Wildebeest migration in Serengeti National Park. Photo: Daniel Rosengren, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
Overview
Experience four extraordinary East African countries on this 10 Days Uganda Rwanda Gorilla Trekking, Maasai Mara & Serengeti Safari with Wagatil Safaris. The journey begins in Uganda with a scenic transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where you trek mountain gorillas in one of Africa’s most biologically important rainforests. You then cross into Rwanda for a second gorilla encounter in Volcanoes National Park before flying from Kigali to Nairobi and continuing into Kenya’s legendary Maasai Mara.
The adventure ends in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, creating a compact but highly rewarding combination of primate trekking, Big Five wildlife, cultural experiences and the wider Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. This safari is ideal for travelers who want to combine the forests of Uganda and Rwanda with the open savannahs of Kenya and Tanzania in one expertly coordinated East African safari.
Tour Inclusions
- Safari accommodation for 9 nights
- Meals as indicated in the itinerary
- Uganda gorilla trekking permit
- Rwanda gorilla trekking permit
- National park and reserve entry fees
- Professional English-speaking safari guides
- Safari transportation in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania
- Game drives stated in the itinerary
- Cross-border transfers stated in the itinerary
- Kigali to Nairobi regional flight as quoted
- Airport and hotel transfers stated in the itinerary
- Bottled drinking water during safari drives
Tour Exclusions
- International flights
- Visa and immigration fees
- Travel and medical insurance
- Optional activities not listed as included
- Tips and gratuities
- Alcoholic and premium beverages
- Laundry and personal expenses
- Any services not specifically listed as included
Travel Plan
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01
Day 1: Entebbe or Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Your 10 Days Uganda Rwanda Gorilla Trekking, Maasai Mara & Serengeti Safari begins when a professional Wagatil Safaris driver-guide meets you at your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala. After a safari briefing, begin the scenic drive toward southwestern Uganda and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
The journey takes you through central Uganda and into the rolling landscapes of the southwest. Depending on the day’s route and your preferred travel style, you may stop around the Equator for photographs and continue with suitable refreshment and lunch stops along the way. As you approach Bwindi, the scenery becomes increasingly mountainous and green, with terraced hills, small communities and forested ridges.
Arrive at your selected lodge near Bwindi, check in and spend the evening relaxing as you prepare for the following day’s mountain gorilla trek.
Accommodation: Selected lodge near Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner.
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02
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi & Batwa Community Experience
After breakfast, transfer to the appropriate Bwindi trekking sector for registration and a ranger briefing. Depending on the confirmed permit, your trek may begin from Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga or Nkuringo. Rangers explain trekking rules and forest safety before you enter the rainforest with an experienced guide and trackers.
The walk through Bwindi can range from relatively moderate to physically demanding depending on the location of the assigned gorilla family. When the gorillas are located, enjoy the regulated viewing period observing their behavior, family relationships, feeding patterns and interactions at close range.
Mountain gorilla in Bwindi, Uganda. Photo: Rod Waddington, Wikimedia Commons/Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Return from the forest for lunch and some time to relax. Later, you may take part in a guided Batwa community experience where local hosts share aspects of traditional forest knowledge, songs, dances, stories and historic ways of life. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Selected lodge near Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
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03
Day 3: Bwindi to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda
After breakfast, leave Bwindi and travel toward the Uganda-Rwanda border. Your Wagatil Safaris guide will assist with the cross-border travel process before continuing through Rwanda’s beautiful highland countryside toward the Volcanoes National Park region.
The route reveals cultivated hills, small towns and increasingly dramatic views of the Virunga volcanoes as you approach Musanze. Volcanoes National Park protects Rwanda’s section of the Virunga Massif and is one of Africa’s most celebrated mountain gorilla destinations.
Check in at your selected lodge and enjoy a relaxed afternoon or evening. This slower period is useful for preparing trekking gear and resting before your second gorilla experience.
Accommodation: Selected lodge near Volcanoes National Park.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
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04
Day 4: Rwanda Gorilla Trekking & Gorilla Guardians Cultural Experience
After breakfast, transfer to the Volcanoes National Park headquarters for registration and a detailed ranger briefing. You will then travel to the assigned trailhead and begin trekking into the forested slopes of the Virunga volcanoes.
The trek is led by trained guides and trackers who monitor the habituated mountain gorilla families. Once your group finds the assigned family, enjoy the regulated observation period watching the gorillas feed, rest, play and interact in their natural habitat.
Mountain gorilla in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. Photo: Maxime Ishmax, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Return to your lodge for lunch and relaxation. Later, visit the Gorilla Guardians cultural village, historically known as Iby’Iwacu, for an introduction to local traditions, performances, crafts and community-based conservation initiatives around the Volcanoes region.
