This 23 Days Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania Safari is one of your long East Africa wildlife safari tours operated by Explore Rwanda Tours. During this 23 Days East Africa Wildlife Safaris, you will have ample time to explore most all of the top-ranking wildlife safari destinations in the East African Region with top ranking activities like gorilla trekking in Uganda’s Bwindi impenetrable national park and Volcanoes national park in Rwanda. You will also get to trek chimpanzees in Kibale National Park in Uganda, and enjoy game drives in Murchison Falls national park, Queen Elizabeth national park, Masai Mara national reserve, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Tarangire national park. This safari plan includes flights from Murchison falls national park to Entebbe and from Entebbe International Airport to Masai Mara. This 23 Days East Africa Safari can be quoted for budget, midrange and luxury accommodations depending on your preference.
Highlights for 23 Days Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania Safari
Day 1: Arrival in Kigali
Day 2: Transfer to Nyungwe NP (Approximately 6 hours drive)
Day 3: Waterfall Hike and Canopy Walk
Day 4: Drive to Volcanoes National Park
Day 5: Gorilla Trek and Ibyiwacu Village Tour
Day 6: Golden Monkey Trek and Transfer to Bwindi National Park (Approximately 3-4 hours)
Day 7: Gorilla Trek and Optional Batwa Cultural Experience
Day 8: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park (About 5-6 hours’ drive)
Day 9: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
Day 10: Transfer to Kibale National Park
Day 11: Chimpanzee Trek and Optional Bigodi Swamp Walk
Day 12: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park (Approximately 6 hours’ drive)
Day 13: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise with Sundowner
Day 14: Visit Top of the Falls and Afternoon Flight to Entebbe
Day 15: Fly to Masai Mara
Day 16: Full Day Game Drive in Masai Mara
Day 17: Visit Masai Bomas and Transfer to Serengeti
Day 18: Full Day Game Drive in Serengeti.
Day 19: Drive to Ngorongoro- Optional Evening Game Drive ( About 3 hours)
Day 20: Ngorongoro Crater Game Drive
Day 21: Transfer to Tarangire National Park (2½ hours)
Day 22: Full Day Game Drive
Day 23: Visit Olpopongi Masai Village & Transfer to Arusha
Detailed Itinerary for 23 Days Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania Safari
Day 1: Arrival in Kigali
Depending on your time of arrival in Kigali, find your driver guide waiting for you upon your arrival at Kigali International Airport. After a brief meet and great session with your driver guide, you will be taken to your hotel and if you have enough time to explore, you will be taken on a short tour of Kigali city where you can visit any of the following places; Kigali Genocide Memorial, Caplaki craft village, Kimironko Market, and Nyamirambo Women’s Centre. Later have dinner and an overnight stay at preferred hotel.
Day 2: Transfer to Nyungwe NP (Approximately 6 hours drive)
After a morning breakfast, you will transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park. En route, you will pass through wonderful and magnificent hills and cultivated countryside. Have a stopover at the royal King’s Palace in Nyanza for a cultural description about the history of Rwanda and also visit the national museum in Butare. Have lunch enroute to the park.
Upon your arrival in Nyungwe, check into your lodge for dinner and overnight at preferred lodge.
Day 3: Waterfall Hike and Canopy Walk
Have your breakfast in the morning and drive to the park headquarters at Uwinka where you will be briefed before start your hike to Isumo tropical waterfalls. This hike starts at 9am and takes 4 hours (to and from). After your hike, connect with your driver guide and head back to your lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will head back to the park for the Canopy Walk. you will embark on a 2 hour’s hike along the famous Canopy walkway bridge where you will get a panoramic view of the park and a chance to view various primate species during your hike. Later return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay at preferred lodge.
Day 4: Drive to Volcanoes National Park
Start your day with breakfast at your lodge. You will then meet your driver guide and embark on about a 7hours drive to Volcanoes national park, passing through the beautiful Rwanda countryside with a stopover for lunch enroute to the park. Arrive in the park in the evening and check into your lodge for dinner and overnight stay at preferred lodge.
