Book this 30-Day East Africa Safari to see the top parks of Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania in one full circuit.
This safari combines Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park for gorilla trekking, the Virunga Mountains, and the Dian Fossey gravesite, along with Nyungwe Forest National Park for chimp tracking and the canopy walk. In Uganda, visit Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for the Batwa Cultural Trail and golden monkey tracking, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for a second gorilla trek, Queen Elizabeth National Park for a Kazinga Channel boat cruise, Kibale Forest National Park for chimp tracking, and Murchison Falls National Park for the falls hike and boat cruise.
The safari then continues to Kenya for game viewing in Masai Mara National Reserve, Hell’s Gate, Amboseli, and Lake Naivasha, before ending in Tanzania at Serengeti and Tarangire National Parks and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Detailed 30-Day East Africa Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Kigali, Rwanda
On arrival, meet our representative at the airport and check in at your hotel for lunch and rest. Take a short tour of Kigali City to learn about Rwanda’s history, then return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 2: Drive from Kigali City to Nyungwe Forest National Park
After breakfast, begin a 6 to 7 hour journey to Nyungwe Forest National Park, stopping at the former King’s Palace at Nyanza for lunch along the way. In the afternoon, join the canopy walk, a 160 meter suspended bridge over the treetops with views of the forest below. Dinner and overnight stay in Nyungwe Forest.
Day 3: Chimpanzee Tracking and Guided Forest Walk in Nyungwe Forest
After breakfast, attend a briefing on chimpanzee tracking, then head into the forest with water and a packed lunch. The trek lasts 1 to 3 hours, with one hour of viewing time once found.
Enjoy lunch in the forest with your ranger, then join a guided walk to Isumo Falls, the park’s largest waterfall, lasting 3 to 4 hours. Dinner and overnight stay as before.
Day 4: Tracking the Colobus Monkeys, Continue to Volcanoes National Park
Track the colobus monkeys in Nyungwe Forest, a similar activity to chimp tracking, taking 1 to 3 hours to locate them. Return to the lodge for lunch, then drive to Volcanoes National Park, with views of the forest, Virunga Mountains, and Lake Kivu along the way.
Day 5: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park and Gorilla Guardian Village
After breakfast, head to Kinigi Park Headquarters with your packed lunch and gear for a briefing ending by 8 am. Trek to find the mountain gorillas, a search lasting half an hour to 5 hours, followed by one hour with them.
Return to the lodge for lunch and rest. In the evening, visit the Gorilla Guardian Village for a cultural tour, Intore dance performance, and community walk. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6: Dian Fossey Gravesite Hike and Twin Lakes Tour
After breakfast, head to the park headquarters for a briefing on the Dian Fossey gravesite hike, learning about her role in gorilla conservation. The hike lasts 4 to 5 hours.
Later, tour the Twin Lakes of Ruhondo and Bulera, separated by a strip of land, to see the bird species found on the lakes and their islands. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 7: Mount Bisoke Hike and Cross Over to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
After breakfast, attend a briefing at Kinigi Park Headquarters, then begin ascending Mount Bisoke at 8 am. Reach the summit, home to a crater lake, after 3 to 4 hours, with time for photos and lunch before descending.
The descent takes about 2 hours, followed by a transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, arriving in the late evening for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 8: Golden Monkey Tracking and Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After breakfast, drive to Ntebeko Visitor Center for a briefing before heading into the forest to search for the golden monkeys. Trekking lasts 1 to 3 hours, with one hour of viewing time.
Meet your driver for the transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, then relax for the evening ahead of your gorilla trek.
Day 9: Gorilla Trekking within Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
After breakfast, drive to the park headquarters for a briefing at around 7 am. The search for the gorillas takes half an hour to 4 hours, followed by one hour with them.
Return to your lodge for lunch and spend the rest of the day at leisure, with a buffet dinner in the evening.
Day 10: Guided Forest Walks and Cultural Experience
Choose from Bwindi’s hiking trails, including the Bamboo Trail to Rwamunyonyi Hill, the Ivy River Trail, Mubwindi Swamp Trail, Munyanga Waterfall Trail, or Muzabajiro Loop Trail.
In the afternoon, join a cultural tour through the Batwa or Bakiga communities to learn about their way of life.
Day 11: Continue to Queen Elizabeth National Park and Boat Cruise on the Kazinga Channel
After breakfast, drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park via the Ishasha sector, home to the tree-climbing lions. Have lunch on arrival, then join a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel to see large numbers of hippos and crocodiles. Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 12: Morning Game Drive through Kasenyi Area, Drive to Kibale Forest National Park
Early in the morning, join a game drive through the Kasenyi area to see lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, serval cats, cape buffaloes, Uganda kobs, elephants, waterbucks, warthogs, and topis.
Return to the lodge for lunch, then travel to Kibale Forest National Park for another primate experience.
Day 13: Chimpanzee Habituation Experience
Wake by 5:30 am for breakfast, then join a team of researchers by 6 am to search for a semi-habituated chimp troop. In a small group, spend the whole day observing the chimps from morning until they build nests in the evening. Transfer to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 14: Leave Kibale Forest National Park for Murchison Falls National Park
After breakfast, begin the journey to Murchison Falls National Park in northwestern Uganda, with lunch en route. Arrive in the late afternoon for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 15: Game Drive through the Northern Sector of Murchison Falls National Park and Boat Cruise
After breakfast, join a game drive through the northern sector, spotting serval cats, jackals, lions, Uganda kobs, leopards, hartebeests, waterbucks, elephants, and cape buffaloes.
