This 17 Days Uganda-Rwanda and Tanzania Safari will take you 3 of the East African countries and with this safari. This safari will take you through the beautiful country with chances of seeing the endangered primates (Chimpanzees and Mountain gorillas) in Kibale forest national park, Volcanoes national park and Bwindi forest national park. Expect to also meet the big 5 animals (Lions, Leopards, Buffaloes, Rhinos and Elephants) in the savannah parks of Queen Elizabeth. This safari will be blended with cultural tours visiting the Batwa people in Uganda. Visit Tanzania wildlife safari for a great experience of the wildlife in Serenegti national park, Ngorongoro conservation area and Tarangire national park.
Safari Highlights
- Day 1: Transfer to Murchison falls national park – Rhino trekking and top of the falls
- Day 2: Game drive and launch cruise – Murchison Falls
- Day 3: Drive to Kibale national park (6-7 hours) – Bigodi swamp walk
- Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking activity
- Day 5: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable national park (6 hours)
- Day 6: Gorilla trekking experience and Batwa community tour
- Day 7: Explore Lake Bunyonyi – transfer to Volcanoes national park
- Day 8: Golden monkey trekking/ Bisoke Hike /Dian Fossey hike – Iby’iwacu Cultural Village
- Day 9: Transfer to Kigali – City tour
- Day 10: Fly to Tanzania (Own booked flight) – transfer to Lake Manyara national park
- Day 11: Full day game drive – Tarangire national park
- Day 12: Game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater
- Day 13: Transfer to Serengeti national park – afternoon game drive
- Day 14: Full day game drive in Serengeti national park
- Day 15: Another day game drive in Serengeti National Park.
- Day 16: Transfer to Lake Manyara national park – evening game drive
- Day 17: Transfer to Arusha – Departure
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: 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
Day 2: 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 3: Drive to Kibale national park (6-7 hours) – Bigodi swamp walk
After early morning breakfast, meet the driver and cross the 7 am ferry for a 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
Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking activity
After breakfast, drive to Kibale park head offices for briefing about the chimpanzees. Enter the forest and start trek the chimpanzees in their natural habitat, its take 2-5 hours to find them and on finding them, you are allowed 1 hour to be in their process as they swing from the branches in the canopy high above the forest floor. After trekking, return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above
Day 5: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable national park (6 hours)
After breakfast, meet your driver to depart for Bwindi impenetrable national park with en-route drive through Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth national park for a brief game drive for chances of finding the tree climbing lions and other animals’ en-route. After lunch, proceed to Bwindi impenetrable national park and connect to your booked lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at Ruhija Mist lodge for budget/Bakiga Lodge for mid-range
Day 6: Gorilla trekking experience and Batwa community tour
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.
Later afternoon, drive to visit the Batwa community that live around the park, you will interact and learn a lot from them and be entertained by them with their songs and dances. Drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay as lodge above
Day 7: Explore Lake Bunyonyi – transfer to Volcanoes national park
Wake up for breakfast, meet your guide and connect to Lake Bunyonyi, it’s a 2 hours’ drive from Bwindi, upon arrival, you will connect for a boat experience on Lake Bunyonyi and visit some of the interesting islands on the lake. Thereafter, embark on your drive to cross to Rwanda via Cyanika border to connect to Volcanoes national park. Upon arrival, connect to your booked lodge for check-in, dinner and overnight stay at Hotel Muhabura for budget for budget/Da Vinci Gorilla lodge for mid-range
Day 8: Golden monkey trekking/ Bisoke Hike /Dian Fossey hike – Iby’iwacu Cultural Village
Choose one of the activities to do
Golden monkey tracking – After early morning breakfast, drive back to the park headquarters for briefing about the endangered golden monkeys and be allocated a group. Connect to the tracking starting point and enter the forest to search for the rare golden monkey. This activity can take about 1-5 hours and is done at closer view of the other primates in the park like the red tailed monkeys, Vervet monkeys among other. After viewing the rare golden monkeys for an hour while taking pictures and studying their behaviours, return to the base and meet your drive back to the lodge.
Bisoke hiking experience – After breakfast at your Lodge, you will set out for a one day hike on Mount Bisoke. This will give you views of the beautiful slopes and get a chance to see the forest while on the mountain. Return for dinner and overnight stay as lodge above.
