Discover the astounding diversity of landscapes and wildlife in East Africa. Visit green-clad highlands, steamy rainforests, tropical beaches and epic grasslands in Uganda, Kenya and Zanzibar, enjoying unrivalled opportunities to get close to mountain gorillas, lions, elephants, buffaloes, hippos, crocodiles, giraffes, flamingos, monkeys, and chimpanzees.
This 17 Days Uganda, Kenya and Zanzibar Tour gives you an awesome itinerary, gorilla trek permits, plenty of included game drives, and key cultural experiences. How you spend the rest of your time is up to you! It doesn’t matter if you’re relaxing in the wild or taking part in optional excursions, the wonders of East Africa will remain vivid in your memory long after this 17 Days Uganda, Kenya and Zanzibar Tour ends.
Summary
Day 1: Arrive at Entebbe, Uganda
Day 2: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
Day 3: Chimpanzee Trekking & Bigodi Swamp or Village Walk
Day 4: Travel to Bwindi via Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 5: Gorilla Trekking
Day 6: Exploring Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Day 7: Kigali (Rwanda)/Nairobi (Kenya)
Day 8: Amboseli National Park
Day 9: Amboseli National Park
Day 10: Amboseli National Park /Lake Naivasha
Day 11: Lake Naivasha/Lake Nakuru
Day 12: Lake Nakuru/Masai Mara National Reserve
Day 13: Masai Mara National Reserve
Day 14: Masai Mara National Reserve / Zanzibar Stone Town
Day 15: Zanzibar Northern Beaches (Nungwi)
Day 16: Zanzibar Northern Beaches (Nungwi)
Day 17: Zanzibar Northern Beaches (Nungwi)
Details
Day 1: Arrive at Entebbe
Your unforgettable journey begins at Entebbe International Airport where you will be met by our company representative and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day will be spent at leisure to explore the town of Entebbe. Additional activities and transfers arranged upon request.
Accommodation Options:
- Boma Hotel – Midrange
- Karibu Guest House – Midrange
- 2 Friends Beach Hotel – Midrange
- Airport Guest House – Budget
- Hotel No. 5 – Luxury
- Lake Victoria Serena Resort and Spa – Luxury
Meals Include:
- Dinner
Day 2: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
After breakfast, your private transfer vehicle takes you on a scenic drive of about 6 hours to Kibale Forest—the primate capital of East Africa. You will drive past rolling hills, tea plantations, and colourful villages towards Fort Portal Town. Fort Portal rests in the shadow of the fabled Mountains of the Moon and is famous for the many tea plantations. From this lovely town you will continue to your lodge inside or near Kibale Forest National Park. Arriving at your lodge, you can relax and unwind after your journey or take a short walk through the adjacent rainforest and Crater Lake field.
Accommodation Options:
- Chimpanzee Forest Lodge – Midrange/Budget
- Kibale Forest Camp– Midrange/Budget
- Primate Lodge– Luxury
- Crater Safari Lodge– Luxury
Meals Include:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 3: Chimpanzee Trekking & Bigodi Swamp or Village Walk
Today Kibale Forest opens its doors for sensational chimpanzee trekking. The forest has one of the highest concentrations of primates in East Africa, with a habituated community of chimpanzees that are located 95% of the time during treks.
Spend an hour with these majestic primates, learning about their behaviour and lifestyle. Once your chimp trek is wrapped up, return to the lodge for lunch and relaxation. In afternoon, you will set out for a community based guided tour of the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. During this nature walk, you will learn more about this community-run initiative that aims to conserve the unique biodiversity and environmental values of the wetlands.
Alternatively, you may choose to take a village walk. During this walk you’ll visit the traditional doctor who will tell you more about medical plants, herbs and spirits. You’ll also learn more about the culture and history through a home visit. The elder of the village will tell you many stories about traditional weddings, special ceremonies and tribal life. While you walk past various villages you will also have the chance to visit a school or church.
Day 4: Travel to Bwindi via Queen Elizabeth National Park
Today, embark on a long but rewarding journey to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – the home of the endangered mountain gorillas. This fulfilling journey will take you through Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda’s premier wildlife destination with 95 mammal species and over 600 bird species.
You will have an opportunity to spot a variety of animals including elephants, buffalo, leopards, spotted hyenas, antelopes, and lions being regular sightings. From Queen, your drive will continue southwest through the Kigezi highlands with great scenery of terraced hills. Lunch will be en route or at the lodge depending on the time of arrival.
