This 18 days East Africa Safari is such an adventurous vacation that will take you to the famous national parks of the East African region. This Safari is going to expose you to the gigantic endangered primates (mountain Gorillas and Chimpanzees), game viewing, birds, scenic views and different cultures.
Countries to be visited are; Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya.
This Safari will commence from Entebbe in Uganda and end in Kenya. The parks that you should be ready to go to are; in Uganda: Murchison Falls National Park, Kibale Forest National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, in Rwanda you will visit Volcanoes National Park, in Tanzania you will visit Serengeti National Park and in Kenya you will visit Masai Mara National Park.
East Africa Safari Highlights
- Day 1. Arrive at Entebbe Airport and transfer to your booked hotel
- Day 2. Transfer to Murchison falls NP and Rhino tracking enroute
- Day 3. Game drive and Boat cruise in Murchison Falls National Park
- Day 4. Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
- Day 5. Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi Swamp
- Day 6. Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Day 7. Game drive and Boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Day 8. Ishasha game drive and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
- Day 9. Gorilla trekking and Batwa cultural tour
- Day 10. Transfer to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda
- Day 11. Golden monkey tracking and Ibyiwacu Cultural tour
- Day 12. Fly to Arusha, northern Tanzania
- Day 13. Transfer to Serengeti National Park
- Day 14-15. Full day game drive in Serengeti National Park
- Day 16. Cross to Kenya – Masai Mara National Reserve
- Day 17. Full day game drive in Maasai Mara
- Day 18. Transfer to Nairobi and departure
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1. Arrive at Entebbe Airport and transfer to your booked hotel
Upon arrival, your safari guide will be ready waiting to receive you, greet you, brief you about your stay in the East Africa. If you arrive early you will go for a city tour before you go your hotel. You will visit Uganda Museum the oldest in East Africa, independence monument, Kasubi shrines and Kabaka (King of Buganda) palace, scenic view of the Kampala hills which used to be 7 hills but due to the urban expansion, they have gone beyond 7 hills now; visit some markets like fresh fruits market which is Nakasero, visit Casinos, some craft shops among others.
But if you arrive in the late evening, you will miss out this opportunity though there are more opportunities lying ahead.
Day 2. Transfer to Murchison falls NP and Rhino tracking enroute
You will wake up in the early morning, grab yourself breakfast, and check-out of the lodge, hit the road to Murchison Falls National Park. You will go through the rolling hills on Masindi enjoying the sceneries, you will have an enroute tour in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to track northern white Rhinos. This is the only circuit in Uganda where you can view all the Big 5; after tracking, you will go for a lunch break and embark on your journey to Murchison. You arrive in the evening hours, check-in the lodge, have dinner and overnight.
Day 3. Game drive and Boat cruise in Murchison Falls National Park
Arise in the early morning to catch the nocturnal animals like lions, leopards, hyenas, bush babies, jackals going back to their dens and tempting higher to make kills that will sustain them throughout the day. You will as well spot grazers like buffaloes, oribis, topis, bushbucks, and a multitude of birds singing sweet melodies in the tree brunches as they get out of their nests. You will spot herds of lions trying to put down a giraffe or a buffalo, herds of elephants and giraffes browsing when the temperatures are still low. Go back to the lodge for breakfast, take a nap, have lunch as you wait for the evening boat cruise to the bottom of the falls.
Go for a boat cruise while spotting schools of hippopotamus, crocodiles closely sharing same fresh waters. You will have the chance of seeing the strongest waterfalls in the world where the Nile forces it’s water in 7-meter narrow gorge giving birth to thunderous sound that can be heard in miles away. You will hike the top of the falls to get a clear view of the waterfalls, you will take pictures, enjoy the sunset and go back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4. Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
You will wake up in the morning, enjoy your scrumptious breakfast, and check-out of the lodge, transfer to Kibale National Park. Have lunch en-route in Masindi, and descend to the tropical forests of Kibale, since the trip is private, you can ask your guide to stop for scenic viewing in case you see a strange animal. You arrive in the evening, check-in the lodge accommodation, relax, have dinner and overnight.
Day 5. Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi Swamp
Arise in the morning, have breakfast and go to Kanyanchu and this is the headquarter of Kibale National Park. You will be briefed about the trekking etiquettes by the ranger guide who will as well allocate you the Chimpanzee family to trek. You will be led by the Armed ranger who is knowledgeable about the routes taken by the chimpanzees. Normally trekking takes about 2 to 4 hours depending on how far the chimpanzees stayed for the last night, you will hustle and bustle in the forest but obviously you arrive on the chimpanzees. Spend an hour in their presence, take pictures, as you listen to the rehearsing birds.
Later go back to the headquarter to meet your guide who will take you back to the lodge for lunch. In the evening you will go to Bigodi swamp to search for beautiful birds since this swamps harbours about 200 bird species and a good bird can spot over 50 species. You will spot shoebills, other primates like blue and black monkeys, olive baboons, sitatungas, bushbucks among others. You will later retire to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 6. Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Wake up on your time, have breakfast and check-out of the lodge and say a farewell to Kibale Forest National Park. Arrive in the evening hours, check-in the lodge, relax and have an overnight stay.
Day 7. Game drive and Boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park
You will wake up in the morning before breakfast and go to the wilderness at Kasenyi peninsula also known as mating ground, searching for nocturnal animals like lions, leopards, hyenas, bush babies, jackals when they are winding up with their night duties and going back to rest. You will meet lions chasing buffaloes, leopards hunting impalas. Meet herds of elephants, hippopotamus will be going back to the waters, birds will be getting out of their nests and singing in sweet melodies.
