This 18-Day East African Safari Adventure begins from Entebbe Airport and ends in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. It takes visitors to the most famous destinations in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
These include city tours, well-known East African national parks, launch trips on rivers and lakes, the Big Five African mammals, endangered mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, chimpanzees, and rich plant life.
The 18-day East Africa safari also covers the great wildebeest migration in Tanzania and Kenya, cultural experiences, and adventure activities along the route.
18-Day East Africa Safari Highlights
- Day 1: Arrival and hotel transfer
- Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
- Day 3: Game drive and boat cruise
- Day 4: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
- Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
- Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Day 7: Game drive and launch trip on Kazinga Channel
- Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day 9: Gorilla trekking and Batwa cultural experience
- Day 10: Bwindi National Park to Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park
- Day 11: Golden monkey trekking and Iby’Iwacu Village walk
- Day 12: Dian Fossey hike and Twin Lakes visit
- Day 13: Visit Musanze Caves and transfer to Kigali for outbound flight
- Day 14: Transfer to Serengeti National Park, sunset game drive
- Day 15: Serengeti National Park: full day game drive
- Day 16: Serengeti National Park to Masai Mara National Reserve, evening game safari
- Day 17: Masai Mara National Park: full day of game drive
- Day 18: Departure
Detailed 18-Day East Africa Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and Hotel Transfer
Welcome to Uganda, the Pearl of Africa. On arrival, your guide will meet you at Entebbe Airport and drive you to your pre-booked hotel in Entebbe or Kampala.
Time permitting, take a short excursion around Kampala and take in some of the city’s landmarks, including historic monuments, shopping malls, museums, craft markets, and old buildings.
Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
Depart Kampala for Murchison Falls National Park via the Kachumbanyobo gate. En route, visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, about three hours from Kampala and roughly 1.5 hours from Murchison Falls National Park, along the Masindi to Kampala highway.
While tracking the rhinos, watch for other wildlife such as bushbuck, leopard, Uganda kob, and oribi. The sanctuary also holds strong bird life, including the shoebill stork, sometimes spotted on a canoe trip through the Lugogo wetlands.
After the rhino tracking excursion, stop for lunch at Amuka Lodge or Kabalega Diners, then continue to Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest national park, for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 3: Game Drive and Boat Cruise
Rise early for a sunrise game drive across Murchison’s plains, a good time to spot early risers and nocturnal animals returning to cover.
The park holds a wide range of species, and sightings often include buffaloes, antelope, elephants, jackals, waterbucks, giraffes, and big cats such as lions and leopards.
Bird watchers will find plenty here too, including the rare shoebill stork, migratory species, and residents such as the black-chested snake eagle and secretary bird.
After lunch, take a 3 to 4 hour afternoon boat cruise along the Victoria Nile, between Murchison Falls and the Albert Delta. The cruise passes bird life along the shores, along with buffaloes, elephants, big cats, and crocodiles.
After the boat trip, you can hike to the top of the falls, or return to Paraa jetty and drive back to your lodge to rest.
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
Leave Murchison Falls National Park after breakfast and head south to Kibale National Park, crossing the western region with views of the Albertine escarpments.
The route passes sugar and tea plantations before reaching Kibale Forest National Park, Africa’s primate capital. Rest at your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 5: Chimpanzee Trekking and Bigodi Swamp Walk
Set out on a forest trek in search of chimpanzees. Kibale’s forest is home to resident birds and at least eight other primate species, including red-tailed and grey-cheeked mangabeys, along with other forest mammals and butterflies.
Kibale’s paths are generally easier to walk than Bwindi’s, with more level terrain. Return to the starting point for a picnic lunch.
In the afternoon, visit the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, part of the larger Magombe wetlands. The sanctuary is run by the Kibale Association for Rural and Environmental Development, a local community organization, and offers bird watching, swamp walks, and community visits.
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Depart at a relaxed pace after breakfast for Queen Elizabeth National Park, a drive of about 2 to 3 hours. The park sits against the Rwenzori Mountains and holds buffaloes, waterbucks, antelope, elephants, warthogs, and over 500 bird species.
The route from Kibale Forest passes through the towns of Fort Portal and Kasese, and through tea plantations, seasonal rivers, and the equator, which this stretch of the country is known for.
Day 7: Game Drive and Launch Trip on Kazinga Channel
After breakfast, take a game drive through one of the park’s strongest wildlife areas. Queen Elizabeth National Park holds 95 mammal species and over 500 bird species, a high count compared to most national parks.
In the afternoon, take a boat trip along the Kazinga Channel, home to monitor lizards and crocodiles, along with elephants, buffaloes, and smaller mammals like antelope.
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Rise early, have breakfast, and exit Queen Elizabeth National Park through the south via the Ishasha sector. The drive takes roughly 4 to 5 hours depending on which Bwindi sector you’re heading to.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is best known for gorilla trekking, and it holds a wide range of other species, birds, and dense montane forest scenery.
