Ultimate Tanzania, Kenya & Uganda Safari (Jul-Nov)

22 days, 21 nights
Price Range: $22,833 – $50,213
(all-inclusive price per person, depending on dates & camps selected)

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East Africa’s remarkable diversity of habitats and profuse wildlife have kept it among the continent’s premier safari destinations for decades. This comprehensive explorer weaves through the best of that broad mosaic for close encounters with big game, fleeting herds, predators, a kaleidoscope of birds, and a magical finale with the mountain gorillas of Uganda’s rainforests. It’s a mix of safari legends and lesser-known gems—the ultimate way to experience Africa.

Photo of Court Whelan

Our Expert Says

For wildlife lovers, a traditional safari often focuses on classic wildlife drives to view the continent's inexhaustible plains game. In that regard, Kenya and Tanzania offer prolific sightings. But wildlife enthusiasts also seek the unusual, and it's here that this safari also shines -- the mountain gorillas of Uganda are one of the most rare and astonishing animal sights on the planet. Select this safari for the best of the familiar and the truly special!

– Court Whelan


Photo: Arusha view image gallery

Day 1: Arusha

Arusha is the safari capital of the world, the jumping-off point for the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Kilimanjaro. In the shadow of Mount Meru, where lush forest intersects grassy savanna, Arusha sits within an agricultural region famed for coffee and tea. Originally a German settlement, Arusha today is a lively city with an international flair. Arusha is noted for handcrafts, and the Cultural Heritage Center boasts an array of carvings, paintings, batiks and baskets.


Photo: Tarangire Nat'l Park view image gallery

Days 2-4: Tarangire Nat'l Park

Tarangire, the “Baobab Capital of the World,” boasts Tanzania’s largest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti, including 550 bird species that frequent its seasonal swamps. The Tarangire River sustains wildebeest, zebra, buffalo and huge herds of elephant during the dry season. Impala, gazelle and eland crowd the lagoons, while wild dog roam the red-dust plains. Tarangire is also home to two rare antelope, the fringe-eared oryx and gerenuk.


Photo: Ngorongoro Crater view image gallery

Days 5-6: Ngorongoro Crater

Within the walls of the world’s largest unbroken volcanic caldera is the densest concentration of wildlife in Africa. The crater floor, 12 miles across, is a wonder of the natural world. More than 30,000 animals live in this primeval Eden, including huge herds of gazelle and the lion and hyena that prey upon them. Wildebeest, zebra, eland and giraffe are abundant, with leopard and cheetah in pursuit. The very fortunate may also spot the endangered black rhino.


Photo: Nairobi view image gallery

Day 7: Nairobi

A rough outpost amidst a highland swamp as the colonial capital of British East Africa in 1907, Nairobi today is the urban heartbeat of independent Kenya and one of Africa’s most important cities. Nairobi has long been a meeting point for adventurers and travelers from all over the world, and most Kenya safaris still originate here. Nairobi’s national museum and the historic home of Karen Blixen, author of Out of Africa, are popular attractions.


Photo: Amboseli / Chuylu Hills view image gallery

Days 8-9: Amboseli / Chuylu Hills

Elephants abound in Amboseli, and to see these African icons against the backdrop of snow-topped Mount Kilimanjaro is a timeless image of the continent. This mosaic of dusty plains and swampy springs is also home to buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, impala, hyena, lion, leopard, cheetah and a third of Kenya’s nearly 1,100 bird species. The nearby photogenic black lava Chyulu Hills are a captivating area of ancient craters, rolling grasslands and aromatic cedar forest.


Photo: Lewa / Laikipia view image gallery

Days 10-11: Lewa / Laikipia

The dramatic Laikipia region, wild and sparsely populated, has become a center for global conservation leadership. Much of Laikipia is comprised of privately owned ranches that have been combined by local communities to create vast conservancies, with free-ranging wildlife including elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo and abundant plains game. Renowned among Laikipia’s sanctuaries is Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, which has played a critical role in sustaining endangered rhinoceros, Grevy’s zebra and sitatunga.


