Perfect Serengeti migration & gorilla trekking safari; wildlife with river Nile tours
Combined Serengeti migration & gorilla trekking safari Overview
The Serengeti migration & gorilla trekking safari is an ultimate beginners’ & a travitude’s perfect Africa safari expedition which guarantees some of the world’s unique primate species and apes and the most highly concentrated game parks on the African continent. A combined Serengeti migration, gorilla trekking, source of the river Nile, chimpanzee tracking, Africa’s wilderness and soft white sands of Zanzibar island is one of the best multi-national Africa safari for first timers and safari lovers.
Arrival & departure: Kigali/Entebbe- Dar-es-salaam
- Day 1- arrive and travel to Mgahinga NP
- Day 2- golden monkeys & nature walks at Mgahinga
- Day 3- gorilla trekking at Bwindi impenetrable park
- Day 4-5- Queen Elizabeth wildlife park
- Day 6- chimpanzee tracking at Kibale
- Day 7- Semuliki hot springs & nature walks
- Day 8-9- Murchison falls N.P
- Day 10- Kampala city tour & night life
- Day 11-12- source of the river Nile, boat cruise/ water rafting & bungee jumping
- Day 13- transfer to Serengeti N.P
- Day 14-15- Serengeti wildebeest migration
- Day 16-17 Ngorongoro crater & wilderness
- Day 18- Tarangire Africa’s big 5 game drives
- Day 19- l. Manyara, flamingos & tree climbing lions
- Day 20- Kilimanjaro Mt. sceneries & national park
- Day 21-24- Zanzibar to depart
Detailed Serengeti migration & gorilla trekking safari itinerary
On arrival at Kigali international airport, you will be picked by our guide and drive for 4 hours to either Bwindi or Mgahinga national parks which are homes to 53% of the world’s population of mountain gorillas on the planet and highest golden monkeys population. An earlier arrival will allow us take you around Kigali city; one of the cleanest cities in Africa with its malls, eco parks, resorts, golf courses, restaurants and lounges, art and craft shops, museums etc. You will also have a stop-over at lake Bunyonyi, one of the most beautiful and deepest crater lake in Africa. Reaching at these mountain gorilla parks you will have a rest till the next day.
Accommodation: Mgahinga lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Early in the morning after breakfast and a briefing, you will hike the volcanic mountains of the Mgahinga to a height of 2,500 meters above sea level in the bamboo forests of the montane region where these unique primates reside. Golden monkeys have orange-yellow like hair color that give them that distinguished golden look living in families of hundreds and have a very playful character, they will keep you so entertained. Along the hike, you will also observe other primates like the red tailed monkeys, white and black colobus monkeys, reptiles, Albertine rift endemics and many more bird species.
Accommodation: Buhoma lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Very early in the morning you will embark on a four-hour journey to Bwindi impenetrable forest in Uganda for a morning gorilla trekking tour. On arrival you will have a briefing on the gorilla behaviors, livelihoods and how to handle their reactions to the human presence. Getting to find the mountain gorillas on a trek in Uganda is a 99% chance backed up by the gorilla population in this region. After the trek, you will have an experience with the Batwa people who have for all their life time co-existed with the forest and its species. During this nature walk you will experience numerous bird species with particularly 23 Albertine endemics that are habitats to only the Albertine region. Following gorilla tracking, you will set out to the Ishasha sector of the Queen Elizabeth national park best known for its tree climbing lions.
Accommodation: Elephant plains lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
This day you will have morning and evening game drives to various parts of the park for a lot of wonderful scenic view of the Rwenzori mountains and its slopes, the Africa’s big 5 game; elephant herds, lion families, leopards, hippo herds, hyenas, wild dogs, Uganda kobs, water bucks, antelopes, baboons, monkeys, crocodiles, crater lakes, reptiles, raptors, sun birds and many more awaiting your memorable tour in this game park. You will head out to the Kazinga channel (a river connecting lakes Edward and George) for a morning boat cruise through queen Elizabeth national park.
