Category: East Africa Safaris | Multi-Country Safaris
Countries: Uganda & Tanzania
Tour Type: Private or Small Group Safari
This 11-day gorilla and Serengeti safari pairs mountain gorilla trekking in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater in northern Tanzania. It suits travellers who want rainforest and savannah in one trip and have the time to do both properly. We plan it as a private Uganda and Tanzania safari around your dates. It starts in Entebbe and ends at Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Why Combine Uganda and Tanzania
Mountain gorillas live in only two places on earth. One is the chain of Virunga volcanoes shared by Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The other is Bwindi, in southwest Uganda. Northern Tanzania adds the open plains of the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, a volcanic caldera with a large resident wildlife population in a compact area. Gorilla trekking and the Serengeti represent the two halves of an East African safari, forest and savannah, and this route links them without rushing either.
This is a two-country trip with real travel days, and eleven days is a realistic minimum. With less time, a single-country safari will serve you better; our guide to how many days a Uganda safari needs can help you decide. If the gorillas are your priority, our Uganda safaris include shorter forest-focused trips.
How the Route Works
Uganda to Tanzania is an international journey, and there is no scheduled direct flight from Entebbe into the Serengeti. The route runs in three stages:
- Uganda: a scheduled domestic flight from Entebbe to Kisoro and back, with a road transfer between Kisoro and Bwindi’s Nkuringo sector. Travelling the whole way by road is possible, but it adds a long day in each direction.
- Into Tanzania: a regional flight from Entebbe to Kilimanjaro, then a night in Arusha. Depending on airline schedules for your dates, this is either a direct flight or a connection through Nairobi.
- Serengeti and Ngorongoro: a scheduled light-aircraft flight into the Serengeti, then a road journey back through the Ngorongoro highlands towards Kilimanjaro.
The nights in Entebbe and Arusha are deliberate. They absorb flight timings, so no part of your trip depends on a tight same-day connection. Before you book, we confirm the routing, flight schedules and light-aircraft baggage limits for your actual dates. If you would rather start in Kigali, our Kigali vs Entebbe guide sets out the differences.
Start With the Gorilla Permit
The gorilla permit fixes everything else. Bwindi permits are issued for a specific date and a specific sector of the park, so we check availability for your dates before we confirm lodges or flights.
The standard foreign non-resident gorilla trekking permit is US$800 per person, set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Government tariffs can change, so we confirm the current rate when we quote. To understand the trek before you commit, read our gorilla trekking guide, our Bwindi Impenetrable National Park page and how hard gorilla trekking really is. Our note on common permit booking mistakes is worth reading before you book.
Day by Day
Day 1: Arrive in Entebbe
We meet you at Entebbe International Airport and take you to your hotel near Lake Victoria to rest after your flight.
Overnight: Entebbe
Day 2: Fly to Kisoro and transfer to Nkuringo
Take the morning scheduled domestic flight from Entebbe to Kisoro in southwest Uganda, then continue by road to the Nkuringo sector of Bwindi. The afternoon is free to settle in. If you prefer to travel by road from Entebbe, we can arrange it, but expect most of the day on the road.
Overnight: Orugano Bwindi Lodge (for Nkuringo permits)
Day 3: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi
On the morning of your trek, you report to the Uganda Wildlife Authority trailhead for the pre-trek briefing. You then head into the forest with a ranger guide. Trackers go out ahead to locate the gorilla family, but the walk can still take several hours on steep, muddy ground. How long it takes depends on where the family is that morning. Once the group has been found, you spend the standard one hour with them before walking back. Sightings are not guaranteed. Read more about gorilla trekking from Nkuringo.
Overnight: Orugano Bwindi Lodge
Day 4: Fly back to Entebbe
Return to Entebbe on the scheduled domestic flight from Kisoro. Treat this as a travel day.
Overnight: Entebbe
Day 5: Entebbe to Kilimanjaro
Fly from Entebbe to Kilimanjaro International Airport. We confirm the routing for your dates: it may be a direct flight on the days that route operates, or a connection through Nairobi. Your Tanzania guide meets you on arrival and takes you to Arusha.
Overnight: Arusha
Day 6: Fly into the Serengeti
Take a scheduled light-aircraft flight from the Arusha or Kilimanjaro area into the Serengeti, on the schedule confirmed for your dates. Your first game drive is that afternoon.
Overnight: Serengeti
Day 7: Serengeti National Park
A full day of game viewing. Drives are timed for early morning and late afternoon, when animals are most active. The Serengeti’s resident wildlife includes lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and large herds of plains game.
Overnight: Serengeti
Day 8: Serengeti National Park
A second full day in the Serengeti. We choose the area of the park, and your camp, according to the season and your routing. The wildebeest migration moves through different parts of the ecosystem over the year and its timing varies, so we plan around your dates rather than promise a particular moment.
Overnight: Serengeti
Day 9: Serengeti to the Ngorongoro highlands
Drive out of the Serengeti towards the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with game viewing on the way.
Overnight: Ngorongoro highlands
Day 10: Ngorongoro Crater
Descend to the crater floor for a game drive. Its grassland, swamp and lake support elephant, buffalo, lion, hippo and plains game. It is also one of the places where black rhino may be seen. Time on the crater floor is regulated by the conservation area.