Accommodation: Selected lodge near Volcanoes National Park.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
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05
Day 5: Volcanoes National Park to Kigali & Flight to Nairobi
After breakfast, leave the Volcanoes region and travel south toward Kigali. Depending on your confirmed flight schedule, you may include a short Kigali city experience before heading to Kigali International Airport. A visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial can be arranged when time permits and when it fits comfortably within the day’s flight schedule.
Continue to the airport for your regional flight to Nairobi, beginning the Kenya portion of the safari. On arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, meet the Wagatil Safaris Kenya representative and transfer to your selected Nairobi hotel.
The evening is kept relaxed to allow you to rest before driving into the Maasai Mara the following day.
Accommodation: Selected hotel in Nairobi.
Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch; dinner according to hotel arrangement.
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06
Day 6: Nairobi to Maasai Mara National Reserve
After breakfast, meet your Kenya safari driver-guide and begin the journey from Nairobi toward the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Travel through the Great Rift Valley region and continue into Narok County, where the landscape gradually opens into the grasslands associated with the greater Mara-Serengeti ecosystem.
Arrive at your selected lodge or tented camp and enjoy lunch before setting out for an afternoon or evening game drive. The Maasai Mara supports excellent populations of lions, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, wildebeest and other wildlife, with cheetahs and leopards also possible.
Your first Mara game drive offers a strong introduction to Kenya’s classic savannah landscapes before returning to your camp for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Selected lodge or tented camp in the Maasai Mara area.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
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07
Day 7: Full-Day Maasai Mara Safari, Migration Search & Maasai Culture
Spend a full day exploring the Maasai Mara with your professional safari guide. The reserve is famous for large concentrations of wildlife and provides opportunities to search for the Big Five as well as cheetahs, hyenas, giraffes, hippos and numerous antelope species.
During the seasonal Great Migration period, your guide will use current wildlife information to locate concentrations of wildebeest and zebra. When conditions are suitable, the safari can focus on areas around the Mara River, where dramatic crossings sometimes take place. Because wildlife movements depend on natural conditions, river crossings cannot be guaranteed.
Great Migration in the Maasai Mara. Photo: Vikram Sathyanathan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Depending on the day’s plan, enjoy a picnic or bush-style lunch before continuing with afternoon wildlife viewing. Later, you may visit a Maasai community to learn about traditional homesteads, livestock culture, beadwork, songs and dances before returning to your lodge.
Accommodation: Selected lodge or tented camp in the Maasai Mara area.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
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08
Day 8: Maasai Mara to Serengeti National Park via Isebania
After breakfast, leave the Maasai Mara and travel toward the Kenya-Tanzania border at Isebania. This is a substantial cross-border travel day, but it allows the safari to connect two of Africa’s most famous wildlife regions by road.
Complete immigration formalities at the border and continue into Tanzania with the appropriate safari arrangements. The scenery changes as you enter the northern reaches of the Serengeti ecosystem and continue toward your selected accommodation.
Depending on road conditions, border procedures and the location of your lodge or camp, there may be opportunities for wildlife viewing as you travel through the Serengeti landscape. Arrive, check in and relax after the cross-border journey.
Accommodation: Selected lodge or tented camp in or near Serengeti National Park.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
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09
Day 9: Full-Day Serengeti Wildlife Safari & Great Migration Search
Dedicate the day to exploring Serengeti National Park, one of the world’s most celebrated wildlife destinations. Your guide will plan the game-drive route according to the season, wildlife reports and the location of your accommodation.
The Serengeti’s vast plains support lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, gazelles, hyenas and many other species. Predator activity can be exceptional because of the abundance of prey across the ecosystem.
Male lion in Serengeti National Park. Photo: Thomas Fuhrmann, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
When the migrating herds are within accessible sections of the park, part of the day can focus on the Great Migration. Depending on the month, wildlife may be concentrated in different areas of the wider ecosystem.
Wildebeest migration in Serengeti National Park. Photo: Daniel Rosengren, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
Enjoy lunch according to the day’s safari arrangement and continue wildlife viewing through the afternoon before returning to your lodge or camp.
Accommodation: Selected lodge or tented camp in or near Serengeti National Park.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
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10
Day 10: Serengeti to Arusha – End of Safari
Enjoy breakfast at your lodge or camp before beginning the final journey toward Arusha. Depending on your confirmed routing, accommodation location and onward arrangements, you may enjoy additional wildlife viewing while leaving the Serengeti before continuing through northern Tanzania.
The transfer gives you a final opportunity to appreciate the changing landscapes of Tanzania after an extraordinary journey linking mountain gorilla forests with the savannahs of Kenya and Tanzania.
Upon arrival in Arusha, Wagatil Safaris will transfer you to your hotel or arrange the appropriate connection for your onward travel. You may also extend the safari to Ngorongoro, Tarangire, Zanzibar or another East African destination.
Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch, depending on onward arrangements.
END OF SAFARI.