16-Day Kenya, Tanzania & Uganda Safari
Safari Overview
This 16-day safari is the perfect introduction to East Africa’s three most iconic wildlife destinations, offering a comprehensive journey through Kenya’s savannah plains, Tanzania’s legendary reserves, and Uganda’s misty primate forests. From tracking the Big Five across the Masai Mara and Serengeti to coming face-to-face with endangered mountain gorillas in Bwindi, this safari delivers the ultimate East African experience in a well-paced itinerary . You will explore Lake Nakuru’s flamingo-fringed shores, descend into the Ngorongoro Crater, search for tree-climbing lions, and cruise the hippo-filled Kazinga Channel. Expertly designed and operated by Serengeti Wildlife Safari, this 16-day journey combines diverse landscapes, incredible wildlife, and rich cultural encounters across three extraordinary nations.
Safari Highlights
Masai Mara National Reserve – Big Five safaris and Great Migration (seasonal)
Lake Nakuru National Park – flamingos, rhinos, and over 400 bird species
Ngorongoro Crater – UNESCO World Heritage Site and Africa’s Eden
Serengeti National Park – endless plains and iconic wildlife
Lake Manyara National Park – rare tree-climbing lions
Queen Elizabeth National Park – Kazinga Channel boat cruise
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – life-changing gorilla trekking
Ishasha sector – tree-climbing lions of southern Queen Elizabeth
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Kenya
Upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, you will be warmly welcomed by your Serengeti Wildlife Safari driver-guide. After a brief safari orientation and introduction to your 16-day itinerary, you will be transferred to your hotel for relaxation and overnight. Depending on your arrival time, you may explore the vibrant Kenyan capital or simply rest and recover from your journey.
Meals: Breakfast and Drinking Water
Day 2: Nairobi – Masai Mara National Reserve
After breakfast, depart Nairobi for the world-famous Masai Mara National Reserve. The drive takes you through the dramatic landscapes of the Great Rift Valley, offering breathtaking views. Arrive at your camp in time for lunch and check-in. In the afternoon, head out for your first game drive across the vast savannah plains. The Masai Mara is renowned for its exceptional populations of lion, leopard, cheetah, and other big cats. Look out for elephants, buffalo, giraffes, zebras, and the annual wildebeest migration (seasonal). Return to camp for dinner and overnight .
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 3: Full Day in Masai Mara National Reserve
Spend a full day exploring the Masai Mara on morning and afternoon game drives. The reserve is Kenya’s finest wildlife sanctuary, with well over 450 species of animals recorded. The Mara plains are filled with migrating wildebeest and zebra during the Great Migration season (July to October), but there is also resident wildlife year-round . Herds of immense elephants browse among lions, buffalo, Thomson’s gazelle, zebra, and topi. You may occasionally spot a rhino or leopard. In the Mara River, hippos play and crocodiles bask on the banks. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the wilderness. Return to camp for dinner and overnight .
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 4: Masai Mara – Lake Nakuru National Park
After breakfast, depart for Lake Nakuru National Park. Arrive in time for lunch and check-in, then head out for an afternoon game drive. Lake Nakuru is famous for its spectacular flocks of flamingos – up to two million seasonally – along with over 400 bird species. The park is also a rhino sanctuary, home to both black and white rhinos, along with Rothschild’s giraffes, lions, buffalo, leopards, and abundant plains game . Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 5: Lake Nakuru – Nairobi – Tanzania
After breakfast, drive back to Nairobi and continue to the Namanga border crossing. Clear immigration formalities and meet your Tanzanian driver-guide. Continue to Arusha, Tanzania’s safari capital, arriving in the late afternoon. Check into your hotel, relax, and prepare for the Tanzanian leg of your safari. Dinner and overnight.
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 6: Arusha – Ngorongoro Crater Rim
After breakfast, depart Arusha for the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Arrive at your lodge on the crater rim in time for lunch. In the afternoon, enjoy a guided walking safari along the crater rim, taking in the breathtaking views of the vast caldera below. The crater is often called Africa’s Eden and is one of the world’s most remarkable natural wonders. Learn about the flora, fauna, and geology of the area from your expert guide. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight .
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 7: Full Day Ngorongoro Crater Tour
After breakfast, descend approximately 600 meters into the Ngorongoro Crater for a full-day game drive. The crater is one of the most densely crowded African wildlife areas in the world, home to an estimated 30,000 animals including some of Tanzania’s last remaining black rhino . Supported by year-round water supply and fodder, the crater supports vast herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, and giant African elephants. The park also boasts a huge predator population – lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, and the ever-elusive leopard. Enjoy a picnic lunch by the hippo pool. Ascend to your lodge for dinner and overnight .
