and the safety was top notch. There are options on the rafting for how intense you want the experience – our group did the highest class available and spent a fair bit of time in the water, but it was such a fun activity.

The chimp trekking in Budongo was on relatively easy paths, with only the last 5-10mins being properly ‘off-track’. The chimps stayed up in the trees, however we still had a great viewing, with a young chimp playing around and giving some fabulous poses and facial experiences. Beware of the chimps throwing things down at you – they are surprisingly accurate with their aim!

The gorilla trekking is everything you imagine and more. It is impossible to predict how far or how hard your walk will be, so go prepared for a tough hike. Our group had around an hour of reasonable hiking on established tracks, followed by around 30-40 mins of full scrambling up and down a steep ravine as the gorillas moved away in search of a different food source. Once the gorillas had re-settled, we were able to spend the hour with the whole family, from the massive silverback to the playful adolescents and the relaxing females. The trackers are awesome and the gorillas showed no signs of being even remotely bothered by our presence, coming up towards us and playing / posing for photos near by.

As other reviewers have previously mentioned, there are lots of early mornings, but you soon adjust and, as this is when the wildlife is most active, it is definitely worth it. The campsites were generally of a very good standard. We had a slight issue with very late and loud music at the Jinja camp (take earplugs), and one campsite did not have working showers when we were there, but as this was one night only it really did not have a big impact. Most of the facilities were good and some were excellent (lovely hot showers), but really this trip is not about the accommodation – with good food (thanks Ken!) and great company, you really do not need luxury and the experience of waking up to the sounds of baboons and hyena made everything worthwhile. The Exodus tents and mattresses are good quality and well cared for, and there were plenty of opportunities for upgrades if you wanted a break from camping.

Brilliant trip but.........

An amazing trip with so many memorable moments, seeing all the big cats, black and a white rhino, herds off elephants and the boat trip along the Nile.
Crossing the Ugandan border was an experience in itself with so many checks and the officers wanting “gifts” from us.
The campsites are not what you might expect and quite often the showers were cold water and only one to share between you. Unfortunately most of the group and staff became ill in the second week of the trip, this really dampened the spirts of everyone and it was hard with everyone feeling bad.
The food was not too my liking so I stuck to peanut butter sandwiches but Wilson did try his hardest to keep me fed but I will say that everyone else seemed to enjoy his cooking.
We were a mixed group of ages but it was great how we all got on so well together as this could make or break a trip. The 4 guys that took care of us were amazing and so helpful and friendly.
Really loved this trip but be prepared to rough it and definitely get a porter for the Gorilla trek as believe me you will need one.

Amazing wildlife viewings

Amazing overall itinerary. Saw the big 5 in the Masai Mara in the first two days including iconic wildebeest migration crossing the Mara River. Followed by chimp trekking and gorilla trekking in Uganda which were amazing. The gorilla trekking in particular was superbly organised.
Some long travel days but absolutely necessary to get between National Parks.
Good safari truck and amazing food all cooked from local produce.

Incredible wildlife experience

Be prepared for a number of long overland journeys (you will become very familiar with the truck), but the Exodus team made it as smooth and enjoyable as possible and the wildlife experiences we had made it all so so worth it!

A great adventure

This trip is great for adventure, photography and wildlife. Be prepared for long bumpy journeys on the truck but driving through the towns and villages is interesting to.

Oh My Freaking God I Want to Move to Africa.

I have been fortunate to travel a lot. These countries were my 51st, 52nd and 53rd but this was the best time of my life. This was my 7th small group trip. I have never felt more grateful in my life—and it is all owed to this wonderful staff, Gilbert (our guide), Stoney (our driver), Albert (our cook) and Charles (his helper).

I moderately injured my low back while rafting in Jinja and was very worried that if it worsened (from camping or the bumpy dirt roads) I would not be able to do the Chimp or Gorilla treks. The staff did everything in their power to help me through this and I’m very thankful for that; the injury never worsened and I was able to do everything that the agenda entailed.

The safari portion of our trip was extraordinary, particularly in the Mara and Lake Nakuru. The boat safari in Murchison was also amazing as we saw everything in such a different ecosystem. The highlights: five lionesses in a tree, two leopards, a monster of a crocodile, a wildebeest stampede, a hippo and a family of warthogs at our campsite in Murchison, hordes of playful baby baboons, a pack of zebras hilariously chasing an territory-invading jackal and virtually every other large African mammal except the cheetah.