Later go back to the lodge, have lazy breakfast, take a nap as lunch is coming and time for the boat cruise is closing in. In the evening, you will go for an interesting activity in Queen Elizabeth and that is Boat cruise. You will cruise through the schools of hippopotamus, crocodiles, herds of elephants, buffaloes all will be at the water bank and you will view them in a closer range. You will spot a lot of birds including water birds and shoebills. The boat cruise always takes 2 hours, feel refreshed and go back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 8. Ishasha game drive and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Arise in the early morning, have breakfast and check-out of the lodge, you will take Ishasha sector route to encounter the tree climbing lions and they can only be spotted here in the whole of East Africa. Proceed to Bwindi, have lunch en-route and arrive at the lodge in the late evening, rest and have an overnight.
Day 9. Gorilla trekking and Batwa cultural tour
Arise in the morning, grab yourself a cup of coffee/tea and head to the park headquarters for briefing and allocation of Gorilla family to trek. You will track these gigantic endangered primates in an hour while you are with them, take pictures and videos, you will wonder how they welcome guests, how they discipline their young ones, how they feed them, such a mind blowing experience all for you to exhaust.
go back to the park headquarters, meet your guide and transfer back to the lodge for lunch.
At around 3 pm, you will visit the Batwa/Pygmy community, they will welcome you happily, dance for you, sing for you and tell you stories about their ancient life. You can decide to buy some souvenirs since they have some crafts in order to support their families, retire to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 10. Transfer to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda
You will arise in the morning hours, get your luggage loaded in the Van and say a farewell to Bwindi and head to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, you will meet a lot of beautiful sceneries, proceed to Rwanda, you will have lunch en-route, after that you proceed to the park. You arrive in the evening, check-in the lodge, relax and have an overnight.
Day 11. Golden monkey tracking and Ibyiwacu Cultural tour
Arise in the early morning, go to the park headquarters, get briefing and then go with the armed ranger guide who will leader you to the golden monkeys which are always seen in the Bamboo forests. You will meet other of primates like blue monkeys, birds like blue turacos among other species. Spend and hour with golden monkeys as you enjoy the way they feed, behave, take pictures and videos, later transfer to the lodge for lunch, as you prepare for cultural tour.
In the evening, you will visit Ibyiwacu Cultural centre where you will find 3 tribes (Hutu, Tutsi and Batwa) in one area. They will all demonstrate for you their dances, songs, stories to mention but a few, you can as well support their livelihood buy buying a souvenir by choice. Later go back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 12. Fly to Arusha, northern Tanzania
You will wake up as usual, have a scrumptious breakfast. Set off to Kigali Airport where you will board a flight to Arusha in Tanzania to proceed with the itinerary. You will have lunch en-route in Kigali then arrive in Arusha. You will be picked by the guide driver who is waiting for you in Tanzania and he will take you to your booked hotel in the evening.
Day 13. Transfer to Serengeti National Park
Wake up in the morning, get your self breakfast and set off for Serengeti National Park. You arrive in the afternoon hours, check-in the lodge, have lunch and go for an evening game drive. You will be spotting some animals like cheetahs, zebras, gazelles, cheetahs wildebeests and so many others. Return to the lodge after the sunset for dinner and overnight.
Day 14-15. Full day game drive in Serengeti National Park
In these two days, you will exhaust the hidden treasures of the open savannah grasslands of Serengeti National Park. You will be able to spot all the Big 5 which are; lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants and rhinos in the same habitat.
Spot other animals like wildebeests traversing River Grumeti back and forth, gazelles being hunted by the cheetahs, lions chasing buffaloes, leopards attacking impalas and it will be a wonderful experience in the history of your life.
Day 16. Cross to Kenya – Masai Mara National Reserve
You will wake up in the morning. Have breakfast and check-out of the lodge, do a game drive as you leave Serengeti national park. You might get a chance to spot animals that you did not see in the previous game drives. Proceed to Maasai Mara, have lunch enroute, arrive in the evening with beautiful scenic views of the Great African Rift Valley welcoming you to the place of wonders.
Arrive in the evening, check-in the accommodation, go for a game drive to sport some herds of elephants, buffaloes, zebras. Return back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 17. Full day game drive in Maasai Mara
You will wake up in the morning. Have your finger licking breakfast, get your lunch packed and embark on the full day game drive. Enjoy seeing the nocturnal animals going back to their dens shying away from the sun. You will find when the grazers that survived predators also getting ready to catch fresh grass. You will meet herds of elephants, buffaloes, wildebeests, antelopes, impalas, hartebeests, zebras in the endless plains of Mara.
Be lucky to see the mighty migration of wildebeests. Traversing River Mara attracting predators in the broad day light, lions, cheetahs, spotted hyenas and leopards are always tempted to leave their dens to come and grab a kill of the day. Have lunch picnic overlooking River Mara. You will as well visit so many animal scenic view points, take pictures, record videos. You will retire to your lodge in the late evening, have dinner and overnight stay.
Day 18. Transfer to Nairobi and departure
On the last day, you will wake up at your own time. Have a lazy breakfast. Checkout of the lodge as you say goodbye to the Park and this 18 Days East Africa Safari. You will have lunch enroute and check in at Nairobi. Depending on your time of flight, your safari driver will either drop you at the Airport or at the hotel.
End of 18 Days East Africa Safari
