14-Day Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania Safari

Pickup : Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
Drop-off : Kilimanjaro International Airport

Tour Overview

This 14-Day Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania Safari is one of the most complete wildlife journeys you can take across East Africa. It brings together three countries, three ecosystems, and some of the continent’s most famous parks in a single, carefully planned trip. You begin in Kenya’s Masai Mara, where the plains come alive with the Great Migration, then move into Uganda’s forests to spend time with wild chimpanzees in Kibale and mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, a genuine once in a lifetime encounter. From there, the journey continues into Tanzania, where elephant herds move across Tarangire, tree climbing lions rest in the fig trees of Lake Manyara, and the trip closes out in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, 2 of the best places on earth to see the Big Five. Every night of this Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania Safari is spent in comfortable, well chosen lodges and camps, so the days can be full of wildlife and the evenings can be about rest.

Cost Includes

Transportation (Car, Fuel, Driver Guide)
Meals & Accommodation as mentioned
International flight from Nairobi to Entebbe
International flight from Kigali to Arusha
Gorilla Trekking Permit
Park Entarnce Fees
Chimpanzee Trekking Permit
Bottled Drinking Water
Government Taxes

Cost Excludes

International Flights from and to the home country
Accommodation Before and After your Trip
Optional Batwa Cultural Experience
Sourvenirs
Tips & Porter Hiring

Travel Plan

Day 1: Nairobi to Masai Mara National Reserve (6 to 7 hours drive)

You will be picked up either from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport or your hotel in Nairobi after breakfast, and the drive to Masai Mara National Reserve begins early. Masai Mara remains one of the few places on earth where wildlife still moves across the land in the kind of numbers that once defined the African plains. You should arrive in time for lunch, followed by an afternoon game drive, before returning to camp for dinner and your first night in the Mara.

Meal Plan: Half Board (lunch and dinner en route)
Accommodation: Sarova Mara Game Camp (Luxury) or Masai Mara Sopa Lodge (Mid Range)

Day 2: Full Day in Masai Mara National Reserve

After breakfast, a full day game drive with a packed lunch takes you deeper into the reserve. Masai Mara is home to the black maned lions of the region and gives visitors one of the best chances anywhere to spot all of the Big Five, elephant, lion, buffalo, rhino and leopard, sometimes in a single morning. The cheetahs here are known for being relaxed around vehicles, often resting in their shade or climbing onto the roof to scan the plains for prey.

If your Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania Safari falls between mid July and mid October, you have the chance to witness one of nature’s greatest spectacles, the Great Migration. Over 2 million wildebeest, zebras and gazelles move across the plains in search of fresh grass, crossing crocodile filled rivers along the way. Birdlife is just as impressive, with close to 500 species recorded in the Mara, including 16 species of eagle, 6 species of vulture and the Kori Bustard, the heaviest flying bird in the world.

Meal Plan: Full Board (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Accommodation: Sarova Mara Game Camp (Luxury) or Masai Mara Sopa Lodge (Mid Range)

Day 3: Masai Mara to Uganda via Entebbe International Airport

After an early breakfast, you check out and drive back to Nairobi for lunch, then continue to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your flight to Entebbe International Airport in Uganda, marking the start of the Ugandan leg of your Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania Safari.

Meal Plan: Full Board (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Accommodation: Best Western Premier Garden Hotel (Luxury) or 2 Friends Hotel (Mid Range)

Day 4: Entebbe to Kibale Forest National Park (6 to 7 hours drive)

Breakfast comes early, and pick up from your Entebbe hotel is around 7:00 am in a 4×4 safari vehicle. The drive covers roughly 330 km northwest through rolling tea plantation hills, and you should reach Kibale by evening, ready to settle in among the sounds of the forest.

Meal Plan: Full Board (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Accommodation: Kibale Primates Lodge (Luxury) or Turaco Treetops (Mid Range)

Day 5: Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Forest National Park

After an early breakfast, you head to the Kanyanchu Visitor Center for a 7:00 am briefing. Once the briefing is done, rangers lead the way into the forest to track chimpanzees, and the trek can take anywhere from 2 to 5 hours depending on where the group is that day. Once the chimpanzees are found, you spend 1 hour observing them forage, play and interact. In the afternoon, an optional walk through Bigodi Wetland is a good chance to spot more birds and monkeys.