Day 5: Gorilla Trek and Ibyiwacu Village Tour
Early in the morning after breakfast and a briefing from the RDB officials, set off for the gorilla trekking. This experience of gorilla trekking is a once in a life time adventure. The rangers will lead you deep into the forest in search of the Gorillas.
You will move up and down the rugged terrain until you finally meet these harmonious creatures whose company you will cherish for 1 hour. The activity in Rwanda can take 3-5 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas. In the afternoon you will head out for a cultural tour to Ibyiwacu village for a cultural experience with a resident local guide. Visit the King’s palace and learn more about the Rwandan culture through dance and singing performances from the local intore dance troupe. Return for dinner and overnight stay at preferred lodge.
Day 6: Golden Monkey Trek and Transfer to Bwindi National Park (Approximately 3-4 hours)
Wake up to a good breakfast in the misty volcanoes forest and drive to the park headquarters where you will be briefed. After your briefing will embark on a guided trek in search for golden monkeys in the forest and this can take between 3-6 hours or more depending on their location. Once you have located a group, you will be given an hour with the primates and then have your packed lunch from your lodge.
You will then meet up with your guide and embark on a 3–4-hour drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, arriving in the evening. Check into your lodge with dinner and overnight stay at preferred lodge.
Day 7: Gorilla Trek and Optional Batwa Cultural Experience
Today after early breakfast, you will be transferred to the park headquarters for a briefing about gorilla tracking. You will encounter one of Bwindi’s endangered mountain gorillas. For most people this is the absolute highlight of their tour in Uganda.
Bwindi Impenetrable national park boasts both mountain gorillas and chimpanzees – the only forest in Africa that can make this claim. It also hosts five other species of primates, 113 species of mammals, over 200 species of butterflies, and 360 species of birds. The gorillas you track are habituated and can tolerate the presence of humans for a brief period of time, every day.
The time taken to track the gorillas can be as few as 2 hours to as many as 7 hours or more depending on the location of the gorillas. Once the gorillas have been located, your group will be allowed a maximum of one hour with them. Coming face-to-face with a mountain gorilla is a truly humbling and emotional experience. This is a fantastic and privileged opportunity to get up close and personal with Uganda’s very own ‘Gorillas in the Mist’.
After your gorilla trek, you will have lunch and then relax your lodge. If you wish, you may choose to do the optional Batwa Cultural Experience where you will visit the indigenous Batwa people and learn more about their interesting culture as you are also entertained to their traditional dance and singing performances. Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge same as the previous night.
Day 8: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park (About 5-6 hours’ drive)
You will have breakfast, and then continue your journey to Queen Elizabeth National park with a visit to the crater lakes and stalagmites site in Fort portal town. You will cross the equator again in Kasese.
Queen Elizabeth National park is Uganda’s second largest park, located at the base of the majestic Rwenzori Mountain range, adjacent to Lake Edward and Lake George. The park has game including Uganda kob, warthog and waterbuck. Lions are often sighted both in and at the entrance to the park. Be ready to see huge numbers of hippos and elephants, and keep your eyes on the look out for a leopard lazing in the sunshine.
In the late afternoon, you will relax at the lodge with dinner and an overnight stay at your preferred lodge.
Day 9: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
Today you wake up early. A little before sunrise coffee, tea and donuts will be served in the lounge before we head out for a long game drive in time to see the first rays of light. You will search for all the wildlife in the park and are likely to come across Elephant, Buffalo, Lion, Waterbuck, Leopard, Uganda Kob, and many Warthogs.
After your early morning game drive, you will take a boat safari along the Kazinga Channel which joins Lake George and Lake Edward.
Here, you will see a lot of hippos (more than you can possibly imagine!), as well as a variety of other animals which come to the waterhole to drink or bathe. You can expect to see buffalo, crocodile, bathing elephant, and a range of beautiful birds. This will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of your tour.
