13 Days Ecstatic East African Vacation

Enjoy some of the popular tourist destinations in East Africa, including Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania that will excite you with wildlife, nature and culture while partaking in this 13 days safari. More will be discovered and activities like gorilla trekking, game drives launch trips or boat cruises, chimpanzee trekking and community tours will be enjoyed.

The safari will begin in the pearl of Africa – Uganda then head to Rwanda, fly to Kenya and cross to Tanzania where it will end. More will be discovered like the big five animals, unique birds, sunrise and sunset views.

Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Kibale National Park

On your arrival at the airport in Entebbe, you will enjoy will be picked by the tour representative who will quickly transfer you to Kibale national park a journey taking 5 hours’ drive. Kibale forest is one of the natural forests in Uganda with a fascinating view and a lot to discover while on the visit.

The park stretch for an area of 770 square kilometers, covered with trees, mammals including 13 primates and over 350 bird species. Enjoy the drive through tea plantation, roadside markets among others and then find your way to one of the booked lodges.

Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking and community tour in Isunga

Take breakfast and then head to Kanyanchu tourist Centre where briefing takes place depending on where you slept its takes less than 20 minutes’ drive. The briefing will be carried out and take about 30 minutes where checking of the permits is done, allowing you to receive the dos and don’ts to help you while trekking in the forest. These include do not feed animals; do use a flashlight camera while taking photos, follow the guidelines of the park guide while in the forest among others. Thereafter, head in the forest and then start the search.

The trek can take 2 to 4 hours depending on where the chimpanzee are located and this means that they tend to move to different locations where they spend a night. Chimps are interesting as they make nests each night that is to say they don’t spend in the nest more than a night. After trekking, you will head to visit Isunga Community which is at the edge of Kibale national park in Kabarole district.

Isunga community offers the best Batooro and Bakiga culture that normally lives in this village. This will be through the cultural dances, music and drama, cultural storytelling, meal tasting among others.

Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and boat cruise in the afternoon

Head to Queen Elizabeth National Park after taking an optional activity with Isunga Cultural Community maybe top of the world hiking or coffee tour experience. This can take about 3 to 4 hours and then embark on the drive to the most visited national park in Uganda. It’s also the second largest conservation area in the country and has diverse wildlife in form of birds, animals and vegetation.

Check in the lodge, have lunch and embark on the afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga channel where you will enjoy hippos and crocodiles plus other animals like elephants on the banks of the channel and after you will head to the lodge for dinner.

Day 4: Game drive and transfer to Bwindi National Park

Embark on an early game drive where you will watch the early risers, including lions, spotted hyenas, leopards and jackals and then as time goes on, you will be able to watch herds of elephants, buffalos, antelopes like Uganda kobs, waterbucks and bushbucks. After proceeding to the Ishasha sector where you will be able to trek the rare tree-climbing lions as they rest on tree branches and later continue to Bwindi national park one of the conservation areas with endangered mountain gorillas.

The park is homing over 350 bird species including 23 Albertine endemics and about 13 species cannot be spotted anywhere in the country. You will then check in at the lodge on arrival for sun and

Day 5: Gorilla trekking and Batwa community tour

Gorilla trekking begins with a short briefing exercise which is normally done after breakfast. The briefing is very important because this is where you will be told what you are supposed to follow while in the forest. This will enable you to trek smoothly without interference and attack from the gorillas as you conserve for generations. Trekking takes not more than 5 hours and this includes an hour while in the face to face encounter with the gorilla family trekked.

Thereafter, you will head back to the lodge for lunch and then visit the neighboring community of the Batwa pygmies who have a lot to discover and learn while on your visit such as the traditional dances, the methods used to hunt in the forest, their language among others. You will then head to the lodge for your dinner and retire.

Day 6: Transfer to Akagera national park

Wake up early in the morning and then transfer to Rwanda crossing the Katuna border and here you will spend no more than 20 minutes doing the crosschecking of travel documents. After, proceed and find your way to Akagera national park near the border with Tanzania.

This is a savannah national park and gets its name from River Akagera that supplies water to the wildlife of the area. You will arrive and take a drive to your safari lodge.

Day 7: Game drive and boat cruise on Lake Ihema

Take a morning game drive where you will be able to spot different mammals and bird species that inhabit the savannah plains of the park and among others include elephants, buffalos, giraffe, zebras, leopards, hyenas, lions among others. And birds like Cattle Egret, Hamerkop, Sacred and Hadada Ibis, Augur Buzzard, Long-crested Eagle, and Pied Crow among others.

After a 2 to 3 hours’ drive in the savannah, you will head to the lodge for lunch and then embark on the boat cruise on Lake Ihema where you will be able to spot hippos, crocodile and the surrounding islands. The boat cruise normally takes 2 hours and in the evening, you have an option of taking up another game drive which will end the day.

Day 8: Transfer to Kigali and Fly to Nairobi, Kenya

After a delicious breakfast, you will drive to Kigali and in case of time allows visit the Rwanda genocide memorial Centre and hear the saddest stories of how innocent souls perished during the 1994 civil war. After, head to Kigali international airport and fly to Kenya. Meet and greet our tour representative who will take you to the booked hotel in Nairobi.

Day 9. Drive to Masai Mara national reserve and game drive

Wake up early and take breakfast at the hotel restaurant in the city of Nairobi and then embark on the journey to Masai Mara national reserve taking 5 to 6 hours’ drive. The park is known to host the wildebeest migrations that occur every year.

In addition the park has various wildlife such as birds like hornbills, finfoot, barbets, kingfishers, herons, cisticola and mammals like Rhino, Lion Leopard, Elephant, and Buffalo, mongoose, baboons, monkeys, bat-eared fox, warthogs, caracals, dik-diks, among others. On arrival embark on the evening game drive where you will be able to spot some of the above and more of the listed attractions in form of mammals and birds.

Day 10. Full day – Masai Mara Adventure

On this day, explore the beautiful Masai Mara through a game drive and enjoy a lunch picnic while in the wild. Again, spot different wildlife and in case your safari in the months of the wildebeest migration, you will be able to witness one of the seven wonders of Africa.

Among the mammals that will be spotted are dik-diks, bat-eared fox, caracals and the big five animals are likely to be spotted like Lion, Rhino, Buffalo, Leopard and Elephant. The day ends after enjoying the sunset in the wild, you are advised to carry more snacks and drinking water to quench your thirst.

Day 11: Transfer to Serengeti National Park

Have a fruitful breakfast and then head to the Serengeti national park crossing the Namanga border. The route used is well tarmacked and this means time is saved to reach Serengeti national park.

This is the most visited national park in Tanzania and this means that various wildlife is spotted while on your visit. Include buffalo, smaller groups of elephant and giraffe, and many antelope, such as eland, topi, rhinos, zebras, among others. On the arrival, you will take a drive and find your way to the lodge.

Day 12: Full day in Serengeti plains

Explore the beautiful national park in the game drives that are in the morning and the evening game drive with a break at lunchtime. Get an opportunity to watch the wildebeest migrations if your safari is in the months of migrations, spot the big five animals like lion, rhino, leopard, buffalo, and the elephant. Other mammals that can be spotted include hippos, hyenas, warthogs, zebras, jackals, antelopes among others.