17 Days Kenya Tanzania Rwanda Uganda Safari

17 Days Kenya Tanzania Rwanda Uganda Safari : This Safari is a well-curated safari package that combines four of the top tourist destinations in East Africa. Offering the most interesting primate tours, including chimpanzee trekking, mountain gorilla trekking, and golden monkey tracking only done in Uganda and Rwanda, combined with a wildlife safari in the Lake Nakuru National Park and Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, plus a visit to the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This tour is best done during the peak season when you will be able to witness the great wildebeest migration of the Masai Mara and Serengeti corridor on the Mara River.

Safari Highlights

Day 1: Transfer to Lake Nakuru National Park—evening game drive

Day 2: Game drive and transfer to Masai Mara National Reserve

Day 3: Full day in Masai Mara

Day 4: Transfer to Serengeti National Park—Northern Serengeti

Day 5: Wildebeest Migration experience in Northern Serengeti

Day 6: Transfer to Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Day 7: Transfer to Arusha—Fly to Rwanda (own booked flight)

Day 8: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park (6-7 hours’ drive)

Day 9: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk

Day 10: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park (6-7 hours’ drive)

Day 11: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park

Day 12: Golden monkey tracking—Dian Fossey Museum

Day 13: Transfer to Uganda – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Day 14: Gorilla trekking experience and Batwa community tour

Day 15: Transfer to Kibale National Park—Bigodi Swamp Nature Walk

Day 16: Chimpanzee Habituation Experience

Day 17: Transfer to Entebbe and Departure

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Transfer to Lake Nakuru National Park—evening game drive

Depending on your location in Nairobi, you will be met by our company representative/safari guide to transfer to Lake Nakuru National Park. Lake Nakuru National Park is best known for its large masses of flamingo birds. It’s a 5-6 hour’ drive with an en-route lunch. On arrival at the park, connect for a game drive to find some of the animals that will be available. Later connect to your lodge to refresh, relax, and have dinner and an overnight stay at Lake Nakuru Lodge for a mid-range option or Punda Milias Tented Camp for a budget option.

Day 2: Game drive and transfer to Masai Mara National Reserve

After breakfast, connect for a morning game drive before you proceed on your journey to Masai Mara National Reserve, which is along the floor of the magnificent Rift Valley, for unlimited game drives and the land of the Masai people, en route to lunch and the Masai community market, where you can buy Masai products like jewelry, clothing, and other products. Enter the park and connect to check in to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay at Zebra Plains Lodge for mid-range or Mara Sentrim Lodge for budget.

Day 3: Full day in Masai Mara

After breakfast, connect for your morning game drive in the Masai plains with your packed lunch in search of its popular Masai Mara residents. The Masai Mara plains are full of wildebeest during migration season (early July to end of September), zebra, impala, topi, giraffe, Thomson’s gazelle, leopards, lions, hyenas, cheetahs, jackals, and bat-eared foxes. Black rhinos are a little shy and hard to spot but are often seen at a distance if you are lucky. Hippos are abundant in the Mara River, as are very large Nile crocodiles, which lie in wait for a meal as the wildebeest cross on their annual quest to find new pastures. Later Meals and overnight at lodge as above

Day 4: Transfer to Serengeti National Park—Northern Serengeti

After breakfast, check out and embark on your journey to Serengeti National Park in Tanzania with your packed lunch. You will have a game drive on your way to the Isebania border, where you will be crossing to Tanzania. Cross via Olololo Gate in Mara West.

Upon crossing the border and finalizing with the customs office with clearance, proceed to enter Serengeti National Park and continue to your accommodation with an en-route game drive as you enjoy the plains of Serengeti. Serengeti National Park is home to the Big Five game and other wildlife and it is best known for its wildebeest migration that happens every year. Dinner and overnight at your booked accommodation at Mara Heritage Lodge for budget, Mara River Lodge for mid-range, or Mara Mara River Lodge for luxury.

Day 5: Wildebeest Migration experience in Northern Serengeti

Have an early breakfast, get parked lunch and go for a full-day game drive. We start from the far north around the Mara River in case you came in the opposite month when the migration will start from the Serengeti after missing it from the Mara, Kenya side. Now this will be your turn to enjoy the best. Spend the whole day looking for these animals, like hippos, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, lions, hyenas, cheetahs, antelopes, hartebeests, and zebras, to mention but a few. Later, drive to Central Serengeti and check in at your booked lodge for dinner and overnight at Serengeti Heritage Safari Lodge for a mid-range option or Tukaone Serengeti Camp for a budget option.

Day 6: Transfer to Ngorongoro Conservation Area

After your breakfast, transfer to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which is about a 4-5 hour’ drive, depending on en-route game-viewing stopovers. Upon arrival, connect to enter the park for a game drive into the Ngorongoro Crater, descending over 600 meters into the crater to view wildlife for a half-day safari tour. The crater is supported by a year-round water supply and fodder; hence, it has a variety of animals, which include herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, and giant African elephants. Others include lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, and the ever-elusive leopard. Check in for dinner and an overnight stay at Hhando Coffee Lodge for budget/Tloma Lodge for mid-range.