Accommodation Options:
- Ichumbi Lodge- Budget
- Mutanda Lake Resort- Midrange
- Rushaga Gorilla Lodge – Midrange
Meals Include:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 5: Gorilla Trekking
Today you’ll experience what some people define a life changing adventure: a meeting with the gentle giants of Bwindi! Expect a relatively difficult hike of 2 to 6 hours through the rugged, mountainous terrain and muddy conditions, sometimes with rain overhead, before you encounter any gorillas. But the indescribable elation at coming across a family of wild gorillas is worth the effort. Spend a mesmerizing hour with the gorillas as they eat, sleep, groom and play as the male silverback watches over them, then return to the lodge for dinner and to reflect on this incredible experience.
Day 6: Exploring Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Today, you can opt for a second gorilla trek but if not, your guide will offer you with options and ideas on how you can spend your free day at Bwindi. You can head out on more rainforest hikes to see monkeys, take some nature walks, or if your legs are up for it, take a tough hike over the volcanoes of the nearby Mgahinga Gorilla National Park – or perhaps take a day excursion over the border to Rwanda to visit the genocide memorial, art museum and Nyamirambo women’s center. However, please ensure you have a Rwanda or East Africa visa that allows entering Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya.
Day 7: Kigali/Nairobi
After an early breakfast this morning, take a spectacular drive of about 4 hours through emerald green hills of Rwanda “the Land of a Thousand Hills”. The winding roads meander through verdant rainforests, skirting hilltops (keep your eyes open for the volcanoes!) and dipping into quite rural villages before arriving in Kigali city. You will be dropped off at Kigali International Airport for your short flight to Nairobi this evening (approximately 1.5 hours). On arrival at Nairobi Airport you will be met and transferred to your Nairobi hotel. Check-in, freshen up and get a good night’s rest.
Accommodation Options:
- Four Points By Sheraton – Luxury
- Giraffe Manor – Luxury
- Hemingways Nairobi – Luxury
- Tamarind Tree Hotel – Midrange
- Crowne Plaza Nairobi – Midrange
Meals Include:
- Breakfast
- Dinner
Day 8: Amboseli National Park
Your driver guide will pick you up from the hotel for a drive to Amboseli National Park. En route, you’ll take in the African sun rising over the plains. Look for local homesteads and the Maasai herdsmen in their colorful wraps, tending to their cattle. Even before you arrive at Amboseli, you’ll be guided by the unmistakable summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, drawing you to the park.
You’ll arrive in time for lunch at your lodge or tented camp. After fortifying ourselves, you’ll venture out on your first game drive looking for elephants, buffalos, lions, zebras, giraffes, cheetahs, ostriches and so many others. Amboseli is known as a park where the wildlife viewing is easy and abundant. The reserve is also a photographer’s dream, framed by the snowy flanks and summit of Mount Kilimanjaro – the world’s highest freestanding mountain.
Toward the evening and sometimes early morning, the daytime clouds obscuring this tallest peak, drift off giving lucky viewers a stuffing view of the mountain’s iconic summit. You’ll spend the night in the park at your choice of safari lodge or tented camp.
Accommodation Options:
- Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge – Luxury
- Oltukai Lodge– Luxury
- Tortilis Camp – Luxury
- Kibo Safari Camp – Midrange
- AA Amboseli Lodge – Midrange
- Sentrim Amboseli Camp – Midrange
Meals Include:
- Breakfast
- Dinner
Day 9: Amboseli National Park
Today, you will be up at the safari dawn to catch the wildlife as if first enters the new day. This pre-breakfast game drive is a special time to take in the park as the first light brings color to the savannah and its exciting inhabitants. As you travel across the grasslands, keep an eye out for the savanna’s smaller creatures, including some of the more than 400 bird species that have been identified here—from superb starlings to grey crowned cranes.
Day 10: Amboseli National Park /Lake Naivasha
By now, you know it is fun to rise with or even before the sun when on safari! You’ll take an early morning game drive for some last views of the elephants and majestic Mount Kilimanjaro. Now you headed for the Great Rift Valley and Lake Naivasha area attractions (approximately 340 km: 6 hour drive). You enjoy lunch and relax on an afternoon boat cruise, gliding by hippos and the rich birdlife here. You may see grazing zebra and antelope not far away, on the shore.
After the rugged terrain of the past few days, this languid freshwater lake is an indulgent retreat. While you are feeling relaxed, let’s take a guided walking safari over to Crescent Island Sanctuary amidst the gently grazing impala, zebra and giraffe.