A few other animal experiences to mention:
—There are 1,388 species of birds in East Africa. I’m not a birder or anything but I was constantly in awe of the gorgeous, highly varied plumage patterns of these majestic creatures.
—The chimps in the Budongo Forest were outrageous. We hoped to just see a few eating in the treetops. We saw that and about twenty minutes into our viewing session a highly-orchestrated colobus monkey hunt began with screeching, screaming and yelling. Chimps rapidly descended all around us, ran across the forest floor and ascended other trees nearby. The rangers claimed they killed three colobus. While we collectively only had one picture of a chimp eating his prey, it was an exhilarating, albeit terrifying and somewhat sad, experience.
—I figured the chimps had stolen the show. But the gorillas responded. Extraordinary experience…we had no clue how close they were going to get. They say it’s a seven meter distance that we need to maintain, but not if the gorillas decide they want to play with you… One of the gorillas (an impish three year old boy) sprinted to me, stuck his head between my knees and patted the sides of my thighs in rapid succession. He then just lied there. No one got any of it on film because the silverback, Bweza, was waking right towards me as his son was pulling this stunt and everyone had to shuffle away quickly… Bweza was no more than two meters away from me before we could all pull back. It was terrifying but that early lesson taught us that these gorillas are extremely habituated and thus, totally harmless; I suspect Bweza was simply wanting to keep his playful toddler in check. Later on during the viewing hour, the same three yr old pirouetted three or four times right at our feet. It was adorable. That was followed by several minutes of wrestling with his same-aged cousin. One of the great memories of my life.

Most importantly, our crew made the trip.

Gilbert, our leader, was outstanding. Solid knowledge of the animals. He has degrees in tourism and social anthropology and it really shows. He not only has a good understanding of the countries we visited but the continent and the world as a whole. His education led to a bunch of really interesting conversations that I enjoyed. Very well organized, kind and funny as well. A great trip leader.

Albert was our chef and did a damn good job prepping tasty meals for us. Most importantly though, he was ALWAYS in a good mood and lifted the spirits of our group constantly. I’ll never forget the guy.

Stoney, our driver, was a great great guy. Sincere, kind and very hard working. He navigated some tough roads and kept us on time. I had several great conversations with him about all kinds of topics … mostly his family, his childhood and Kenya’s hopes for the future. Another guy with a big heart I’ll never forget.

Lastly, Charles, the helper, was just a damn hard worker. For a first timer, he really seemed to contribute a lot. Always dived in when he was needed.

Again, what a great trip. I’m elated that I was able to do this with such a wonderful group of people.

Thanks Exodus!

If I could do it again I wouldn't hesitate

If you could gurantee the same team, group and even half the wildlife encounters I’d book it up tomorrow.

We were very lucky with both the wildlife and to have such an enthusiastic and fun group of guides and guests – which made the trip all the better.

The locations are stunning – in two days in the Masai Mara we saw the big 5 and had an epic balloon ride at sunrise.
Then we were off to Lake Nakuru and the rhinos and flamingos took centre stage, with the smiles getting wider as the wildlife encounters got better.

Sleeping within 300m of a waterfall in Nakuru was a highlight and despite being the most basic, was my favourite campsite – hearing lions and hyeenas calling in the night while sat around a campfire checking out all the stars.

At Jinja even novice rafters got to experience the thrill of white water and again the provided photos and videos had us all laughing and reliving the day.
The Adrift campsite was also brand new and had great facilities.

So the experiences built, Murchison has impressive waterfalls and the boat trip was a good way to get out of the heat of the day.
Gorilla tracking in Budongo again had us being lucky, being in the middle of chimps hunting, a once in a lifetime opportunity and not something to be expected, but if you get to experience time with the enigmatic chimps you cannot be disappointed.
Queen Elizabeth has less diversity of wildlife but still provided lots of Elephants and on the river you see birds and elephants everywhere.

Lastly the gorillas – I did two treks and they were both different but magical experiences. The first involved a long trek but we were surrounded by a group and followed them, experiencing interactions with several different family members. This would be a tough trek if you are not physically fit and used to walking up hills.