After the boat-safari, you will have lunch and transfer to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay same as previous night at preferred lodge.
Day 10: Transfer to Kibale National Park
Today you will begin your journey to Kibale Forest N.P. The long drive is incredibly scenic, passing through tea plantations and the lush green countryside which characterizes so much of Uganda.
Kibale Forest National Park is located in west-central Uganda just east of the Rwenzori Mountains, near the town of Fort Portal. The 766 Km² Park predominantly covers evergreen rain forest and ranges between 1100 and 1600m in elevation. Kibale Forest is one of the last remaining expanses to contain both lowland and montane forests and forms a continuous forest with Queen Elizabeth National Park.
You will have packed lunch en route, arriving in the evening for overnight and dinner
Journey Time: Approximately 4-5 hours
Day 11: Chimpanzee Trek and Optional Bigodi Swamp Walk
Have breakfast and report to the park headquarters for briefing after which you embark on the Chimpanzee trek. You will enter the forest early and watch chimps leaving their overnight nests between 6:00 – 6:30 am before feeding, copulating, hunting, breastfeeding, and resting. Return for lunch at your lodge and spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure or you can do an optional Bigodi Swamp Walk where you stand a chance of seeing the prehistoric Shoebill stork. Later have dinner and overnight as above.
Day 12: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park (Approximately 6 hours’ drive)
Wake up in the morning and have breakfast at your lodge. You will then meet up with your driver guide and drive to Murchison Falls National Park which is the largest national park in Uganda, taking approximately 6 hours with a stopover for lunch enroute to the park and an optional birding experience along the way.
Upon your arrival in the park, you will check-in at your lodge and spend the rest of your evening relaxing at the lodge with views of the Nile River. Dinner and overnight stay at preferred lodge.
Day 13: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise with Sundowner
Today after breakfast, you will depart for an early morning game drive across the rolling plains of Uganda’s largest National Park. The 3,893 sq. km park is home to a range of animals, and you will have a chance of viewing some of the Park’s residents including lions, giraffes, hartebeest, buffalo, and elephants. For the birders amongst you, these areas support the secretary bird and the black-chested snake eagle, to name a few.
In the afternoon, go for a boat trip to the base of Murchison Falls, where the Nile thunders through a small 7-meter gap plunging 43 meters into the Nile on the way to Lake Albert. The banks of the Nile are densely populated with crocodiles, hippopotamus, and a range of other wildlife that come to the river to drink.
After the boat safari, you will head back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay same as above..
Day 14: Visit Top of the Falls and Afternoon Flight to Entebbe
After breakfast at your lodge, you will drive to the top of the falls. From here you have a wonderful panoramic view of the magnificent Murchison Falls and fantastic photo opportunities! After your will have early lunch at your lodge and then head to Bugungu Airstrip where you will board your flight at 1320hrs from Murchison Falls NP to Entebbe international Airport, arriving at 1630hrs (depending on the aircraft routing).
Upon your arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be transferred to your hotel where you will get refreshed, have dinner and overnight stay at preferred hotel.
Day 15: Fly to Masai Mara
Have breakfast; connect to Entebbe airport for your onward flight to Masai Mara. Aero-link Uganda operates daily flights from Entebbe to Masai Mara. Flight to Masai Mara depart Entebbe airport at 1145hrs and arrive in Masai Mara at 1430 hrs. Upon arrival at one of the allocated airstrips in Masai Mara, you will be met by your Kenya safari guide to drive you to your booked lodge for late lunch.
Later evening connects for an evening game drive which is a rewarding game viewing experience on which you will spot predators such as lions, leopards, cheetahs as they try to hunt in the dark times of the night with a help of a spotlight. In the evening you will head back to your lodge, check-in and stay overnight at transfer to your reserved lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at preferred lodge.