Dian Fossey hiking experience – after breakfast, go for Dian Fossey hike, report for briefing before you set off for the hike. This may take 3-5 hours. Visit Dian fossey former house and her graveyard where she was buried close to her most loved gorilla called digit. Return from the hike and return to your lodge to rest. Dinner and overnight at lodge as above
Visit the Iby’iwacu cultural village and experience the Rwanda cultural performances, shop the souvenir’s.
Day 9: Transfer to Kigali – City tour
After breakfast, embark on your journey to Kigali. It’s about 2-3 hours’ drive and upon arrival, visit the Kigali genocide memorial site and other sites on a city tour with lunch en-route. Dinner and overnight stay at Des Mille Collins Hotel for mid-range/Step Town Motel for budget
Day 10: Fly to Tanzania (Own booked flight) – transfer to Lake Manyara national park
After breakfast, meet your driver and connect to Kigali airport to catch your flight to Tanzania.
Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro airport, transfer to your booked hotel in Arusha – Burka Coffee Lodge for budge/Tulia Boutique Hotel for mid-range
Day 11: Full day game drive – Tarangire national park
After breakfast, have breakfast and connect to the park with for a full day game viewing with your packed lunch box. During your game drive, you will see different wildlife species grazing and roaming in the national park such as lions, giraffes, antelopes, giraffes, lions, leopards, buffalos, wildebeests, elands, elephants, cheetahs, impalas and a variety of bird species can also be seen especially around the Tarangire national park enjoying the sunset and scenery around you. Later evening, drive out of the park and connect back to your lodge for dinner and overnight at Hhando Coffee Lodge for budget/Karatu Tented Lodge for mid-range
Day 12: Game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater
After breakfast, and connect to Ngorongoro crater with your parked lunch for a morning drive down into the crater 600m down crater. It’s much famous as one of the biggest volcanic calderas in the world; it occupies over 1 million animals with all the big five including the rare black rhino present. Other animals include Lions, leopards, cheetahs, Elephants, Buffalos, Giraffes, zebras and others. After the game drive in the crater, ascend from crater to return to the lodge, dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above
Day 13: Transfer to Serengeti national park – afternoon game drive
After breakfast, check-out of the lodge with your packed lunch and connect to Serengeti national park with en0visit the remarkable Olduvia Gorge – one of the historical sites in the world where Dr. Leaky discovered the remains of the early man, the museum is worth a visit and get to know much about our ancestral life style in Ngorongoro conservation area. Upon arrival in central Serengeti, have your packed lunch and connect to your booked lodge with en-route afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight stay at Osinon Camps and Lodge – budget option
Day 14: Full day game drive in Serengeti national park
Have early breakfast, get parked lunch and go for a full day game drive for wildlife species that are very active in the morning and can easily be spotted as you also enjoy the sunrise. Your lunch will be served at your lodge after your morning game drive. Later in the evening, you will engage in another game drive to see wildlife species such as the big five like lions, leopards, buffalos, rhinos, and elephants. You will also see other wildlife and bird species, which include wildebeest, waterbucks, antelopes, zebras, kudus, hippos, buffalos among others. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight at stay lodge as above
Day 15: Another day game drive in Serengeti National Park.
After your delicious breakfast, meet your driver and connect for a full day game drive in Serengeti national park with your packed picnic lunch. The Northern sector is known for its masculine lions and you will encounter a great number of the wildebeests crossing the Mara River. Serengeti is one national park that is rich in wildlife so expect to see every kind of animals. Dinner and overnight at lodge as above
Day 16: Transfer to Lake Manyara national park – evening game drive
After breakfast at your lodge, check-out and transfer to Lake Manyara national park is known for its huge soda lake filled with pink-hued flamingo birds and large numbers of baboons and incredible breath-taking views. It also rich in wildlife including the Elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, Zebras, Hippos and on a day you can spot the tree-climbing lions. Upon arrival, connect check-in at your booked lodge for relaxation, inner and overnight stay at Nysa Lodge for budget/Lake Manyara Heritage Lodge for mid-range
Day 17: Transfer to Arusha – Departure
After breakfast, check-out of the lodge and transfer back to Arusha. It’s about 3-4 hours’ drive. Upon arrival in Arusha early afternoon, have en-route lunch before you are dropped off at Kilimanjaro airport for your onward flight back home.
End of 17 Days Uganda-Rwanda and Tanzania Safari.
