Day 1: Kigali
Welcome to Rwanda’s capital, Kigali and the starting point for your 13 Days Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya Safari adventure. You will be picked from the Kigali International Airport (KGL) and transferred to your overnight hotel.
Your place of stay for the next two nights is no ordinary accommodation – the Hotel des Mille Collines is famous for sheltering and consequently saving more than 1000 people during the horrific genocide that happened in Rwanda in 1994.
If you arrive early in Kigali city, perhaps take to the streets to explore this thriving city in the midst of a great revival. Tour Nyamirambo, the Muslim quarter, to try some giant grilled tilapia, or visit a local cafe and discover why Rwandan coffee is considered some of the world’s best.
Other Accommodation Options
Luxury: The Retreat/Kigali Serena Hotel/Heaven Boutique Hotel
Midrange: Hotel Chez Lando
Meal Plan: Dinner
Day 2: Kigali
Wake up to a healthy breakfast and head out of the city for a sobering visit to the Ntarama Church. Your leader will explain how this memorial marks the location where 5000 people were tragically killed during the Genocide. Reminders of lives lost are still in the church, including clothes and even bones. Proceed to the Nyamata Genocide Memorial Centre, a former church where an incomprehensible 50,000 people were murdered. Your guide will tell you how the Tutsis sought refuge in churches, only for them to turn into death traps.
After that, you will visit the Kigali Genocide Museum, a powerful yet confronting experience and important in understanding the tragedy and the resilience of the Rwandan people. This afternoon, you can re-energize with some local Rwandan food before taking a tour of the beautiful city and its vibrant market with your guide. The evening is free for you to enjoy.
Accommodation Options
- Hotel des Mille Collines
- The Retreat
- Kigali Serena Hotel
- Heaven Boutique Hotel
- Hotel Chez Lando
Day 3: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Enjoy a delicious breakfast at your hotel in Kigali and then leave Kigali. Take a scenic drive of about 4 hours across the border to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda.
Upon arrival, check into the Gorilla Heights Lodge, where you will spend the following three nights. The lodge, which is perched above Nteko Ridge, provides breathtaking views of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, which is home to half of the world’s mountain gorillas. Take in the view of the jagged Virunga Volcanoes that straddle Uganda’s borders with Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. Gorilla Heights Lodge uses solar energy and works closely with the local community. You’ll experience genuinely warm Ugandan hospitality. There is no better spot for soaking in your wild surroundings and searching for mountain gorillas.
In the evening, you will have a truly special experience as you are joined by a field veterinarian from the Gorilla Doctors for a fireside chat. This organization is devoted to saving the mountain and eastern lowland gorilla species using veterinary medicine and science. They offer medical interventions to protect these endangered apes from human-induced or life-threatening trauma or disease. You will learn more about their fascinating work during this unique and exclusive experience.
Other Accommodation Options
Luxury: Buhoma Lodge/Gorilla Forest Camp
Midrange: Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge/Haven Lodge Buhoma
Budget: Gorilla Conservation Camp/Buhoma Community Lodge
Day 4: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Have an early breakfast and take a short walk to the park office where you will be briefed on today’s gorilla trekking adventure by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) guides.
The gorilla trek can be relative difficult, wet and uncomfortable at times but the exceptional biodiversity of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and the chance to see rare mountain gorillas in their natural environment makes it so worthwhile. We recommend hiring local porter who can carry your pack and offer expert, local one-on-one assistance during the trek. Not only does it make for a more comfortable trek, it also offering valuable employment opportunities to locals and boost their confidence in sustainable tourism.
Gorilla trekking is highly controlled. There are few gorilla trekking permits available every day. Once you find a family of gorillas you will be allowed to stay with them for one hour – watch them groom each other and play, all under the watchful eye of a giant silverback.
Coming face to face with wild gorillas is sure to be a life-changing experience that will be etched on your mind forever. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the lush rainforest wilderness. The rest of the day is for you to relax at the lodge, along with a chance to reflect on a memorable day. Freshen up with a hot shower and enjoy a hearty dinner by the crackling fireplace.
Day 5: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast on the terrace overlooking Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The day is free for you to do as little or as much as you want – your guide will be able to help tailor a day that best suits your interests. If you are interested in another encounter with the endangered mountain gorillas, there is the option for a second day of gorilla trekking. You may wish to just relax at the lodge, take in the views from the outdoor swimming pool, or enjoy a luxurious spa treatment. This evening, enjoy dinner at the terraced restaurant overlooking the Virunga Mountains.
Day 6: Kigali
After breakfast, you will leave Bwindi and start the journey to cross back over the border into Kigali. After arriving at the capital, your afternoon is free to relax or explore as you please.
Day 7: Nairobi
Enjoy a good breakfast today and then transfer to Kigali International Airport for your flight to Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. You will be picked up from the airport for a short transfer to your pre-booked hotel. If you arrive early, you can spend the afternoon exploring the artistic and cultural displays at Nairobi Gallery, or relaxing by the swimming pool at your home for the night – a swish central hotel complete with bold pan-African art, a sauna and steam room, and super friendly staff. After some rest, you will head out with your guide to a colourful local restaurant offering traditional favourites with a modern touch. Enjoy platters and tasty sides like samosas, fried plantains and tilapia.
