Where our other four-country routes start in Uganda and finish in Tanzania, this explorer runs the opposite direction — opening on Tanzania and Kenya’s open plains, moving through Rwanda and Uganda’s primate forests, and closing at Murchison Falls and the source of the Nile for those who want an adventure-activity finale rather than a crater-floor one.
Detailed Itinerary
DAY 1
Your driver-guide meets you at Kilimanjaro International Airport for the roughly three-hour drive up into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, arriving at your lodge on the crater rim with dramatic views into the caldera below.
Arrive Kilimanjaro, Transfer to Ngorongoro
Accommodation Options
Mid-rangeNgorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
LuxuryNgorongoro Crater Lodge
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
DAY 2
An early descent down the crater’s steep switchback access road onto the floor for a full day of game viewing — lion, elephant, buffalo, and one of East Africa’s most reliable black rhino sightings.
Ngorongoro Crater Floor Game Drive
Accommodation
As above
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 3
The drive down off the highlands and onto the Serengeti’s plains via Naabi Hill gate, the landscape opening into genuinely endless grassland.
Transfer to Serengeti National Park
Accommodation Options
Mid-rangeSerengeti Serena Safari Lodge
LuxuryFour Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 4
A full day across the plains for lion, leopard and, seasonally, the Great Migration.
Full Day Serengeti Game Drives
Accommodation
As above
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 5
A genuinely rare direct option: a light aircraft crossing the Kenya-Tanzania border from the Serengeti straight onto one of the Mara’s airstrips, cutting what would otherwise be a full day of road transfers and border formalities to under an hour in the air. Afternoon game drive on arrival.
Fly to Maasai Mara, Kenya
Accommodation Options
BudgetEnchoro Wildlife Camp
Mid-rangeSarova Mara Game Camp
LuxuryAngama Mara
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 6
A full day across the Mara’s plains for lion, leopard and, in season, migrating wildebeest herds.
Full Day Maasai Mara Game Drives
Accommodation
As above
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 7
A transfer to Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for a regional flight to Kigali, continuing to Kinigi at the base of the Virunga volcanoes.
Fly Nairobi to Kigali, Transfer to Kinigi
Accommodation Options
BudgetKinigi Guest House
Mid-rangeMountain Gorilla View Lodge
LuxuryVirunga Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 8
A 6am wake-up for the 7am briefing opening with a performance by the Kinigi intore dancers, then the trek itself through increasingly misty forest on the volcanic slopes and a strict hour with your gorilla family.
Gorilla Trekking, Volcanoes National Park
Accommodation
As above
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 9
A longer drive south through Rwanda’s terraced hill country and past Huye to Nyungwe Forest, one of the oldest rainforests in Africa.
Transfer to Nyungwe Forest
Accommodation Options
BudgetGisakura Guest House
Mid-rangeNyungwe Top View Hill Hotel
LuxuryNyungwe Forest Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 10
An early trek following a habituated chimpanzee community through Nyungwe’s dense montane forest, followed by Africa’s highest canopy walkway, a suspended bridge roughly 70 metres above the forest floor, in the afternoon.
Chimpanzee Trekking and Canopy Walk, Nyungwe
Accommodation
As above
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 11
The drive back north to Kinigi, then across the Cyanika border into Uganda toward Bwindi, a standard land-border process generally under an hour.
Cross Border to Bwindi, Uganda
Accommodation Options
BudgetBuhoma Community Camp
Mid-rangeEngagi Lodge
LuxuryBuhoma Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 12
7:30am briefing at park headquarters, then the trek itself through dense rainforest, followed by a strict hour with your second gorilla family.
Gorilla Trekking, Bwindi
Accommodation
As above
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 13
A drive north to Kibale Forest National Park via Queen Elizabeth’s Ishasha sector, scanning the fig and euphorbia trees for the sector’s famous tree-climbing lions.
Transfer to Kibale Forest
Accommodation Options
BudgetChimpanzee Forest Guest House
Mid-rangeKibale Forest Camp
LuxuryKyaninga Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 14
A morning chimpanzee trek through Kibale’s forest, then the drive north to Murchison Falls National Park, arriving by evening.
Chimpanzee Trekking, Kibale, Transfer to Murchison Falls
Accommodation Options
BudgetFort Murchison
Mid-rangePakuba Safari Lodge
LuxuryParaa Safari Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 15
A morning game drive across the park’s northern delta plains for lion, giraffe, elephant and buffalo, then an afternoon boat cruise upriver to the base of the falls, where the entire Victoria Nile forces through a gap barely seven metres wide before dropping 43 metres in a roar of spray.
Game Drive and Nile Boat Cruise, Murchison Falls
Accommodation
As above
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 16
The drive south from Murchison Falls runs via Kampala to Jinja, with an optional stop at the official source of the Nile — the point where Lake Victoria’s outflow begins its roughly 6,650km journey to the Mediterranean, marked by a small monument and jetty popular for a short boat ride out to the exact spot. From there it’s on to Entebbe for your onward international flight.
Departure via Jinja
Meals: Breakfast
Permits & Costs
| Ngorongoro Conservation Area fee | ~$70 per person per day, plus crater descent |
| Serengeti & Maasai Mara park/reserve fees | ~$80–$100 per person per day |
| Rwanda gorilla permit | $1,500 per person |
| Nyungwe chimpanzee permit | $100 per person |
| Uganda gorilla & Kibale chimpanzee permits | $800 / $200 per person |
| Murchison Falls entry & boat cruise | ~$100 per person |
Who This Itinerary Suits
Travellers who want the complete four-country experience but prefer to finish on the adventure and scenery of the Nile rather than a second crater visit.Tour Includes
- All ground transport in 4×4 safari vehicles
- All regional flight segments
- Nile boat cruise at Murchison Falls
- Professional English-speaking driver-guides in each country
- All accommodation per itinerary
- Meals as specified
- All permits & park entry fees
Tour Excludes
- International flights
- Optional white-water rafting at Jinja
- Visas
- Tips & gratuities
- Travel insurance