This is a trip where knowledge of different mammals, birds, primates, reptiles and captivating landscape is brought to reality; a holiday worth documenting and telling to the world. On this 16 Days East African Safari, you will visit, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Queen Elizabeth and Kibale Forest National Parks in Uganda; Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara National Park in Kenya and Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro crater in Tanzania. Each destination is very safe and offers a unique experience to the guests, right from accommodation, nature, weather, hospitality, and attractions. This 16 Days East African Safari starts in Rwanda and ends in Tanzania.
16 Days East African Safari Detailed Itinerary.
Day 1: Pickup and Kigali City Tour.
Upon landing at Kigali international airport, you will meet and greet our driver guide, before heading for a rewarding Kigali city tour. Kigali is ranked as one of the safest and cleanest cities in the continent of Africa. Some of the places you will visit include; the genocide memorial site – to know more about the act and pay tribute to over 250,000 innocent people who lost their lives during the Tutsi and Hutu ethnic conflict. Other places include the local markets and King’s palace. Lunch will be in the city, whereas dinner and overnight at the hotel around town.
Day 2: Volcanoes National Park – Musanze cave exploration.
Early in the morning, you will enjoy breakfast at the lodge, and then checkout for a transfer to Volcanoes national park. This 2-3 hour drive exposes you to Rwanda’s rolling Hills, vegetation in the countryside, plus the local natives.
You will arrive at the lodge and check-in for lunch, before heading for an interesting Musanze cave exploration. The cave is wide and dark inside, with large colonies of bats haggling at the walls. After the 1 hour experience, you will return to the lodge for refreshment, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 3: Mountain Gorilla trekking.
Very early in the morning, you will start your day with a tasty cup of coffee, before heading to the park headquarters for a pre trekking briefing and registration and briefing- an activity which commences at about 8:00am, for 30mins. The briefing entails explaining the rules governing the jungle, giving details about the gorillas and locating members of the different gorilla families.
Trekking the specific gorilla family you have been assigned may last for about 1-6 hours depending on your speed on how far the Apes have moved, plus an extra of only one hour to take photos, ask questions and many more. Afterward, you will return to the lodge for lunch, followed by an afternoon optional cultural experience at the local communities. This day ends at sunset with dinner and a nap.
Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
After enjoying a yummy cup of coffee, check out of the lodge and drive to Queen Elizabeth national park in Uganda, the most visited park in the country. There will be lunch enroute and late arrival at the park for dinner and overnight, though after watching numerous breathtaking sceneries.
Day 5: Game drive and boat cruise.
Today, follow your delicious breakfast meal with a rewarding 3-4 hour game drive across the wilderness, where mammals, birds, trees, and reptiles of all sizes, colors, and ages call home. Lucky enough, those hours will expose you to notably; lions, leopards, elephants, Uganda Kobs, zebras and herds of buffaloes among others, crested cranes, turacos and kingfishers, unique tree species and very captivating landscape.
After the game drive, you will have a lunch break, and then spend about 2-3 hours on a boat ride at Kazinga channel; home to a school of hippos and crocodiles. Take as many snaps as possible, before returning to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park.
Start your day with a delicious breakfast meal, followed by a visit to Kibale forest national park- the words primate wild. You will have an enroute stopover for Lunch, as well as watching the breathtaking landscapes, and enjoying the cool weather. Arrival at the lodge will be late in the evening for dinner and a nap.
Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking and swamp walk.
On this day, you will leave your lodge very early in the morning after breakfast for registration and briefing at the park headquarters. When this is done, you will be escorted through the Lush Jungle in search of chimps, accompanies by over 12 other unique primate species; notably, the red Columbus monkeys, vervet monkeys, and grey checked monkeys among others. The chimpanzee trekking exercise may last for approximately 1-5 hours, plus one additional hour of watching them play, relax or feed.
Thereafter, you will return to the lodge for lunch, followed by a visit to Bigodi forest, where you will catch the sight of several birds such as the Turaco’s, and the baboons among others. Call of this day with a yummy dinner meal and a peaceful sleep.
