10 Days Tanzania & Uganda Safari

10 Days Tanzania & Uganda Safari

This 10 Days Tanzania & Uganda Safari links two of East Africa’s strongest wildlife experiences that rarely appear on the same itinerary: three days of open-plains game viewing in Tanzania’s Serengeti and Tarangire, followed by a flight to Uganda for chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest and mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

The Tanzania leg opens with Tarangire’s elephant herds and baobab landscape before settling into two full days of game drives across the Serengeti. A night flight to Entebbe (booked separately) then shifts the trip entirely: tea plantations, a swamp walk in search of primates and birds, and two of Africa’s most sought-after treks, chimpanzees in Kibale and gorillas in Bwindi.

This itinerary suits travelers who want both a classic savannah safari and primate trekking in a single trip, and who are comfortable booking their own Tanzania-to-Uganda flight to connect the two halves of the journey.

Quick Facts

Highlights

• Day 1: Pick up, drive to Tarangire National Park
• Day 2: Drive to Serengeti National Park, game drive
• Days 3 & 4: Full day Serengeti
• Day 5: Night flight to Entebbe (own booking)
• Day 6: Drive to Kibale National Park, Bigodi swamp walk
• Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking, tea plantation visit
• Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
• Day 9: Gorilla trekking experience
• Day 10: Departure

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Pick Up, Drive to Tarangire National Park

To begin your safari, you will be picked up from your hotel in Arusha or at Kilimanjaro International Airport. Continue to Tarangire National Park, Tanzania’s third-largest, known for its huge elephant herds and baobab trees. On arrival, take a game drive in search of elephants, zebras, cheetahs, and leopards, among others. Enjoy lunch and continue exploring the park until evening before heading to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Tarangire Ndovu Tented Lodge

Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner

Day 2: Drive to Serengeti National Park, Game Drive

After breakfast, transfer to Serengeti National Park, home to a diversity of wildlife ranging from the Big Five to the smallest mammals and birds. Enjoy lunch en route, and with a game drive along the way, arrive at your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Melia Serengeti Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Days 3 & 4: Full Day Serengeti

Spend two days exploring Serengeti National Park, Tanzania’s most popular safari destination. Morning and afternoon game drives bring sightings of wildebeest, lions, leopards, rhinos, gazelles, giraffes, cheetahs, elands, and warthogs, among others.

Enjoy a picnic lunch and continue exploring the park until evening, checking in at your lodge each night for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 5: Night Flight to Entebbe (Own Booking)

Enjoy an early breakfast at the lodge before checking out for the departure drive back toward Arusha, with a further game drive as you leave the park and cross the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. You will be dropped at the airport in time for your flight to Entebbe.

On arrival in Entebbe, your driver-guide will meet you for the transfer to your hotel, with check-in, dinner, and an overnight stay to follow.

Accommodation: Protea Hotel by Marriott

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 6: Drive to Kibale National Park, Bigodi Swamp Walk

Have an early breakfast, meet your driver-guide, and transfer to Kibale National Park, known as the primate capital of the world, home to 13 primate species including chimpanzees, black-and-white colobus monkeys, and olive baboons.

Along the way, stop at the Equator crossing for photos and the chance to stand in both hemispheres at once. Continue to Kibale with lunch in Fort Portal, arriving in the park in the afternoon for a Bigodi swamp walk, where you can expect further birds and primates.

Accommodation: Chimpundu Safari Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 7: Chimpanzee Trekking Experience, Tea Plantation Visit

Wake early for breakfast before heading to the park headquarters for a briefing on chimpanzee trekking. The trek into the forest takes approximately two to four hours or more, depending on the chimpanzees’ movement.

Spend an hour in the presence of these intelligent primates, watching them play, feed, and groom each other, with plenty of opportunity for photos and video, before trekking back to the starting point. Return to your lodge for lunch, then visit the local tea plantations in the afternoon before returning for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Chimpundu Safari Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After a leisurely breakfast, check out and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to the rare and endangered mountain gorilla, with lunch en route. Along the way, you will pass through local communities and take in the landscape. Arrive at your lodge, check in for dinner, and settle in for an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Bwindi Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Baby Gorilla

Day 9: Gorilla Trekking Experience

Wake early for breakfast before heading to the park headquarters for a briefing on gorilla trekking. In groups of eight, head into the forest with armed rangers and guides in search of mountain gorillas. The trek usually takes two to eight hours, depending on where the gorillas settled the previous night. Once located, you will spend an hour watching them play, feed, and groom each other.

Afterward, trek back to the starting point, meet your driver-guide, and return to your lodge for an evening of rest, or take part in an optional Batwa community tour.

Accommodation: Bwindi Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 10: Departure

After an early breakfast at the lodge, check out and proceed to Entebbe International Airport or your hotel in Entebbe, bringing your Tanzania and Uganda safari to an end.

What’s Included

• Hotel and lodge accommodation for the duration of the safari
• Transportation during the safari — a land cruiser in Tanzania, a van in Uganda
• Professional safari and tour guide-driver throughout
• All national park fees
• All meals on the safari
• All game viewing activities specified
• Gorilla permit
• Chimpanzee permit
• Drinking water while on safari

What’s Not Included

• Flights and visas
• Items of a personal nature such as beverages, laundry, and tips
• Hotel accommodation before or after the safari
• Travel insurance
• Anything else not included in the itinerary