In this 15-Day African Big Cats Safari Tour & Holiday Adventure, you get to encounter a wide range of wildlife, beautiful landscapes, culture, and birds.
Kidepo Valley National Park is located north of Uganda; Serengeti National Park north of Tanzania, and Masai Mara National Reserve in the southwest of Kenya.
You will engage in game drives, cultural adventures, guided nature walks, city tours, and scenic viewing opportunities.
Other destinations include visiting Ngorongoro Conservation Area, an extension of Serengeti National Park, Olduvai Gorge in northern Tanzania, and the Ik and Maasai communities.
This 15-Day African Big Cats Safari Tour & Holiday Adventure is flexible and unforgettable. We plan for the best accommodation facilities, comfortable means of transport, and an expert ranger guide.
The trip starts in Uganda and ends in Arusha, Tanzania.
15-Day Uganda Kenya Tanzania Safari Highlights
- Day 1: Arrival in Uganda & Hotel Transfer
- Day 2: Kampala to Kidepo Valley National Park
- Day 3: Kidepo National Park; Game Drives
- Day 4: Birding and Visit to the Ik People
- Day 5: Fly to Nairobi, Kenya
- Day 6: Drive to Masai Mara National Reserve
- Day 7: Full Day Game Drive
- Day 8: Bird Watching and Sunset Game Drive
- Day 9: Masai Mara to Serengeti National Park
- Day 10: Full Day Game Drive
- Day 11: Full Day with the Maasai Warriors
- Day 12: Transfer to Ngorongoro Crater – Olduvai Gorge Stopover
- Day 13: Full Day Game Drive
- Day 14: Birding and Ngorongoro Crater Expedition
- Day 15: Departure
Detailed 15-Day Uganda Kenya Tanzania Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Uganda & Hotel Transfer
Welcome on your first day of the 15-day safari in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. You will be greeted and briefed by our company driver-guide, who will explain about Kidepo Valley National Park and Uganda.
The adventure begins at Entebbe International Airport as you drive through to Kampala with great views of the vast Lake Victoria.
In Kampala, the oldest and largest city in Uganda, depending on the time, you’ll have lunch at Ndere Entertainment Centre and a subsequent visit to Uganda Museum to uncover historical and cultural treasures before proceeding to your lodge for dinner and a peaceful night.
Day 2: Kampala to Kidepo Valley National Park
Set off for Kidepo Valley National Park after a delicious breakfast at your hotel in Kampala. It is a 9-10 hour drive on both marram and tarmac roads, with great views of rolling hills, plantations, busy towns, and grand buildings.
A flight takes roughly 1-2 hours, offering a great aerial view of the landscape below. The park is situated at the extreme northeast of Uganda, neighboring South Sudan.
Have a stopover at Bomah Hotel or similar in Gulu city for lunch before proceeding to your lodge in the park for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Kidepo National Park; Game Drives
Wake up very early in the morning to watch numerous mammals grazing in the Narus Valley and witness a beautiful sunrise at the Apoka viewpoint.
Kidepo Valley National Park is one of the best-savanna parks in Africa, offering opportunities to encounter predators and prey grazing together, resting, or hunting.
Notable residents include lions, herds of buffaloes, waterbuck, oribis, giraffes, zebras, and warthogs.
Besides mammals, also enjoy the captivating landscape, flora like the Borassus trees, and birds such as the ostrich.
Lunch will be served at noon as you rest and prepare for the night game drive in search of nocturnal creatures. At sunset, return to the lodge for dinner and a peaceful night’s sleep.
Day 4: Birding and Visit to the Ik People
Birding is best done at sunrise in areas like Apoka Rest Camp, Namamukweny Valley, and the Lomej Hills, where you can spot elusive species like ostriches, purple herons, ground hornbills, Abyssinian rollers, and many more.
The activity lasts about 2-3 hours. As the sun starts to scorch, return to the lodge for breakfast, then embark on a thrilling cultural encounter with the Ik people, one of the oldest indigenous groups in Uganda.
The Ik people are pastoralists, part of the Karamoja people but with a unique story and way of life. During your visit, participate in a community tour, cultural dances, stories, and taste their traditional food, which primarily consists of animal products such as beef, milk, and blood.
Return to the lodge at sunset for dinner and rest.
Day 5: Fly to Nairobi, Kenya
After a memorable stay in Africa’s true wilderness, Kidepo Valley National Park, check out after breakfast for a transfer to Entebbe International Airport.
By road, the journey takes approximately 9-10 hours, passing through amazing landscapes and various plantations, with a lunch stopover in Gulu city.
By flight, it takes about 1-2 hours, offering an aerial view of the captivating landscape en route to Entebbe International Airport, with lunch near the airport.
Fly to Nairobi, Kenya, where our company representative will warmly welcome and brief you about what Kenya has to offer.
Then, be driven to your hotel for refreshments, dinner, and overnight stay.