Meal Plan: Full Board (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Accommodation: Kibale Primates Lodge (Luxury) or Turaco Treetops (Mid Range)

Day 6: Kibale to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park (6 to 7 hours)

After breakfast, the drive continues south, covering about 361 km via the Ishasha or Kasese route, with views of Queen Elizabeth National Park along the way. You should reach Bwindi’s Rushaga sector by evening, ready for the following day’s gorilla trek.

Meal Plan: Full Board (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Accommodation: Gorilla Safari Lodge (Luxury) or Gorilla Leisure Lodge (Mid Range)

Day 7: Gorilla Trekking Experience

Breakfast is early, ahead of a 7:30 am briefing at the park headquarters. Trekkers are placed into groups of 8, and the hike into the dense rainforest can take between 2 and 7 hours, depending on where the assigned gorilla family is located that day. Once you find them, you spend 1 hour with the mountain gorilla family, close enough to see their bonds and behaviour firsthand. Afterward, there is time to rest, or you can opt into a Batwa Cultural Experience in the evening.

Meal Plan: Full Board (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Accommodation: Gorilla Safari Lodge (Luxury) or Gorilla Leisure Lodge (Mid Range)

Day 8: Transfer to Kigali Airport and Fly to Tanzania (Kilimanjaro Airport) (5-6 hours)

Start your day with an early breakfast and then drive to Kigali International Airport for your flight to Tanzania. Enjoy a lunch stop along the way and optional shopping for local crafts. You will arrive in Kigali City by afternoon to catch your flight. When you land at Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania, your driver-guide will meet you and transfer you to Arusha City. This short drive takes about 1 hour. Relax and settle in for the night.

Meal Plan: Full Board (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
Accommodation: Four Points by Sheraton Arusha (Luxury) or Gold Crest Hotel Arusha (Mid-Range)

Day 9: Arusha to Tarangire National Park (2.5 to 3 hours)

After breakfast in Arusha, you drive to Tarangire National Park, arriving in time for an afternoon game drive. Tarangire is known for its giant baobab trees and large elephant herds, along with wildebeest, giraffes, hippos, buffaloes, baboons, vervet monkeys and zebras moving across its rugged hills, rivers, swamps and open savannah.

Meal Plan: Full Board (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Accommodation: Escarpment Lodge (Luxury) or Farm of Dreams Lodge (Mid Range)

Day 10: Tarangire to Lake Manyara National Park

After breakfast, you leave Tarangire for Lake Manyara National Park, where a full day is spent on game drives. Lake Manyara is famous for its tree climbing lions, sizeable elephant herds and a soda lake often lined with thousands of pink flamingos. Despite its small size, the park packs in groundwater forests, acacia woodland and hot springs, all beneath the Rift Valley escarpment.

Meal Plan: Full Board (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Accommodation: Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge (Luxury) or Heart and Soul Lodge Manyara (Mid Range)

Day 11: Lake Manyara to Central Serengeti National Park

You check out after breakfast and head to the Serengeti, with a game drive along the way as you arrive. This is prime territory for the Big Five, lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino, along with huge zebra herds, lions resting on rocky kopjes, cheetahs hunting across open plains, giraffes, hippos and hyenas.

Meal Plan: Full Board (breakfast, lunch and dinner)

Accommodation: Kubu Kubu Tented Camp (Luxury) or Serengeti Classic View Camp (Mid Range)

Day 12: Full Day Game Drive in Serengeti National Park

The full day is spent exploring deeper into the Serengeti, with game drives broken up by a picnic lunch and plenty of time for photographs. Predators, prey and some of the most striking landscapes of the whole Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania Safari are all on show here.

Meal Plan: Full Board (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Accommodation: Kubu Kubu Tented Camp (Luxury) or Serengeti Classic View Camp (Mid Range)

Day 13: Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater

After breakfast, you leave the Serengeti for Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s largest unbroken volcanic caldera. The descent into the crater floor brings a game drive through one of Africa’s richest wildlife concentrations, with large numbers of lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and more.