Kazinga channel in Queen Elizabeth game park
At this Serengeti migration & gorilla trekking safari experience you will have a glance at the world’s largest concentration of hippos which are numbered above 5,000 at the Kazinga channel, Nile crocodiles, buffaloes, elephants, lions, water bucks, giraffes, kobs, kudus etc. also coming in onto the banks of the Kazinga channel to quench their thirst. After the boat cruise, you will embark on a game drive around this channel and beyond into the vast savannah grassland to enjoy more game viewing, scenic views of snow capped mountain Rwenzori and also once again come across the equator landmark as it crosses through queen Elizabeth national game park.
Accommodation: Mweya safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
On this day you will head to one of the most gorgeous places in this East African region for its remarkable features and as a landmark position between East and Central Africa thus having vegetation and forests of characteristics of both regions. Semuliki national park has hot springs that were a result of geothermal actions dating thousands of years back; these produce water fountains of over 100°C producing white mist and smoke in the forests. It’s a common for visitors to buy raw eggs and boil them at the hot water point. Semuliki game park is also an intersection of the East Africa savannah grasslands and central African tropical forests thus harboring numerous tree species of the west and central African forests with 435 bird species, 11 primate species and 53 mammal species.
Accommodation: Semuliki safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Today on Serengeti migration & gorilla trekking safari, you will head to Kibale national park known for chimpanzee tracking and for having the highest population & concentration of chimpanzees in world numbering above 1,500 individuals in the park. Afternoon chimpanzee tracking sessions start at 14:00 and takes 2-5 hours with a more than 90% chance of meeting the chimpanzees; a forest walk that will come along with numerous sceneries of more than 370 bird species of grassland, forest, swamp and Albertine rift region endemics, 350 tree species and 71 mammal species. Other primates in the park include the L’hoest monkeys, colobus monkeys, blue monkey, olive baboon, red tailed monkey, vervet monkeys. Mammal species include leopards, lions, elephants, water bucks, warthogs, giant forest hog, sitatungas, hippos, buffaloes, hyenas, jackals, and other nocturnal species.
Accommodation: Primates safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Serengeti migration & gorilla trekking safari will get you to sections of the Murchison falls national park to continue exploring this vast grassland and its remarkable wild game. You will be amazed with many elephant herds and their playful young ones, lion families, rothschild’s giraffes, waterbucks, buffaloes, baboons, reptiles, numerous bird species among others. Following game drives, you will have a trek up to view the magnificent Murchison falls from above and watch the strongest falls on the planet, gashing 3,000 cubic liters of water per second through an eight-meter corridor cascading down a 43-meter height into the “the devil’s caldron” forming a white mist and a signature rainbow producing a loud sound from the powerful force of the water of the river Nile.
Boat cruises on the river Nile
After lunch you will then head to the banks of the river Nile for a boat cruise towards the face of the Murchison water falls. While on the boat cruise, you will have scene of various water birds like the shoebills, raptors, geese among others, hippos and a great number of huge nile crocodiles and many more mammals that approach the river banks to quench their thirst like buffaloes, elephants and the scenes are endless. You will also have a boat cruise to the Nile delta as it flows back to the albertine peninsular, an experience that obviously unmatchable as you watch the waters of the river Nile anchor the wild and its species.
Accommodation: Pakuba safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Kampala and its streets tour will get you to various historical administrative, economic and cultural sites and centers in the city have affected the development of Uganda such as Kasubi tombs, Rubaga cathedral, Namirembe cathedral, Qaddafi mosque, Baha’i temple etc. Food and commodity markets around Kampala are so interesting and have a great reflection of how the county’s population survives; these will get you have some taste on fresh fruits, vegetables grown in the country and street food delicacies. Later on in the evening, you will have a nightlife experience in the bars and lounges of Kampala city till resting time as you wait for the next day.