Day 8: Fly to Nairobi – Kenya.
You are at the half way mark of your 16 Days East African Safari. After having a relaxed breakfast meal at the lodge, you will check out and drive to Entebbe international airport, but with an enroute stopover at the equator for sightseeing, photography and Lunch. On landing at Nairobi, you will meet our come guide who will brief you, and then drive to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Transfer to Lake Nakuru National Park.
Early in the morning, you will greet your intestines with a yummy breakfast meal, followed by a brief Nairobi city tour, before heading to Lake Nakuru national park Kenya’s birder’s haven. Lunch meal will be served upon arrival, and then a relaxed afternoon, with several optional activities to pick from, before dinner and a nap
Day 10: Game drive and birding.
At daybreak, get done with breakfast and head-out for a 3-4 hour game viewing experience. Though the captivating landscape may want to win your attention, the sights of the Buffaloes, elephants, and several other antelope species, and birds will keep you on course.
Thereafter, you will have a lunch break, followed by an exciting birding experience at the Lake Nakuru shorelines, where several flamingos and aquatic birds will be having fun. At sunset, you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 11: Drive to Masai Mara National Park.
After breakfast, you will hit the road to Masai Mara national park for a remarkable game drive experience. This is one of east Africa’s top travel destinations, with the highest concentration of cats, and other mammals.
You will have an enroute stopover at the giant magnificent great rift valley for photography and sight-seeing, before another at Narus center for lunch. Thereafter, you will proceed to your lodge for dinner and a nap.
Day 12: Full day game drive.
At sunrise, you will enjoy a delicious breakfast meal, and then head out to the plains of Masai Mara reserve in such for the different asylums grazing, relaxing, or hunting such as the leopards, Rhinos, impalas, cheetahs and lions among others. Masai Mara is ranked as a destination with the highest concentration of lions in the continent of Africa.
After the first search, you will head to the Mara river banks for a delicious breakfast meal, before spending the rest of the day looking at the crocodiles and hippos at the Mara River. Return to the lodge for dinner and a nap.
Day 13: Transfer to Serengeti National Park.
On this day, you will have a relaxed breakfast meal at the lodge, and then checkout for an exciting game drive to Serengeti national park in Tanzania – home to the dramatic annual wildebeest migration. At the border post, you will get new documents, followed by lunch, before proceeding with the drive to your lodge at the park for dinner and overnight. Chances are high that as you enter the park, you will get a very lovely salutation from the birds and mammals relaxing from the day’s duty.
Day 14: Game drive and Masai Cultural experience.
At daybreak, greet your intestines with a hefty breakfast meal, before heading out for a 3-4 hour game drive across the Seronera wildlife territories. Among the mammals, birds, and reptiles to look out for during the game drive include; the wildebeest, zebras, impalas, elephants, cheetahs, and rhinos, flamingoes and ostriches, among others. Serengeti also has a very captivating landscape and unique tree species.
This park is also a host to the famous annual wildebeest migration. Thereafter, you will return for lunch and then head for an exciting cultural experience with the Masai warriors- renowned hunters. The day ends at the lodge with dinner and a nap.
Day 15: Drive to Ngorongoro crater.
At sunrise, you will start your day with an early breakfast and then hit the road to the home of the world’s largest land a caldera. The drive is through a route made – up of rolling hills, vegetation, and scattered homesteads. You will arrive for lunch and then head out for an unforgettable hike to the bottom of the crater.
Here, you have the opportunity of taking photos in very scenic spots, as well as watching the captivating landscape, birds, and different mammals in their hideout. Afterwards, have a sunset drive to the lodge for dinner and a nap.
Day 16: Morning game drive and departure.
After an exciting nap, you will wake up very early in the morning to catch-up with the night hunters as they return to their territories, and the day grazers heading to the field. On a good day, expect to encounter Africa’s Big 5 namely; lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffaloes, plus many more birds, reptiles among others.
The search may last for about 2-3 hours, after which you will return to the lodge for breakfast, before checking out for a drive to the airport for your flight to the next destination. This will mark the end of your 16 Days East African Safari.
