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East Africa Grand Circuit
16 daysRwanda + Uganda + Kenya + TanzaniaFast pacefrom USD 11,600
Overview of East Africa Grand Circuit
Sixteen days through Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania: two gorilla treks, Queen Elizabeth, the Mara, Amboseli and the Serengeti, with regional flights and border crossings handled for you.
- Length
- 16 days
- Countries
- Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania
- Pace
- Fast
- From
- USD 11,600
Best for four countries in one trip. Prices are per person sharing a twin or double room and are confirmed on enquiry.
Highlights
- Gorilla treks in both Rwanda and Uganda
- Ishasha tree-climbing lions and the Kazinga Channel
- Maasai Mara and Amboseli under Kilimanjaro
- Ngorongoro Crater and three nights in the Serengeti
- Cyanika and Namanga border crossings arranged
Where this one goes
8 stops over 16 days, in travel order.
Day 1
Kigali (KGL)
Land and drive north to Musanze
Days 1 to 3
Volcanoes National Park
First gorilla trek, Rwanda
Days 3 to 5
Rushaga, Bwindi
Second gorilla trek, across the Cyanika border
Days 5 to 7
Queen Elizabeth
Ishasha lions and the Kazinga Channel
Days 7 to 10
Maasai Mara
Flown in from Wilson, two days on the plains
Days 10 to 11
Amboseli
Tuskers under Kilimanjaro, then the Namanga border
Days 12 to 13
Ngorongoro Crater
The crater floor at first light
Days 13 to 16
Serengeti
Three nights on the plains, then fly out
When to travel
The windows below are for the countries this journey crosses. Tell us the month you are thinking of and we will say what it means for this route.
Rwanda
- Jun to SepBest
- Long dry season. Firm trails and the easiest trekking of the year.
- Dec to FebStrong
- Short dry window with thinner crowds than the June peak.
- Mar to MayGreen
- Long rains. Hard going underfoot, lowest rates, forest at its most alive.
- Oct to NovMixed
- Short rains arrive in the afternoon. Mornings usually trek fine.
Uganda
- Jun to AugBest
- Dry and firm. The prime trekking window, and it books out early.
- Dec to FebStrong
- Second dry season. Hot in the savannah parks, excellent in the forests.
- Mar to MayGreen
- Heaviest rain. Trails turn, rates drop, birding peaks.
- Sep to NovMixed
- Short rains. Afternoon storms, workable mornings.
Kenya
- Jul to OctBest
- Migration herds in the Mara and dry, concentrated game everywhere else.
- Jan to FebStrong
- Hot and dry. Superb cat viewing without the migration crowd.
- Mar to MayGreen
- Long rains. Lush, quiet, cheap, and some camps close.
- Nov to DecMixed
- Short rains, newborn game, good value ahead of the Christmas peak.
Tanzania
- Jun to OctBest
- Dry season and the Mara River crossings. The headline window.
- Jan to MarStrong
- Calving in the southern Serengeti and predators working the herds.
- Apr to MayGreen
- Long rains. Some mobile camps move or close, rates fall hard.
- Nov to DecMixed
- Short rains and the herds moving south through the Seronera.
What you are likely to see
Listed because this route goes where these animals are, and on which day. None of it is a promise of a sighting, and anyone who gives you a percentage is guessing.
Mountain gorilla
Volcanoes National Park day 2, Rushaga day 4
Two treks, two forests, two countries
Tree-climbing lion
Ishasha sector, day 5
Hippo, buffalo and elephant
Kazinga Channel launch, day 6
Lion and cheetah
Maasai Mara, days 8 and 9
Elephant
Amboseli, day 10
Big tuskers under Kilimanjaro
Black rhino
Ngorongoro Crater floor, day 13
Wildebeest
Serengeti, days 14 to 16
Mara River crossings July to September, Ndutu calving in February
Day by day
Day 1
Land in Kigali, drive to Musanze
Meet at KGL and drive 2 hours north to Musanze and the lodge near Kinigi. Early dinner and a briefing on the border crossing to come.
OvernightMusanze, for Volcanoes National Park. Lodge, full board.
Day 2
Rwanda gorilla trek
Briefing at Kinigi at 7:00, then a trek to your assigned family and 60 minutes with them, in a group of no more than 8. Afternoon rest in Musanze.
OvernightMusanze, for Volcanoes National Park. Lodge, full board.
Day 3
Cross into Uganda
Drive about 1 hour to the Cyanika border, where our Uganda team takes over the vehicle. Rushaga in southern Bwindi is about 3.5 hours beyond.
OvernightRushaga, Bwindi. Lodge, full board.
Day 4
Uganda gorilla trek at Rushaga
Briefing at 7:30, then a trek of one to six hours on steep slopes to a habituated family, with 60 minutes in their company. Uganda's permit is USD 800, against USD 1,500 in Rwanda.
OvernightRushaga, Bwindi. Lodge, full board.
Day 5
Rushaga to Ishasha
Drive about 3.5 hours to the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. An evening drive in the fig woodland for the tree-climbing lions.
OvernightIshasha, Queen Elizabeth. Lodge, full board.
Day 6
Ishasha to Mweya
Game drive north through the park for about 3 hours to the Mweya peninsula. The afternoon launch on the Kazinga Channel shows hippo, buffalo and elephant at close range.