Accommodation: Sarova Panafric Hotel or similar
Day 8: Lake Naivasha / Lake Nakuru
After Breakfast, head off to Great Rift Valley of East Africa. Your first stop will be at the Eden Project, a nonprofit NGO that works in developing countries to rebuild natural landscapes destroyed by deforestation. Eden works closely with communities experiencing extreme poverty resulting from the deforestation and destruction of the land that sustains them. Visit the site for an hour. Learn how they work alongside the local community to produce, plant, and protect tens of millions of trees every month, creating jobs to support them in restoring their local environment and economy long-term.
Next, make your way to Elsamere, the former home of the writer Joy Adamson, whose 1960 book ‘Born Free’ helped bring wildlife conservation into the mainstream. The house is a veritable museum dedicated to the works of Joy and George Adamson, with several photos of Elsa, the lioness that started it all. Take on a boat cruise on Lake Naivasha, the highest lake in the Great Rift Valley and home to many hippos. Later, enjoy a high tea lunch on the very grounds Joy cherished for so many years, with the lake as a serene backdrop.
After lunch, proceed to your Lake Nakuru lodge, arriving in the early evening. From your lodge, admire the remarkable views of Lake Nakuru and the surrounding park, alive with the call of birds and rich in wildlife. What better way to take it all in than from your lodge’s infinity pool.
Accommodation: Sopa Lodges Nakuru or similar
Day 9: Lake Nakuru National Park
Savour a scrumptious breakfast and explore Lake Nakuru National Park by four-wheel drive vehicle (4×4) – the park’s lake is its stunning centrepiece.
Mornings can be cold here so you are advised to bring warm clothes. You might see why this great soda lake has been described as the world’s greatest ornithological spectacle; great seas of flamingos often turn the landscape a sweeping shade of pink.
Flooding in recent years has unfortunately caused a decrease in birdlife; however the park boasts considerable numbers of other wildlife species, including waterbuck, bushbuck, reedbuck and gazelle. African Leopards are also to be found here, and the chances of sighting one are significant. After a morning game drive, you will return to the lodge for lunch and relaxation. In the afternoon, you will head back out for another game drive. Keep your eyes open for one of the most endangered creatures of Africa, the elusive black rhino. While white rhino sightings are fairly common, spotting a black rhino is a real treat.
Day 10: Masai Mara National Reserve
After a hearty breakfast today, travel southwest to the Masai Mara, one of Africa’s finest game reserves. Cross the Great Rift Valley floor and pass by the remote region of Loita Hills, home of the legendary Maasai people. This is one of the few places where they still practice their traditional way of life with little influence from the western world. Stop at Tepesua Village where you will be welcomed by Maasai Warriors through traditional song and dance.
Meet your Maasai guide, take a walk around the community village and enjoy a captivating talk full of insights into this ancient Maasai culture. The Tepesua Village offers support, safety and economic growth through the ‘Tepesua Widows Income Project’. Here, widowed women sew eco-friendly handicrafts that they sell to locals and visitors. Learn about African rural village life and be shown around a traditional Maasai home and cattle enclosure.
After that, continue to your lodge in Masai Mara National Reserve where you will stay for the next three nights. Here, you can watch beautiful sunsets and share stories over the bonfire – or cocktails in the plush lounge area – before retiring to your luxury digs.
Accommodation: Sopa Lodges Masai Mara or similar
Day 11: Masai Mara National Reserve
Today, you will discover more of Masai Mara by 4×4 with further game drives from morning to the afternoon. You will depart for an early morning game drive with your packed picnic lunch at hand since you will drive to the furthest part of the game reserve.
Witness the wonderful variety of wildlife that inhabits the Mara. Zebra, Wildebeest, and Gazelle are plentiful, and you might even spot predators (Lions, Hyenas, Cheetahs and Leopards) keeping a casual eye on their movements. Giraffes, Elephants, and Elands are also commonly seen, along with plenty of bird life. Masai Mara is known for its rolling plains and riverine woodlands.
As the sun starts to set, stop and take a moment to soak it all in with a drink in hand – there is few better ways to wrap up a day of wildlife viewing in one of the world’s most magical places. As dusk falls, a variety of animals might be visible in the vicinity of your lodge also. You will return to lodge late in the evening and freshen up before settling in for dinner.
Day 12: Masai Mara National Reserve
The morning is yours to do as you please. You may like to sit back with a cup of coffee on your private deck, keeping an eye out for animals in the game reserve, or forgo a sleep-in in favour of an early morning game drive or walking safari.
If you would like to view the Mara from a different perspective, a sunrise hot air balloon safari is a truly unforgettable experience. A hot air balloon ride can be booked ahead of time or on the ground if available and the suppliers are committed conservationists, with a portion of the incomes from every flight going straight to worthy conservation projects within the park. You will be collected before dawn and glide through the sunrise, sometimes at tree height, making the most of the amazing photo opportunities. Sometimes you’ll ascend to get an overview of the vastness of the Masai Mara plains and the early-morning movements of the teeming animal herds. In the afternoon, regroup for another exciting 4×4 game drive in the park.
Day 13: Nairobi
Depart Masai Mara and return to Nairobi. You can expect to arrive in the late afternoon, at which point your adventure will come to an end. If you would like to extend your stay in Nairobi, additional accommodation can be booked in advance.
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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.