9 Day Rwanda Tanzania Safari: Gorillas and the Serengeti
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9 Days
Gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda, then Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater and three nights in the Serengeti
Best for: Travellers who want gorillas in both Uganda and Rwanda, followed by a northern Tanzania safari
Itinerary ref: MC-031
A 12 day Uganda Rwanda Tanzania safari takes you gorilla trekking in two countries before the Serengeti: a flight to the forests of south-western Uganda, a border crossing at Cyanika into Rwanda, a second trek at Volcanoes, then Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater and three nights on the plains. It is for travellers who have already decided on both gorilla countries and want a real Tanzanian safari after them.
Tell us which week you would like to travel and we will confirm a start day that fits the flights for your 12 day Uganda Rwanda Tanzania safari.
Enquire About This SafariThis Uganda Rwanda Tanzania itinerary is a Bwindi Volcanoes and Serengeti route with three parts. First, two gorilla treks: you fly from Entebbe into the southern forests of Uganda, trek, cross the Cyanika border into Rwanda and trek again at Volcanoes National Park. Second, a flight from Kigali to Kilimanjaro. Third, a classic northern Tanzania circuit through Tarangire, Karatu and Ngorongoro Crater to three nights in the central Serengeti.
Both gorilla treks are done in the first five days, while you are fresh, and each country has a different forest: Uganda's dense, steep forest, and Rwanda's open volcanic slopes. By the time you reach the Serengeti you have a week of travelling behind you and the long days in a vehicle are what you came for. For help choosing between the forests, read our Uganda versus Rwanda comparison.
If you would like Rwanda's gorilla trek on its own with the Serengeti, our shorter 9 day route without Uganda does that. If you can add Kenya and the Maasai Mara, the fuller 18 day route adds a third country.
Eleven nights, three flights and two border legs. Day 1 must fall on a Friday, Sunday or Tuesday for the flight on day 6 to work.
| Night | Where | Where you stay | How you get there |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Entebbe, Uganda | Sienna Beach Hotel | Arrive at Entebbe airport |
| 2 | Rushaga, southern Bwindi | A lodge in the Rushaga sector | Early flight Entebbe to Kisoro (about 1h15), then 1 to 2 hours by road |
| 3 | Mgahinga area, Uganda | Volcanoes Mount Gahinga Lodge | Afternoon drive after the trek |
| 4 | Kinigi, Rwanda | Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel, or Amakoro Songa Lodge | Cross at Cyanika and change driver-guide |
| 5 | Kigali, Rwanda | A boutique hotel in Kigali | Drive of about 2.5 hours after the trek |
| 6 | Arusha side, Tanzania | A lodge in the Arusha foothills | RwandAir flight to Kilimanjaro, then about 1h10 by road |
| 7 | Tarangire | Tarangire Treetops | Drive of about 2.5 hours |
| 8 | Karatu | Gibb's Farm | Drive of about 2 hours |
| 9 to 11 | Central Serengeti | Kubu Kubu, central Serengeti | Ngorongoro Crater at first light, then 3 to 4 hours by road |
| 12 | Kilimanjaro airport | Departure | Flight from Seronera to Arusha, then the road to the airport |
If a lodge is full for your dates, we place you in a comparable lodge in the same area.
Twelve days, three countries and two gorilla treks, then the Tanzanian circuit.
Your driver-guide meets you at Entebbe International Airport and takes you to Sienna Beach Hotel. Day one of this 12 day Uganda Rwanda Tanzania safari is for arriving and resting, and we go through your plan, your permits and what to pack: boots, gaiters, long sleeves and a rain jacket. Start on a Friday, Sunday or Tuesday.
An early flight in a small aircraft takes you from Entebbe to Kisoro in about 1h15. A road transfer of one to two hours brings you to your lodge in the Rushaga sector of Bwindi, in time for lunch. The afternoon is for resting and for the briefing on tomorrow's trek.
Rangers brief you at the trailhead and lead you into the forest to a habituated gorilla family. You stay with them for one hour once you reach them. In the afternoon you drive on towards the Mgahinga area, an estimated two to three hours, to Volcanoes Mount Gahinga Lodge, which puts you near the border for tomorrow's crossing.
You drive to the Cyanika border post, where crossing times vary from a few minutes to a few hours. Your Ugandan driver-guide hands you to a Rwandan driver-guide on the other side, and you continue to Kinigi, the base for Volcanoes National Park. The afternoon is free, because the border sets the pace.
You report to the Kinigi headquarters at about 07:00 and are assigned to a family on the open volcanic slopes. The terrain is different from Rushaga, with bamboo, meadow and mist. After your hour with the family you drive about 2.5 hours (105 km) to Kigali for the night.
A midday RwandAir flight takes you to Kilimanjaro International Airport, landing in the mid-afternoon. After immigration and the visa and insurance checks, you drive about 1h10 to Arusha, where you sleep in a lodge in the foothills. This day is why the route runs on fixed start days.
A drive of about 2.5 hours takes you to Tarangire National Park. After lunch you take a game drive among baobabs and elephants, with giraffe, zebra and buffalo on the river flats. Your camp is a treehouse-style lodge at the edge of the park, in the Randilen Wildlife Management Area.
A morning game drive in Tarangire, then a drive of about two hours to Karatu and your lodge in the farmland below the Ngorongoro Highlands. The afternoon is for rest, because tomorrow starts before dawn.
You descend into the crater at 06:00, when the gate opens, to spend the morning on the floor, where lions, elephants, hippos and buffalo live in a closed area. After a picnic lunch you climb out and drive three to four hours, past Naabi Hill gate, to the central Serengeti, arriving in the late afternoon.
