23 Days Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania Safari
This 23 Days Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania Safari is a genuinely comprehensive East Africa tour, taking you through the highlights of all three countries with enough time to explore each destination in real depth, and plenty of scope for further customisation.
The trip covers the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Kibale National Park for chimpanzee tracking, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for a gorilla habituation experience with the endangered mountain gorillas, along with a hike up Mount Sabinyo. You will also visit the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, Serengeti National Park in Tanzania for the chance to witness the Great Wildebeest Migration in season, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, home to the world’s largest inactive caldera, Lake Manyara National Park, and Tarangire National Park, along with authentic cultural experiences with several of Tanzania’s tribes, including the Maasai and the Chagga.
Highlights: 23 Days Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania Safari
Day 1: Pick-Up, Transfer to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and Rhino Tracking
Day 2: Shoebill Trek and Canoe Ride, Transfer to Kibale National Park
Day 3: Chimpanzee Trekking, Bigodi Swamp Walk
Day 4: Tea Plantation Visit, Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Evening Game Drive
Day 5: Morning Game Drive and Boat Cruise
Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi National Park
Day 7: Gorilla Habituation Experience
Day 8: Transfer to Mgahinga, Batwa Experience
Day 9: Hike Mount Sabinyo
Day 10: Drive to Entebbe, Fly to Nairobi
Days 11 & 12: Nairobi Stay
Day 13: Transfer to Masai Mara, Kenya
Day 14: Full Day in Masai Mara National Reserve
Day 15: Transfer to Serengeti National Park
Day 16: Full Day in Serengeti National Park
Day 17: Transfer to Ngorongoro, Crater Drive, Guided Crater Rim Walk
Day 18: Hadzabe Tribe Experience
Day 19: Lake Manyara National Park Game Drive
Day 20: Tarangire National Park Game Drive
Day 21: Transfer to Kilimanjaro Area, Maasai Cultural Experience
Day 22: Chagga Culture and Coffee Plantation Visit
Day 23: Departure
Detailed Itinerary: 23 Days Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania Safari
Day 1: Pick-Up, Transfer to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and Rhino Tracking
Your safari begins with a warm welcome from your guide, who will pick you up from the airport upon arrival and brief you on the trip ahead. You will continue to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Check in at your lodge, relax, and enjoy lunch.
Later, head out for a rhino tracking experience, giving you the chance to get up close with rhinos on foot.
Return to the lodge to relax while you wait for dinner and an overnight stay at Ziwa Sanctuary Guest House / Amuka Safari Lodge.
Day 2: Shoebill Trek and Canoe Ride, Transfer to Kibale National Park
Enjoy an early breakfast at your lodge, then head out at 6 a.m. for a shoebill stork search. An early-morning shoebill trek and canoe ride through the swamp gives you the chance to find the shoebill as well as enjoy a beautiful sunrise over Lugogo Swamp.
Meet your guide afterward for the transfer to Kibale National Park, with lunch en route. You will arrive late in the evening and continue to your lodge. Check in, relax, and enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at Chimpanzee Guesthouse.
Day 3: Chimpanzee Trekking, Bigodi Swamp Walk
Another day of your safari begins with a hearty breakfast at your lodge as you prepare for your chimpanzee trek. The activity starts with a briefing at the national park headquarters on chimpanzee trekking.
You will continue into Kibale Forest in search of the chimpanzees. A variety of other primate species can also be seen in the forest during the trek, such as black-and-white colobus monkey and vervet monkey, among others. After your chimpanzee trekking activity, you will be driven back to your lodge, then head out later for a Bigodi swamp walk for the chance to see a variety of birds. Dinner and overnight stay at Chimpanzee Guesthouse.
Day 4: Tea Plantation Visit, Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Evening Game Drive
Start your day with breakfast before checking out of your lodge in Kibale National Park. Enjoy a tea plantation visit, with plenty of opportunity for beautiful photographs. You will then continue your journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park, checking in at your lodge and enjoying lunch.