Accommodation: Imperial royale hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Beginning section of the river Nile has numerous water falls that have become common water sport points to tourists and adventurers from all corners of the world. Some of the falls include Owen falls, Bujagali falls, Ripon falls, Itanda falls & Busowoko falls with clean white waters are the most entertaining on the river course throughout Africa offering the best bungee jumping point, water rafting, horse riding at the river banks, water surfing, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, river boarding, quad biking around the river banks on Serengeti migration tours & gorilla trekking safari. You will also take a boat to reach the source of the Nile where 30% of the water emanates from underground streams and 70% from Lake Victoria. Green sparsely forested areas will provide a chilling breeze for nature walks and relaxations that will grant you a memorable time at the source of the river Nile.
Accommodation: Whispers of the Nile lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Day 13 transfer to Serengeti
This day will get you embark on a road trip from Uganda across the border to Tanzania all the way to the Serengeti national park in northern Tanzania to continue your Serengeti migration & gorilla trekking safari.
Accommodation: TAASA lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
On this day, you will head out to Serengeti national park, the home of the great wildebeest migration. Never disappointing right from the time of entry till exit, this park is one of the largest parks in Africa and in the world and one of those with the highest concentration of wild game per square km in the world ranging from the Africa’s big 5 to the ugly 5 and more than 500 bird species. don’t miss watching numerous lion families, elephant herds, wildebeests, zebras, buffaloes, giraffes, hippos, hyenas, leopards, cheetahs, waterbucks, gazelles, kobs, reptiles, wild dogs, foxes, vultures, eagles, turacos, secretary birds a few but to mention this endless list.
Accommodation: Serengeti safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
This day will find you at the world’s largest crater and its vegetation that gets look like the “garden of Eden” will leave you amazed with the large number of wildebeests, zebras, buffaloes, elephants, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, hippos, elands, kobs, bush bucks, waterbucks, rhinos among others and numerous bird species such as turaco, great kingfisher, abdim’s stork, white-backed vulture among others; along with various features such as Ndutu plains, Gol mountain, Endoro waterfalls, Olduvai gorge, shifting sands among others.
Accommodation: Marera valley lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
On this day, you will head to Tarangire national park to continue enjoying amazing discoveries of the wild. Tarangire game park is enriched with Africa’s big 5 game; lions, leopards, elephants, cheetahs, buffaloes, giraffes, hippos, baboons, hyenas, wildebeests, zebras, crocodiles in the Tarangire river that anchors the park’s ecosystem, gazelles, kobs, water bucks, warthogs, ancient baobab trees that are scattered all over the park etc. Tarangire game park is also resident to over 550 bird species making it a worthy birding destination.
Accommodation: Tarangire Sopa lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Day 19 Lake Manyara national park
Today you will be at lake Manyara national park known for its tree climbing lions a behavior not common for lions and huge elephant herds. Lake Manyara that anchors the park’s ecosystem is a soda ash lake and attracts thousands of flamingos for food and residence making it a perfect biding haven. Other wild life in the park include leopards, cheetahs, hippos, buffaloes, giraffes, oribis, hyenas, gazelles, kobs, waterbucks, zebras, and many more numerous bird species.
Accommodation: Lake Manyara wildlife lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
This day you will head to Kilimanjaro national park for some a whole new adventure. Kilimanjaro game park offers several safari experience such as wild game drives, hiking, picnics and camping. Also, you will have the best sceneries of Africa’s highest snow-capped mountain and its biodiversity that harbors the largest herds of the African elephants along with lions, leopards, buffaloes, giraffes, hippos, hyenas, gazelles, kobs, waterbucks and numerous bird species. the combination of both montane and savannah grassland will give you the best environmental sceneries.
Accommodation: Kilima safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Day 21 transfer to Zanzibar
On this day you will have another road trip from Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar to get to the shiny white sand beaches of the Indian ocean to relax from the Serengeti migration & gorilla trekking safari.