Photo: Maasai Mara Nat'l Reserve view image gallery

Days 12-14: Maasai Mara Nat'l Reserve

The famed Maasai Mara is one of Africa’s most acclaimed wildlife reserves, renowned for its wildebeest migration, prides of lion and huge herds of plains animals. The Mara is the northern portion of the Serengeti Plains, and we find excellent wildlife viewing all year long in these grasslands. The reserve is named for the Maasai tribespeople, the traditional inhabitants of the area who graze cattle here, and the Mara River that runs through it.


Photo: Nairobi view image gallery

Day 15: Nairobi

Return to Nairobi to spend the night before continuing to Uganda in the morning.


Photo: Entebbe / Kampala view image gallery

Day 16: Entebbe / Kampala

Safaris in Uganda typically start and finish in Entebbe or nearby Kampala. Entebbe, on Lake Victoria, was a former British colonial administrative center. The National Botanical Gardens, laid out in 1898, are a must-see here. Uganda’s capital, Kampala, was established during the 13th century Buganda kingdom, one of the oldest in Africa. Built among lush hills and wetlands that were once royal impala-hunting grounds, Kampala today is a modern city of 1.7 million.


Photo: Lake Mburo Nat'l Park view image gallery

Day 17: Lake Mburo Nat'l Park

While this small park in southern Uganda is famous for its zebra herds, its acacia woodlands also provide the best place in Uganda to see the huge eland antelope, topi, impala, common duiker and reedbuck. The rare sitatunga, a water-adapted antelope, is found in the interior swamps alongside papyrus gonalek and some 300 bird species. Lake Mburo is the largest of the five lakes in this park, which together attract hippo, crocodile and a variety of water birds.


Photo: Bwindi National Park view image gallery

Days 18-20: Bwindi National Park

Named for the dense forests it encompasses, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to roughly half the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. Though the park is best known for its outstanding gorilla tracking, it also provides refuge to chimpanzees, monkeys, elephants and various small antelope. Bwindi is a key Uganda birding destination, with 23 of Uganda’s 24 Albertine Rift endemics, including threatened species such as African green broadbill and Shelley's crimson wing.


Photo: Lake Mburo Nat'l Park view image gallery

Day 21: Lake Mburo Nat'l Park

As Lake Mburo is en route between Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Kampala/Entebbe, it invites a return stop to further explore its varied landscapes. The park is a mosaic of habitats, from gallery forests and acacia-dotted savanna to rocky, rolling hills and extensive wetlands. Guided nature walks may offer encounters with Burchell’s zebra, buffalo and warthog, while boat cruises reveal plentiful hippo, crocodile and a great array of birds—watch for fish eagles and the rare shoebill stork.


Photo: Entebbe/Home view image gallery

Day 22: Entebbe/Home

Your safari adventure ends today in Entebbe, Uganda.


Notes

  • iSafari.com's Africa safari planner cannot precisely calculate the costs of air and land transfers to all camps and lodges as the locations and travel distances vary slightly. With this in mind, your final quote may increase or decrease by a small amount.
  • The estimated rates given for these itineraries are adult rates, but many properties offer reduced rates for children. Please contact our office for more information.
  • Holiday surcharges may apply for travel in late December and early January, and occasionally over the Easter holiday.
  • A non-refundable deposit of 25% of the trip fee per person is required upon booking to confirm your reservation.

Inclusions

  • All accommodation on a double occupancy basis
  • Meals at camps and lodges
  • Excursions and transfers unless listed as optional
  • Services of the lodge guides in Kenya and NHA Safari Expedition Leaders in Tanzania and Uganda
  • Relevant park fees
  • Alcoholic and soft drink beverages are included at some camps and lodges
  • Laundry service is available at most permanent camps/lodges and hotels; in some cases this service is included in the tariff quoted
  • Air transfers within countries as specified
  • Accommodation taxes, the applicable Tourism Levies and all relevant Value Added Tax (VAT) or Government Sales Tax (GST)

Exclusions

  • Travel to the start and end point of the route
  • Flights between countries
  • Generally lunch and dinner in city hotels
  • Alcoholic and soft drink beverages at some camps and lodges
  • Cancellation, baggage and medical insurance
  • Staff gratuities
  • Any newly-implemented government taxes, levies, fuel or industry increases which are beyond our control
  • Visa fees where relevant
  • International airport departure taxes applicable from manned airports only, which is to be paid in US$ cash on departure unless included in your ticket cost
  • Any items of a personal nature
  • Gorilla trekking permits ($600 per person per trek)