16 Days Uganda Tanzania and Kenya safari will take you 3 of the East African countries. This safari will take you through the beautiful country with chances of seeing the endangered Mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable national park. Expect to also meet the big 5 animals (Lions, Leopards, Buffaloes, Rhinos and Elephants) in the savannah parks of Serengeti national park and Masai Mara national reserve. Also another destination for a memorable safari is Tarangire national park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Safari Highlights
- Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe airport
- Day 2: Transfer to Murchison falls national park – Rhino trekking and top of the falls
- Day 3: Game drive and launch cruise – Murchison Falls
- Day 4: Drive to Kibale national park (6-7 hours) – Bigodi swamp walk
- Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking experience – transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
- Day 6: Morning game drive in Kisenyi and Ishasha – transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable national park (6-7 hours)
- Day 7: Gorilla trekking experience
- Day 8: Explore Lake Bunyonyi
- Day 9: Transfer back to Kampala/Entebbe (8-9 hours’ drive) or transfer via Kigali
- Day 10: Transfer to Lake Manyara national park
- Day 11: Game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater – transfer to Serengeti national park
- Day 12: Full Day Game Drive in Serengeti National Park
- Day 13: Transfer to Masai Mara national reserve via Isabenia border
- Day 14: Full day game drive in Maasai Mara
- Day 15: Transfer to Lake Nakuru national park – afternoon/evening game drive
- Day 16: Transfer to Nairobi city – Departure
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe airport
Upon arrival at Entebbe airport, you will meet your driver and connect to your booked hotel, dinner and overnight stay at Best Western Garden Hotel for mid-range/Papyrus Guesthouse for budget/Protea Hotel for luxury
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison falls national park – Rhino trekking and top of the falls
Depending on your location in Entebbe/Kampala, check out of hotel early after your breakfast. Meet your safari driver and transfer to Murchison falls national park. It’s a 6 hours’ drive however, you will have an en-route stop at the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary for no-foot rhino tracking. You will be briefed about the rhinos before you take on the tracking, which usually takes about 1-2 hours trying to locate the rhinos and on finding them, spend an hour with them. Meet your driver, have lunch then proceed to the park entering through the Kichumbanyobo gate. You will visit the top of the falls and then proceed to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Tilenga Safari Lodge for budget/Pakuba Safari lodge for mid-range/Nile Safari Lodge for luxury
Day 3: Game drive and launch cruise – Murchison Falls
After early morning breakfast, drive to the game drive fields in the northern bank of the park where we find most of the animals. An early morning game drive, offers you chances of finding the early risers such as the lions, leopards, hyenas. Spot various animal species like elephants, giraffes, Jackson hartebeests, waterbucks, Uganda kobs among others. Return for lunch at the lodge.
In the afternoon, you will go for a launch cruise on the park’s main tourist attraction the unique Murchison Falls as well as the River Nile with its streaming hippo and serried ranges of crocodile along the sandbanks, as well as large numbers of different species getting down to drink & bathe. Dinner and overnight at Lodge as above
Day 4: Drive to Kibale national park (6-7 hours) – Bigodi swamp walk
After early morning breakfast, meet the driver and transfer to Kibale forest national park in the western part of the country. This is 7-8 hours’ drive with en-route late lunch in Fort portal town.
Later afternoon/evening, you will go for a nature walk at Bigodi wetland where you will enjoy the silence but only the whispers and sounds of birds, Bigodi wetland is where you will experience a lot of birdlife and unspoiled nature and if you are good at birding, this is a great place to spot various bird species. Thereafter, proceed to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay Chimpanzee forest Lodge for mid-range/Kibale Forest lodge for budget/Chimpundu Lodge for luxury
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking experience – transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
After early morning breakfast at the lodge, connect to Kibale forest for your chimpanzee habituation experience with your packed snacks and water. You will first report at the park headquarters for a briefing before entering the forest for the activity. This a 2-5 day activity so expect to see a lot of primate species like chimpanzees, monkeys and other animals like the forest elephants, buffaloes, bush pig and duiker, warthogs, reptiles as well as a colorful variety of butterflies. On finding the chimpanzees, you will be allowed to spend 1 hours’ with them.
In the afternoon, embark on your 3 hours’ drive to Queen Elizabeth national park, en route stop at the equator for pictures, and the Katwe salt mine. Enter the park late afternoon and connect to your lodge to rest. Dinner will be served and spend a night at Kazinga Wilderness Camp for budget/Elephant Hub Lodge for mid-range/Elephant Plains Lodge for luxury
Day 6: Morning game drive in Kisenyi and Ishasha – transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable national park (6-7 hours)
After your breakfast, you will set off to an early morning game drive in the Kasenyi area will offer you sights of animals like buffaloes, elephants, waterbuck, Uganda Kob, and other types of antelopes. Connect to Ishasha sector for chances of finding the tree-climbing lions although this is not guaranteed. Have en-route lunch and proceed to Bwindi impenetrable national park and connect to your booked lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at Buhoma Community Rest Camp for budget/Buhoma Haven Lodge for mid-range/Mahogany Springs Lodge for luxury
Day 7: Gorilla trekking experience
Have breakfast and transfer you to park offices for briefing about Mountain Gorilla trekking by a park ranger guides who will tell you of the dos and don’ts of gorilla trekking. With your backpack, drive to the starting point of the trek, enter the forest and start your journey to meet the mountain gorillas. The time taken is usually between 2-8 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas and the allocated gorilla family. Meeting the gorillas unexpectedly is one of the most captivating lifetime experiences, on finding the, you will have an hour with them while observing and take pictures at very close range. You will observe adults feeding and groaning among themselves. After an hour with the long-awaited gorillas, your guide and rangers will lead you back to the starting point where your driver will readily be waiting to transfer you back to the lodge.
