One local team, one quote, six destinations. We plan private, tailor-made safari tours, packages and holidays across East Africa, from gorilla treks in Uganda and Rwanda to Mara River crossings, the Serengeti and island beaches.
The short answerAn East Africa safari usually combines two or more of Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania, then adds Zanzibar or the Seychelles for the beach. Uganda and Rwanda are for mountain gorillas and chimpanzees. Kenya's Masai Mara and Tanzania's Serengeti are for big cats and the Great Migration. Ngorongoro Crater packs dense wildlife into one day. We are a Uganda-based tour operator: we check availability first, build the route around you and send one quote for the whole trip, whether you want a ready-made safari package or a tailor-made tour.
If you are comparing Africa tours and safaris, East Africa is the region where the most famous wildlife meetings sit close together: the Great Migration across the Serengeti and the Masai Mara, mountain gorillas in the forests of Uganda and Rwanda, and the beaches of Zanzibar and the Seychelles a short flight away.
That closeness is what makes an East African safari easy to combine. One route can include a gorilla trek, a week with the herds and a few days by the sea, planned by one team with one quote. See the full list of itineraries to get a feel for what is possible.
We specialise in East Africa: Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania, plus Zanzibar and the Seychelles. If you are weighing African safari tours that cover other parts of the continent, we are not the right team for those, and we say so plainly.
Call it a safari holiday, a safari vacation, a tour or a package: the trip is the same, a private route through East Africa planned by one team. Our ready-made safari packages run from short gorilla breaks of three days to journeys of eighteen days across four countries, and every one can be changed to suit your dates. Prefer a blank page? We build a tailor-made tour from what you want to see, how long you have and how you like to travel.
Every route below is private, with your own guide and vehicle, and you can see the same trips with their day-by-day plans on the itineraries page.
Start from what you most want to see, then add the rest. The table lists what each country is best known for, with a link to our guide to it.
| Country | Best known for | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| Uganda | Mountain gorillas in Bwindi and Mgahinga, chimpanzees in Kibale, Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth National Park. | Uganda safaris |
| Rwanda | Mountain gorillas and golden monkeys in Volcanoes National Park, chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest. | Rwanda safaris |
| Kenya | The Masai Mara and its conservancies, Mara River crossings, and Amboseli's elephants beneath Kilimanjaro. | Kenya safaris |
| Tanzania | The Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire, with river crossings in the north and calving plains in the south. | Tanzania safaris |
| Zanzibar | Beaches, Stone Town and spice tours: the classic rest after a safari. | Zanzibar holidays |
| Seychelles | Granite-island beaches and private islands for a slower finish. | Seychelles escapes |
Most guests build a route around one main goal and add a second. Gorillas and the migration are the two big draws, and they are in different countries, so many routes start in Uganda or Rwanda for the trek and finish in Kenya or Tanzania with the herds. Each border adds a transfer day, which we plan for you, including flights, road crossings and the visa rules for your passport, all in one quote.
Read the guide that matches your route: combining Kenya and Tanzania for the Masai Mara and the Serengeti, combining Uganda and Rwanda for gorilla trekking, and the Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania route guide for three countries. For the full picture of a multi-country trip, see the multi-country safari guide.
Looking for the top end? See our page on a luxury East Africa safari. Want to know what drives the price? Read what an East Africa safari costs. Flying in from abroad? We have planning notes for a safari from the USA and a safari from the UK.
Visa rules depend on your passport and can change. Start with the East Africa tourist visa and visa requirements for our destinations, then tell us your nationality and we confirm what applies. Unsure whether to spend your time in Kenya or Tanzania? Read Tanzania or Kenya for a safari, or Uganda or Rwanda for gorillas.
Mountain gorillas can be tracked all year, and permits for popular dates sell out, so send us your dates early. The Mara River crossings in northern Tanzania and Kenya are usually from July to October, and calving season in the southern Serengeti runs from about late January to March. Crossing and calving dates change every year and cannot be guaranteed.
For the detail, see the guides to the best time to visit Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, and our month-by-month Great Migration guide.
Gorillas: we plan treks in both Uganda and Rwanda. A gorilla permit for foreign non-residents is USD 800 in Uganda and USD 1,500 in Rwanda at the time of writing, and the park authorities can change those prices. Read about gorilla trekking in Uganda, gorilla trekking in Rwanda and gorilla permits.
The Great Migration: our Great Migration safari guide shows where the herds are in each month, and where the migration is now carries our latest herd update.
The beach: Zanzibar and the Seychelles pair well with any safari. See Zanzibar and the Seychelles, or read how to add Zanzibar to your safari.
Every journey is tailor-made and private. We lead with luxury and mid-range lodges and offer one clearly labelled Classic Comfort tier, so you always know what you are choosing.
These are the lodges and camps we have written about in detail. Each page has the rooms, what is included and how to check your dates. See also all our lodges and camps.
Ready-made routes you can book as they are or change to suit you. Every one is private and can be adjusted to your dates and interests.
A ten-day Uganda and Kenya safari: a night at Entebbe, two nights in Bwindi for one gorilla trek, a Nairobi connection night, four nights in the Maasai Mara for the Great Migration and a final Nairobi night.
The two countries that define the Great Migration, combined into one comprehensive 12-day circuit.
Twelve days across three countries: a gorilla trek in Uganda and another in Rwanda, then Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater and three nights in the Serengeti.
A flight-led two-week route through Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania: two gorilla treks, three nights in the Mara, three in the Serengeti and a morning in Ngorongoro Crater.
Purpose-built for photographers: low-season light, extended hides, dedicated vehicles, and a Zanzibar week to edit and unwind.
For travelers short on time but not on ambition — gorillas, the Mara and the Serengeti in under two weeks, plus a Zanzibar close.
The essential Tanzania introduction: central Serengeti's big cats and a full-day Ngorongoro Crater descent.
A fixed small-group departure (max 6 guests) through three countries, for travelers who want expert guiding without traveling alone.
Send us your dates and group size. We check availability first, tell you exactly what is open, and only then ask you to commit. A specialist answers within 24 hours.
