This safari will take you to many interesting and rewarding places such as national parks, game reserves, nearby communities, and more. You will do activities like gorilla trekking, chimpanzee tracking, community walks, boat cruises, game drives, lion tracking, rhino trekking, and others.
The tour will cover five countries known for their beautiful views and important wildlife such as the Big Five animals. You will also see many bird species and enjoy wide open plains, hills, and other natural sights.
You may witness great moments like the annual wildebeest migration, wild animals giving birth if you are lucky, sunrises and sunsets, border crossings, and many other experiences.
The tour starts in Kigali, Rwanda, and ends in Arusha, Tanzania, with options to change the route since it is a custom-made safari.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Kigali and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
On arrival, your driver guide will pick you up and give you a briefing about the safari. You will then transfer to Volcanoes National Park, home to rare primates like mountain gorillas and golden monkeys.
The park is also important historically because it started the process of habituating gorillas in Africa. After about a three-hour drive, you will arrive and check in at your lodge to end the day.
Day 2: Golden monkey trekking and Iby’iwachu cultural village tour
Start the day with a briefing before heading into the forest with a park ranger to track the golden monkeys. Unlike gorilla trekking, there is no limit to the number of people. You will find the monkeys in bamboo trees, and you are advised to use flashlight cameras as the monkeys often come close.
The trek lasts about six to seven hours, including one hour spent with the monkeys. After trekking, you will have lunch and then visit the Iby’iwachu cultural village to learn about the Banyarwanda culture through music, dance, language, clothing, and conservation efforts to protect gorillas and wildlife. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Travel to Kahuzi-Biega National Park
Leave Volcanoes National Park in the Virunga Mountains and travel to Kahuzi-Biega National Park. This park protects the rare eastern lowland gorillas, the largest species of gorillas.
The park is named after two mountains inside it: Mt. Kahuzi and Mt. Biega. Your trip will cross a border, and your driver guide will assist with immigration. Arrive in the evening and check in at your accommodation.
Day 4: Lowland gorilla trekking adventure
After breakfast and a briefing on rules such as keeping distance, not feeding animals, and no flash photography, start your lowland gorilla trek. The trek can take between two and eight hours, but you will spend one hour with the gorillas.
The ranger will explain the differences between mountain gorillas and eastern lowland gorillas. Return to the lodge for a relaxed evening.
Day 5: Head to Bwindi National Park via Kigali
Leave Kahuzi-Biega in the morning and travel to Bwindi National Park, home to almost half of the remaining mountain gorillas. The park also hosts other primates and about 250 bird species.
The road trip passes through Rwanda’s “land of a thousand hills” and crosses the Katuna border, where your guide will help with immigration. Arrive late evening, check in at your lodge, and rest.
Day 6: Gorilla trekking adventure and leisure
After breakfast and a briefing on rules similar to Kahuzi-Biega, you will be assigned a gorilla family to track. Your park ranger will lead you into the forest, where you may see other animals and plants along the way.
You will spend one hour with the gorillas, creating special memories. The trek can be hard because it involves walking long distances and hiking through unmarked trails in the mountains.
Return to the lodge for a relaxing evening.
Day 7: Head to Queen Elizabeth National Park, game drive in Ishasha sector
Travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park, known for its savannah grasslands and tree-climbing lions found in the Ishasha sector. Your guide will take you on a lion tracking game drive, where you may also see elephants, buffalos, and antelopes.
Follow your guide’s instructions to enjoy the experience safely. After the game drive, return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Game drive and boat cruise
Start early with a two-hour game drive with a park ranger. You may spot animals like spotted hyenas, lions, jackals, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, buffalos, and warthogs. Return to the lodge for breakfast and leisure.
In the afternoon, take a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel, where you can see hippos, crocodiles, and many bird species like pelicans and fish eagles. After the cruise, drive back to the lodge enjoying the Savannah views.
Day 9: Transfer to Kibale National Park and visit Isunga cultural community
Leave Queen Elizabeth National Park and travel to Kibale National Park, known as the primate capital of the world with 13 primate species, especially chimpanzees. The park also has unique birds like the great blue turacos and green-breasted pitta.
The trip passes the Ndali Kasenda crater lakes and takes about two hours. On arrival, take a community walk in Isunga, visiting tea plantations, coffee farms, and lakes like Nyabikere (Lake of Frogs). Check in at your lodge.
Day 10: Chimpanzee tracking and visit Amabere Ga’Nyinamwiru
Begin chimpanzee tracking after a briefing on rules to protect wildlife, such as no feeding, no close contact, no mimicking, and no littering. The trek can last about five hours, including one hour spent with chimpanzees.
After tracking, you will receive a certificate and return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, visit Amabere Ga’Nyinamwiru caves in Fort Portal to learn about stalactites and stalagmites.
You can enjoy Nyakasura falls and take a natural shower. You may also hike to see three craters and lakes or take a short drive with your guide before returning to the lodge.
Day 11: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
Leave Kibale or Fort Portal in the morning and drive through tea plantations, forests, and farms to Murchison Falls National Park. This park is famous for the powerful Murchison Falls on the Nile River and is home to four of the Big Five animals. The river divides the park into savannah and forest areas. On arrival, visit the top of the falls for photos before checking in at your lodge.
Day 12: Game drive, boat cruise, and hike to top of falls (optional)
Start with a two-hour game drive spotting lions, leopards, buffalos, warthogs, elephants, and more. You may stop at the hippo pool for breakfast. In the afternoon, take a boat cruise on the Albert Nile to see hippos, crocodiles, and many birds. You will see the falls from below and can choose to hike to the top to enjoy views and a rainbow formed by the water. Return to the lodge for dinner.
Day 13: Transfer to Kampala (stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary)
Drive to Kampala, the capital of Uganda, with a stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for rhino trekking. You will learn about the rhinos and their recovery after being hunted during the Amin regime. After lunch, continue to Kampala or Entebbe and check in at your hotel.
Day 14: Fly to Masai Mara National Reserve and game drive
Fly from Entebbe to Nairobi, then connect to a flight to Masai Mara National Reserve. The park is home to the Big Five animals. You will start with an evening game drive to see rhinos, baboons, warthogs, leopards, elephants, cheetahs, and more. After two hours, return to your lodge.
Day 15: Full-day game drive
Enjoy a full-day game drive exploring the Masai Mara plains. If it is migration season, you may see the wildebeest migration with zebras. Millions of animals move while being hunted by crocodiles, lions, and other predators. You can also visit a Masai community to learn about their culture. The Masai people are related to the Karamajongs of northern Uganda.
Day 16: Cross to Serengeti National Park in Tanzania
After breakfast, cross into Tanzania to Serengeti National Park. This journey takes most of the day. Serengeti is a famous savannah park where wildebeests begin their migration to Masai Mara. Enjoy the wide plains and wildlife. Arrive in the evening and check in at your lodge.
Day 17: Full day in Serengeti National Park
Spend a full day in Serengeti with a game drive and picnic lunch. You may see hyenas, leopards, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, cheetahs, baboons, crocodiles in the Mara River marshes, and many bird species such as pigeons and doves. Watch the wildebeest migration moving toward Masai Mara. Return to the lodge in the evening.
Day 18: Transfer to Arusha and fly home
End your safari with a drive to Arusha airport. Your driver guide will wish you a safe journey home.
