16 days Tanzania, Uganda & Rwanda wildlife safari

Welcome to the amazing 16 Days Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda wildlife safari. The safari brings you closer to the world’s greatest wildlife movement where over one million Wildebeest and thousands of zebras cross from Kenya’s Mara into Tanzania’s Serengeti for pasture and water. Witness the stampede as the antelopes avoid open jaws of large crocodiles—only to land into an ambush by hungry predators that dot the vast plains of Serengeti, such as lions and leopards. This is an opportunity for you to explore most of East Africa’s prime safari destinations. These include; Tarangire national park, Serengeti national park, NgoroNgoro Conservation Area, Kibale national park, Queen Elizabeth national park and Bwindi Impenetrable national park. You will take part in chimpanzee tracking, gorilla trekking and cultural encounters. This a gateway to an ultimate African safari experience.

Accommodation is on mid-range basis and transportation includes one domestic flight from Tanzania to Uganda. Other transport includes driving the roads of East Africa giving you an opportunity to interact with nature and local members of the communities.

Let’s dive into the details of the itinerary. 

Wildebeest Migration Experience on an East Africa Safari

Safari summary

Day 1: Arrival Arusha -Tanzania

Day 2: Transfer to Tarangire National Park

Day 3: Abundant Game Viewing in Tarangire National Park

Day 4: Transfer to Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Day 5: Game Drives in Ngorongoro Conservation

Day 6: Transfer to Serengeti National Park

Day 7: Game Drives in Serengeti National Park

Day 8: Fly to Uganda

Day 9: Transfer to Kibale national Park

Day 10: Chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi wetland walk

Day 11: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

Day 12: Morning Game drive afternoon Boat cruise

Day 13: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable with an en-route Game drive in Ishasha (tree-climbing).

Day 14: Gorilla trekking and Batwa Community tour

Day 15: Transfer to Kigali and Kigali city tour

Day 16: Transfer to Kigali International Airport - Departure

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival Arusha –Tanzania

Arrive in Arusha through Kilimanjaro International airport and be transferred to a Legendary Lodge. It is set in lush tropical gardens on a coffee farm just outside Arusha. It features twelve beautiful garden cottages, designed with a unique blend of African arts and crafts, combined with old, colonial-style luxury. You will be checked into your room. You’ll be pleased to relax at your veranda or main house. Later, you will be treated to a welcome dinner where you will be briefed by our head guide about how your trip will unfold.

Accommodation: Arusha coffee lodge Elewana or Similar

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Day 2: Transfer to Tarangire National Park

After breakfast, checkout of your room and drive to Tarangire National Park, a wild landscape painted with open grasslands, acacia trees and the Tarangire River. You will be checked in your room that serenely sits on the border of Tarangire National Park. Elevated above the ground with a private balcony offering views over the tops of surrounding marula and baobab trees. You will be treated to a welcome lunch before going on an afternoon game drive in search of giraffes, waterbucks, zebras and elephants, hartebeest, gazelles and birds including the giant martial eagle.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 3: Abundant Game Viewing in Tarangire National Park

You will have a guided morning and afternoon game drive destined for abundant wildlife choices. The day will be crowned with a complementary wild sundowner (at an extra cost) before the dinner and night game drive. This latter experience is a first class ticket to spotting nocturnal animals including African wildcat and the elusive leopard. You are also likely to encounter lions and hyenas as they hunt for their dinner!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4: Transfer to NgoroNgoro Conservation Area

Checkout of your lodge after breakfast and cross the Great Rift Valley where the NgoroNgoro Conservation Area sits. As you enter Ngoro Ngoro, you will be welcomed by Masai “enkangs” (homesteads). Brace yourself for a thrilling cultural and wildlife experience in this natural ring of NgoroNgoro Crater, a 2,000-foot- deep caldera. It offers a fascinating miniature of East African wildlife. These include buffalo, flamingos, lions and leopards.

