Building on our 10-day core route, this version adds two extra days of genuine game driving — Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda and Akagera in Rwanda — either side of the gorilla treks, so the trip balances primates with proper savanna wildlife before the Mara and Ngorongoro legs.
Detailed Itinerary
DAY 1
Your driver-guide meets you at Entebbe International Airport for the drive south-west toward Queen Elizabeth National Park, a more direct route than the Bwindi-bound trips, roughly 5–6 hours via Masaka and Mbarara, arriving in time for an afternoon game drive across the Kasenyi plains as the light softens.
Arrive Entebbe, Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Accommodation Options
BudgetSimba Safari Camp
Mid-rangeKatara Lodge
LuxuryMweya Safari Lodge
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
DAY 2
An early morning game drive followed by a late-morning boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, the narrow waterway linking Lakes Edward and George, reliably delivering some of the highest hippo and Nile crocodile density anywhere in Uganda alongside strong birdlife working the banks.
Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise and Game Drive
Accommodation
As above
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 3
A scenic drive south through the Kigezi highlands to Bwindi, the road climbing steadily through terraced hillsides, arriving in time to rest before the following day’s trek and get the evening trekking briefing.
Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Accommodation Options
BudgetBuhoma Community Camp
Mid-rangeEngagi Lodge
LuxuryBuhoma Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 4
7:30am briefing at park headquarters, rangers assigning trekking groups of up to eight to specific habituated families, then the trek itself through dense, often muddy rainforest — thirty minutes to six hours — followed by a strict hour with the family.
Gorilla Trekking, Bwindi
Accommodation
As above
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 5
The drive to the Cyanika border post takes under two hours from most Bwindi sectors. The crossing is a standard land-border process, generally under an hour, and a Rwanda-based driver-guide continues you on to Kinigi at the base of the Virunga volcanoes.
Cross Border to Kinigi, Rwanda
Accommodation Options
BudgetKinigi Guest House
Mid-rangeMountain Gorilla View Lodge
LuxuryVirunga Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 6
A 6am wake-up for the drive to park headquarters, the 7am briefing opening with a performance by the Kinigi intore dancers, then the trek itself through increasingly misty forest on the volcanic slopes — noticeably different terrain from Bwindi’s rainforest two days before — and the strict hour with your second gorilla family.
Gorilla Trekking, Volcanoes National Park
Accommodation
As above
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 7
The drive east crosses Rwanda’s rolling hills, gradually flattening into Akagera’s drier savanna — a genuinely different landscape from the volcanic north. Arrival with time for an evening game drive as the light softens.
Transfer to Akagera National Park
Accommodation Options
Mid-rangeAkagera Game Lodge
LuxuryMagashi Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 8
A transfer to Kigali International Airport for a flight via Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, connecting on to one of the Maasai Mara’s airstrips for an afternoon game drive on arrival.
Fly to Nairobi, Transfer to Maasai Mara
Accommodation Options
BudgetEnchoro Wildlife Camp
Mid-rangeSarova Mara Game Camp
LuxuryAngama Mara
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 9
A full day across the Mara’s plains for lion, leopard and, in season, the migrating wildebeest herds, split by a picnic lunch wherever the morning’s sightings take you.
Full Day Maasai Mara Game Drives
Accommodation
As above
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 10
A flight via Nairobi to Kilimanjaro International Airport or Arusha’s smaller airstrip, then the road transfer up into the Ngorongoro highlands to the crater rim.
Fly to Arusha, Transfer to Ngorongoro
Accommodation Options
Mid-rangeNgorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
LuxuryNgorongoro Crater Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 11
An early descent onto the crater floor for a full day among lion, elephant and black rhino, within a genuinely compact, easily covered area.
Ngorongoro Crater Floor Game Drive
Accommodation
As above
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 12
Transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward international flight.
Departure
Meals: Breakfast
Permits & Costs
| Uganda gorilla permit | $800 per person |
| Rwanda gorilla permit | $1,500 per person |
| Queen Elizabeth NP entry & boat cruise | ~$70 per person |
| Akagera park entry | ~$100 per person per day |
| Ngorongoro Conservation Area fee | ~$70 per person per day, plus crater descent |
Who This Itinerary Suits
Travellers who want the four-country flagship route but aren’t satisfied with gorillas alone — this version guarantees genuine Big Five game viewing in both Uganda and Rwanda before the Mara and Ngorongoro legs.Tour Includes
- All ground transport in 4×4 safari vehicles
- Kazinga Channel boat cruise
- Regional flight segments
- Professional English-speaking driver-guides in each country
- All accommodation per itinerary
- Meals as specified
- Gorilla permits, park entry & crater descent fees
Tour Excludes
- International flights
- Visas
- Tips & gratuities
- Travel insurance