Accommodations Options:
- Chui Lodge – Luxury
- Kiboko Luxury Camp– Luxury
- Lake Naivasha Country Club- Luxury
- Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge – Midrange
- Lake Naivasha Crescent Camp – Midrange
Meals Included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Diner
Day 11: Lake Naivasha/Lake Nakuru
You can choose visit Lake Bogoria instead of Lake Nakuru National Park if you would like to view the larger flocks of flamingoes. Even you can take an early morning bicycle safari? Today is your chance as you peddle over to Hell’s Gate National Park to view its stunning gorges, dramatic towers, and peaceful grazing wildlife. It is short drive of 80km (1.5 hours) to Lake Nakuru National Park, a pretty game park with wooded hills, acacia forests, and the lake, hosting flocks of pelicans, kingfishers, ostriches, and flamingoes. There is also big game in this diverse park like black rhinos, white rhinos, Rothschild’s giraffes, lion, leopard, warthog, monkey, and baboon.
Accommodations Options:
- The Cliff – Luxury
- Sarova Woodlands – Luxury
- Lake Nakuru Lodge – Midrange
- Flamingo Hill Camp – Midrange
- Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge – Midrange
Meals Included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 12: Lake Nakuru/Masai Mara National Reserve
After breakfast, you’ll get in the 4 x 4 and take another game drive through the park. But the great Masai Mara calls! And after a game drive, you’ll embark on a drive of about 285 km (5.5 hours) to this world-famous reserve. On arrival, you will have time for an afternoon game drive in the reserve. The Masai Mara is the quintessential African experience, with expanse of rolling hills, sparse golden plains, signature acacia trees, dramatic skies and some of the world’s most tremendous animals.
Accommodations Options:
- Mara Serena Lodge – Luxury
- Mara Leisure Camp – Luxury
- Ashnil Mara Camp – Luxury
- Jambo Mara Lodge- Midrange
- Mara Sopa Lodge – Midrange
- Base Camp Masai Mara – Midrange
Meals Included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 13: Masai Mara National Reserve
Enjoy unlimited game drives throughout this vast reserve. All the Big 5 are here, with a special emphasis on lions. The Mara is known for its intense concentration of wildlife – the densest in this part of Africa. If you should happen to be here during the Great Migration season, you’ll be lucky to find even greater quantities of wildlife. This is the time when gazelle, zebra, and wildebeest by the thousands cross into the park over the Mara River in their timeless search for ever taller grasses. Here the cycles of life play out as predators lie in wait for the multitudes of these grazers streaming into the Mara. You’ll visit the Mara River looking for hippo, crocs and perhaps waiting in the hills, lion, cheetah and other big cats.
If all that wasn’t enough, you have several optional activities of which you can take advantage. There are also indigenous tribes living here – the Maasai people. You can visit their village, learn about their lives and come away a bit richer for the experience.
If you are interested in something completely different and quite unforgettable, go for a hot air balloon ride over the Mara. You will be picked up before dawn and driven to the launch site for a safety briefing from your pilot. Then you’ll glide through the dawn, sometimes at tree height, to get some amazing photo opportunities. Sometimes you’ll ascend, getting an overview of the vastness of the plains and of the early morning movements of the teeming herds. After landing, you’ll be treated to a bush breakfast, and then be returned to your campsite.
Day 14: Masai Mara / Zanzibar Stone Town
You’ll have a morning game drive in Masai Mara and depart late in the morning for Zanzibar. Lunch will be en-route and in the afternoon catch a flight from Nairobi to Stone Town, Zanzibar. Zanzibar is an archipelagic gem in Indian Ocean filled with idyllic beaches, vibrant markets and a varied, and sometimes dark, history. This is a place rooted in slavery, where Arabian sultans once lived. Why not throw yourself into the midst of Stone Town’s maze of narrow streets. Perhaps, if you would like to hear more about this town and the islands history our local representative can organised an afternoon tour.
Day 15: Zanzibar Northern Beaches (Nungwi)
Venture out of Stone Town this morning and drive to the spice farms for your optional guided tour, or head directly to the perfectly pristine northern beaches. If you choose to explore the spice farms, you’ll learn all about the history of this town’s renowned spice trade. Take the chance to touch, smell and taste various spices – such as cinnamon, vanilla and ginger – then sample some delicious teas! After lunch, head to the northern beaches, where white sands and sparkling blue seas await for an afternoon at leisure. This is the Indian Ocean at its best.
Day 16: Zanzibar Northern Beaches (Nungwi)
Wake up in paradise and perhaps take the opportunity walk along this pristine coast before a beach side breakfast. Today is an included dhow cruise and snorkelling trip in the transparent waters among the incredible tropical fish. The late afternoon is free to dine on freshly caught sumptuous seafood or simply relax in a hammock underneath a coconut tree with a good book.
Day 17: Zanzibar Northern Beaches (Nungwi)
Your trip comes to an end today. If you’d like to spend more time in this island paradise, post trip accommodation can be pre-booked at your beach resort or in Stone Town.
End 17 Days Uganda, Kenya and Zanzibar Tour
