19-Day Prime East Africa Safari
Safari Overview
This 19-day East Africa safari is a grand expedition across three of Africa’s most iconic countries, combining the best of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda into one seamless journey. From the semi-arid wilderness of Samburu to the dramatic landscapes of the Great Rift Valley, from the endless plains of the Serengeti to the misty gorilla forests of Bwindi, this safari delivers the full spectrum of East Africa’s wonders. You will track the Big Five across Kenya’s Masai Mara and Tanzania’s Serengeti, witness the Great Migration in action, search for tree-climbing lions, and come face-to-face with endangered mountain gorillas in Uganda’s Impenetrable Forest. Beyond the wildlife, this journey offers rich cultural encounters with the Maasai, Batwa, and local communities, creating an immersive experience that reveals the true essence of East Africa .
Safari Highlights
Samburu National Reserve – home to rare species including Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, and Somali ostrich
Aberdare Ranges – scenic mountain landscapes with unique forest wildlife
Lake Nakuru – flamingo-fringed lake with rhinos and over 400 bird species
Masai Mara National Reserve – Big Five, Great Migration, and iconic savannah
Lake Naivasha – boat cruise among hippos and abundant birdlife
Amboseli National Park – elephant herds with Mount Kilimanjaro’s snowy peak as a backdrop
Lake Manyara – rare tree-climbing lions and diverse habitats
Serengeti National Park – the world’s most famous wildlife sanctuary and the Great Migration
Ngorongoro Crater – UNESCO World Heritage Site and Africa’s Eden
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – life-changing gorilla trekking experience
Queen Elizabeth National Park – Kazinga Channel boat cruise and tree-climbing lions of Ishasha
Cultural encounters – Maasai villages and Batwa communities
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Nairobi to Samburu National Reserve
Your East African adventure begins with a morning pickup from your Nairobi hotel. Depart and drive north through central Kenya, crossing the equator into the semi-arid lands of Samburu. The journey offers stunning views of Mount Kenya’s snow-capped peaks. Arrive at your lodge in time for lunch and rest. In the late afternoon, head out for an evening game drive across the savannah plains. Samburu is home to unique species rarely found elsewhere, including the Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, and Somali ostrich. The Ewaso Nyiro River attracts elephants, lions, and leopards, while its waters teem with large Nile crocodiles. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 2: Full Day in Samburu
Start your day with an early breakfast before heading out for a morning game drive across Samburu’s beautiful, game-abundant landscapes. The park is renowned for its rare species, and you’ll have excellent chances to spot the five “Special Five” – Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, Somali ostrich, and gerenuk. In the afternoon, choose between a community visit to a local Samburu village to learn about their traditional way of life, or a walking safari in the park – ideal for birders and photography enthusiasts. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 3: Samburu to Aberdare Ranges
After breakfast, depart Samburu and drive through the scenic Kenyan highlands to the Aberdare Ranges. The journey takes you through lush tea and coffee plantations, past local villages, and through spectacular mountain landscapes. Arrive at your lodge in time for lunch. Spend the afternoon relaxing and watching wildlife from the lodge’s balconies – a unique experience as animals come to salt licks and waterholes. Optional guided nature walk in the surrounding forest. In the evening, enjoy a game drive through the Aberdare forests, where you might spot elephants, buffalo, giant forest hogs, and elusive leopards. Dinner and overnight.
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 4: Aberdare to Lake Nakuru
After a morning game drive and breakfast, depart for Lake Nakuru National Park with a brief stop at Nyahururu’s Thomson Falls. Lake Nakuru is famous for its spectacular flocks of flamingos – up to two million seasonally – and 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. Arrive in time for lunch, then head out for an afternoon game drive around the lake. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 5: Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara National Reserve
After breakfast, depart for the world-famous Masai Mara National Reserve. The drive takes approximately 5-6 hours through the Great Rift Valley’s dramatic landscapes. The Masai Mara is known for its density of animals – the Big Five and 453 bird species – making it one of Africa’s most visited reserves. The plains are predominantly open savannah, interspersed with patches of acacia woodland and riparian forest along the Mara River. The most popular time to visit is late July to August, when over one million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebra migrate from the Serengeti. The dramatic river crossings are a gruesome spectacle of survival of the fittest . Arrive at your camp in time for lunch, then head out for an evening game drive. Dinner and overnight.
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 6: Full Day in Masai Mara
Spend a full day exploring the Masai Mara’s amazingly high concentration of game. This game 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, 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. After exploring the park, return to your camp for dinner and overnight .
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 7: Masai Mara to Lake Naivasha
Wake early for a sunrise game drive – one of the best times to spot predators like lions and leopards as they hunt at dawn. Return to camp for breakfast, then visit a Maasai village for about an hour to experience their rich culture and traditions. Depart for Lake Naivasha, enjoying lunch along the way. Upon arrival, check into your camp and then enjoy a boat ride on this freshwater lake for about one hour – a wonderful opportunity to get close to hippos and view abundant birdlife. Return to camp for dinner and overnight.
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 8: Lake Naivasha to Amboseli National Park
After breakfast, enjoy a morning boat ride on Lake Naivasha to explore the hippo pools. You’ll be able to get close enough for excellent photographs. After about two hours on the lake, exit and proceed to Amboseli National Park, with lunch en route. Arrive in the late afternoon, and if time allows, enjoy a short game drive before returning to your camp for dinner and overnight.
