18 Days East Africa Wildlife & Primate Safari
Begin your journey in Nairobi and end in Entebbe! The Safari tour 18-Days East Africa Wildlife and Primate Safari takes you through Nairobi, Kenya, and Entebbe, Uganda.
This safari is one of the best possible combos. Visit Kenya’s Masai Mara National Park, then travel to Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater, before flying to Rwanda. Visit Nyungwe Forest National Park for a canopy walk, Volcanoes National Park for Golden Monkeys, Uganda’s Gorillas, and Kibale National Park to track chimps.
Highlights for 18 Days East Africa Wildlife & Primate Safari.
Day 1: Arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
Day 2: Transfer To Masai Mara National Reserve
Day 3: Full Day in Masai Mara
Day 4: Morning Game drive and Afternoon Community visit
Day 5: Transfer to Serengeti National Park
Day 6: Full Day Wildlife Viewing in Serengeti National Park
Day 7: Transfer to the Ngorongoro crater, via Olduvai Gorge
Day 8: Transfer to Lake Eyasi to visit the hadzabe and datoga
Day 9: Transfer to Arusha via Lake Manyara
Day 10: Fly To Kigali International Airport
Day 11: Transfer to Nyungwe National park
Day 12: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Day 13: Golden Monkey tracking and Transfer to Bwindi Forest National Park
Day 14: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 15: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 16: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
Day 17: Chimpanzee Tracking
Day 18: Transfer to Entebbe Airport
Detailed Itinerary for 18 Days East Africa Wildlife & Primate Safari.
Day 1: Arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
Arrival in Nairobi: You will be met at the airport upon arrival by our office representative. You will be later transferred to your Hotel in Nairobi capital city, depending on the time of arrival; you can do a city walk around the city or simply take a rest as you prepare for your journey the next day.
Day 2: Transfer To Masai Mara National Reserve
Transfer to Masai Mara: Safari starts with pick up from a Nairobi hotel or Airport and after safari briefing depart Nairobi latest by 0800hrs driving through the floor of the Great Rift Valley and past the base town of Narok to arrive Masai Mara. In the afternoon enjoy evening game drive in Masai Mara National Reserve.
Day 3: Full Day Game Drive in Masai Mara
Full day Game Drive in Mara: Today we will have a full day game drive in Mara with picnic lunch provided. All members of the “Big Five” (lion, leopard, African elephant, cape buffalo, and black rhinoceros) are found in the Maasai Mara. The population of black rhinos was fairly numerous until 1960, but it was severely depleted by poaching in the 1970s and early 1980s, dropping to a low of 15 individuals. Numbers have been slowly increasing, but the population was still only up to an estimated 23 in 1999.
Hippopotami and crocodiles are found in large groups in the Mara and Talek rivers. Leopards, hyenas, cheetahs, jackals, and bat-eared foxes can also be found in the reserve. The plains between the Mara River and the Esoit Siria Escarpment are probably the best area for game viewing, in particular regarding lion and cheetah.
As in the Serengeti, the wildebeest are the dominant inhabitants of the Maasai Mara, and their numbers are estimated in the millions. Dinner and overnight same as above.
Day 4: Morning Game drive and Afternoon Community visit
Morning Game drive: On the 4th day of your 18 Days East Africa Wildlife & Primate Safari, Star your day in Masai Mara with a morning game drive. You can choose to have you breakfast at the lodge/camp or simply have a romantic bush breakfast in the beautiful African Wilderness.
Community Tour: Later visit Maasai Village to discover the true Culture of the Masai people, you can opt to spend a night with the Masai Family or return back to your Lodge for dinner. In case you opt for Masai Family, all meals will be severed at the Family’s home. Dinner and overnight at lodge/camp.
Day 5: Transfer to Serengeti National Park
Transfer to Serengeti: After breakfast, we leave the Masai Mara and proceed to Serengeti. Cross the Kenya – Tanzania common border at Isebania and Serari and proceed to Serengeti National Park via Ndabaka. Swap the vehicles and take the Tanzanian registered vehicle. Drive to the famous Serengeti National Park, picnic lunch on the way. Enroute game viewing drive. Serengeti is one of the unique wilderness areas of the world, fantastic in its natural beauty and unequaled in its scientific value. This park is a vast expanse of land with a large concentration of plains animals. It also contains a wide variety of bird-life inhabiting a diversity of habitat and vegetation. One of the unique remarkable scenes is the annual migration of wildebeest, zebras, giraffe, gazelle, buffalo, and other plains animals. Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Sopa Lodge.
Day 6: Full Day Wildlife Viewing in Serengeti National Park
Full day Wildlife Viewing in Serengeti: Spend the entire day in Serengeti with unlimited game drives in the Park in search of wildlife with packed breakfast or lunch if you like. You could also enjoy just a morning and afternoon game drive if you prefer or simply go out for a longer morning game drive or full day game drive. Dinner and overnight same as above.
Day 7: Transfer to the Ngorongoro crater, via Olduvai Gorge
Transfer to Ngorongoro: After breakfast, proceed to Ngorongoro. The drive is scenic and on arrival, we descend some 610 meters into the crater, which is home to an abundance of wildlife and a photogenic paradise, for a full day of game viewing drive with picnic lunch at a private scenic site (hippos pool). Ngorongoro Crater, the largest intact caldera in the world teams with an abundance of wildlife permanently resident on the crater floor. Prides of lions, herds of Cape buffalo, impala, Thompson gazelles, rhino, golden and black backed jackal, zebra, cheetah, leopard and the spotted hyena freely roam on the crater floor plains. Unmatched for its natural variety and breath taking beauty, there are few places on earth where such a tremendous diversity of landscapes exist inside a region this size. Apart from its wildlife riches, the crater is also home to hundreds of bird species, refreshing in the small lakes in the crater floor.