Arrive in the evening and check in to your lodge for an overnight stay.
Day 9: Gorilla Trekking and Batwa Cultural Experience
Rise early to watch the sunrise over the surrounding hills, have breakfast, and drive to the ranger station for the briefing session at 7:00 am.
During this 30-minute session, you’ll learn what to expect from the trek, and your group will be assigned a specific gorilla family. Porters are available to help carry heavier luggage.
The trek itself takes between 2 and 7 hours, depending on the gorilla family’s movements, the season, and the pace of the group.
Once you find the gorillas, you get an hour with them, watching them feed, play, and care for their young, with the dominant silverback protecting the rest of the group.
After this hour, descend to the starting point, have a boxed lunch, and transfer to the lodge to rest.
In the evening, visit the Batwa communities for a cultural experience, including traditional dance, songs, and daily life demonstrations.
Return to the hotel for the evening.
Day 10: Bwindi National Park to Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park
After breakfast, leave Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and cross into northern Rwanda via the Cyanika or Kisoro border.
Volcanoes National Park is Rwanda’s only park with mountain gorillas. Arrive at the lodge for an early check-in, and if time allows, take a short nature walk to see the park’s resident wildlife, bird life, and rolling hills.
Day 11: Golden Monkey Trekking and Iby’Iwacu Village Walk
After breakfast, head to Volcanoes National Park headquarters for the golden monkey trekking briefing.
Enter the bamboo forest on the lower slopes of the Virunga Mountains, home to these shy, rare primates. Golden monkey treks last roughly 1 to 5 hours depending on the monkeys’ movements. You may also see blue and black colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and olive baboons along the way.
Return to the lodge for lunch, then take an evening community visit to the nearby Iby’Iwacu village for cultural performances, traditional activities, and local stories.
Day 12: Dian Fossey Hike and Twin Lakes Visit
After breakfast, take a morning trek to visit the Dian Fossey gravesite. Dian Fossey was a researcher known for her work protecting mountain gorillas, killed by poachers in 1985.
Trek to the Karisoke Research Center, where she and several of the gorillas she studied are buried, and learn about her work across the Virunga region.
Return to the lodge for lunch, then drive in the afternoon to the Twin Lakes, Ruhondo and Bulera, at the base of Mount Muhabura and Mount Gahinga. Take a sunset canoe trip to explore the area further.
Day 13: Visit Musanze Caves and Transfer to Kigali for Outbound Flight
Visit the Musanze Caves, then continue to Kigali, crossing some of Rwanda’s most scenic countryside, often called the Switzerland of Africa.
Take in views of the Virunga massif and rolling valleys along the way.
Arrive in Kigali in the evening and transfer to Kanombe Airport for a connecting flight to Arusha, in northern Tanzania, with an overnight stay in Arusha.
Day 14: Transfer to Serengeti National Park, Sunset Game Drive
After breakfast in Arusha, transfer to Serengeti National Park, a drive of about 6 hours. Have a boxed or en-route lunch along the way, with your route chosen based on season and road conditions.
On arrival, check in to your lodge and prepare for an evening game drive as the sun sets over the Serengeti.
The Serengeti holds one of the highest wildlife populations in East Africa, and an evening drive is a good time to spot leopards, lions, cheetahs, and other large mammals.
Return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 15: Serengeti National Park: Full Day Game Drive
Spend the day on a full game drive across the Serengeti’s plains and woodland, home to some of Africa’s most sought-after wildlife.
Expect sightings of the Big Five, along with buffaloes, elephants, zebras, giraffes, cheetahs, lions, and leopards.
Between July and September, you may catch the great wildebeest migration passing through on its way to the Maasai Mara.
Day 16: Serengeti National Park to Masai Mara National Reserve, Evening Game Safari
In the morning, leave Serengeti National Park and drive south into Kenya toward the Masai Mara National Reserve, entering through the Isebania border.
The route to Masai Mara passes through wildlife-rich areas, offering strong game viewing along the way.
Check in to your lodge, have lunch, and if time allows, take a brief evening game drive to see Mara’s resident and migratory wildlife.
Day 17: Masai Mara National Park: Full Day of Game Drive
Wake before sunrise for breakfast and a full day of game viewing in the Masai Mara.
Head out to watch the sunrise, visit the Mara River, a strong draw for wildlife in the morning, and see large numbers of game across the reserve’s plains.
A hot air balloon safari is available as an option, including a bush breakfast and wide views over the Mara plains from the air, with a chance to spot big cats from above.
After the day’s activities, return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 18: Departure
After a relaxed breakfast at your lodge in Masai Mara, check out and begin the 6-hour drive to Nairobi.
Your driver guide will drop you at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to catch your flight home.
End of 18-Day East African Safari Adventure.