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 9: Full Day in Amboseli
After breakfast, spend a full day of game viewing in Amboseli. The snows of Mount Kilimanjaro form a majestic backdrop to one of Kenya’s most spectacular wildlife displays. The park is home to lions, elephants, leopards, rhinos, cheetahs, buffalo, and a host of plains game, creating Kenya’s most sought-after photographer’s paradise. Enjoy lunch at the observation hill or lookout point for views of Kilimanjaro – on clear days, the entire mountain is visible. Large herds of elephant and hippo can be seen bathing in the swamp grounds whose water source is Mount Kilimanjaro. Return to camp for dinner and overnight .
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 10: Amboseli to Arusha
Enjoy a relaxing morning game drive as you bid farewell to Kenya. Drive to the Namanga border, clear immigration, and cross into Tanzania. Continue to Arusha, arriving in the late afternoon for dinner and overnight.
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 11: Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park
After breakfast, depart Arusha for Lake Manyara National Park. Arrive 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’s varied habitats attract a wide variety of animals, including one of Africa’s largest elephant concentrations and Lake Manyara’s unique tree-climbing lions (rarely seen elsewhere). Flamingos are attracted by the algae in the lake. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight .
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 12: Lake Manyara to Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, enjoy a morning game drive to search for what you might have missed the previous day. Depart for the Serengeti National Park, the “land of endless plains.” The drive takes you through the beautiful high-lying farmland of Karatu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Descend into the heart of wild Africa – the Serengeti – with its endless plains rolling into the distance. The Serengeti is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, covering approximately 15,000 square kilometres . Its acacia-dotted grasslands, riverine forests, and granite kopjes support the highest density of wildlife in Africa. Arrive at the central Seronera area in time for dinner and overnight .
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 13: Full Day in Serengeti National Park
Spend a full day exploring the Serengeti on morning and afternoon game drives. The park is one of the most wildlife-rich areas on Earth, home to the Big Five and over 500 bird species . Depending on the season, you may witness the Great Migration – over 1.8 million wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles moving in search of fresh grazing . The Central Serengeti offers year-round wildlife viewing, with kopjes providing excellent vantage points for spotting lions, leopards, and other predators. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the heart of the wilderness. Return to camp for dinner and overnight .
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 14: Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater
After breakfast, depart the Serengeti with en route game viewing as you head back to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Descend 600 metres into the Ngorongoro Crater for a full-day game drive on the crater floor. 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 on the crater floor. Ascend to your lodge for dinner and overnight .
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 15: Ngorongoro to Arusha – Flight to Uganda
After breakfast, drive to Arusha for your evening flight to Uganda. Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be met by your Ugandan driver-guide and transferred to your hotel in Kampala. Dinner and overnight.
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 16: Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
An early morning start from Kampala begins your journey to South West Uganda. Have breakfast en route, then drive through the scenic countryside. Make a stop at the Equator crossing in Kayabwe – stand with one foot in each hemisphere and watch the water swirl demonstration. Continue to Mbarara for lunch and rest. After lunch, proceed to Bwindi, passing through savannah grasslands, banana plantations, and herds of Ankole cattle with their incredibly long, curving horns. As you ascend into the Kigezi highlands, known as the “Switzerland of Africa”, you’ll be rewarded with terraced farming and breathtaking mountain scenery. Arrive at your lodge in the evening and check in. Dinner and overnight .
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 17: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi
Today is the highlight of your East African safari. An early rise is essential to enjoy the beauty and freshness of the Impenetrable Forest, home to nearly half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. After a short briefing by the ranger guides, proceed through dense bush for gorilla trekking. 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 . Other primates living in the forest include the black-and-white colobus monkey, red-tailed monkey, and blue monkeys. Return to your lodge for refreshments and rest. In the evening, visit the Batwa community for an immersive cultural experience – learn about their ancient traditions, hunting techniques, and deep connection to the forest through storytelling, song, and dance . Dinner and overnight .
Meals: All meals included, Drinking water
Day 18: Bwindi to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, depart Bwindi and journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park. En route, drive through the Ishasha sector, 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. Continue to Queen Elizabeth, Uganda’s most diverse reserve. In the afternoon, enjoy a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel – a 36-kilometer natural 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 19: Chimpanzee Trekking & Return to Kampala
After an early breakfast, head to Kalinzu Forest or Kyambura Gorge for chimpanzee trekking. Chimpanzees share 98.8% of their DNA with humans, and observing their behavior in the wild is a truly special experience. Accompanied by experienced guides, enter the forest in search of these intelligent primates. The trek takes 2-4 hours, and once located, you will spend one hour watching them feed, groom, and interact. After this final primate encounter, drive back to Kampala. Depending on your flight time, you may be dropped off at your hotel or at Entebbe International Airport for your flight home.
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
Chimpanzee trekking permit in Kibale
Game drives as per itinerary
Kazinga Channel boat cruise
Lake Naivasha boat ride
All applicable taxes and VAT
Bottled drinking water in the vehicle
Package Excludes
International flights
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