OvernightMweya, Queen Elizabeth. Lodge, full board.
Day 7
Fly to Nairobi
A morning drive, then a scheduled flight from the park airstrip to Entebbe, with a connection to Nairobi in the afternoon.
OvernightNairobi, Karen. Hotel, breakfast.
Days 8 to 9
Maasai Mara
A scheduled flight from Wilson Airport to the Mara takes 45 minutes, and the first game drive starts that afternoon. The second day is a full day on the plains, with Mara River crossings from July to October.
OvernightMaasai Mara. 2 nights, Lodge or tented camp, full board.
Day 10
Mara to Amboseli
A short morning drive, then scheduled flights via Wilson Airport to Amboseli. A late-afternoon drive among the elephants with Kilimanjaro behind.
OvernightAmboseli National Park. Lodge, full board.
Day 11
Amboseli to Arusha
Sunrise at Observation Hill, then 1.5 hours to the Namanga border and about 2 hours on to Arusha, with a change of vehicle and guide at the crossing. Around 5 hours in total with formalities.
OvernightArusha. Hotel, breakfast.
Days 12 to 13
Ngorongoro to the Serengeti
Day 12 is about 3.5 hours to the crater rim. On day 13 we descend at first light for the 260 sq km crater floor, then drive about 4 hours via Olduvai Gorge to the Serengeti.
OvernightNgorongoro rim. Lodge, full board.
OvernightSerengeti. Lodge or tented camp, full board.
Days 14 to 16
Serengeti, then home
Two full days on the plains, in the northern Serengeti for Mara River crossings from July to September, or near Ndutu for the February calving. On day 16, a morning drive and a scheduled flight to Arusha, then a transfer to Kilimanjaro.
OvernightSerengeti. 2 nights, Lodge or tented camp, full board.
Four countries in one trip, over 16 days at a fast pace.
Where you stay
15 nights, in travel order. Prices are per person sharing a twin or double room.
| Nights | Where | Type | Meals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Musanze, for Volcanoes National Park | Lodge | Full board |
| 2 | Rushaga, Bwindi | Lodge | Full board |
| 1 | Ishasha, Queen Elizabeth | Lodge | Full board |
| 1 | Mweya, Queen Elizabeth | Lodge | Full board |
| 1 | Nairobi, Karen | Hotel | Breakfast |
| 2 | Maasai Mara | Lodge or tented camp | Full board |
| 1 | Amboseli National Park | Lodge | Full board |
| 1 | Arusha | Hotel | Breakfast |
| 1 | Ngorongoro rim | Lodge | Full board |
| 3 | Serengeti | Lodge or tented camp | Full board |
Photographs from East Africa Grand Circuit
Included
- Rwanda gorilla permit (USD 1,500) and Uganda gorilla permit (USD 800)
- Park, reserve and conservation fees in all four countries, including the Ngorongoro crater service fee
- Regional flights: Queen Elizabeth to Entebbe, Entebbe to Nairobi, Wilson to the Mara, Mara to Amboseli via Wilson, Serengeti to Arusha
- Private 4x4 with pop-top roof and driver-guide in every country, with border handovers
- Fifteen nights in lodges, hotels and tented camps, sharing a twin or double room
- Full board in the parks, breakfast at the city hotels
- Kazinga Channel launch
- Bottled drinking water in the vehicle
- Airport transfers at Kigali (KGL) and Kilimanjaro (JRO)
Not included
- International flights to Kigali and from Kilimanjaro
- Visas for each country
- Travel insurance, including medical evacuation cover
- Tips for guides, rangers and lodge staff
- Drinks other than bottled water
- Optional balloon safari in the Mara or Serengeti
- Gorilla habituation experience (USD 1,500), Rushaga only, on request
Questions
- Why two gorilla treks on one trip?
- Because they are different mornings in different forests, and the second permit is the cheaper one. Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park on day two at USD 1,500, then Rushaga in southern Bwindi on day four at USD 800, with both permits included.
- How do the border crossings work?
- Our own teams hand over at the border. Musanze to Cyanika is about an hour, where the Uganda team takes the vehicle on, and Rushaga is about 3.5 hours beyond. Amboseli to Arusha runs through Namanga, about five hours in total with formalities and a change of vehicle and guide.
- Which flights are included?
- Five of them: Queen Elizabeth to Entebbe, Entebbe to Nairobi, Wilson to the Maasai Mara, the Mara to Amboseli via Wilson, and the Serengeti to Arusha. They are what makes sixteen days enough for four countries.
- Is sixteen days enough, or too much?
- It is a fast pace and the itinerary says so. Two gorilla treks, Queen Elizabeth, the Mara, Amboseli, Ngorongoro and three nights in the Serengeti is the most we would put in one booking, and it only works because the long legs are flown.
- Do I need a visa for each country?
- Visas for each country are not included in the price and are arranged by you. Tell us your passports when you enquire, because the routing crosses four borders and two of them on the ground.
Enquire about this journey
Tell us your dates and who is coming. We confirm the route, what is still open for those dates and the price per person.
Other journeys
Plan East Africa Grand Circuit around your dates.
Tell us when you want to travel and how many are coming, and we confirm the route and the price.
From USD 11,600 per person sharing a twin or double room. The lead-in price is confirmed on enquiry.