This 18 Days Expedition in East Africa takes you to 4 East African countries, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya. Highlights will be seeing all the members of the Big 5 African Animals in their natural habitats, the rare and famous Mountain Gorillas, Golden monkeys and chances of witnessing the great annual Wildebeest Migration in either Kenya or Tanzania. Get ready for an adventure packed safari with a sprinkle of community and cultural experiences.
Expedition in East Africa Highlights
- Day 1: Arrival in Uganda
- Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park – Ziwa Rhino sanctuary
- Day 3: Game drive and afternoon boat cruise to the bottom of the Murchison Falls
- Day 4: Transfer to Kibale National Park
- Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and a guided nature walk in Bigodi
- Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Day 7: Morning game drive and a boat cruise on Kazinga channel
- Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day 9: Gorilla trekking and Batwa Community visit
- Day 10: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
- Day 11: Canoeing and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
- Day 12: Golden monkey tracking and Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village
- Day 13: Flight to Arusha and travel to Lake Manyara National Park
- Day 14: Game drive – Transfer to Serengeti National Park
- Day 15: Game drives in Serengeti National Park
- Day 16: Transfer to Masai Mara National Reserve
- Day 17: Game drives and Maasai Community Visit
- Day 18: Last day – Departure
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Uganda
You will be meet and greet by our company driver / guide at the airport upon arrival. He will welcome you and drive you to your accommodation facility in Kampala for rest and relaxation as you prepare to kick start your safari tomorrow. Dinner and overnight stay in Kampala. Welcome to Uganda.
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park – Ziwa Rhino sanctuary
Your driver / guide will pick you up from your hotel very early in the morning and you embark on your journey to Uganda’s largest game park. Drive through different districts. Your first stop will be at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for a Rhino tracking experience, the only place you can see these endangered species in Uganda. 1 member of the Big 5 African animals down, 4 to go.
Continue your journey through Masindi district, stopping again in Masindi town to have lunch and thereafter, proceed to Murchison Falls National Park, home to the famous and mighty Murchison Falls, the center piece of this beautiful park. Check in to your accommodation upon arrival. Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge / camp.
Day 3: Game drive and afternoon boat cruise to the bottom of the Murchison Falls
After an early morning breakfast; tour the Northern section of Murchison with a high concentration of savannah wildlife. Enjoy game viewing and photography of elephants, buffalos, waterbucks, giraffes, Uganda kobs and lions, the leopards (if you are lucky) plus a variety of bird species.
Return to your accommodation for lunch and then go for a launch cruise to the base of the falls (which is the highlight of the safari in Murchison falls as it allows you to get up close to the animal species within the water). You will have an opportunity to take thousands of pictures, so carry your camera with you.
Also, proceed for a hike to the top of the falls. The hike is a strenuous one but the thrill on reaching the top is unforgettable. Miss it only if you must! Return to your accommodation, relax, enjoy your dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale National Park
After your breakfast, you will exit Murchison Falls NP to Kibale National Park, famous for hundreds of chimpanzees and home to over 1,000 primates. You will have a lunch stop in Hoima and then proceed to Kibale NP through Fort Portal arriving in the late afternoon. Check in, relax and have enough rest. Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge / camp.
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and a guided nature walk in Bigodi
Time to track down man’s closest relative with a shared DNA of about 98%. After breakfast, briefing and trekking guidelines, you will spend the early hours of the day trekking the Chimpanzees of Kibale Forest. Chimpanzee trekking is a lively activity as the chimpanzees keep swinging from one branch to the other, be ready to keep up with our noisy cousins as they go on with their daily routines. They are helpful in terms of finding them as they make a lot of noise. Take as many exciting pictures as you can while you enjoy the trek.
Later in the afternoon, you will have lunch and after drive to Bigodi wetland for a scenic guided nature walk. Retreat back to your lodge / camp for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
No need to rush out of bed, enjoy your morning sleep in Kibale Forest NP. After your breakfast, you will hit the road to Uganda’s second largest national park and also one of the most visited parks, Queen Elizabeth National Park. The journey gives you spectacular views of the Rwenzori Mountain ranges, the tallest block mountains in East Africa.
You will arrive at your accommodation in time for lunch, after which you can go for a late afternoon game drive or relax and enjoy the lodge’s available amenities. Dinner and overnight at your lodge / camp.
Day 7: Morning game drive and a boat cruise on Kazinga channel
Pre-sunrise game drive in the savannah plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park. After a hot cup of coffee / tea, head out for a thrilling game drive in the home of the Big 4. Wildlife to spot includes Uganda Kobs, elephants, lions, hyenas, buffalos, waterbucks, elusive leopards, warthogs, monkeys, baboons, mongoose among others and hundreds of different species of birds as Queen Elizabeth is home to over 600 species of birds. Retreat and head back to your lodge / camp for breakfast. You can opt to go back for a mid-morning game drive or stay back at your lodge and relax.
After lunch, you will go for a refreshing afternoon boat cruise on the amazing Kazinga channel that connects Lakes George and Edward. Spot schools of hippos submerged in the water, crocodiles, buffalos on the shores of the channel and many different species of birds, some of them migrants. Enjoy the view as you sail slowly on Kazinga channel.
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Morning breakfast, check out and then transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via the Ishasha sector, the South part of Queen Elizabeth National Park for chances of spotting the unique tree climbing lions that make this part of the park special among other animals. Lunch en-route.