Day 7: Transfer to Arusha—Fly to Rwanda (own booked flight)

After breakfast, check out and transfer to Arusha. It’s about a 3-4 hour’ drive with sightseeing. Upon arrival in Arusha, the driver will drop you at Kilimanjaro Airport for your onward flight.

Upon arrival at Kigali airport, meet your safari guide and connect to your booked hotel for check-in. Dinner and overnight stay at Des Mille Collins Hotel for mid-range/2000 Hotel Downtown for budget

Day 8: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park (6-7 hours’ drive)

Depending on your location in Kigali, you will be met by our safari guide and embark on your journey to Nyungwe Forest National Park, which is a 6-7 hour’ drive from Kigali, with an en-route visit to the Rwanda National Museum, Nyanzi King’s palace and lunch. Proceed to Nyungwe Forest National Park and connect to your booked lodge for check-in, relaxation, dinner, and overnight stay at Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel for mid-range or Gisakura Visitor Center for budget.

Day 9: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk

After breakfast, enjoy breakfast and go for a briefing about the endangered chimpanzees before entering the forest in search of the active and playful fellows in the Nyungwe forest. The chimpanzees are much easier to spot as they jump from one tree to another, chattering and laughing.  Chimpanzee tracking usually takes about 3-8 hours. On finding them, spend an hour while taking pictures and videos. Return to the lodge for relaxation and lunch

Later in the afternoon, connect for the canopy walk experience. You will go on a walking trail that will take you to the Canopy Walk, a swing bridge 50 meters in length that is suspended from large trees; you will be able to see the amazing rainforest with a bird’s-eye view, spotting wildlife moving below you. Return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay at the lodge as above.

Day 10: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park (6-7 hours’ drive)—Iby’iwacu Village tour

Embark on your journey to Volcanoes National Park with an en-route lunch and stop for great views of Lake Kivu. Upon arrival in Musanze, connect for a cultural tour before you connect to your booked lodge for check-in, relaxation, dinner, and overnight stay at Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge for mid-range or Amikus Hotel for budget.

Day 11: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park

After breakfast, transfer to the park offices for a briefing about the mountain gorillas in the mist, and thereafter enter into the jungle in search of the mountain gorillas. It takes about 2-8 hours, depending on the location of the gorillas. On finding the gorillas, you will be allowed to spend 1 hour taking amazing photos and videos. After gorilla trekking, return to the lodge for relaxation. Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge as above

Day 12: Golden monkey tracking—Dian Fossey Museum

After early morning breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing from the park warden about the endangered golden monkeys. After connecting to the tracking starting point, enter the forest to search for the rare golden monkey. This activity can take about 1-5 hours and is done at a closer view of the other primates in the park, like the red-tailed monkeys and vervet monkeys, among others. After viewing the rare golden monkeys for an hour while taking pictures and studying their behaviors,. After golden monkey tracking, visit the Dian Fossey Museum or the Ellen DeGeneres campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and learn more about the primates in Rwanda.

Day 13: Transfer to Uganda – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After breakfast, check out and connect to Uganda crossing via the Cyanika border. After clearing with immigration, continue to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to check in at your booked lodge for relaxation as you prepare for your next day of gorilla trekking, dinner, and overnight stay at Buhoma Haven Lodge for mid-range/Buhoma Community Rest Camp for budget.

Day 14: Gorilla trekking experience and Batwa community tour

After breakfast, connect to the park headquarters for yet another gorilla trekking experience in the Buhoma sector. You will follow the same details as of the previous gorilla experience: meet for briefing at 7 am and start the trek at 8 am. Trekking will take between 1 and 8 hours, depending on the location of the gorilla family visited. After tracking, visit the Batwa community for a cultural tour. Return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay at the lodge as above.

Day 15: Transfer to Kibale National Park—Bigodi Swamp Nature Walk

After breakfast, check out and transfer to Kibale Forest National Park, which is about 6-7 hours’ drive with an en-route lunch, and transfer to your booked lodge in Kibale National Park. Depending on time, you may do the Bigodi Swamp tour. Dinner and overnight stay at Chimpanzee Forest Lodge for mid-range/Kibale Forest Lodge for budget

Day 16: Chimpanzee Habituation Experience

Have breakfast very early and later transfer to the park head office for a briefing about the endangered chimpanzees, and later enter the forest with the guidance of a park ranger along with your tracking gear, packed water, and snacks. This trekking is a whole-day experience. On finding the primates, you will spend 4 hours viewing them while studying their behavior and taking pictures. After tracking, return to the lodge for relaxation. Dinner and overnight as above

Day 17: Transfer to Entebbe and Departure

After breakfast, check out of the lodge and drive back to Kampala/Entebbe, which is about a 6-7 hour’ drive. You will be dropped off at a location you advise or at Entebbe International Airport to find your evening flight back home.

End of 17 Days in Kenya Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda Safari