Highlights
- Experience three of Tanzania's greatest safari destinations
- Embark on game drives to see big cats, elephants, rhinos, and more
- Explore the Serengeti savannas by car and hot-air balloon
- Hike through Uganda's misty mountains to see wild mountain gorillas
Brief Itinerary
| Day | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrive in Arusha (Tanzania), Visit the Shanga Foundation | Arusha |
| Day 2 | Transfer to Tarangire National Park, Game Drive | Tarangire National Park |
| Day 3 | Transfer to Serengeti National Park, Game Drive | Serengeti National Park |
| Day 4 | Serengeti Game Drives, Optional Balloon Safari | Serengeti National Park |
| Day 5 | Transfer to Ngorongoro Conservation Area | Ngorongoro |
| Day 6 | Fly to Entebbe (Uganda), Afternoon at Leisure | Entebbe |
| Day 7 | Transfer to Kibale National Park, Free Afternoon | Kibale National Park |
| Day 8 | Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park |
| Day 9 | Full-Day Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park |
| Day 10 | Transfer to Entebbe, Depart |
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Arusha (Tanzania), Visit the Shanga Foundation
Welcome to Tanzania! This East African nation is one of the world's most famous safari destinations due in no small part to its abundance of massive, unspoiled national parks. The jewel in the crown is Serengeti, whose vast savanna plains host the Great Migration. This grand spectacle sees millions of wildebeests and other animals migrating between Kenya and Tanzania each year from June to November.
Besides natural beauty, Tanzania is a cultural hotbed, rich with Indigenous history. You'll get a sense of its people right away when you arrive in Arusha. This northern city lies at the foot of the 14,980-foot (4,566 m) Meru volcano in the middle of coffee country (Tanzania is famous for its robusta and arabica beans). After checking into your hotel, you'll transfer to a former coffee plantation to visit a heartwarming community works project. The Shanga Foundation empowers people with disabilities by providing training and employment opportunities in the creation of handcrafted items.
Over three hours, you'll meet the artisans and see them at work. These talented individuals create various products, from Swahili beaded jewelry to woven textiles, blown glass, and paper crafts. The tour isn't only an opportunity to witness the creation of these beautiful items but also to understand the skill and artistry involved. In addition to observing, you can participate in interactive sessions to learn weaving techniques and other skills. Feel free to pick up some souvenirs at the on-site shop—each purchase directly supports the artisans and the foundation's work.
Day 2: Transfer to Tarangire National Park, Game Drive
The adventure begins! Meet your driver after breakfast and hit the road on a two-hour ride south to Tarangire National Park. This 1,000-square-mile (2,600 sq km) protected area may only be the sixth largest national park in the country, but there's no shortage of incredible wildlife here. It's one of Tanzania's finest birding destinations, with almost 500 avian species on record. Plus, during the migratory season, there are incredible numbers of plains game like wildebeests, antelope, and zebras.
You'll arrive around midday to check into your accommodation: the Tarangire Safari Lodge, where you can relax on your veranda or take a dip in the pool. After a bite to eat, head out on your maiden safari in Tanzania. Elephants are the main attraction here, with up to 3,000 roaming the park from June to November. Other common animals include giraffes, the Thompson's gazelle, greater and lesser kudus, elands, leopards, and cheetahs. At the end of the afternoon, you'll return to the lodge.
Day 3: Transfer to Serengeti National Park, Game Drive
Continue on the safari route this morning as you embark on the 3.5-hour ride north from Tarangire to Serengeti National Park. Upon arrival, you'll check into you'll check into the Serengeti Heritage Luxury Tented Camp, right on the savanna. This legendary park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a biosphere reserve supporting the world's largest concentration of plains game. This includes famous Big Five animals like lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and black rhinos.
In your open-topped 4WD vehicle, you'll travel to the Serengeti's central savanna plains on an afternoon game drive to spot as many of these specimens as possible. At the end of the afternoon, you'll return to camp in time for dinner.
Day 4: Serengeti Game Drives, Optional Balloon Safari
Make the most of your time on the Serengeti plains with a double dose of safari game drives. You can take separate morning and afternoon excursions and return to camp for lunch—or enjoy a full-day game drive with a packed lunch on the savanna. Whatever you decide, there's a lot to see here. Besides witnessing the Big Five animals, you're guaranteed to see other iconic safari animals like elephants, giraffes, zebras, antelope, and many more.
You'll also have the option to start the day with an aerial safari as you soar over the plains in a hot-air balloon. The crew will pick you up at 5 am for the ride to the takeoff site. You'll hop in the basket and ascend over the savanna to see great herds of elephants, giraffes, and antelope grazing on the open plain below. Upon touching back down on land, you'll toast the experience with a sumptuous champagne breakfast on the savanna—a ballooning tradition!