Continue to the South Western part of Uganda on a scenic journey that will take you to the home of the biggest mountain gorilla population in the world, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Upon arrival, you will check in, settle and relax. Dinner and overnight at your lodge / camp.
Day 9: Gorilla trekking and Batwa Community visit
Time to trek the biggest great apes, the mountain gorillas. After your early breakfast, drive to the park offices for briefing and allocation to a gorilla family to track. Start your scenic trek with ranger guides and trackers. Lots of forest birds to see and hear along the trek. Once in sight of the endangered gentle giants, keeping the recommended distances, you will be allowed 1 hour in their presence, taking pictures as you listen to interesting information about them from your ranger guides.
After the trek, you will receive your trekking certificates and then drive to your lodge / camp for lunch. After some relaxation and well deserved rest, you will go for a cultural encounter with the Batwa people in their community. See how the former inhabitants of the forest used to go about their day in the dense forest. Return to the lodge / camp for dinner and overnight.
Day 10: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
Breakfast and transfer to Uganda’s deepest Lake, Lake Bunyonyi. A beautiful lake dotted with islands and home to different species of birds.
Arrive at your accommodation and check in, you will have your lunch at your lodge / camp. Later in the day, go for a boat ride on this steel still lake. Enjoy the scenic landscape around the lake as you float by. Dinner and overnight at our lodge.
Day 11: Canoeing and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Island hopping experience on Lake Bunyonyi in a traditional dugout canoe. Explore the different islands scattered on Lake Bunyonyi and get know different historical stories about them and the people that inhabit them.
Return to your lodge, check out and begin your journey to Volcanoes National Park, home to mountain gorillas and golden monkeys in Rwanda. A scenic drive to the land of many hills with Virunga ranges in sight and stopovers at places of interests for memorable pictures. You will have lunch en-route. Arrive at your hotel / lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 12: Golden monkey tracking and Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village
After a delicious breakfast, your driver will drive you to the park’s head offices for briefing about the do’s and don’ts of Golden Monkey tracking in Volcanoes National Park. After, head out into the forest with your ranger guides in search of these gold striking primates. Golden monkey tracking is a lot easier than mountain gorilla tracking as the monkeys don’t over move from place to place. Enjoy the experience as you enjoy being in the forest among the wildlife.
Retreat back to your hotel / lodge for lunch and some rest before heading out for a cultural and community interaction experience at the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village. Lots of entertainment at the village. Dinner and overnight at your hotel / lodge.
Day 13: Flight to Arusha and travel to Lake Manyara National Park
Early morning breakfast and drive to Kigali airport for your flight to Arusha, Tanzania. Upon arrival in Arusha, our company representative will pick you up and drive you straight to your camp / lodge in or around Lake Manyara National Park for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 14: Game drive – Transfer to Serengeti National Park
Wake up in the amazing Lake Manyara National Park well known for its huge herds of African elephants and the tree climbing lions. A game drive in this park will give you a chance to spot a pride of these unique lions relaxing on branches of acacia trees.
During the game drive, also look out for big troops of baboons, monkeys, buffalos, wildebeest, hippos, cheetahs, hyenas, giraffes, zebras among others accompanied by beautiful bird species like the flamingos. After this game drive, exit Lake Manyara NP for Serengeti National Park, the most visited park in Tanzania. Dinner and overnight at your camp / lodge.
Day 15: Game drives in Serengeti National Park
Full day game viewing experience in the endless plains of Serengeti National Park, famous for the annual Wildebeest Migration which involves millions of wildebeests, thousands of zebras and hundreds of antelopes. If you are lucky and are travelling to the park at the right time of the year, then you might witness the great migration happen.
Animals to spot while on a game drive in Serengeti include lions, wildebeests, leopards, elephants, buffalos, black rhinos (rare sightings), gazelles, giraffes, zebras, elands, hyenas, cheetahs, antelopes and much more plus different species of birds. Return to your camp / lodge in the evening for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 16: Transfer to Masai Mara National Reserve
One more game drive as you exit Serengeti National Park for Masai Mara National Park in Kenya. Today you will cross to Kenya’s Masai Mara national reserve. Entering Kenya via the Isebania border, you will complete the immigration formalities and then continue your journey to the most popular park in Kenya, the Masai Mara NR.
With lunch en-route, you will embark on a late afternoon game drive in the Mara. Welcome to Magical Kenya. Dinner and overnight at your lodge / camp.
Day 17: Game drives and Maasai Community Visit
Pre-sunrise and mid-morning game drives in the Masai Mara National Reserve. Keep an eye out for lions, elephants, wildebeests, leopards, cheetahs, zebras, giraffes, elands, gazelles, hyenas, jackals, impalas, warthogs, waterbucks among others and different species of birds. Return to your hotel for a hot delicious lunch and some relaxation.
In the late afternoon, drive out again for another sundowner game drive. A Visit to the Maasai village for a community and cultural encounter. Expect some cultural entertainment. Dinner and overnight at your lodge / camp.
Day 18: Last day – Departure
Embark on your journey to Nairobi. Enjoy the exit drive as you take some more amazing pictures. You can have a stopover en-route to buy some souvenirs. Drop off in Nairobi or at the airport to catch your flight back home.
