Detailed 12-Day East Africa Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Nairobi and Hotel Transfer
On arrival at Nairobi Airport, our driver guide will meet you with a brief overview of the trip before transferring you to your hotel in Nairobi. Depending on your arrival time, explore Nairobi at your own pace, with dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.
Day 2: Transfer to Masai Mara and Evening Game Drive
After an early breakfast, travel to Masai Mara National Reserve, known for the Big Five and the wildebeest migration, with views of open savanna along the way.
Arrive in the afternoon to check in at the lodge and have lunch. In the evening, join a game drive to see lions, buffaloes, elephants, cheetahs, leopards, wildebeests, zebras, gazelles, and giraffes. Return to the lodge in the late evening for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 3: Morning Game Drive and Maasai Community
Start with breakfast, then head out for a morning game drive to catch the early risers, including lions, leopards, rhinos, buffaloes, and elephants, among over 300 mammal species in the area. On a lucky day, you may see the wildebeest migration in action.
In the afternoon, after lunch, visit the Maasai community for cultural performances and local food.
Return to the lodge in the late evening for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4: Fly to Kigali and Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Fly to Kigali International Airport in Rwanda. On arrival, transfer to Volcanoes National Park, the main home of mountain gorillas and golden monkeys in Rwanda, with views of Rwanda’s hills and the Virunga range along the way.
Arrive in the evening to check in at the lodge, followed by dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5: Golden Monkey Tracking and Visit Gorilla Guardians Village
Start with an early breakfast, then head to the park headquarters for a briefing on golden monkey tracking. Enter the forest to search for the monkeys, spending an hour observing their daily activities once found.
In the afternoon, after lunch, visit the Gorilla Guardians Village, showcasing all three ethnic groups of Rwanda: the Tutsi, Hutu, and Twa, with cultural performances and local food.
Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Early in the morning, after breakfast, travel to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to over three quarters of the world’s mountain gorilla population, with views of the Virunga range along the way.
Day 7: Gorilla Trekking and Batwa Community
After breakfast, head to the park headquarters for a briefing, then begin your trek to find the mountain gorillas. Bwindi is home to over 700 mountain gorillas, giving visitors a high chance of a successful trek.
Spend an hour with the gorillas once found. In the afternoon, after lunch and some rest, visit the Batwa community, the first inhabitants of Bwindi Forest before it became a national park, to learn about their traditional way of life and hunting methods.
Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 8: Travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park via Ishasha Sector
After breakfast, travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park, passing through the Ishasha sector, known for its tree-climbing lions resting in fig trees.
Have lunch en route and arrive at the lodge in the evening for check in, dinner, and overnight stay.
Day 9: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Ride on Kazinga Channel
After an early breakfast, join a morning game drive through the park, spotting elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, warthogs, hyenas, leopards, lions, waterbucks, oribis, and topis, with views of craters and crater lakes in the valleys.
In the afternoon, after lunch, take a boat ride on the Kazinga Channel, connecting Lake Edward and Lake George, home to the highest concentration of hippos in Africa, along with crocodiles and water birds.
Day 10: Drive to Kibale Forest National Park
After breakfast, transfer to Kibale Forest National Park, known as the primate capital of the world, home to over 13 primate species and over 1,000 primates in total. The drive takes about 4 to 6 hours via Fort Portal town.
Day 11: Chimpanzee Tracking and Bigodi Community
After breakfast, visit the park headquarters for a briefing on chimpanzee tracking, then head into the forest to search for the chimps. Trek duration varies from a full day to just one hour, spotting other primates, birds, and butterflies along the way.
In the afternoon, visit the Bigodi community for a nature walk to see the local way of life and purchase handcrafted souvenirs.
Day 12: Departure
After breakfast, start your journey back to Kampala, either to a hotel of your choice or to the airport for your departure flight.
Book this 12-Day East Africa Safari today and see the Big Five, mountain gorillas, and chimpanzees across three countries.