Day 8: Transfer to Lake Eyasi to visit the hadzabe and datoga
Transfer to Lake Eyasi: On the 8th day of your 18 Days East Africa Wildlife & Primate Safari, visit Lake Eyasi which is a seasonal shallow endorheic salt lake on the floor of the Great Rift Valley at the base of the Serengeti Plateau, just south of the Serengeti National Park and immediately southwest of the Ngorongoro Crater in the Crater Highlands of Tanzania. The Hadza, or Hadzabe, are an indigenous ethnic group living around Lake Eyasi in the central Rift Valley. There are, as of 2015, between 1,200 and 1,300 Hadza people living in Tanzania. Visit these people will make your safari memorable.
Day 9: Transfer to Arusha via Lake Manyara
Start your day with a morning Breakfast and Drive towards Arusha City, We shall pass via Lake Manyara.
Lake Manyara National Park is one of Tanzania’s smaller parks. While it may lack the size and variety of other northern-circuit destinations, its vegetation is diverse, ranging from Savannah to marsh to evergreen forest(11 ecosystems in all) and it supports one of the highest biomass densities of large mammals in the world. The chance to see elephant families moving through the forest or Lake Manyara’s famous population of tree-climbing lionsare alone reason enough to come.
After the game drive, we shall proceed to Arusha Town/city to prepare for our flight to Kigali in Rwanda.
Day 10: Fly To Kigali International Airport
Fly to Rwanda and arrive in Kigali capital city. Your Rwanda safari Guide will be waiting for you at the Airport, Proceed to the hotel and later do a city tour. Depending on your time of arrival, we shall do a city tour, Kigali is a unique small city, a tour would take 3 to 4 hours, visit the genocide memorial site and also visit the Kigali Museum. You will return back to your hotel for overnight and Dinner. Step Town/Kigali Serena/Ubumwe
Day 11: Transfer to Nyungwe National park
Immediately after your breakfast, you will proceed to Nyungwe Forest. Nyungwe National Park lies in southwest Rwanda, partly abutting the Burundi border. It’s a vast area of mountain rainforest, home to many species of chimpanzees, plus owl-faced and colobus monkeys. The Canopy Walkway, part of the Igishigishigi Trail, is a high suspension bridge with views over the valley and surrounding forests. A trail runs to the Kamiranzovu Marsh, with its birdlife, orchids and waterfall. Dinner and Overnight at Gisakura Lodge/Nyungwe Top Hill View/Nyungwe One&Only.
Day 12: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
On the 12th day of your 18 Days East Africa Wildlife & Primate Safari, early in the morning after breakfast you will be transferred to Volcanoes National Park for your Golden Monkey tracking. You will arrive at the Hotel late evening. Dinner and overnight at the Lodge as we prepare for the morning Golden monkey Tracking activity. Dinner and overnight at Muhabura Lodge/ Le Bambou/Five Volcanoes
Day 13: Golden Monkey tracking and Transfer to Bwindi Forest National Park
After Breakfast, you will go and start your adventure for the golden monkey tracking activity, this lasts for at most 3 hours, after you return to the lodge for lunch then in the afternoon you will be transferred to the Rwanda-Ugandan Boarder at chanika, Your Uganda Safari Guide will be waiting for you at the border and he will then transfer you to Bwindi impenetrable Forest. This journey is super scenic and marvelous. Dinner and overnight at Ichumbi Lodge/Buhoma Haven/Clouds Lodge
Day 14: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Breakfast so early in the morning, and after proceed to the park headquarters for briefing about the dos and don’ts of gorilla trekking. The rangers will lead you to start the search for the mountain gorillas. You will as well enjoy the flora and fauna of this park, and spend some ample time with these big giants. After meeting the gentle giants, you will go back at the lodge for a late lunch, you can opt for a community visit to the Pygmies’ or simply have a rest after the hectic Trek. Dinner and overnight at lodge.
Day 15: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Have morning breakfast at your lodge, after you will start your transfer to Queen Elizabeth National park via the Ishasha sector were you will be able to enjoy the tree climbing lions. Proceed to the North sector of the park as you prepare for a boat cruise on the Kazinga channel where you will have a chance to see many animals including the crocodiles, hippos, birds, buffalos and so on. Dinner and overnight at Elephant Hub/ Mweya Safari Lodge.
Day 16: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
Have breakfast and do a morning game drive in Queen Elizabeth NP before you transfer to Kibale Forest National Park(home to 13 primate’s species ) through Fort-portal, amidst the great mountains of the moon(Rwenzori mountains) offering you beautiful sceneries. Expect other primates too like the Mangabeys, colobus monkeys, Red-tailed monkeys, bush babies baboons and many more. Dinner and overnight at Kyaninga Lodge
Day 17: Chimpanzee Tracking
Kibale national park is the primate capital of East Africa. Chimpanzee trekking is a fulfilling adventure that takes you deep in the tropical forest across streams of water. You may also have sightings of red-tailed monkeys, black and white Columbus monkeys, butterflies, and birds calling from the canopies. With the help of your guide, you will locate the chimps. Enjoy picture moments and watch them as they play and feed. After lunch, visit Bigodi Village and swamp known for its rich diversity of birds and primates depending on the availability of time. Dinner and overnight same as above.
Day 18: Transfer to Entebbe Airport
This is the last day of your amazing East African safari, you will be transferred to Entebbe Airport for your departure Flight, the Journey takes about 5 hours from Kibale, It better when your flight is late evening to provide ample time for check in. End of Tour.
