15 Days Best of East Africa Fly-in Safari (Uganda, Kenya & Tanzania)

Your 15 Days Best of East Africa fly-in safari (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania) starts! After landing at Entebbe International Airport, you will meet your private safari guide, who will be waiting to receive and transfer you to your reserved lodge in Entebbe or Kampala city.

We hope this time will help you to acclimate and your safari guide will brief you about your next day’s trip. So, after checking in and settling at your lodge, you can just relax that evening, have dinner and a great overnight sleep.

Accommodation & meals.

• Luxury: Sheraton hotel
• Midrange: Fairway Hotel
• Budget: Forest cottages

Bed & Breakfast.

Or while in Entebbe

• Budget: Papyrus Guesthouse
• Midrange: Best western Garden Hotel

After a sumptuous breakfast, your safari guide will pick you up from your lodge and embark on a scenic road trip westward to Kibale National Park. Stopovers will help you stretch up and have lunch, depending on your location and time.

You will also have the opportunity to visit the crater lakes which are located 30 km south of Fort Portal town between the main Fort Portal – Kasese road and Kibale National Park. You will explore the crater lakes as you connect to your lodge.

Kibale National Park is popular for its wide range of primate species, such as red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, vervet monkeys, olive baboons, and bird species. So, it is likely that you will encounter them as you track the chimps.

Expect to explore the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, a reserve abundant with butterflies, plants, and, in particular, numerous bird and primate species. You will sight birds like the rare Papyrus gonolek and the Great Blue Turaco, which are usually of great interest to avid birders.

The swamp is also home to more elusive animals, such as red Colobus monkeys and Sitatunga antelope. You will check in at your lodge upon arrival, where you will have dinner and a great African night.

(Time: 5-6 hours).

Accommodation & meals.

• Luxury: Chimpundu lodge/Kyaninga Lodge/ Primate Lodge.
• Midrange: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse/Turaco Treetops.
• Budget: Isunga lodge/Chimps Nest.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

After an early morning breakfast, your safari guide will transfer you to the Kanyanchu visitor Centre, which is usually the starting point of all chimpanzee treks in Kibale Forest. You will report for registration and a briefing about the dos and don’ts when tracking the chimps.

After the briefing, you will be led by expert ranger guides into the forest jungle to begin your unforgettable moment as you track the chimpanzees in their natural habitat. It takes between 2 and 5 hours to find a troop of habituated chimpanzees. Once you find them, you will be allowed 1 hour to observe them as they swing from branch to branch in the canopy high above the forest floor.

Besides the chimpanzees, you will have the opportunity to see other forest primates such as red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, vervet monkeys, and olive baboons, among others.

After lunch, you may take a quick walk in the Bigodi wetland before transferring to Queen Elizabeth National Park. It’s a 3-hour drive from Kibale National Park to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Accommodation & meals.

• Luxury: Elephant Plains Lodge/Mweya Safari Lodge
• Midrange: Parkview Safari lodge/Bush Lodge
• Budget: Pumba Safari Cottages/Bush Lodge in the Tents

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

On this day, you will wake up at around 6:30 am and embark on an early morning game drive (you will have to carry a packed breakfast) to spot early risers, nocturnal mammals, and predators before they move back to their hideouts. 

The early morning game drive is one of the most popular activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Expect to spot herds of cape buffaloes and antelopes, leopards, lions, and a collection of both resident and migratory birds. The game drive takes about 3 hours on the Kasenyi or Mweya plains. After the game drive, return to the lodge for lunch and rest.

In the afternoon, after enjoying your lunch, you will transfer to the Kazinga Channel for an exciting boat cruise. The channel is a magnet for all the wildlife in the park. It boasts a great variety of bird species more than any other single destination in Africa.

Expect to see numerous Nile crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes, one of the world’s largest concentrations of hippos gracing the waters, and many more animals drinking at the water’s edge. The boat cruise also offers a good platform for photography and bird watching. It takes between 2 and 3 hours after which you will return to the lodge and relax waiting for the next day’s adventure.

After a suptuous breakfast, you will drive to the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park to spot the tree-climbing lions and then proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You will have a lunch break en-route and then connect to your reserved lodge in either Ruhija or Buhoma sectors.

 (Time: 3 hours).

Accommodation & meals.

• Luxury: Silverback Safari lodge/Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge/Buhoma Lodge.
• Midrange: Buhoma Haven Lodge/Engagi Lodge.
• Budget: Buhoma Community Rest Camp/Bwindi Forest Lodge.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

After a quick breakfast, your driver guide will transfer you to the park headquarters for registration and a safety briefing. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi involves choosing from among the 15 habituated gorilla families and being assigned to one based on a traveler’s age and overall fitness.

After the briefing, you will be led into the forest by an expert tracker, armed ranger guides (for your safety) and 7 other trekking travelers to search for a family of habituated gorillas. The time taken to find them is usually between 2 and 8 hours, depending on their movements. But after finding them, you will be allowed a maximum of one hour in their presence as you observe them munching, playing, napping and grooming the young.

Gorilla trekking can be a challenging activity because it involves walking through the dense forest, shrubs, streams and steep slopes but it is worth every penny. Meeting a silverback in its natural habitat unexpectedly is one of the most captivating lifetime experiences.

Although the one hour allotted to you moves so quickly, it is enough for you to observe the apes at close range and take as many pictures as you can. You will also see other forest inhabitants such as monkeys, chimpanzees, baboons and a variety of bird and butterfly species.

After an hour of taking in your dose of the long-awaited gorilla trekking, your guide and rangers will lead you back to the headquarters to pick up your trekking certificate and then transfer you back to the lodge. Depending on the time you return from the trekking excursion, you may do an optional community tour (meet the Batwa people of Bwindi) before retiring to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

After a sumptuous breakfast, you will embark on a 2 to 3-hour road trip from Bwindi Forest to Lake Bunyonyi. While here, you will explore the lake on a canoe ride. This is the best place to unwind after your trekking experience and adventures on the southwestern safari circuit.

