This is an 11-night route that begins in Kenya and crosses into Uganda. It opens in the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in the northern foothills of Mount Kenya, runs north into the desert country of the South Horr Valley, then crosses to Kidepo Valley in Uganda’s far northeast, on to Murchison Falls on the Victoria Nile, the crater-lake country near Kibale Forest, and finally Mgahinga in the south-west corner.
The aircraft is the trip. A helicopter flies the Kenyan legs, north from Lewa over the Suguta Valley and the Turkana shore into the South Horr Valley, then west across the Chalbi and over the border into Kidepo; light aircraft and vehicles carry the Ugandan stages that follow. The days are built around black rhino and Grevy’s zebra on Lewa, Lake Turkana and cultural visits in the far north, the wildlife of the Narus plains, the falls and the shoebill delta, chimpanzee tracking near Kibale, and gorillas beneath the Virunga volcanoes. The six stays are small lodges and camps chosen for their settings and their standard.
You are in the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, in the northern foothills of Mount Kenya, where a spring-fed waterhole draws elephant to bathe and wallow within view of the lawns almost daily. Lewa holds a substantial share of Kenya's black rhino and a significant number of endangered Grevy's zebra, and inside a private conservancy your own vehicle and guide make a night drive or a walk with an armed tracker simple to arrange. Sirikoi keeps four luxury tents on raised platforms facing the water, each with a freestanding Victorian bath and an evening fireplace, and is run as a family home rather than a hotel.
The helicopter lifts off Lewa and runs north, low over the Suguta Valley and the eastern shore of Lake Turkana, into country that opens into extinct volcanoes, sandy riverbeds and desert plains. This is not classic game-drive country; the pull is space and silence, explored on foot along dry riverbeds, by quad bike between communities, and by boat onto Lake Turkana for Nile perch and the crocodiles and birdlife that gather along the shore. Cultural visits reach Samburu and Rendille homesteads at the golden end of the day. Koros Camp is an off-grid base with six thatched rooms, a pool and an open-air mess, and a dense field of stars above the campfire at night.
The crossing into Uganda is flown, west over the Chalbi Desert and Rendille grazing land and across the border into Kidepo, the whole leg visible from a few hundred feet. On a rocky kopje above the Narus Valley, the wildlife-rich heart of Kidepo Valley National Park, elephant and zebra move through the unfenced grounds rather than waiting at the end of a transfer. The valley holds permanent water, drawing elephant, buffalo, giraffe and zebra onto the plains below, where lion and leopard work the acacia and cheetah range the open ground. Sightings arrive without the queue of vehicles found on busier parks. Apoka Safari Lodge sets ten canvas-and-thatch cottages around the rock, each with a deep outdoor stone bathtub angled at the plains.
The Victoria Nile defines these days. Boats run upriver to the base of Murchison Falls, where the entire river forces itself through a gap barely seven metres wide, past basking crocodiles, buffalo and elephant on the banks; the downstream run reaches the Nile-Albert Delta, the reliable place to look for the shoebill in the papyrus shallows. Game drives cross to the northern savannah of the Buligi area. Nile Safari Lodge raises eight thatched bandas on stilts above the river, runs entirely on solar power, and sets a saltwater infinity pool level with the water. Hippos grunt through the night, close enough to wake guests.
You are an hour from the chimpanzees of Kibale Forest, which holds one of the highest concentrations of chimpanzees in Africa, along with twelve other primate species. Tracking groups are kept small under Uganda Wildlife Authority rules, and the community-run Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary adds swamp walks for colobus and red-tailed monkeys. Ndali Lodge stands on the rim of an extinct volcano above Lake Nyinambuga, its eight stone-and-thatch cottages angled west across the tea estate towards the Rwenzori Mountains, with candlelit dinners drawn from the estate's own fruit and vegetables.
You track the Nyakagezi family, the single habituated gorilla group in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, the smaller and quieter of Uganda's two gorilla parks. The group spends much of its time in bamboo and on open volcanic slopes rather than tangled undergrowth, which means clearer sightlines with the volcanoes behind the animals, and the treks stay strenuous at altitude. Golden monkeys move through the same bamboo zone. Mount Gahinga Lodge, a short walk from the park gate, sets eight stone-and-thatch bandas facing Sabinyo, Gahinga and Muhavura, each with a fireplace and a private veranda, with a butler and a fire lit before evening.
Ed Charles, BBC Producer
Fitzroy are true specialists in accessing the wilderness. They know where to go and importantly, when to go there. Highly recommended.
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
Every journey starts with a conversation. We favour a direct, personal approach: understanding your vision before anything else.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape a journey that is both thoughtfully considered and expertly delivered.
Get in touch to start planning yours.
