Classic Tanzania & Uganda Safari
12 days, 11 nights
Price Range:
$13,568 – $34,756
(all-inclusive price per person, depending on dates & camps selected)
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Three of Africa’s most iconic safari destinations are the centerpiece for this exhilarating wildlife adventure. On the Serengeti Plains, vast herds of buffalo, giraffe, wildebeest, zebra and gazelle roam the savanna. Lion, leopard and cheetah stalk them in an ancient dance of predator and prey. Descend into Ngorongoro Crater where you’ll find Africa’s most dense concentration of wildlife, including endangered rhinoceros. Conclude in awe in the rainforests of Bwindi, which shelter nearly half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas.
Our Expert Says
Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest unbroken volcanic caldera, acts like a natural enclosure for the classic African wildlife that we all hope to see on safari. To follow that up with the Serengeti and then the primates of Uganda, this trifecta offers an exceptionally complete range of the diverse wildlife viewing and scenery that East Africa has to offer.
– Ben Bressler
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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.
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Days 2-3: 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.
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Days 4-7: Serengeti Nat'l Park
The Serengeti is legendary. Here on Africa’s Great Plains, where the blue sky arcs over shimmering gold grasslands, the number of animals is staggering. Buffalo, elephant and giraffe roam the savanna. Leopards rest in acacia trees, pursuing prey with lion, cheetah, jackal and hyena. While the Serengeti is riveting year-round, nothing matches the phenomenon of the migration, when 1.5 million wildebeest and zebra traverse the plains in endless columns of thundering hoofbeats.
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Day 8: 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.
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Days 9-11: 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.
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Day 12: Entebbe/Home
Your safari adventure ends today in Entebbe, Uganda.