Day 16: Full Day Game Drive in Masai Mara
Wake up in the morning at enjoy your bush breakfast with spectacular views of the vast savannah plains in the park and possible sights of wildlife roaming freely in the park. meet your safari driver to head to the plains of Maasai Mara for a full day adventure in this stunning savannah vegetation of Masai Mara as you watch many animals in large numbers such as lions, elephants, cheetahs, leopards, wildebeests, zebras and many more. You will enjoy your picnic lunch and proceed for a game drive till the sun goes down. In the evening you will head back to your lodge, have dinner and stay overnight at lodge as above.
Day 17: Visit Masai Bomas and Transfer to Serengeti
Have breakfast at your lodge before heading out to visit the Masai Bomas where you will get an opportunity to interact with the local Maasai people, visit there homesteads and get to watch their traditional dance performances (feel free to join in whenever you like).
You will then embark on your journey from Masai Mara to the Isebania border taking approximately 3-4 hours with lunch en-route. You will check-in with the immigrations office at the Isebania border where you will be crossing the border into Tanzania. This day will take you to other side of Masai Mara as you exit the park via Oloololo gate in Mara west.
Meet your Tanzanian driver guide and embark on approximately a 2 hours drive from the Isebania border to Serengeti national park where you will enter the park with the game drive lasting up to 2 hours as you enjoy the plains of Serengeti. The Serengeti allows you see the big five game in plenty. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.
Day 18: Full Day Game Drive in Serengeti.
Have early breakfast, get parked lunch and go for a full day game drive we start from far North around the Mara river in case you came on the opposite month when the migration will start from Serengeti after missing it from Mara Kenya side now this will be you turn to enjoy the best. Spend the whole day looking for these animals like Hippos, Elephants, Buffalos, Giraffes, Lions, Hyenas, Cheetahs, Antelopes, Hartebeest, zebras mention but a few. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight at lodge above
Day 19: Drive to Ngorongoro- Optional Evening Game Drive ( About 3 hours)
Have your breakfast at leisure and then meet up with your driver guide. You will then embark on a 3hours drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area where you will arrive in time for lunch at your lodge. After you have had lunch and rested enough, you will head out for an optional evening game drive where you will get a chance to view wildlife as they retire back to their dens including elephants, buffaloes, wildebeests, zebras, gazelles, hartebeests and so many more. Later return back to your lodge for dinner under the open lit skies and overnight stay.
Day 20: Ngorongoro Crater Game Drive
After breakfast, drive back to the park with your parked lunch for a morning drive down into the crater 600m down crater. It’s much famous as one of the biggest volcanic calderas in the world; it occupies over 1 million animals with all the big five including the rare black rhino present. Other animals include Lions, leopards, cheetahs, Elephants, Buffalos, Giraffes, zebras and others.
Later afternoon/evening, drive back to your lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above.
Day 21: Transfer to Tarangire National Park (2½ hours)
Wake up at leisure and have breakfast at your lodge. You will embark on a 2½ hours drive from Ngorongoro to Tarangire National Park, arriving in time for lunch at your lodge. You can spend the rest of your evening relaxing at the lodge with dinner and overnight stay at your preferred lodge.
Day 22: Full Day Game Drive
Wake up in the morning and have your breakfast. Today you will be having a full-day game drive in the park where you will view a variety of wildlife animals like cheetahs, lions, buffaloes, common elands, waterbucks, elephants, zebras, rhinos and so many more. You will have a break for lunch at your lodge and later dinner and overnight stay at the same lodge as the previous night at your preferred lodge.
Day 23: Visit Olpopongi Masai Village & Transfer to Arusha
Have breakfast at leisure and check out of your lodge. You will then drive to Olpopongi Maasai Village for a community cultural tour. Take a guided tour of the local Maasai homesteads and also be entertained to local folk dance and singing performances from the local dance troupe. You will also visit the local craft shops in the community where you can purchase authentic locally made Maasai crafts as souvenirs to take home. Have lunch and drive to Arusha where your driver guide will drop you off at any hotel of your choice in Arusha or at the airport in case you have an evening flight back home. End of Tour!