The second trek involved spending an unforgettable hour with Xmas, the largest silverback in Bwindi and his 1 and 2 year old babies. We could not see other members of the family and the trek was shorter and easier, but a very close and magical encounter – when a baby gorilla looks at you from less than 7m you get a sense of how special and priveledged your time with them is.
You are also given certificates to help remember your time with these beautiful animals

The trip to the genocide museum was a very poignant reminder of what Rwanda has been through as well.

Some facts – the trip involves a lot of early starts and quite a bit of travelling. Your reward is the trip of a lifetime.
The truck is large and spacious but keep things in the lockers or that room fills up quickly.
You will need to be able to walk up steep hills for the gorillas, but the team takes things slowly and chooses the best path for the group.
Campsites often had showers, toilets and a bar so have some dollars for these.
A lot of Ugandan service stations and almost all of Rwanda wanted local currency.

Some things to note – the Rwandan border was the most difficult to cross, with a problem getting our taxi across taking 2hrs but providing a great side adventure – a sense of humour about delays and acknowledging that you may be asked seeminglystupid questions is par for the course. Get some snacks and drinks before crossing as there is nothing on the Rwandan security zone.

The Exodus team were fantastic throughout, working hard to fix any problems ( airline lost bags), keep our trip moving smoothly and provide fun and share jokes over Albert’s fantastic cooking ( his cooking may expand your waistline).
Gilbert was the charismatic tour leader with lots of local stories and knowledge, Stoney the unflappable driver who always made time to help, Albert the fantastic chef with all the catchphrases and a personality larger than life, and Charles the youngest and ever smiling and helpful team member eager to greet and hear of our days adventures.
A good team feels like family not a crew, these guys felt like family and helped knit the group together.

I feel exceptionally lucky to have been on this trip, I’ve travelled a lot and this will remain a trip to remember.
If I could do the same or similar trip with the group and crew I would book it tomorrow, if you promised me half the wildlife too I’d still jump at the chance.

Thanks Exodus for another epic adventure.

Mind-blowing experience

WYU190630
Just returned from my first African wild adventure and i m still day dreaming of it!
Couldn’t have asked for a better crew team members and better group. Absolutely awed day in day out.
This being my first experience camping and group travelling i must say it has been a blast!
Do not let the camping put you off! It is a great experience and i loved every minute of it!

A great trip but.....

We took the trip over the Christmas period and it was a good one, the crew (Jacob, Stoney, Silvia and Dolly) were all excellent and could not be faulted. The organisation was good, the driving excellent, (how Stoney gets that truck along some of those roads is unbelievable) and the food was good and plentiful.
There were 11 of us on the trip and we all got on very well which is a good thing if you are stuck on a truck for 2 weeks. Do not worry about charging batteries as the truck has a plug by each seat which can be used anytime whilst the truck is moving.
The White Water Rafting Option in Jinja was excellent and the safety precautions couldn’t be faulted, you are almost guaranteed to be thrown out at least once but we all felt perfectly safe when we were.
The campsites were in some cases very basic with no water in the toilets and cold or no showers but they were adequate and in others there were options for upgrades to rooms if required.
On day 8 the trip notes stated a visit to the top of the falls, what they did not say is that it involved a boat trip and then a trek along an uneven trek and a climb up several steps of uneven height, which was a bit testing for some people, although I see that this might have changed now but you might want to check.
The big but is that on our trip both the Chimps and Gorillas were unco-operative and people thinking of doing the trip need to be aware that there is no guarantee of seeing either. On our trip some of us trekked 5 miles along tracks and off track just to see 1 Chimp and for the Gorillas we left camp at 4.45am and drove for 3.5 hours to the start point and then split into 2 groups, the moderately hard trek group took 7 hours of hard trekking up and down steep slippery and overgrown hills there and back to see the Gorillas who were up in the trees and not all that easy to see, the easier trek group took 10 hours and 4 of our group needed stretchering out with exhaustion which cost them between $200-$300 dollars each. We then all had another 3.5 hour drive back to camp getting back between 20.30 & 22.30 hours, much to the relief of Jacob our guide. Although this is what happened on our trip, we were told that that was not the norm but…..