Accommodation: Golden tulip hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
On this day you will be woken up by a beautiful sunrise from the horizon of the Indian ocean and set out onto the shiny white sands of Zanzibar engages you in various activities during your stay there such as; scuba diving, swimming, kite rafting, horse riding, nature walks, sea creature viewing like sea turtles, dolphins, corals, spot fishing, enjoying sea food cuisines and coconut cocktails, beach sports, camp fires etc. Tours around the ancient slave trade and coastal traditions that have gone through several civilizations like the Arabic, Portuguese and British occupation in the past such as stone town along with activities that have remained unique to the island such as spice manufacturing and trade. This is one of the best ways to end a Serengeti migration & gorilla trekking safari. On the third day you will head back to Dar es salaam for your departure.
Accommodation: Lux Marijani (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
When is the best time for a combined Serengeti migration & gorilla trekking safari?
This long slow travel combined Serengeti migration & gorilla trekking safari starting from Kigali, Rwanda to Uganda and finally in Tanzania can best done during the region’s sunny/ summer season months of June- August and December to February. Summer time in the savannah grassland and Africa’s tropical forests offers the best trekking and game drive experiences given maneuverable less slippery roads and short dry grasses that easily expose wild animals for great sightings on game drives. Start planning your safari travel with experts at Travitude safari tours for great memorable wildlife safaris.
Inclusions
- Gorilla trekking permits
- Chimpanzee tracking permits
- Golden monkey tracking permits
- Park entry fees
- All excursions indicated in the itinerary
- Laundry
- Government taxes
- Transport 4×4 safari landcruiser
- Driver & guide
- Bottled drinking water
- Airport transfers
Exclusions
- International flights
- Travel insurance
- Visa fees & processing
- Extra activities, meals, alcohol/ liquor not on itinerary
- Tipping & gratitude
- Souvenirs & snacks
- Any changes to the itinerary
- Accommodation after the end of the trip
- Anything not mentioned
Your safari route map
Other Africa similar safari packages
- 1 day Uganda gorilla trekking safari
- 2 days Fly-in Uganda gorillas safari
- 3 days Uganda gorilla trekking safari
- 4 days Serengeti wildebeest migration safari
- 4 days Zanzibar experience
- 5 days Tanzania birding safari
- 5 days Uganda birding safari
- 6 days Tanzania wildlife experience
- 6 days gorilla trekking & wildlife Uganda safari
- 7 days Masai Mara- Serengeti safari
- 7 days Tanzania wildlife experience
- 7 days Uganda- Rwanda wildlife safari
- 8 days Serengeti- Amboseli- Diani safari
- 9 days Tanzania birding expedition
- 10 days Source of the river Nile- Masai Mara safari
- 10 day Tanzania safari experience
- 10 days Kenya- Tanzania safari
- 10 days Serengeti- Zanzibar safari
- 16 days gorilla trekking- source of the river Nile- Masai Mara safari
- 18 days Uganda birding & primates safari
- 21 days gorilla trekking- R. Nile & wildlife Uganda safari
- 24 days Rwanda-Uganda-Kenya-Tanzania wildlife safari
- 30 days Uganda birding & wildlife safari
More Africa travel tips/ information
- Facts about mountain gorillas
- Africa’s big 5 wildlife safaris
- Top Africa safari packages
- Wildebeest migration
- Chimpanzee tracking safaris
- Shoebills & birding safaris
- Guide to Africa safari
- Scuba diving & snorkeling
- Soft white sand beach holidays & vacations
- Bungee jumping at the river Nile
- Activities to do on safari visits to Africa
- Night life experiences in African cities
- Source of the river Nile safari experiences & expeditions
- Cultural tours
- Best places to visit in Uganda
- Safari visits to Africa and vacation packages
- Bird watching on Africa safaris
- Serengeti wildebeest migration safaris
- Zanzibar island vacation
- Summer safari visits in Africa
- Wilderness game drives on Africa safari