Day 8: Explore Lake Bunyonyi
After breakfast, transfer to Lake Bunyonyi. Its’ about 2-3 hours’ drive. The lake is located between Kisoro and Kabale in the south-western Uganda close to the border with Rwanda. It’s believed to be the second deepest lake in Africa with the depth between 44m and 900m and its about 7 to 25kms wide. Take a boat trip to some of the fascinating islands on the lake – Kyahugye Island where you will find some wildlife including the Zebras, waterbucks, impalas and Kobs. Visit Akampeine island (a punishment island) where pregnant unmarried girls were dumped to die, the Bwama and Njuyeera Island-where missionary Dr. Leonard Sharp founded a leper colony. Spend your afternoon relaxing and chilling at the lodge. Dinner and overnight stay at Bunyonyi overland resort (budget)/Arcadia lodge (Mid-range)
Day 9: Transfer back to Kampala/Entebbe (8-9 hours’ drive) or transfer via Kigali
After breakfast, transfer early back to Entebbe with en-route lunch and stop at the Uganda Equator. The driver will drop you off at Entebbe airport for your onward flight. Or, transfer to Kigali with en-route for your onward flight via Kigali airport
Upon arrival in Tanzania, meet your driver and connect to your hotel in Arusha. Dinner and overnight stay at Burka Coffee Lodge for budget/Tulia Boutique Hotel for mid-range/Gran Melia Hotel for luxury
Day 10: Transfer to Lake Manyara national park
After breakfast, meet your driver and transfer to Lake Manyara national park. It’s about 2-3 hours’ drive from Arusha to Manyara located on the shores of the Great Rift Valley of East Africa. . You will enjoy an amazing introduction to the Tanzania wildlife with a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park. After your picnic lunch, embark on a guided nature walk and get closer to the natural surroundings in the park including animals like elephants, giraffes, zebras, among others; and also enjoy the beautiful views around. After the nature walk you will be driven to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Hhnado Coffee Lodge for budget/Tlowa Lodge for mid-range//Oldeani Ngorongoro Mountain Lodge for luxury
Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner
Day 11: Game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater – transfer to Serengeti national park
After breakfast at the camp, you will drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. With your packed lunch you will descend the 600 meters into the Ngorongoro crater for amazing wildlife viewing opportunities and to enjoy the beautiful scenery, including the big 5 Ngorongoro animals.
You will look out for a variety of wildlife species, which include wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, and giant African elephants as well as predators such as lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, and leopard.
After the game drive, you will proceed to transfer to Serengeti national park, which will take about 4 hours’ drive. Upon arrival, connect to your booked lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Central Serengeti Tanzania Bush Camp for Mid-range/Tukaone Serengeti Camp for budget/Mbali Mbali Soroi Lodge for luxury
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 12: Full Day Game Drive in Serengeti National Park
You will have an early breakfast at your lodge and your guide will drive you on a morning game viewing experience around the central part of Serengeti national park where you will search for wildlife species like lions, leopards, elephants, buffalos, wildebeests, zebras, giraffes, cheetahs, impalas, gazelles, kudu, rhinos among others.
After having your picnic lunch enjoyed in the wilderness, you will engage in an afternoon game drive around Serengeti national park as you look out for wildlife species and later return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay as above
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 13: Transfer to Masai Mara national reserve via Isabenia border
You will have a very early breakfast and check-out from the lodge to embark on your journey to Masai Mara national reserve in Kenya with en-en-route game drive as you proceed to Isebania border where you will be crossing to Kenya. Upon arrival at the border the customs office will do clearance after which, meet your Kenyan driver guide to proceed to Masai Mara where you will enter the park. Connect to Masai Mara Park via Olololo gate in Mara west, proceed to your lodge for check-in, relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at Mara Sentrim tented lodge for budget/Julia’s River Camp for mid-range option/Neptune Rainta Luxury lodge
Day 14: Full day game drive in Maasai Mara
Wake up early in the morning, have breakfast and grab your packed lunch and meet your safari driver to head to the plains of Maasai Mara for a full day adventure in this stunning savannah vegetation of Masai Mara as you watch many animals in large numbers such as lions, elephants, cheetahs, leopards, wildebeests, zebras and many more. You will enjoy your picnic lunch and proceed for a game drive until the sun goes down. In the evening you will head back to your lodge, have dinner and stay overnight at lodge as above
Day 15: Transfer to Lake Nakuru national park – afternoon/evening game drive
After breakfast, transfer to Lake Nakuru national park, arriving at good time for lunch. Connect to your lodge for lunch. Later afternoon, connect for a game drive. Lake Nakuru is best known for its large masses of flamingo birds and home to the famous black and white rhinos. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Nakuru Lodge for mid-range/Punda Milias Tented Camp for budget/ Sarova Lion Hill Lodge for luxury
Day 16: Transfer to Nairobi city – Departure
After breakfast, embark on your drive to Nairobi city. Its’ about 5 hours’ drive arriving at good time for lunch in Nairobi at the Carnivore Restaurant before you connect to your booked evening flight out of Kenya. The driver will drop you off at Jomo Kenyatta airport for your onward flight back home.
End of 16 Days Uganda Tanzania and Kenya safari