Day 6: Drive to Masai Mara National Reserve
At daybreak, enjoy a relaxed breakfast at the hotel and wait to be picked up by an expert driver-guide who will brief you on trip details before embarking on a 5-6 hour drive to Masai Mara National Reserve.
Masai Mara is famous for its large population of predators and other wildlife species.
During the journey, take a 30-minute stopover at the Great Rift Valley for photography and another at Narok Center for lunch.
The drive from Narok to the park lasts approximately 2 hours on mostly murram roads. Enjoy the scenic drive through various plantations.
Arrive at your lodge in the park with a sunset game drive, check-in for dinner, and overnight stay.
Day 7: Full Day Game Drive
After breakfast, spend the entire day exploring the plains of Masai Mara Reserve in search of prey and predators in their natural habitats.
Look out for lions, leopards, cheetahs, buffaloes, rhinos, impalas, zebras, warthogs, wildebeests, and cape buffaloes, as well as birds such as flamingos, ostriches, and primates.
Have a picnic lunch and spend the rest of the evening along the Mara River shores, taking photos and spotting hippos, crocodiles, and elephants.
Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Bird Watching and Sunset Game Drive
After breakfast, head to the park for a guided nature walk and birding experience in designated birding sites.
With the guidance of an experienced birding expert, discover excellent birdlife and a variety of species, including migrants such as ostriches, flamingos, kingfishers, lovebirds, and more.
Follow the birding experience with a delicious lunch and relaxation before an evening sunset game drive.
During the 3-4 hour drive, listen to the sounds of owls and other nocturnal animals before returning to the lodge for dinner and rest.
Day 9: Masai Mara to Serengeti National Park
Enjoy a delicious breakfast before checking out of the lodge for a transfer to Serengeti National Park, home to one of the natural wonders of the world, the great wildebeest migration.
At the Kenya-Tanzania border post, your documents will be verified before continuing to have lunch and drive to our lodge in the park for dinner and overnight.
Enjoy breathtaking views of undulating hills and landscapes along the way.
Day 10: Full Day Game Drive
Have breakfast at daybreak and then embark on a rewarding game drive in Seronera and other parts of the park.
Explore Serengeti’s vast plains and encounter wildebeests, lions, leopards, waterbucks, cheetahs, giraffes, impalas, hippos, wild dogs, and more.
Enjoy a bush lunch followed by refreshments and a night game drive to spot nocturnal birds and mammals such as owls and hyenas.
End the day with dinner and a comfortable night’s sleep.
Day 11: Full Day with the Maasai Warriors
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the lodge before visiting the Maasai warriors.
Maasai culture is one of the most dominant and interesting in Africa.
Tour their community, known as Manyattas, listen to stories, and enjoy traditional meals. The Maasai warriors are typically dressed in traditional attire adorned with jewelry and a stick.
The Maasai are pastoralists who rely on cattle and its products for wealth and sustenance. They live outside the park.
Return to the lodge in the evening with a night game drive, followed by dinner and overnight stay.
Day 12: Transfer to Ngorongoro Crater – Olduvai Gorge Stopover
Start the day with a cup of coffee and set off for Ngorongoro Crater with a game drive. En route, visit the ancient Olduvai Gorge, where fossils of the earliest humans (Zinjanthropus) were discovered.
Spend about an hour before proceeding to have lunch at your lodge overlooking Ngorongoro Crater. Spend the evening relaxing and enjoy a guided nature walk before dinner and overnight rest.
Day 13: Full Day Game Drive
After breakfast, head to the park with packed lunch for a full-day game drive in the expansive Ngorongoro Crater, observing both nocturnal and diurnal animals in their habitats.
Spot lions, rhinos, elephants, impalas, giraffes, cape buffaloes, leopards, ostriches, baboons, and olive monkeys.
Have a picnic lunch in the wild and return to your lodge late in the evening for relaxation, dinner, and overnight stay. Ngorongoro Conservation Area is an extension of Serengeti National Park.
Day 14: Birding and Ngorongoro Crater Expedition
Start the day with a delicious breakfast, followed by a 3-hour morning bird-watching experience.
Over 500 unique bird species have been recorded here, including lesser flamingos, flycatchers, kori bustards, crowned cranes, ostriches, black kites, and the Livingstone Turaco.
Migrants can be found from November to April, providing ample opportunities for birders.
Return to the lodge for refreshments and lunch before heading to the top of the crater for extensive exploration of one of the world’s largest calderas, witnessing breathtaking landscapes, the Big 5, and other animal habitats. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay when done.
Day 15: Departure
Begin the day with a relaxed breakfast at the lodge and then check out for a transfer to Arusha or Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Enjoy amazing views of locals enjoying sunrise, lush green vegetation, and amazing landscapes. After lunch, your driver-guide will drop you off at the agreed-upon point.
End of the 15-Day African Big Cats Safaris Tour & Holiday Adventure Safari.
