Enjoy this 21-day East Africa tour, a special wildlife and primate adventure package. This long journey covers East Africa’s best wilderness areas in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda.
Key places you will visit include Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kibale National Park, Maasai Mara, Serengeti, Lake Manyara National Park, Volcanoes, and Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Detailed Tour
Day 1: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park – Uganda
Meet your experienced Uganda driver guide for a short briefing about your tour. At 8:00 am, start your drive to Murchison Falls National Park, located in the far northwest of Uganda.
The drive takes about 5 to 6 hours. Along the way, stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Nakasongola to track rhinos.
From Ziwa, continue to Masindi town for a tasty meal, then proceed to the park gate to clear with park officials. Enter through Kichumbanyobo gate and drive to the northern section, spotting animals like olive baboons in Budongo Forest. Arrive early and before checking in, visit the top of the falls for photos.
Day 2: Wildlife drive and boat cruise in Murchison Falls NP
After breakfast, meet your driver guide and start a game drive at 6:00 am in a 4×4 vehicle. Expect to see many savanna animals, such as cape buffaloes, elephants, Bohor reedbucks, Rothschild giraffes, spotted hyenas, warthogs, hartebeests, and birds like black-billed barbets and black-headed lapwings.
Return to the lodge for lunch and rest. At 2:00 pm, take a boat cruise from Paraa Jetty along the Victoria Nile to the base of Murchison Falls. On the cruise, look out for hippos, crocodiles, and many bird species.
Day 3: Travel to Kibale National Park
After breakfast, check out and travel to Kibale National Park in the Kabarole and Kamwenge districts. Enjoy beautiful views of the Rift Valley, Lake Albert, and the Mountains of the Moon on the way.
Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi nature walk
Start chimpanzee tracking after a briefing at the Kanyanchu Tourism Center. Guided by park staff, trek through the forest from 8:00 am for 2 to 4 hours, including one hour close to chimpanzees.
Kibale is home to many primates, so you may also see L’Hoest monkeys, vervet monkeys, olive baboons, colobus monkeys, mangabeys, pottos, bush babies, red-tailed monkeys, red colobus monkeys, and many birds.
Return for lunch, then at 2:00 pm explore Bigodi Wetland, known for primate sightings and bird watching.
Day 5: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Along the way, enjoy views of crater lakes and banana plantations. After lunch, take a 2-3 hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel, where you can see hippos, crocodiles, and many bird species.
Day 6: Game drive and drive to Bwindi National Park
Today, enjoy a 2-3 hour game drive in Kasenyi Plains, looking for animals such as elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards, antelopes, and birds. After the game drive, travel to Bwindi National Park through Ishasha, where you might see tree-climbing lions.
Day 7: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi
Start the day with tea or coffee, then leave the lodge with packed snacks and water. Meet park officials for a briefing, then begin your gorilla trek at 8:00 am.
The trek lasts 2 to 6 hours, including one hour watching and taking pictures of mountain gorillas. Afterward, have lunch and visit the Batwa Pygmy community for a cultural experience.
Day 8: Travel to Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
Have an early breakfast, check out, and transfer to Volcanoes National Park via the Katuna/Cyanika border. Rest at your lodge in Ruhengeri as you prepare for the next day.
Day 9: Gorilla trekking in Rwanda
Wake up early and go to Kinigi for a briefing on gorilla trekking or golden monkey tracking. At 8:00 am, an experienced guide will take you to find mountain gorillas or golden monkeys.
Each experience includes one hour with the animals. In the afternoon or evening, visit Iby’Iwacu village to learn about Rwandan culture and traditions.
Day 10: Travel to Nyungwe Forest National Park
After pick-up from your lodge, drive to Nyungwe Forest National Park. Enjoy a relaxing day at the lodge inside or near the park.
Day 11: Chimpanzee trek and canopy walk in Nyungwe
Begin chimpanzee trekking at 8:00 am. The trek lasts 2 to 4 hours, including one hour near chimpanzees. You will likely see other primates as you walk through the forest.
Day 12: Fly to Arusha, Tanzania
Leave Nyungwe and travel to Kigali airport. Fly to Arusha, Tanzania. Spend the rest of the day relaxing at your lodge or hotel.
Day 13: Explore Arusha National Park
Take a game drive in Arusha National Park. Watch for elephants, zebras, cape buffaloes, giraffes, birds, and more.
Day 14: Travel to Lake Manyara National Park
Meet your driver guide and head to Lake Manyara National Park. It is a long drive, so bring snacks or lunch.
Day 15: Wildlife viewing at Lake Manyara National Park
Spend a full day in Lake Manyara National Park. This park is famous for tree-climbing lions. You will also see buffaloes, lions, flamingos, pelicans, and many birds.
Day 16: Drive to Serengeti National Park
Meet your driver guide and travel to Serengeti National Park, a large park known for the wildebeest migration and the big five game.
Day 17: Game Drive in Serengeti
After breakfast, go on a game drive in Serengeti. Watch the wildebeest migration and look for lions, elephants, leopards, buffaloes, rhinos, and cheetahs.
Day 18: Cross to Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
After a good breakfast, meet your driver guide to travel to Masai Mara National Reserve. Look for animals as you leave Serengeti and cross the border into Kenya.
Days 19-20: Wildlife experience in Maasai Mara
Enjoy two full days of game viewing in Masai Mara. Expect to see wildebeests, the big five game, giraffes, zebras, cheetahs, many birds, and more. You will also visit the Maasai people for an authentic cultural experience.
Day 21: Maasai Mara to Nairobi and departure
After breakfast, check out and drive to Nairobi. You can be dropped off at a hotel or go straight to the airport for your flight home. This marks the end of your 21-day East Africa tour.