A full day in the Seronera valley and beyond, with an early drive, breakfast in the bush and a second drive late in the day. The central Serengeti is the best part of the park for lions and leopards in every month.
A second full day lets you choose again: the kopjes, the river or the plains. Many guests return to a sighting from the first day. Three nights here give two clear days of game drives.
A morning flight takes you from Seronera to Arusha in about 1h10, then you drive to Kilimanjaro International Airport for an evening departure. We advise booking your international flight for the evening.
The geography decides this route. Bwindi's gorilla sectors sit at both ends of a very large forest. The southern sectors, Rushaga and Nkuringo, are close to the Cyanika border post, while the northern sectors, Buhoma and Ruhija, connect to Rwanda through Katuna, a much longer drive. Because we are heading to Rwanda, we base you in the south, which turns what could be a long border day into a short one.
Entebbe to Rushaga by road takes nine to ten hours, which is why this route flies. The flight from Entebbe to Kisoro takes about 1h15 in a small aircraft, and the Kisoro airstrip is open in the morning only, so we sleep in Entebbe first and fly early. Our Bwindi sector guide and Mgahinga guide describe each area.
After the crossing you reach Volcanoes National Park, about 2.5 hours from Kigali. Our Volcanoes guide covers the Rwandan side. From there the route flies to Kilimanjaro and drives through Tarangire, Karatu and Ngorongoro to the Serengeti.
Permits come first in any Uganda Rwanda Tanzania itinerary. As checked on 10 October 2026, a Uganda gorilla permit is USD 800 (USD 600 in April, May and November) and a Rwanda permit is USD 1,500, both per person. The Uganda tariff for 2027 is reported to be unchanged, but we confirm each figure when we quote. The minimum age to trek is 15. A Uganda trek takes you into the Rushaga sector of Bwindi, and a Rwanda trek takes you onto the slopes of Volcanoes.
Each trek lasts from half an hour to several hours, and when you reach the family you stay for one hour. We plan one trek per country and rest between them, with a night either side of the border. We never trek and cross on the same day, because the walk length cannot be fixed in advance. A Uganda trek followed by a border crossing the next morning means the transfer starts with a rested guest.
The flight between the two parts of the route is the Kigali to Kilimanjaro service on RwandAir, which is listed on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Some listings show the routing as direct and others show a stop in Dar es Salaam, so we confirm the day, time and routing live when we book. Because the flight does not run daily, this route runs on fixed start days: day 1 must be a Friday, Sunday or Tuesday, which puts the flight on day 6.
We always build in a night in Arusha after landing, because a mid-afternoon arrival, immigration and the road to Tarangire would end in the dark. The two small-aircraft flights, from Entebbe to Kisoro and from the Serengeti to Arusha, take soft bags, and we confirm each baggage allowance in your quote. Our safari flight logistics guide covers the flights on the circuit.
On the 12 day Uganda Rwanda Tanzania safari, Tanzania gets six nights. The first is a rest in Arusha, and each of the others has a purpose. Tarangire is for elephants and baobabs, and is at its best from June to October, when the animals gather at the river. Karatu puts you near the crater gate. Ngorongoro Crater is a morning on the floor at 06:00, after which you drive three to four hours to the Serengeti. Three Serengeti nights give you two clear game-drive days.
Our guides to Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti describe each in depth. We base you in the central Serengeti, which holds lions, leopards and resident herds in every month. The migration moves with the rains, and our guide to how the Great Migration works explains where the herds are in your month.
June to October is the strongest window. The forest trails are drier, Tarangire's elephants gather at the river and the Serengeti is in its dry season. January and February are also dry in the forests, and the herds are on the southern Serengeti plains, where we would base you instead. Gorillas can be trekked all year.
The long rains from March to May make the forest paths slower, and November brings the short rains and a lower Ugandan permit price. Read our guides to the best time to visit Uganda and Tanzania to choose your dates.
On the 12 day Uganda Rwanda Tanzania safari we use classic comfort and premium lodges, chosen for their position: close to the trailhead, the border, the crater gate and the Serengeti game drives.
If a lodge is full for your dates we use a comparable lodge in the same area and tell you before you pay.
We keep dated changes on our entry alerts list, and the rules for each country are in our visa requirements guide. Travel insurance with medical evacuation is advised; see our insurance guide. These are checked facts, not promises, so please confirm on the official portals.
We quote the 12 day Uganda Rwanda Tanzania safari per person for your dates and group size, so the price is on request. The quote itemises the lines below.
| Cost line | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Gorilla permits | Uganda USD 800 (USD 600 in April, May and November) plus Rwanda USD 1,500, per person, as checked on 10 October 2026 |
| Flights | Entebbe to Kisoro, Kigali to Kilimanjaro on RwandAir and the Serengeti to Arusha flight, with soft-bag limits on the small aircraft |
| Lodges | Eleven nights at classic comfort and premium level, with meals as listed in your quote |
| Park and crater fees | Daily fees for Bwindi, Volcanoes, Tarangire, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, itemised |
| Vehicles and guides | A private vehicle with a driver-guide in each country, with a change at the Cyanika border |
| Visas and insurance | Paid by you to the government portals; we guide you through the order |
Our guide to what an East Africa safari costs explains how each line changes with the season.
Everything below is included in your quote for the 12 day Uganda Rwanda Tanzania safari unless it appears under not included.
The guides and routes we suggest reading before you decide.
Send us the week you would like to travel, and we will confirm the start day, the permits and the flights, then quote the route line by line.
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