Later, you will have an evening game drive through Queen Elizabeth National Park, searching for wildlife such as antelope, buffalo, and waterbuck, among many others, before returning to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay at Elephant Hab Lodge.
Day 5: Morning Game Drive and Boat Cruise
Wake up early at your lodge for a morning game drive around Queen Elizabeth National Park, searching for wildlife such as buffalo, lion, elephant, antelope, hippo, and warthog, among others.
You will also enjoy a boat ride along the Kazinga Channel, where you will see wildlife such as buffalo, Nile crocodile, hippo, and elephant, as well as a variety of birdlife, including hammerkop, kingfisher, cormorant, and eagle. The Kazinga Channel is formed at the meeting point of Lake George and Lake Edward. Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay, as above.
Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi National Park
After breakfast at your lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, check out and continue to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, where you will check in at your lodge and relax while you wait for dinner and an overnight stay at Ichumbi Lodge.
Day 7: Gorilla Habituation Experience
Enjoy breakfast at your lodge in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park as you prepare for your gorilla habituation activity, beginning with a drive to the national park headquarters for a briefing.
After your briefing, you will venture into Bwindi Forest, following various trails in search of the endangered gorillas. You will also see other primate species in the forest, along with a variety of birds and butterflies. You will spend about four hours with the gorillas during this habituation experience, considerably longer than the standard trek, before returning to your lodge to relax and spend the night, as above.
Day 8: Transfer to Mgahinga, Batwa Experience
After breakfast at the lodge, transfer to Mgahinga National Park for a Batwa cultural experience, meeting the oldest inhabitants of the area and learning about their traditional way of life. Interact with the community and experience their customs firsthand. Return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay at Lake Mutanda Safari Lodge.
Day 9: Hike Mount Sabinyo
After breakfast, head out with your packed lunch for a hiking adventure, climbing one of the volcanoes that make up the Virunga range, Mount Sabinyo. The hike is a round trip of six to eight hours. Enjoy magnificent views, then return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay, as above.
Day 10: Drive to Entebbe, Fly to Nairobi
Drive Time: 8-10 Hours
Enjoy breakfast, then check out of your lodge ahead of your drive to Entebbe, stopping at the Equator and for lunch along the way. You will arrive in time for your flight to Nairobi.
Upon your arrival in Nairobi, you will be transferred to your hotel of stay at Tamarind Tree Inn.
Days 11 & 12: Nairobi Stay
Spend these two days at leisure in Nairobi, with a number of optional activities available, including visiting the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage, the Giraffe Centre, the Karen Blixen Museum, and the Maasai Bomas. Meals and overnight stay, as above.
Day 13: Transfer to Masai Mara, Kenya
Your Kenya safari guide will meet you at your hotel and brief you on the trip ahead before transferring you to the Masai Mara with your packed lunch. You will stop in Narok town for the chance to interact with the local Maasai community and purchase souvenirs if you wish.
You will enjoy a game drive across the savanna plains of the reserve, looking out for elephant, lion, buffalo, giraffe, eland, waterbuck, gazelle, zebra, and leopard, among others. Dinner and overnight stay at Sekenani Camp Maasai Mara.
Day 14: Full Day in Masai Mara National Reserve
Wake up early at your lodge in the Masai Mara for a morning game drive, searching for wildlife such as lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, cheetah, giraffe, hippo, antelope, eland, and waterbuck, among others. Enjoy lunch after your morning game drive.
In the afternoon, set out on another game drive in search of further wildlife across the wilderness of the reserve. Return to your lodge afterward for dinner and an overnight stay, as above.
Day 15: Transfer to Serengeti National Park
Enjoy breakfast, then check out of the lodge, where your guide will drop you off at the Isebania border to meet your Tanzania safari guide. He will drive you to Serengeti National Park, home to a genuine diversity of wildlife. Enjoy wildlife viewing en route as you transfer to your camp. Dinner and an overnight stay at Into Wild Africa Serengeti.
Day 16: Full Day in Serengeti National Park
Wake up for a morning game drive around Serengeti National Park, searching for wildlife such as lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo, elephant, wildebeest, antelope, hippo, and giraffe, among others. Enjoy lunch after your morning game drive, keeping an eye out for the wildebeest migration herds in the southern part of the Serengeti during calving season.
