Detailed 21-Day East Africa Primates & Wildlife Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Uganda through Entebbe International Airport
On arrival, head to a hotel in Kampala for meals, dinner, and overnight stay.
Day 2: Kampala to Murchison Falls National Park
Leave Kampala and drive north through villages, markets, and open countryside on a 6 to 7 hour journey to Murchison Falls National Park. The park covers over 3,840 sq. km and is one of Uganda’s top conservation areas, with the Nile River passing through and dropping through a narrow 7 meter gorge to form the falls. Your lodge overlooks the river.
Day 3: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
In the morning, join a game drive through the savanna plains, looking for Rothschild giraffes, warthogs, cape buffaloes, lions, Uganda kobs, African bush elephants, topis, and oribis, along with many bird species.
In the afternoon, take a boat cruise along the Nile to the base of the falls, spotting hippos, Nile crocodiles, elephants, Uganda kobs, and cape buffaloes, along with water birds such as shoebill storks, kingfishers, African fish eagles, and herons. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
Leave Murchison Falls National Park for Kibale Forest National Park, with a lunch stop in Fort Portal Town. Dinner and overnight stay at your safari lodge in Kibale Forest.
Day 5: Chimpanzee Trekking and Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park
In the morning, head into Kibale National Park for chimpanzee trekking. This park has the highest concentration of primates in Africa, with over 13 species across 795 sq. km. Trek one of the habituated chimp troops, starting with a briefing at 7 am and the trek at 8 am.
In the afternoon, take a walk through Bigodi Wetlands, home to over 200 bird species, including the great blue turaco and papyrus gonolek, along with several primate species. Depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park, a drive of 3 to 4 hours, arriving in the late evening. Continue to your lodge with a night game drive, then check in for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Join a morning game drive through the northern plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park, then return to the lodge for breakfast. With a packed lunch, drive south toward Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, stopping at the Ishasha sector to see the tree-climbing lions. Arrive at Bwindi in the evening for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 7: Gorilla Trekking within Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Bwindi is home to over half the world’s remaining mountain gorilla population. Trek one of the habituated gorilla groups, a hike lasting 1 to 6 hours through forested slopes. Along the way, you may also see chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, forest elephants, and birds.
Have lunch and travel to Volcanoes National Park via the Katuna or Cyanika border points, passing terraced hillsides and tea and banana plantations. Dinner and overnight stay near Volcanoes National Park in northwest Rwanda.
Day 8: Second Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
After breakfast, drive to Kinigi Park Headquarters for a briefing before your second gorilla trek, lasting 1 to 4 hours. Spend one hour with the gorilla group, then return to the lodge for lunch.
Spend the afternoon at leisure, with an optional Gorilla Guardian Village tour or time to relax at the lodge.
Day 9: Drive to Kigali Airport for a Flight to Jomo Kenyatta Airport, Kenya
Leave Rwanda for Kenya. Drive from Volcanoes National Park to Kigali City for a brief city tour, then fly to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Meet your safari driver, then check in at a hotel in Nairobi for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 10: Nairobi City to Masai Mara National Reserve
Depart for Masai Mara National Reserve, a 5 to 6 hour drive through the Great Rift Valley. Have lunch on arrival and rest for the afternoon.
Have an early dinner, then join a night game drive through Masai Mara to spot nocturnal wildlife such as cheetahs, bat-eared foxes, aardwolf, serval cats, lions, spotted hyenas, civets, leopards, caracals, genets, and African wild dogs. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 11: Full Day in Masai Mara National Reserve
Masai Mara is Kenya’s most popular destination, known for the annual wildebeest migration. After breakfast, join a game drive across its plains to spot African bush elephants, cape buffaloes, warthogs, Defassa waterbucks, topis, wildebeests, rhinos, gazelles, zebras, lions, and many other species.
After lunch, drive to the Mara River, where Nile crocodiles and hippos gather, and where the wildebeest river crossing sometimes takes place.
Day 12: Transfer to Nairobi City
Enjoy a final game drive in Masai Mara while exiting the park, with lunch along the way. Settle in at your lodge and relax for the rest of the day.
Day 13: Transfer to Amboseli National Park for Night Game Drive
Drive south from Nairobi to Amboseli National Park, known for its large elephant population and views of Mount Kilimanjaro across the border in Tanzania. Check in on arrival and have lunch.
Day 14: Full Day in Amboseli National Park
Spend the day on game drives across Amboseli’s savanna grasslands, spotting large elephant herds, cape buffaloes, oryx, zebras, wildebeests, hippos, gerenuk, giraffes, lions, leopards, and spotted hyenas, along with many bird species. Lunch is served at the lodge after the game drive.
In the afternoon, visit a Masai village to learn about local culture, including dance performances and building design. Dinner and overnight stay in Amboseli National Park.
Day 15: Amboseli National Park, Kenya to Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania
After breakfast, leave Amboseli for your next destination, crossing the Namanga border to Arusha. Have lunch in Arusha, then drive to Lake Manyara National Park to settle in at your lodge.
Day 16: Full Day Safari in Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara is one of Tanzania’s smallest parks but shelters over 400 species. See zebras, flamingos, pelicans, hippos, impalas, bush elephants, warthogs, cape buffaloes, olive baboons, giraffes, wildebeests, leopards, and the tree-climbing lions.
In the afternoon, take a boat ride on Lake Manyara, spotting over 100 bird species in a single trip.
Day 17: Drive to Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, enter Serengeti National Park, one of Africa’s best safari destinations and home to the annual wildebeest migration.
Day 18: Serengeti National Park Game Safari
After breakfast, spend the day on game drives, spotting hippos, lions, leopards, Thomson’s gazelles, cheetahs, impalas, bush elephants, zebras, wildebeests, and Defassa waterbucks. Get a chance to witness the wildebeest migration before transferring to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 19: Serengeti National Park to Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Visit Olduvai Gorge
After breakfast, join a game drive to see big cats such as lions, leopards, and cheetahs on the hunt. Enjoy lunch, then head to Ngorongoro Conservation Area via Olduvai Gorge. Dinner and overnight stay at a lodge or tented camp.
Day 20: Half Day Tour of Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Connect to Arusha Town
Drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, then descend to the crater floor, home to leopards, spotted hyenas, hippos, rhinos, lions, bush elephants, jackals, cape buffaloes, waterbucks, olive baboons, elands, bushbucks, and duikers. After the game drive, return to the lodge for lunch, then proceed to Arusha Town for your meals and overnight stay.
Day 21: Departure
Enjoy breakfast, then transfer to Arusha Airport for your outbound flight.
Book this 21-Day East Africa Primates and Wildlife Safari today and see gorillas, chimpanzees, the wildebeest migration, and Ngorongoro Crater across four countries.