Day 5: Transfer to Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Chat with a local specialist who can help organize your trip.
Say goodbye to the Serengeti, as this morning, you'll leave on a three-hour transfer south to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This UNESCO World Heritage Site encompasses a vast expanse of diverse landscapes, including grasslands, woodlands, forests, and the most famous landmark of all: the Ngorongoro Crater. This geological marvel is one of the largest intact volcano calderas in the world (about 12 mi/ 19 km in diameter).
The crater is the perfect wildlife habitat, with steep walls enclosing a self-contained ecosystem teeming with animals, earning it the nickname "Africa's Eden." It's a great place to spot rhinos, as anti-poaching protocols mean they abound in this area. As for humans, Ngorongoro is inhabited by the Maasai people, seminomadic pastoralists who have coexisted with wildlife for centuries. Upon arrival, you'll check into the Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge, ideally situated just a few hundred feet from the crater's rim.
Then, choose between different activities. One option is to lace up your hiking boots for a walk around the crater rim. Led by a local ranger, this two-hour excursion showcases the dazzling flora and fauna of the Ngorongoro highlands, notably its birdlife and larger animals such as giraffes, zebras, and elephants. You can also visit the nearby Olduvai Gorge. This vast ravine—about 30 miles long (48 km) and 300 feet (91 m) deep—is home to paleoanthropological sites that reveal some of the earliest signs of human development.
Day 6: Fly to Entebbe (Uganda), Afternoon at Leisure
Wake up early for another safari around the Ngorongoro Crater. Hopefully, you'll be able to spot a couple of black rhinos which are listed as critically endangered. Around midday, you'll transfer to the airstrip and board a two-hour flight to Entebbe, in neighboring Uganda. Located on a peninsula on the north end of Lake Victoria, Entebbe is known for its friendliness and laid-back atmosphere. It's also a convenient base for wildlife excursions, which you'll discover soon enough.
Upon arrival, a driver will transfer you to your hotel in the city. If there's still time left in the day, you can venture out and explore on a self-guided tour. Take a stroll along the lakeshore, head to Victoria Mall to shop, and sample the local cuisine. Try the tilapia, which is regarded as the tastiest fish in Uganda.
Day 7: Transfer to Kibale National Park, Free Afternoon
Time to venture into the wild! After breakfast, meet your driver for the seven-hour journey west from Entebbe into the highlands of Kibale National Park. It's a long drive, but there's plenty of gorgeous scenery to enjoy on the way. For example, the route will take you through the town of Fort Portal, which rests in the shadow of the fabled "Mountains of the Moon" and is famous for its many tea plantations.
Eventually, you'll arrive at Kibale, a 296-square-mile (776 sq km) park protecting virgin rainforests. Among other exotic flora and fauna, this tropical ecosystem is home to 13 species of chimpanzees. Also living here are other unusual primates, including the red colobus, the L'Hoest's monkey, grey-cheeked mangabey, black-faced vervet monkeys, baboons, and more. Upon arrival, you'll check into the luxury Turaco Tree Tops Lodge with snowcapped Rwenzori Mountains views. You can spend the rest of the day on nature hikes or relax after your journey.
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
The journey continues with a full-day drive to the southernmost end of Uganda and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Located at the edge of the Rift Valley, this UNESCO World Heritage site is a pristine biological and botanical ecosystem covering 128 square miles (331 sq km). It protects ancient rainforests that are a habitat for around 400 mountain gorillas, representing about half the world's population of these apes.
After passing through the lush Kigezi highlands (known as the Switzerland of Africa), you'll arrive at the Rushaga Sector at the park's western end. The Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, where you'll stay tonight, is a mere few minutes walk to the entrance, and you can enjoy epic park views right from your room. Enjoy dinner at the lodge, then rest for tomorrow's exciting gorilla hike.
Day 9: Full-Day Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi
This is it, the highlight of your safari adventure. Leave in the morning on a hike deep into the park to spot troops of mountain gorillas. The unique topography of these misty mountains ensures this is one of the only places in the world to see these wild apes in their natural environment. The forest here is known as "impenetrable" due to the endless bamboo and thick ground cover of flora that has historically kept outsiders from entering the gorillas' communities. Today, though, your guides will lead you right to them.
It begins at the park headquarters with a safety briefing covering the do's and don'ts of interacting with the gorillas. Afterward, your group, along with researchers and guides, will set off into the forest. Once you locate the gorillas (sightings are not guaranteed), you'll spend up to four hours observing them. The guides will point out their behavior as the researchers monitor their social activities. If conditions allow, you can help the researchers collect samples, name primate group members, and perhaps attempt a few of the 16 types of gorilla calls. At the end of the day, you'll return to the lodge.
Day 10: Transfer to Entebbe, Depart
More Great Tanzania Itineraries
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