Tanzania · Private safari
Tanzania’s Classic Safari
Tarangire → Serengeti → Ngorongoro
Proposed level: Midrange to luxury
Tanzania · Uganda
Tanzania & Uganda
Serengeti Plains & Bwindi Gorillas
Classic northern Tanzania followed by Uganda’s forests — scale and spectacle first, then intimacy and altitude.
Tanzania delivers the great set pieces: the Serengeti plains and a descent into Ngorongoro. Uganda answers with something quieter and closer — a forest trail, a family of gorillas, a guide who has walked the same line for years. The flight from Kilimanjaro or Arusha to Entebbe makes the link in a morning.
The route
- Stop 1
Serengeti
- Stop 2
Ngorongoro
- Stop 3
Bwindi
Route order as travelled. This is a schematic of the sequence, not a scale map — driving times are given in the itinerary.
The route on a map
3 stops · drag and zoom to explore
Loading map…
- 01Serengeti
- 02Ngorongoro
- 03Bwindi
Pins mark the regions in travelling order, not exact camps or lodges. Driving times are given in the day-by-day plan above.
Day by day
12 days · 11 nights across 2 countries
Day01Arrive and settle into SerengetiSerengeti · overnight Serengeti
You are met on arrival and driven to your first camp. Depending on your flight time, there is a first evening drive or simply time to settle in. Full days of game drives on the Serengeti plains, tracking whatever the season has brought to the area.
- Transfers
- Met at Kilimanjaro (JRO) or Arusha (ARK), then a transfer of a scenic drive from the Ngorongoro highlands, or a scheduled flight to a Serengeti airstrip.
- Meals
- Dinner
- Overnight
- Serengeti
- Pace
- Light — settle in, with one short drive if your flight allows
From the safari desk: Send us your flight number before you travel. If you land after 15:00 we move any first drive to the following morning rather than rush you into the park tired.
Day02Serengeti — full daySerengeti · overnight Serengeti
Morning and afternoon drives from camp, with the middle of the day free to rest.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Serengeti
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day03Serengeti — full daySerengeti · overnight Serengeti
A day exploring a different sector, following the herds and the predators that shadow them.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Serengeti
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day04Serengeti — full daySerengeti · overnight Serengeti
Optional balloon safari at sunrise, weather and availability permitting.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Serengeti
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day05Serengeti — full daySerengeti · overnight Serengeti
Full days of game drives on the Serengeti plains, tracking whatever the season has brought to the area.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Serengeti
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day06On to Ngorongoro highlandsNgorongoro · overnight Ngorongoro highlands
After breakfast you travel on to Ngorongoro. The afternoon is kept light: A descent into the Ngorongoro Crater with a picnic lunch, exploring the crater floor.
- Transfers
- approximately 2 hours by road from Karatu or the Serengeti.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Ngorongoro highlands
- Pace
- Half a day in the vehicle, then an afternoon drive
From the safari desk: Where the road allows it we plan the drive to arrive before lunch, so the afternoon is a proper game drive rather than a rushed arrival at dusk.
Day07Ngorongoro — full dayNgorongoro · overnight Ngorongoro highlands
A morning crater visit or, on a longer stay, time in the surrounding highlands and forest.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Ngorongoro highlands
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day08Ngorongoro — full dayNgorongoro · overnight Ngorongoro highlands
A slow morning on the crater rim before departing for Arusha or the next region.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Ngorongoro highlands
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day09On to Bwindi Impenetrable ForestBwindi · overnight Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
After breakfast you travel on to Bwindi. The afternoon is kept light: Gorilla trekking day: a permit-based trek with rangers, lasting from a few hours to most of the day depending on where the group is.
- Transfers
- approximately 8–9 hours by road from Entebbe, or a flight to Kihihi with a road transfer. Fly from Arusha or Kilimanjaro to Entebbe, then continue by road to Bwindi. Gorilla permit dates should be secured before the safari is fixed.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
- Pace
- Half a day in the vehicle, then an afternoon drive
From the safari desk: Where the road allows it we plan the drive to arrive before lunch, so the afternoon is a proper game drive rather than a rushed arrival at dusk.
Day10Bwindi — full dayBwindi · overnight Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
A recovery day around the lodge, or a community visit and forest walk if you would like one.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day11Bwindi — full dayBwindi · overnight Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Optional second gorilla permit, subject to availability, or a gentle village walk.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day12DepartureBwindi Impenetrable Forest · onward travel
Your guide sees you to the airport in good time for check-in. If your international flight leaves late in the day, a day room or an extra night can be arranged.
- Transfers
- A final morning at camp, then a transfer of approximately 8–9 hours by road from Entebbe, or a flight to Kihihi with a road transfer to Entebbe (EBB) for your onward flight.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Overnight
- Onward travel
- Pace
- Morning only, then onward travel
From the safari desk: We confirm your transfer time the evening before against the live flight schedule, and build in a buffer for road conditions. Late departures can keep a day room.
Crossing between countries
A light-aircraft flight inside Tanzania, a scheduled regional flight to Entebbe, then a private road transfer to the forest with the option of a domestic flight to Kihihi.
Proposed level
Luxury accommodation, proposed rather than committed. Specific properties and rates are shared privately in your proposal.
Safaris we sell
Journeys on this route
Each can run on its own, or be joined into the full combination above.
Tanzania · Private safari
Northern Circuit Discovery
Tarangire → Lake Manyara → Serengeti → Ngorongoro
Proposed level: Midrange
Uganda · Private safari
Gorillas & Lakeside Days
Bwindi → Lake Bunyonyi
Proposed level: Midrange to luxury
Before you decide
- Gorilla permits are limited and date-specific; they are quoted separately.
- Allow a buffer day around the trek in case of flight delays.
- Both countries need entry formalities checked for your nationality before booking flights.
Questions about this combination
Is twelve days too long?
No — it is what makes the contrast work. Five nights in the Serengeti means you are not chasing the wildlife from place to place.
Can Zanzibar replace Uganda?
It can, as a beach extension rather than a third wildlife chapter. Ask us and we will price both shapes.
When is the best time?
June to October is the easiest window for both, though the forest is a year-round destination.