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 8: Ngorongoro – Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, depart for the legendary Serengeti National Park with en route game viewing. The Serengeti is one of the most wildlife-rich areas on Earth, home to the Big Five and over 500 bird species . The endless plains, acacia-dotted grasslands, and granite kopjes support the highest density of wildlife in Africa. Arrive at your camp in time for lunch. In the afternoon, enjoy a game drive in the central Seronera area, known for its rich wildlife populations. Return to camp for dinner and overnight.
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 9: Full Day in Serengeti National Park
Spend a full day exploring the Serengeti on morning and afternoon game drives. Depending on the season, witness the Great Migration – over 1.5 million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebras moving in search of fresh grazing. The Serengeti is home to lions, leopards, elephants, cheetahs, buffalo, zebras, wildebeests, elands, hyenas, gazelles, hippos, and numerous bird species. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the heart of the wilderness . Return to camp for dinner and overnight.
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 10: Serengeti – Lake Manyara National Park
After breakfast, depart the Serengeti and drive to Lake Manyara National Park. Arrive at your lodge in time for lunch, then head out for an afternoon game drive. Lake Manyara is one of Tanzania’s most dramatically located wildlife areas, consisting of a massive but shallow soda lake at the foot of the Great Rift Valley’s western escarpment. The park is famous for its tree-climbing lions (rarely seen elsewhere), along with large elephant herds, buffalo, giraffes, hippos, troops of baboons, and flamingos attracted by the lake’s algae . Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 11: Full Day in Lake Manyara National Park
After breakfast, enjoy a full day of game drives in Lake Manyara National Park. Start with a morning game drive to search for the park’s famous tree-climbing lions, along with buffalo, giraffes, hippos, and troops of baboons. The diverse habitats – from the soda lake to groundwater forests and acacia woodlands – support a rich variety of wildlife. Return to the lodge for lunch, then head out for an afternoon game drive. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 12: Drive to Kilimanjaro Airport – Flight to Uganda
After an early breakfast, depart for Kilimanjaro International Airport via Arusha for your flight to Entebbe International Airport, Uganda. Upon arrival, you will be met by your Ugandan driver-guide and transferred to your hotel near Entebbe. Dinner and overnight.
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 13: Entebbe – Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda’s most diverse reserve. The drive takes you through the scenic Ugandan countryside. Stop for lunch en route, and in the afternoon, enjoy a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel – a 36-kilometer waterway connecting Lake Edward and Lake George. The Kazinga Channel hosts one of the highest concentrations of hippos in Africa, along with Nile crocodiles, elephants bathing on the banks, and spectacular birdlife including fish eagles, pelicans, and kingfishers. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 14: Transfer to Bwindi via Ishasha – Tree-Climbing Lions
After breakfast, check out of your lodge and journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. En route, drive through the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, famous for its unique population of tree-climbing lions that lounge lazily in ancient fig trees – one of the only places in Africa where this behaviour is regularly observed. Enjoy a game drive in search of these extraordinary cats. After lunch, continue through the scenic highlands to Bwindi, arriving in the evening. Check into your lodge and prepare for tomorrow’s gorilla trekking.
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 15: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Today is the highlight of your East African safari. After an early breakfast, proceed to the park headquarters with your packed lunch for a gorilla trekking briefing. Accompanied by experienced rangers and trackers, enter the dense Impenetrable Forest in search of a habituated mountain gorilla family. The trek can take anywhere from 2 to 8 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas. Once located, you will spend one unforgettable hour observing the silverback, mothers nursing their young, and playful juveniles – a profound and life-changing experience . Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 16: Drive to Entebbe – Departure
After breakfast, check out of your lodge and begin the journey back to Entebbe. The drive takes approximately 8-10 hours with a stop for lunch en route. Arrive in Entebbe in the evening, where your driver-guide will drop you off at your hotel, Kampala, or Entebbe International Airport for your flight home – bringing your 16-day East African safari to an end.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Drinking water
Package Includes
Airport transfers
All accommodation as per itinerary
Meals as indicated (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Private 4×4 safari vehicle with experienced English-speaking driver-guide
Park entrance fees and conservation levies
Gorilla trekking permit in Bwindi
Game drives as per itinerary
Kazinga Channel boat cruise
Crater rim walking safari in Ngorongoro
All applicable taxes and VAT
Bottled drinking water in the vehicle
Package Excludes
International flights
Regional flights (Tanzania to Uganda)
Entry visas
Travel and medical insurance
Tips and gratuities for guides and staff
Personal expenses (drinks, souvenirs, laundry, etc.)
Optional activities not mentioned in the itinerary
Porters for trekking
Hot air balloon safaris