Lake Bunyonyi is the second-deepest lake in Africa, with about 29 islands, including the punishment island, Bwama, Bushara, and Njuyeera islands. It is surrounded by steep terraced hillsides, and interestingly, it is Bilharzia, hippo, and crocodile-free, with crystal-clear waters suitable for swimming.

After lunch, you can either relax at the lodge, go zip-lining, or do any other interesting activity of your choice at your own cost. After exploring Lake Bunyonyi, return to the lodge and relax while enjoying great views of the hills and the lake.

Accommodation & meals.

• Luxury: Bunyonyi BirdNest lodge.
• Midrange: Bunyonyi Eco-resort.
• Budget: Bunyonyi Overland Resort.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Wake up to a sumptuous breakfast and your safari driver will transfer you to Kihihi Airstrip on a 2-hour drive for your flight to Entebbe International Airport. The charter flight takes off at 9:45 a.m. and arrives at Entebbe at 11:45 a.m. Upon arrival at Entebbe Airport, you will connect for your onward flight to Masai Mara.

Aerolink Uganda operates daily flights from Entebbe to Masai Mara. The flight to Masai Mara from Entebbe Airport starts at 12:15 and arrives in Masai Mara at 14:30. After touching down at one of the airstrips in Masai Mara, you will be met by your Kenya safari guide, who’ll transfer you to your reserved lodge for a late lunch.

In the afternoon, you will embark on an exciting game viewing excursion on which you will spot predators of the savanna like lions, leopards, and cheetahs as they go about hunting. You may also have the opportunity to see them hunt in the dark with the help of a spotlight. In the evening, you will return to your reserved lodge for dinner and a great overnight sleep.

Accommodation & meals.

• Luxury: Mara Serena Safari Lodge.
• Midrange: AA Lodges.
• Budget: Miti Mingi Eco-Camp.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

After an early breakfast, you will carry your packed lunch and drive to the plains of Masai Mara with your safari guide for a full-day adventure in the stunning savannah plains. You will see a variety of wildlife in large numbers such as lions, elephants, cheetahs, leopards, wildebeests, zebras, and many more. Enjoy your picnic lunch and proceed with animal sightings until sundown.

The best time to visit Masai Mara is in the dry months from late June to October which provide the best opportunities to see wildlife and the wildebeest migration is an absolute highlight.

One of your activities is visiting a Masai village or Masai Loita Hills for a cultural experience. This is a great opportunity to get a deeper insight into the Masai culture by interacting with the local Masai people. You will also be entertained by local dancers, enjoy the drama, see the Masai warriors, buy local Maasai items such as local Masai sukas, necklaces, and earrings, and taste local cuisine. In the evening, you will return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

After an early morning breakfast, you will check out of the lodge and transfer to Serengeti National Park in Tanzania while game driving en-route to the Isebania border. You are going to the opposite side of Masai Mara as you exit the park via the Olololo gate in Mara West. You will do some quick paperwork at the border’s customs office and then meet your Tanzanian driver guide to proceed to the Serengeti.

Animal sightings begin the moment you enter the park and last for 2 hours as you enjoy scenic views of the “endless plains” of the Serengeti. The Serengeti allows you to see the big five animals (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) in just one trip and is obviously home to the wildebeest migration.

Accommodation & meals.

• Luxury: Four Seasons Safari Lodge/Serengeti Serena. Safari Lodge.
• Midrange: Serengeti Heritage Lodge/Thorntree Camp.
• Budget: Osinon Camps and lodges.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Wake up to a sumptuous early breakfast and remember to pack your lunch as you embark on a full-day game drive in the Serengeti plains. It starts from the far north around the Mara River, just if you came in the opposite month when the great migration is about to commence in the Serengeti.

Of course, this legendary park reveals its multiple casts of Africa’s big game animals as well as plains game. You will spend the entire day in the heart of the action looking for hippos, buffalos, elephants, hyenas, giraffes, lions, cheetahs, antelopes, hartebeests, and zebras, among others. After a great day of action, you will return to your reserved lodge for dinner and overnight.

After a sumptuous breakfast, you will pack your lunch and drive through the park as you take your last dose of game viewing to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. You will visit the remarkable stop at the Olduvia Gorge where Dr. Leaky discovered the remains of early man. It remains a significant site in the history of humanity.

Upon arrival, you will enjoy lunch and embark on an intense game drive in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. You have the best chance of seeing wildebeests in their calving period (depending on the time of year you visit). The migration process will be finished in the southward trek of the Serengeti, moving along the eastern edge of the Serengeti National Park into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

The plains here are richer in nutritious pasture suitable for raising their new-born calves. The herds occupy the short-grass plains that spread over the lower northern slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater highlands and around Olduvai Gorge. Later in the evening, return to your reserved lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation & meals.

• Luxury: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge.
• Midrange: Hhando Coffee Lodge/Eileen’s Tree Lodge.
• Budget: Plantation Lodge.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

After breakfast, you will park your lunch and drive back to the crater for a morning game drive, descending 600 metres onto the crater floor. Ngorongoro is famous for being one of the biggest volcanic calderas in the world. It shelters over 1 million animals including all the big five. After a long day of animal sightings, you will return to your lodge for relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.

After breakfast, you may lazily pack up and check out of the lodge to embark on a 3–4-hour journey to Arusha. You will be dropped off at a hotel of your choice or at the airport for your onward flight back home.

No accommodation
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch.

End of 15 days Best of East Africa fly-in Safari (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania).