Overview

Explore East Africa’s exclusive top safari destinations on this 20 days East Africa gorillas and wildlife safari. From the dense tropical forests in the highlands for gorilla encounters and chimpanzee exhibitions, and other primate experiences, to the savannah plains and grasslands that cater to the savannah kingdom, East Africa has you covered for all your adventure endeavors. In these 20 days, travel through destinations like Volcanoes, Bwindi Impenetrable, Akagera, Serengeti, Queen Elizabeth, Kibale, Murchison Falls, and Amboseli National Parks, among others. This epic safari adventure will start in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, and end in Arusha, Tanzania. Run through the details of your 20 days East Africa gorillas and wildlife safari itinerary below.

Full itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Kigali and transfer to Akagera National Park

Arrive at Kigali International Airport and hit the road to Akagera National Park immediately after a short briefing from the driver guide on how your trip is scheduled to run. Check into your lodge inside the park later in the evening, have dinner, and rest.

Day 2: Game drive and boat cruise

At the break of day, set out for a game drive in the savannah grasslands of the park after your breakfast. Akagera National Park is a perfect place to kick off your adventure with incredible encounters with the Big Five animals, i.e., lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffaloes. There are also other animals to spot, including hyenas, antelopes, warthogs, zebras, waterbucks, and giraffes, among others. Have lunch at your lodge later after ending your game drive. Drive south to Lake Ihema later in the afternoon for a boat cruise experience. Discover the water life of the park by spotting the rulers of the deep, hippos and crocodiles. End your day with epic scenic views of the sun setting behind the endless hills that are the backdrop of the lake. Have dinner at the lodge and sleep.

Day 3: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park

Pack up for Volcanoes National Park after breakfast and check out of your lodge. Travel for about 3-4 hours, arriving in the park by noon for your lunch. Spend the evening relaxing, reserving energy for the next day’s adventure in the deep forest canopies. Enjoy your dinner at dusk and rest.

Day 4: Gorilla trekking and Iby’iwacu cultural tour

Head to the park offices at sunrise after your early breakfast. While at the offices, the rangers will deliver a short briefing about gorilla trekking, thus preparing you for the adventure. Traverse the jungles of the park in a group of 8 people and search for the assigned gorilla family with your lead ranger. Deep in the forest, arrive at your assigned gorilla group, and there your hour will start ticking. Use this time to view the behaviors of the mountain gorillas and their lifestyle while taking unflashy pictures and videos for memories. Walk back to the park offices after your hour ends, and the driver takes you to the lodge for lunch. Take on a cultural tour at Iby’iwacu Cultural Village in the afternoon. Study the various traditions and cultures of the people of Rwanda as the local guide takes you through this session. An arranged entertainment that showcases the culture with traditional songs and dancers will be staged to welcome you to this village. Return to the lodge by evening for dinner and rest.

Day 5: Golden monkey trekking and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After an early breakfast, drive to the visitors’ center for a briefing on your golden monkey trekking adventure. As the lead of a ranger guide, head into the forest searching for the golden monkeys, an activity that will take you a few hours since these primates dwell in the lower areas. Track their trail of bamboo leftovers they normally drop, and spend an hour in their presence after locating them. Navigate the forest back to the office and then proceed to the lodge for lunch and check. Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda through the Gatuna border, arriving at your lodge by evening in time for dinner and sleep.

Day 6: Gorilla trekking and Batwa community tour

Move through the rule book and what is expected of you during a trekking experience, on a briefing at the park offices immediately after breakfast. The grouping in groups of 8 people will be next, and thereafter assignment of the gorilla family and the lead ranger guide. Start your journey through the impenetrable forest looking for the mountain gorillas. Spend the next hour with them deep in the forest after encountering them. Trace your steps back to the offices and later drive to the lodge for lunch. Discover the ways of the Batwa pygmies on a community tour after your lunch as they recite their origins, cultures, and ways of life. Learn their survival skills like fire making and hunting that helped them survive the harsh conditions of the jungle when they lived in the forests. Return to the lodge by evening in time for dinner and rest.

Day 7: Travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Start your day with a delicious breakfast as you check out of the lodge for your journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Enjoy the scenic views with an en route lunch as you edge closer to the park. As evening kicks in, reach your lodge in time for your dinner and sleep.

Day 8: Game drive and boat cruise

Embark on a game drive experience after your breakfast, exploring the endless plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park, curtained by the Rift Valley walls with a backdrop of the Rwenzori Mountains. Spot the best of the savannah wildlife species such as lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, warthogs, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, and reedbucks, among others, while on this game drive. Drive to the lodge for lunch after your time on the game drive. Sail on the Kazinga Channel for a boat cruise and capture the aquatic life of the park. Encounter animals from hippos and crocodiles, the residents of the channel, to elephants and buffaloes that come for a drink on the shores. End with a sunset view that calms you as you head to the lodge for dinner and rest.

Day 9: Twin lakes exploration and drive to Kibale National Park

In the morning, have breakfast and drive off for an exploration adventure of the twin crater lakes. With a local guide, understand their formation and history, and also how they have been significant to the locals. This part of the country is dotted with more than 50 crater lakes, and these twin lakes are part of this chain. Travel back to the lodge at noon for lunch and check out later, proceeding to Kibale National Park. This journey lasts for about 3-4 hours, and by the time it clocks evening, you will be having dinner at your lodge and rest.

Day 10: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi wetland tour

Have breakfast and go to the briefing center at the park offices for a pre-trekking highlight on the dos and don’ts of chimpanzee trekking. Start the search for the chimpanzees later, and under the dense forest undergrowth and canopies, encounter the chimpanzees and spend an hour in their presence. Watch them play, feed, and rest before matching out back to the lodge for lunch after your trekking hour ends. Take on a Bigodi wetland tour in the afternoon, where you come closer to nature. Spot the different bird species and other wildlife like primates in the guidance of a local guide, who narrates the specifics of this wetland. This tour will go until evening when you return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 11: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park

Travel to Murchison Falls National Park after checking out of your lodge and breakfast. Electric views of the surrounding countryside ignite your adventurous spirit throughout the journey. This is supplemented by an en route lunch midway through the journey. Arrive with the sunset at your lodge for dinner and rest.

Day 12: Game drive and boat cruise

Wake up early for breakfast and head to the savannah for a game drive adventure. This experience uncovers the park’s hidden gems, like its vast ecosystems and wildlife species. Expect to encounter animals like lions, giraffes, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, topis, and warthogs, among others. Proceed to the top of the falls and observe the strongest waterfall in the world as it does its magic. Witness as the water fights its way through the narrow rock walls before plunging 45 meters into the pool below, creating an astonishing sight shielded by a rainbow above. Enjoy a lunch break at your lodge later after your game drive. Drive downstream to the Nile for a boat cruise experience. Cruise through the waters of the Nile while spotting various wildlife species like hippos and Nile crocodiles. The views of Murchison Falls from the boat cruise offer an amazing view. Return to the lodge later for dinner and rest.

Day 13: Journey to Entebbe via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

After your breakfast, check out of the lodge and journey to Entebbe via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. While at Ziwa, experience a rhino tracking adventure where you witness the rarest Big Five animal in the country, since rhinos are only present here. Still at Ziwa, spot other wildlife species like zebras, waterbucks, warthogs, and antelopes, among others. Have an en route lunch after your rhino tracking and proceed to your booked hotel in Entebbe. Arrive in the evening, have dinner, and rest.

Day 14: Fly to Nairobi and drive to Amboseli National Park

After a delicious breakfast at your lodge, drive off to the airport for your chartered flight to Nairobi, Kenya, and this flight lasts for about 2 hours. Our guide driver then welcomes you and takes you south to Amboseli National Park with an en route lunch. Arrive before nightfall, have dinner, and rest.

Day 15: Game drive and transfer to Masai Mara National Reserve

Take on a game drive in the famous Amboseli National Park after your breakfast, enjoying scenic views of the tallest mountain in Africa, Mountain Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, in the backdrop. Encounter the wildlife like the large herds of elephants, lions, giraffes, leopards, zebras, hyenas, and warthogs, among others. Drive back to the lodge for lunch before checking out. Head west for the Masai Mara National Reserve, thereby arriving at your lodge late evening for dinner and sleep.

Day 16: Full day game drive

Embark on a full-day game drive that is sparked off by an early breakfast that energizes you for this adventure. Explore the Mara reserve, witnessing its treasured species like the lions, wildebeests, zebras, gazelles, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, and hyenas, among others, as they roam its vast landscape. Feast with the wild as the fresh aroma from your packed lunch mingles with the scents of nature, feeding your soul with a taste of the best. Continue with the game drive of more and the best of the same in the afternoon. Match out of the reserve by evening and back to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 17: Drive to Serengeti National Park

Spend this day on the road traveling from Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, crossing the border into Tanzania to Serengeti National Park just after your breakfast, and check out of your lodge. Stop for an en route lunch as you continue to the park while enjoying views of the surrounding countryside towered by Mountain Kilimanjaro. Check into your lodge later in the evening inside Serengeti National Park for dinner and rest.

Day 18: Full day game drive

Have breakfast at your lodge and start your full-day game drive in the vast wilderness of Serengeti, where you will meet the Big Five and other animals for a full day. Explore the park in full form while on this game drive, traversing its corners of untamed beauty all in the safety and comfort of your vehicle. Dine packed lunch with the wild at noon in the vast Serengeti landscape. Follow and be part of every hunt and chase from the predators, thus getting closer to the action. Return to the lodge by evening, have dinner, and sleep.

Day 19: Journey to Ngorongoro and cultural encounter

Travel to the Ngorongoro crater after breakfast, thereby reaching your lodge in time for lunch. Embark on a cultural encounter with some of the ancient tribes of the Bushmen who have remained primitive with their culture and stood tall against the changing graph of modernity. A visit to their communities is more of a trip generations back before civilization. Learn about their different cultures and traditions that remain organic to those of their forefathers. End this experience by returning to the lodge for dinner and rest.

Day 20: Game drive and departure to Arusha

On your last day, wake up, enjoy your last breakfast of your safari, and head out for a game drive. Ngorongoro’s wilderness is stretched across its vast floor of caldera, spanning as far as the eye can see, with several wildlife species to spot, such as wildebeests, lions, zebras, buffaloes, elephants, cheetahs, leopards, giraffes, and hyenas, among others. Encounter these species and get closer to their games of survival in the comfort of your vehicle. Enjoy a delightful lunch at your lodge, closing your 20 days East Africa gorillas and wildlife safari. Depart for Arusha after checking out of your lodge for your departure flight back home.