15-Day Ultimate East Africa Group Safari

Price: [PRICE TO BE CONFIRMED] per person sharing (based on a group of 6-12 travellers)

Upcoming departure dates:

• 3rd – 17th July 2027
• 14th – 28th August 2027
• 4th – 18th September 2027

This is our most comprehensive group itinerary, combining Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania into a single trip. Prefer a shorter or single-country version? Browse our Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania safari pages for private alternatives.

Our most complete group departure, this 15-day journey takes in Uganda’s chimpanzee and gorilla trekking, Rwanda’s golden monkeys, and Tanzania’s Serengeti and Ngorongoro wildlife circuit, connected by a short flight between Kigali and Kilimanjaro. Travelling with 6 to 12 fellow group members, you’ll cover three countries and the region’s full range of primate and wildlife experiences without the logistics of arranging it all privately.

This itinerary suits travellers who want a single, comprehensive East African trip rather than choosing between gorillas and the Great Migration.

Why 15 Days Instead of Two Shorter Trips

Many of our group travellers ask whether it makes more sense to book our 8-day Uganda trip and our 12-day Tanzania trip separately rather than this combined itinerary. The honest answer is that a combined trip is more time and cost-efficient if you already know you want both experiences: this itinerary shares group logistics, avoids two separate sets of international flights, and is priced to reflect that efficiency, while still giving each destination proper time rather than compressing everything into a rushed circuit.

Best Time for This Itinerary

Our July, August and September departures align with East Africa’s dry season across all three countries, giving the firmest trekking conditions in Uganda and Rwanda alongside strong migration viewing chances in the northern Serengeti. This overlap is precisely why these months work so well for a combined itinerary: booking Uganda and Tanzania separately in their own best seasons would otherwise mean two separate trips at different times of year.

Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe

Meet the group at Entebbe International Airport and transfer to your hotel for a welcome briefing and dinner.

Meals: Dinner

Day 2: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

Drive to Kibale Forest through Uganda’s scenic crater lakes region, arriving in time for dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 3: Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale

A morning tracking chimpanzees through Kibale’s forest trails, followed by an afternoon community walk through Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Drive south to Bwindi, arriving in the afternoon to rest ahead of tomorrow’s gorilla trek.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 5: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi

A full day tracking mountain gorillas through Bwindi’s forest, spending an hour with a habituated family once found.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 6: Batwa Cultural Encounter and Transfer Towards Rwanda

A morning cultural experience with the Batwa community, followed by the drive towards the Rwanda border.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 7: Cross into Rwanda and Transfer to Volcanoes National Park

Cross the border into Rwanda and continue to Kinigi, arriving in the afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 8: Golden Monkey Trekking

A morning trek to see Rwanda’s endangered golden monkeys, followed by free time or an optional Dian Fossey Karisoke hike.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 9: Transfer to Kigali and Fly to Kilimanjaro

Drive to Kigali and take a connecting flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport, transferring to Arusha for the night.

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 10: Transfer to Tarangire National Park

Drive to Tarangire National Park, known for its baobab trees and large elephant herds, with an afternoon game drive.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 11: Transfer to Serengeti National Park

Continue to the Serengeti via the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with a stop at the crater rim viewpoint.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 12: Serengeti Game Drive

A full day of game viewing across the Serengeti’s plains, tracking the wildebeest migration’s likely position for the season.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 13: Transfer to Ngorongoro and Crater Floor Game Drive

Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive across its wildlife-dense floor.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 14: Maasai Cultural Village Visit and Transfer to Arusha

Visit a Maasai village near Ngorongoro to learn about traditional cattle-keeping culture, before returning to Arusha for a final group dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 15: Departure

Transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your departure flight, marking the end of the group safari.

Meals: Breakfast

Your Destinations in Depth

Kibale Forest and Bwindi, Uganda

Kibale holds Africa’s highest primate density, including around 1,500 chimpanzees, while Bwindi’s ancient rainforest shelters roughly half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. Trekking both on this trip gives you Uganda’s two signature primate experiences within the first week.

Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

Part of the Virunga Massif shared with Uganda and Congo, Volcanoes National Park is where primatologist Dian Fossey conducted her pioneering gorilla research, and today offers some of the most accessible golden monkey trekking in the region.

The Serengeti and Ngorongoro, Tanzania

The Serengeti supports the largest terrestrial mammal migration on Earth, while Ngorongoro’s crater floor concentrates an estimated 25,000 large mammals within a fixed volcanic caldera, together forming one of Africa’s most complete wildlife circuits.

Three Countries, One Connected Story

Rather than three disconnected trips bundled together, this itinerary follows a genuine geographic and ecological arc: Uganda and Rwanda share the same Albertine Rift primate habitat, while the overland border crossing and short Kigali-Kilimanjaro flight into Tanzania’s savannah ecosystem give a real sense of how dramatically East Africa’s landscape changes across a relatively short distance.

A Shared Conservation Story

Mountain gorillas were once projected to go extinct by the end of the twentieth century, with population estimates dropping below 250 individuals in the 1980s. Coordinated ranger protection and permit-funded conservation across Uganda, Rwanda and Congo’s shared Virunga ecosystem reversed that trajectory, making mountain gorillas the only great ape species with a growing wild population today. This itinerary’s two primate treks, in Kibale and Bwindi, and its Rwanda golden monkey trek all contribute directly to that same regional conservation effort.

