42 Days | Discover the beauty and the (wilde)beests of East Africa
Spend 42 days travelling through the iconic vistas of East Africa. Seek out the rare mountain gorilla in Rwanda’s steamy jungle, enjoy thrill-packed safaris through lush forest and open savanna and finish in Victoria Falls. Be welcomed into small villages in Tanzania and Malawi, relax on sandy beaches in Zanzibar and track the Big Five in the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park. This overland adventure is a mix of locally guided excursions and free time to follow your heart to the stuff you want to see.
Trip overview
- Start
- Nairobi, Kenya
- Finish
- Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
- Theme
- Overland, Wildlife
- Destinations
- Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Malawi, Kenya
- Physical rating
- Indicates how physically exerting a trip is, and how fit you will need to be to enjoy it. More info on physical ratings
- Style
- Basix
- Ages
- Min 15
- Group size
- Min 1 - Max 22
- Trip code
- YXOIC
- Gorilla permits included! Seek out the rare mountain gorilla on a trek through Uganda’s steamy forests and spend an unforgettable hour in their presence.
- Take two game drives through the Masai Mara National Reserve, looking for lions, zebras and wildebeest crossing the iconic plains.
- Go looking for rare black rhinos on a safari in Ngorongoro Crater, a 20-kilometre-wide crater that around 25,000 wild animals call home.
- Spend a night camping in Mto wa Mbu, a multicultural Tanzanian village where you can grab dinner with some locals and shop for crafts.
- Track rhinos on foot in Matobo National Park, home to a diverse range of flora and fauna including warthogs, leopards, and klipsingers. Learn about the park's cultural significance and San rock paintings.
- This is an overland trip. That means you’ll be travelling with a group in a purpose-built vehicle, visiting remote communities, setting up your own tent, occasionally roughing it in the bush and getting the best possible chance to spot the Big Five. While the trucks don’t have air conditioning, they do have sliding windows which let in the breeze and make it even easier to take spectacular snaps of the local wildlife. For more info on this style of travel, see our Africa overland page: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/africa/overland
- Conditions during the gorilla trek can be muddy and uncomfortable. But the sheer thrill in coming across a habituated group of gorillas, dominated by a great male silverback, outweighs any difficulty. You need to be prepared and fit enough to walk up to 4 hours – up and down hills. A top tip is to pack some gardening gloves to assist in any up-hill climbs. See https://www.intrepidtravel.com/au/gorilla-trekking for more information.
- Camp in the Serengeti without fences between you and the animals. Your leader will brief you on the safety measures the group will need to take for the two nights spent in the park.
- As the early bird catches the worm, the early camper sights the animals. There will be many early starts either to make use of the better safari time or to beat the morning traffic on long travel days.
Itinerary
View the itinerary for departures between 01 January 2025 - 31 December 2025
Inclusions
39 breakfasts, 28 lunches, 34 dinners
Overland vehicle, 4x4 Safari Vehicle, Ferry, Minibus
Camping (with facilities) (32 nights), Hotel (3 night), Hotel with shared facilities (1 night), Camping (with basic facilities) (2 nights), Bunglow (2 nights)
- Lake Nakuru - Overland Vehicle Game Drive
- Lake Nakuru - Morning Overland Vehicle Game Drive
- Queen Elizabeth National Park - Overland Vehicle Game Drive
- Bwindi National Park - Mountain Gorilla Permit & Trek
- Kericho - Tea plantation visit
- Masai Mara National Reserve - 4x4 Game Drive
- Loita Hills - Maasai Village Visit
- Masai Mara National Reserve - Full Day 4WD Safari
- Ngorongoro Crater - 4x4 Game Drive
- Serengeti National Park - Morning 4WD Safari
- Mto Wa Mbu - Village walk & local dinner
- Irente - Lushoto hike
- Irente - Local lunch
- Mikumi National Park - 4x4 Game Drive
- South Luangwa National Park - 4x4 Dawn Game Drive
- South Luangwa National Park - 4x4 Evening Game Drive
- South Luangwa - Anti-Poaching Jewelery Project
- Masvingo - Great Zimbabwe Ruins guided visit
- Matobo National Park - Rhino Tracking, Park Visit & San Rock Paintings
- Nairobi - City Experience Urban Adventure - USD55
- Kalinzu Forest - Chimpanzee Trekking - USD205
- Queen Elizabeth National Park - Kazinga Channel boat cruise - USD30
- Kisoro - Golden Monkey Trekking - USD160
- Kisoro - Rwanda Day Excursion - From - USD75
- Kisoro - Batwa Village Visit - USD35
- Kisoro - Coffee Farm Tour - USD35
- Jinja - River Nile whitewater rafting (full day) - USD140
- Jinja - Nile Boat Cruise - USD40
- Jinja - Source of River Nile tour - USD45
- Masai Mara National Reserve - Balloon ride (from price) - USD625
- Serengeti National Park - Balloon Ride (from price) - USD745
- Stone Town Tour - Dharajani Market, Joseph's Cathederal, Palace Museum, Forodhani Food Market - USD20
- Zanzibar - Prison Island Tour - USD25
- Stone Town - Handicraft & Music Urban Adventure - USD50
- Zanzibar - Spice tour - USD25
- Zanzibar - Snorkelling - USD50
- Zanzibar - Dhow Trip - USD35
- Stone Town - Culinary Urban Adventure - USD29
- Lake Malawi - Guided village walks - USD15
- Lake Malawi - Pedalos - USD25
- Lake Malawi - Canoe Hire - USD10
- Lake Malawi - Bike Hire - USD25
- South Luangwa National Park - Game Walk - USD50
- Balawayo - Natural History Museum - USD10
- Bulawayo - Railway Museum - USD5
- Victoria Falls - Victoria Falls entrance - USD50
- Victoria Falls - Canoe trail (full day) - USD185
- Victoria Falls - Flying fox - USD50
- Victoria Falls - Gorge swing - USD103
- Victoria Falls - Helicopter Flight of the Angels (12 mins - Excludes US$25 fuel surcharge and NP fees) - USD150
- Victoria Falls - Helicopter Flight (25 mins - Excludes US$30 fuel surcharge and NP fees) - USD284
- Victoria Falls - Rafting & river boarding (half day) - USD218
- Victoria Falls - Village & township tour - USD61
- Victoria Falls - Whitewater rafting (full day) - USD130
- Victoria Falls - Whitewater rafting (half day) - USD130
Dates and availability
Important notes
1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights of your trip and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2. This trip requires a higher non-refundable deposit (AUD 1000, USD 1000, EUR 800, NZD 1250, GBP 650, CAD 1000, ZAR 8000, CHF 900) in order to secure the included gorilla permit. Please note that we need to confirm availability of a gorilla permit if you are booking within 45 days of departure. The additional deposit paid at time of booking will be credited to the final balance of your booking.
3. This trip is a combination of YXOG, YXOP, YXON and YXOR our most popular itineraries. As such the make up of your group and your leader may change on days 16, 24 and 27.
4. The Zanzibar portion of your itinerary may have a few more passengers than the maximum group size of 22 as we have a crossover of trips starting and finishing in Zanzibar.
5. This trip finishes in Vic Falls after breakfast on Day 42. However, if you wish to enjoy some of the optional activities on offer perhaps consider an evening flight or an additional night here.
6.Some governments currently have increased foreign travel advice around security in place for Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. Please check your government’s foreign travel advice before departure and ensure your travel insurance covers all destinations and activities on your itinerary.
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