Meal Plan: Full Board (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Accommodation: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge (Luxury) or Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge (Mid Range)

Day 14: Ngorongoro to Arusha for Departure

A final breakfast is followed by the drive back to Arusha, about 3 hours, and a transfer to the airport for your departure flight. It marks the close of an unforgettable Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania Safari, with 14 days of memories to take home.

Meal Plan: Half Board (breakfast and lunch)
Accommodation: Not applicable (day room available on request)

Answered FAQs

How much does this safari cost, and can it be customized?

The cost is $7,314 per person for 2 people sharing mid range accommodation, and $9,335 per person for 2 people sharing luxury accommodation. Both options include transportation in a 4×4 Land Cruiser, all meals and accommodation as indicated in the itinerary, park entrance fees, the gorilla trekking permit, the chimpanzee trekking permit, the Kenya to Uganda flight, the Uganda to Tanzania flight, bottled drinking water and government taxes. Let us know your group size and preferred level of accommodation in case you would like to upgrade from those listed in the itinerary, and we will come back to you with the total cost per person.

Can this itinerary be customized? Yes. This Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania Safari can be adjusted to fit your travel dates, group size, budget and preferred pace, including extending or shortening time in any of the 3 countries, adding extra activities such as the Bigodi Nature Walk or the Batwa Cultural Experience, or upgrading and downgrading accommodation. Let us know what changes you would like, and we will put together a revised plan and quote.

How physically demanding is this safari?

This Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania Safari involves a mix of easy game drives and 2 more demanding activities, chimpanzee trekking in Kibale and gorilla trekking in Bwindi. Game drives require no physical effort beyond sitting in the vehicle for several hours. Chimpanzee trekking can take 2 to 5 hours on forest trails, while gorilla trekking can take 2 to 7 hours over steep and sometimes muddy terrain, depending on where the animals are on a given day. A reasonable level of fitness is recommended for both treks, and porters are available in Bwindi to help carry bags and provide support along the trail.

What is the best time of year to go on this trip?

This safari can be enjoyed throughout the year, but the dry seasons from June to October and January to February tend to offer the easiest wildlife viewing and the driest trekking conditions in Uganda’s forests. Travellers who want to see the Great Migration river crossings in the Masai Mara should aim to travel between mid July and mid October, when the wildebeest and zebra herds are typically in the reserve.

What should I pack for this Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania Safari?

Neutral coloured safari clothing (khaki, green or brown), a warm jacket or fleece for early morning game drives and cool forest mornings, waterproof hiking boots for chimpanzee and gorilla trekking, a rain jacket, gardening style gloves for gripping vegetation on steep trails, insect repellent, sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, a reusable water bottle, a basic first aid kit, a face mask, binoculars and a camera with a good zoom lens are all worth packing. A small daypack is useful for carrying personal items during treks and game drives.

Are the gorilla and chimpanzee trekking permits guaranteed?

Permits are issued in limited numbers by the relevant wildlife authorities to protect the primate populations. Before your booking is confirmed, we first check permit availability, and once permits are purchased on your behalf, your trekking spot for that day is guaranteed. Because demand is high during peak months, it is best to book this Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania Safari 4 to 6 months in advance, especially if you are travelling during the peak season.

What type of vehicle is used for transportation?

Throughout this Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania Safari, you travel in a customized 4×4 safari Land Cruiser fitted with a pop up roof for wildlife viewing and photography. The vehicle is built for rough park tracks and rural dirt roads, comes stocked with bottled drinking water, and has an extended chassis so every passenger gets a window seat.

Is airport pick up and drop off included?

Yes. Pick up from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport or your Nairobi hotel is included at the start of the trip, and drop off at the airport in Arusha is included at the end, once your Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania Safari is complete. Flights between Kenya and Uganda, and between Uganda and Tanzania, are arranged and included as part of the itinerary, with your driver guide meeting you on arrival at each stop.