Gorilla and Chimp Trekking Rules

Both Uganda and Rwanda enforce similar rules: groups are capped at eight trekkers per gorilla family, encounters are limited to one hour, and a minimum seven-metre distance is maintained throughout, though the animals themselves sometimes approach closer. Flash photography is prohibited in both countries, and anyone with a cold, flu or other communicable illness is asked to sit that day’s trek out, since both species are highly susceptible to human respiratory illnesses.

How does the Rwanda to Tanzania connection work?

A short connecting flight links Kigali to Kilimanjaro International Airport, arranged as part of the group itinerary, so there is no need to backtrack overland between the two regions.

Is 15 days too demanding, moving between three countries?

The itinerary is paced with full rest days built around each major activity, and while it does cover real distance, most travel days are broken up with stops or scenic routes rather than being pure transit.

What if the minimum group size isn’t reached?

If a departure doesn’t reach the minimum group size, we will offer an alternative date, a switch to a private departure at the private rate, or a full refund.

Are all permits and the domestic flight included?

Yes, the Uganda gorilla permit, Rwanda golden monkey permit, all park fees, and the Kigali-Kilimanjaro flight are included in the per-person price.

What deposit and cancellation terms apply?

A deposit secures your place, with the balance due closer to travel. Because permits, the connecting flight and lodge bookings across three countries are committed well ahead of departure and are largely non-refundable once confirmed, cancellation terms scale with how close to departure you cancel. Comprehensive travel insurance covering trip cancellation is strongly recommended for a trip of this scale.

Is there one trip leader for the entire 15 days?

Your Uganda and Rwanda legs are led by one driver-guide, and a Tanzania-based driver-guide takes over for the Serengeti and Ngorongoro portion after the flight, since local guiding expertise matters more on a trip like this than a single guide travelling across borders with you.

Who typically books this trip?

This departure attracts travellers who have already decided they want the complete East African experience rather than choosing between gorillas and the migration, generally ranging from late twenties through seventies, comfortable with a longer, more demanding itinerary than our shorter group departures.

Fitness, Permits and What to Pack

Two forest treks, chimpanzee tracking and gorilla trekking, are the most physically demanding sections, each requiring one to six hours of walking over uneven terrain. The Tanzania portion is entirely vehicle-based. Porters are available at both Uganda and Rwanda park headquarters.

• Sturdy, ankle-supporting hiking boots
• Long-sleeved neutral clothing for forest treks
• A warm layer for cool mornings in Ngorongoro and the Virunga highlands
• A light rain jacket regardless of season
• Insect repellent and sun protection
• Binoculars

Conservation Impact Across Three Countries

This itinerary’s permit fees fund three separate national conservation systems: Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger patrols in Kibale and Bwindi, Rwanda Development Board’s gorilla and golden monkey protection programmes, and Tanzania National Parks Authority’s anti-poaching operations across the Serengeti ecosystem. Together, these fees represent a direct, measurable contribution to some of Africa’s most significant conservation success stories.

Why Travel With All in Africa Safaris

Coordinating gorilla and golden monkey permits, a domestic flight, and driver-guide handovers across three countries requires an operator who runs all three legs regularly rather than subcontracting pieces to local partners unfamiliar with the rest of your trip. We manage this itinerary as one coordinated booking from your first pickup in Entebbe to your final departure from Kilimanjaro.

Health and Travel Documents

Comprehensive travel insurance covering trip cancellation, medical evacuation and adventure activities is essential for a trip spanning three countries. Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania each require a yellow fever certificate for entry if arriving from an at-risk country, and most nationalities can apply for e-visas online for all three in advance.

What to Expect Travelling With a Group for 15 Days

Groups on this departure run from 6 to 12 travellers, small enough that two weeks together tends to build genuine friendships rather than just shared logistics. The trip naturally breaks into three distinct phases, Uganda’s forests, Rwanda’s volcanoes, and Tanzania’s open plains, each with its own rhythm, which most travellers say helps a longer trip feel varied rather than repetitive.

Currency and Costs Across Three Countries

Uganda shillings, Rwandan francs and Tanzanian shillings each serve local purchases in their respective countries, while US dollars printed after 2009 are widely accepted for permits, park fees and most lodge bills throughout the trip. Carrying a modest amount of local currency in each country is useful for markets, tips and smaller stops.

Extend Your Group Safari

Travellers with additional time sometimes add a Zanzibar beach extension after the Tanzania leg, or an extra night in Kigali before the trip begins to recover from long-haul flights. Ask your booking consultant about extending either end of this fixed departure privately.

Photography Notes Across the Trip

Forest light in Kibale, Bwindi and Volcanoes National Park is dim and shifting, favouring a camera that performs well at higher ISO over a long zoom, since most primate encounters happen within a few metres. The Serengeti and Ngorongoro, by contrast, reward a longer lens for distant wildlife and open-plain compositions. Carrying spare batteries and memory cards is worth doing before the trip begins, since specialist camera shops become scarce once you leave Kigali or Entebbe.

A Trip Report From the Road

Guides who lead this itinerary often say the Kigali-to-Kilimanjaro flight marks a genuine turning point in the group’s experience, from the intimate, forest-bound pace of primate trekking to the wide-open horizons of the Serengeti. Rather than feeling like two separate trips, most groups describe the shift as the itinerary’s biggest reward: seeing just how different East Africa’s landscapes and wildlife can be within a single, connected journey.