In the afternoon, enjoy a game drive through the central Serengeti, home to a wealth of wildlife species, before returning to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay at Ndutu Heritage Migration Camp.
Day 17: Transfer to Ngorongoro, Crater Drive, Guided Crater Rim Walk
Wake up for an early breakfast, then check out of your lodge ahead of your transfer to the Ngorongoro Crater, where you will enjoy a game drive exploring the crater floor after descending roughly 600 metres.
You will search for the Big Five, as well as cheetah, hippo, gazelle, kudu, eland, waterbuck, and hartebeest, among others, during your game drive around the crater. You will also see flamingo along the shores of Lake Magadi, and after the drive, embark on a guided walking safari around the crater rim. Continue with your guide to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay at Hhando Coffee Lodge.
Day 18: Hadzabe Tribe Experience
Enjoy an early breakfast at the lodge, then transfer to meet the Hadzabe tribe of Tanzania. Interact with the local community and take part in various activities, including hunting, wild honey collecting, and traditional fire-making using sticks or stones, among others. Afterward, transfer to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay at Maramboi Tented Lodge.
Day 19: Lake Manyara National Park Game Drive
Breakfast will be served early at your lodge as you prepare to drive to Lake Manyara National Park, home to the rare tree-climbing lions and a genuinely diverse wildlife-viewing destination.
You will enjoy a game drive through the park, searching for wildlife such as elephant, buffalo, lion, waterbuck, impala, and zebra, among many others. You will also enjoy views of Lake Manyara itself, where flamingo can often be spotted during your guided walking safari. After your game drive, return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay, as above.
Day 20: Tarangire National Park Game Drive
After breakfast at the lodge, head out for a full day of game drives through Tarangire National Park. Enjoy searching for a variety of wildlife, including the park’s huge elephant herds, among others. Enjoy lunch out in the wilderness. Dinner and overnight stay at Burunge Tented Lodge.
Day 21: Transfer to Kilimanjaro Area, Maasai Cultural Experience
Enjoy an early breakfast at the lodge, then transfer to the Kilimanjaro area for the chance to interact with the local Maasai community through a range of activities. During the visit, you will have the chance to take part in school activities and spend time with the children, whose warmth and curiosity make this a genuinely memorable day.
You will also visit a local women’s group and see how they make traditional Maasai jewellery, such as necklaces and earrings. They will be happy to show you how their beadwork is made.
This is a full-day activity, with lunch served in Tinga Tinga. You will return to the lodge before sunset. Dinner and overnight stay at Osiligilai Maasai Lodge.
Day 22: Chagga Culture and Coffee Plantation Visit
Today, enjoy breakfast at the lodge, with the option of a donkey ride in the vicinity if you’re up for it. Continue with a Chagga cultural experience, meeting one of Tanzania’s many other tribes. Interact with the local community and visit a coffee plantation to learn how the whole process works, from garden to cup. Enjoy lunch with the locals, prepared by you as part of the experience.
Return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay at RiverTree Country Inn.
Day 23: Departure
After breakfast and checking out of your lodge, transfer to Arusha, arriving in time for your flight home. This brings your 23 Days Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania Safari to an end.
Price Includes
- Airport pick-up and drop-off
- 4×4 safari vehicle and fuel (safari van in Uganda, safari land cruiser in Tanzania and Kenya)
- Full-time English-speaking guide/driver
- All accommodation as indicated in the itinerary
- All meals at the hotel
- Boat cruise fees
- All national park entry fees
- Chimpanzee trekking permit
- Gorilla habituation permit ($1,500 per person)
- Mount Sabinyo hiking fees
- Park entrance fees
- All activities included in the itinerary
- Concession fees and crater fees
- Drinking water in the safari vehicle
- Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania VAT
Price Excludes
- Flights and visa fees
- Personal expenses such as beverages and internet
- Portage and wait-staff gratuity
- Any other item not included in the itinerary