After lunch, join a boat cruise on the Nile to the base of the falls, spotting Nile crocodiles, hippos, elephants, antelopes, and birds. Then take a 45 to 60 minute hike to the top of the falls, meeting your driver at the summit.
Day 16: Depart Murchison Falls National Park for Kampala or Entebbe
Early morning, enjoy breakfast and begin the drive back to Kampala or Entebbe, passing Budongo Forest, home to olive baboons, chimpanzees, and vervet monkeys. Continue with lunch en route, arriving in Entebbe or Kampala for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 17: Flight to Nairobi City and Drive to Lake Naivasha
Depending on your flight time, transfer to Entebbe International Airport for a flight to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Meet your driver for the drive to Lake Naivasha, about 4 to 5 hours, with lunch on arrival.
Take a tour of Crescent Island Game Sanctuary, spotting waterbucks, impalas, hippos, giraffes, and zebras, along with over 200 bird species. Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 18: Visit Hell’s Gate National Park and Depart to Masai Mara National Reserve
After breakfast, drive to Hell’s Gate National Park to explore its cliffs, plains, and gorges, with activities like cycling, rock climbing, game drives, and guided bush walks.
Enjoy lunch, then drive to Masai Mara National Reserve, arriving in the evening for check in.
Day 19: Full Day Masai Mara Game Safari
After breakfast, head out with a packed lunch for a game drive across the Masai Mara plains, home to the annual wildebeest migration between July and October. Spot lions, cheetahs, Masai giraffes, leopards, spotted hyenas, cape buffaloes, black rhinos, elephants, hippos, impalas, and topis, along with crocodiles in the Mara River. Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 20: Second Full Day in Masai Mara National Reserve
Choose between a hot air balloon tour or a guided bush walk to see more of the reserve’s wildlife and birds.
Return to the lodge for lunch, then join an evening cultural tour through Masai communities to see traditional dances and homesteads.
Day 21: Continue to Amboseli National Park
After a leisurely breakfast, leave Masai Mara for Amboseli National Park, a drive of over 7 hours with lunch en route. Arrive in the evening with views of Mount Kilimanjaro, then continue to your lodge with a game drive spotting zebras, elephants, wildebeests, giraffes, hippos, and lions. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 22: Whole Day Game Drive in Amboseli National Park
After breakfast, spend the day exploring Amboseli, Kenya’s second most popular park, known for its free-ranging elephants and views of Mount Kilimanjaro. Look for gazelles, elands, waterbucks, giraffes, lions, spotted hyenas, cape buffaloes, zebras, hippos, wildebeests, and cheetahs. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 23: Drive to Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania, through Namanga Border Point
Leave Kenya for Tanzania, crossing at the Namanga border to Arusha. Have lunch, then continue to Lake Manyara National Park.
Day 24: Game Drive and Guided Bush Walk, Continue to Tarangire National Park
After breakfast, join a game drive through Lake Manyara National Park to see tree-climbing lions, giraffes, elephants, olive baboons, cape buffaloes, and impalas.
Join a bush walk through areas not accessible by vehicle, then transfer to Tarangire National Park for an evening game drive.
Day 25: Full Day Tarangire National Park Game Drive
After breakfast, join a game drive through Tarangire National Park, spotting hippos, spotted hyenas, fringe-eared oryx, hartebeests, elephants, giraffes, zebras, elands, cape buffaloes, and wildebeests. Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 26: Continue to Serengeti National Park, Night Game Drive
After breakfast, proceed to Serengeti National Park, arriving in the afternoon for lunch and game drives. This park is home to much of Africa’s wildlife, and your tented camp or lodge is an experience in itself.
Day 27: Full Day Serengeti National Park Game Viewing
After breakfast, join a wildlife tour through the Serengeti Plains with a packed lunch, driving through the central sector to see lions, cheetahs, and elephants.
Continue through the afternoon to see spotted hyenas, impalas, wildebeests, giraffes, and waterbucks, with a chance to witness the wildebeest migration. Dinner and overnight stay at your tented camp.
Day 28: Another Full Day Serengeti National Park Game Drive
After breakfast, join a walking safari to explore more of the park, with chances to spot lion prides, spotted hyenas, leopards, elephants, cape buffaloes, impalas, giraffes, cheetahs, and elands.
In the afternoon, return to the lodge for lunch, then visit a nearby Masai village in the evening for more cultural experiences.
Day 29: Ngorongoro Conservation Area
After breakfast, continue to Ngorongoro Conservation Area, descending to the crater floor to see hippos, lions, elephants, rhinos, cape buffaloes, cheetahs, impalas, and waterbucks.
Enjoy an afternoon cultural experience, then a bonfire evening with dinner under the stars.
Day 30: Return to Arusha Town and Departure
After breakfast, drive to Arusha for your scheduled flight home, marking the end of this 30-day East Africa safari across Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
Book this 30-Day East Africa Safari today and see mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, the wildebeest migration, and the Big Five across four countries.