Later in the day, you will check in at your earlier-booked Lodge, an elegant getaway that is perched on the rim of the Ngoro Ngoro Crater, giving unmatched views.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 5: Game Drives in Ngorongoro Conservation

Descend into the NgoroNgoro Crater and explore a natural wildlife haven. Many of these animals live their whole life at the bottom of this intact caldera. Watch Zebra, wildebeest, and gazelle mingle together, while herds of buffalo, elephants and rhino roam around. Catch up with the hippos as they lounge in the water holes where the lions position themselves to ambush prey. Get closer to the lake and watch the Flamingos as they feed and play.  In the evening, visit a Masai village and learn about the tribe’s charming cultural traditions; nomadic lifestyle and how they coexist with wildlife.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 6: Transfer to Serengeti National Park

After breakfast at your lodge, checkout and drive to Serengeti national park, boundless vast plains, where lions, hyenas and leopards roam. You will be welcomed and be checked into your room, a cozy heaven with dramatic views over the northern plains. In the evening visit a Masai family for a cultural experience led by a local guide who will introduce you to the Maasai traditions and practices. Wrap the day by returning to camp for dinner and overnight. Set on the unspoiled plains of Northern Serengeti, close to the famous Lamai Wedge. This gives you easy access to the Mara River and multiple river crossing points in the remote Park. While here, relax in your extra-comfortable hillside suite after a day on safari, or take a dip in the glorious rim-flow swimming pool.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 7: Game Drives in Serengeti National Park

Take morning and evening game drives exploring the Serengeti plains in your private safari vehicle to catch up with live sights and sounds of the great migration. Witness over one million wildebeests and thousands of zebras cross river Mara and Serengeti in a stampede as they avoid open jaws of mean large crocodiles. Here, you can’t miss hungry predators including lions and leopards-as they go against odds to survive. After this thriller, you will be treated to a sundowner as you watch African skies go dim.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 8: Fly to Uganda

After a relaxed breakfast, you will be driven to the nearby airstrip for a chartered flight to Arusha on time for a short flight to Entebbe, Uganda.

Arrive in Entebbe and transfer to your earlier-booked hotel in Kampala. You will have uninterrupted time to relax before dinner later in the evening. As you dine, you will have a full orientation to this tour.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Cultural tours on a Uganda Safari

Day 9: Transfer to Kibale national Park

After a delicious morning breakfast at your lodge, check out and embark on the drive to Kibale national park. Enjoy scenic views of the road side green lush vegetation. You may stop over at the traditional Nakayima tree in Mubende for an ultimate safari experience. Lunch will be en-route.

Upon arrival check in to your earlier-booked lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 10: Chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi wetland walk

After a morning breakfast, you will go to the Visitor’s center for a briefing about chimpanzee trekking. From there, you will enter the forests of Kibale and start on the search for these human-like chimps. Upon encountering them, you will have an hour in their presence whilst taking pictures. Return to your lodge for lunch and some relaxation.

In the afternoon, you will embark on a walk in the Bigodi wetland. This is one of the best birding destinations in East Africa. You will encounter several bird species some of which are Rift Valley endemics while others are endemic to the area.

Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 11: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

After a morning breakfast, check out of the lodge and embark on the drive to Queen Elizabeth national park. You may visit the Crater lake region, Amabere caves en-route.

Check in to your earlier-booked lodge for lunch, relaxation and dinner later on. Spend the night over.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 12: Morning Game drive afternoon Boat cruise at Kazinga Channel

After a morning breakfast, you will go for a morning game drive in the Kasenyi plains. The area is home to multiple species of both birds and animals. You will encounter animals such as elephants, buffaloes, zebras, to mention but a few. During the morning game drive, you will also see multiple tree and bird species among which include; yellow bill, Robin chat, read-throated wryneck, African emerald cuckoo, brown illadopsis, lesser flamingos, papyrus gonolek, to mention but a few.

You will return to your lodge for lunch.

Later on, go to Mweya for a boat cruise at Kazinga channel. Here you will enjoy views of the surrounding areas while sailing the waters. You will see many animals converging at the channel to drink and several water animals such as hippos and crocodiles.

Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 13: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable with an en-route Game drive in Ishasha (tree-climbing)

After a morning breakfast, check out of the lodge and go for an en-route game drive via the Ishasha sector. This is an opportunity for you to spot the rare tree-climbing lions. Continue to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – the home of mountain gorillas. It is a rough ride in the hills of Kabale and Kisoro.

Upon arrival check in to the lodge and relax.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 14: Gorilla trekking and Batwa Community tour

The day starts with an early morning breakfast at your lodge. This is the day every gorilla lover is always waiting for!  Your driver-guide will meet you at your lodge and drive to the park headquarters for briefing. The briefing takes about 30 minutes and helps know about the dos and don’ts of the forthcoming activity.  Once the briefing is done, you will be grouped into groups of not more than eight (8) people and the trekking begins. Each group follows a particular group of gorillas and chances of seeing these gorillas faster depends on where they spent the previous night as well as the physical fitness of trekkers.

Upon encountering the gorillas, you will have a full hour to spend in their presence as you take as many pictures as your camera can hold, however, you are not allowed to use flash light while using the camera since the gorillas are too sensitive to it. During the trek, not only will you see mountain gorillas but also golden monkeys, several tree species and birds, some of which are rift valley endemics.

You will return to your lodge for lunch and relaxation. In the afternoon, you will visit the Batwa communities for an exceptional cultural tour. Take part in their activities and learn more about the true African culture.

In the evening, return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 15: Transfer to Kigali and Kigali city tour

After a delicious morning breakfast, check out of the lodge and embark on the drive to Kigali – Rwanda. This is the cleanest city in Africa.

Upon arrival, have a relaxed lunch and have an amazing city tour. Visit the Genocide Memorial Centre and witness the remains of thousands of people that succumbed to the bloody revolution in 1994.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 16: Transfer to Kigali International Airport – Departure

Breakfast at leisure, later on bid farewell to East Africa with a delicious lunch in Kigali city. The driver will take you to Kigali International airport for your outbound flight. This marks the climax of your safari.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

…. End of the tour….

Safari Inclusions

• Transport in a 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof for excellent safari view.
• All fuel for the tour.
• English speaking driver-guide.
• Accommodation as per the itinerary
• All meals as per itinerary.
• Park-entrance fees as per the itineraries
• All activities described in the itinerary.
• Chimpanzee trekking permits
• Gorilla trekking permits
• 1 internal flight

Safari Exclusions

• International airfares and entry visas
• A porter during the gorilla tracking (someone who carries your day pack).
• Personal (medical/travel) insurance.
• Tips and gratuities to rangers, driver/guide, porter, hotel staff, etc.
• All expenses of personal nature (e.g. drinks, laundry, optional activities, souvenirs etc.)

IMPORTANT NOTES

1. Date: This is a private tour; departure can be organized for anytime throughout the year subject to the availability of accommodation and transport.
2. Hotel booking: The bookings with the hotels mentioned in the program depend on availability. Reservations will only be made after your booking. In case the mentioned hotels are not available during the requested period, we will do our utmost best to book a hotel in the same class for you (of course we will only do this after consulting you).
3. Gorilla and chimpanzee tracking permits: It is not possible to ‘reserve’ gorilla and chimpanzee permits. Therefore, we can only buy them after your booking and down-payment and also it all depends on availability. Please note the gorilla tracking in this itinerary can be done in Rwanda as well or in the other sectors on Bwindi or Mgahinga
4. Transport: Our standard offering for mid-range tours is a 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof for easy safari viewing. All passengers will have a dedicated window seat. Your professional and courteous driver-guide will be at your disposal for questions or translations.
5. Gorilla tracking is dependent on the permit’s availability at the time of your booking. Gorilla permits in all parks are on a very high demand and we advise that you book them as early as possible.
6. We give back to the Community: When you book your trip with Beyond Travel to any of our destinations, Beyond Travel will donate 10% per person to persons with Albinism and Blind Children.