Overnight: Ngorongoro highlands
Day 11: Departure
Drive to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home.
What Shapes the Price
We don’t publish a package price for this safari. Each quotation is built around your dates and choices, and the total depends mainly on:
- Travel dates and season: camp and lodge rates are higher in peak months in both countries.
- Group size: a private safari costs less per person as more travellers share the vehicle and guide.
- Comfort level in Tanzania: the standard of camp or lodge in the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro highlands is usually the largest single factor.
- Where you stay in the Serengeti: the right area changes with the season, and so do access and rates.
- Flight routing: the domestic flights in Uganda, the regional flight from Entebbe to Kilimanjaro, and the light-aircraft flight into the Serengeti.
- The gorilla permit: US$800 per person at the standard foreign non-resident rate set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Government tariffs can change, and we confirm the current rate when we quote.
- Park and conservation fees for Bwindi, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Prices are based on current park fees, permit costs and accommodation rates. They may change if government permit fees or supplier rates are revised. Contact us for a personalised quotation and live permit availability.
What’s included
- One gorilla trekking permit per person (Uganda)
- Park entrance and conservation fees for the parks and conservation areas in your itinerary
- Game drives and activities described in your itinerary
- Professional guides and driver-guides in Uganda and Tanzania
- Accommodation as listed in your confirmed itinerary
- Road transfers and ground transport described in your itinerary
- Meals as specified in your confirmed itinerary
- Drinking water during activities
Domestic, regional and bush flights are included only where specified in your confirmed itinerary and quotation.
What’s not included
- International flights to Uganda and home from Tanzania, unless explicitly arranged
- Any flight not specified in your confirmed itinerary and quotation
- Visa fees
- Travel insurance
- Tips and gratuities
- Drinks, other than drinking water during activities
- Personal expenses such as souvenirs and laundry
- Optional activities not listed in your itinerary
Accommodation is based on carefully selected lodges of the stated standard. Specific properties may vary depending on availability, but any substitutions will be of an equivalent or higher category unless agreed otherwise.
When to Travel
Uganda and northern Tanzania both have two main dry periods, roughly June to October and December to February. These months usually bring firmer forest trails, and game viewing is easier as animals gather near water. The wetter months between them bring greener landscapes, good birding and fewer vehicles, but muddier trails. If you hope to see a particular stage of the migration, such as river crossings in the northern Serengeti, talk to us early, because the timing shifts from year to year.
Where You Stay and Who Guides You
If your gorilla permits are for the Nkuringo sector, you stay at our own boutique lodge, Orugano Bwindi Lodge. It is about a 10–15-minute walk from the Nkuringo gorilla trekking briefing point. It is particularly suited to travellers trekking from Nkuringo. It is not automatically the right base for every sector of Bwindi: if your permits are for another sector, we recommend accommodation better placed for it. Orugano Safaris and Orugano Bwindi Lodge are under common ownership, so one team coordinates your permits, transfers and stay. Our guide to where to stay in Bwindi explains how the sectors differ.
For the rest of the trip, we choose each place for its location and your comfort level: a hotel in Entebbe, a hotel in Arusha, a camp or lodge in the Serengeti and a lodge in the Ngorongoro highlands. You travel with professional guides in both Uganda and Tanzania.
Extending the Safari
- Kenya’s Masai Mara, part of the same ecosystem as the Serengeti. See our Masai Mara page or the 12-day Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania safari.
- Rwanda, for a gorilla trek in Volcanoes National Park or a Kigali start. See our Rwanda safaris.
- More of Uganda, such as the Nkuringo to Buhoma walk across Bwindi.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are 11 days enough for a gorilla and wildlife safari in two countries?
Yes, provided the route allows for realistic travel days. This itinerary includes one gorilla trekking day, three nights in the Serengeti and two in the Ngorongoro highlands. Nights in Entebbe and Arusha absorb the flight timings. With fewer days, we usually suggest focusing on one country.
Can I fly straight from Uganda to the Serengeti?
There is no scheduled direct flight. Travellers from Uganda enter Tanzania through an international airport such as Kilimanjaro, then continue to the Serengeti by scheduled light aircraft. That is why the itinerary includes a night in Arusha.
Do I need visas for Uganda and Tanzania?
Most visitors need separate entry for each country. A regional East Africa Tourist Visa, where it applies to you, does not include Tanzania. Requirements depend on your passport, so we confirm what applies to you when you enquire.
How fit do I need to be for the gorilla trek?
You should be comfortable walking for several hours on steep, muddy forest trails at altitude. Trek length depends on where the gorilla family is that morning. If you have concerns about fitness, tell us in advance so we can plan around them.
Are gorilla sightings guaranteed?
No. Trackers locate the gorilla families ahead of each trek, which makes an encounter likely, but the gorillas move freely through wild forest and nothing can be promised.
Can this safari be private?
Yes. It is planned as a private safari, with your own vehicle, guide and schedule in each country. It can also be arranged for a small group travelling together.
What is the best time to go?
The drier months, roughly June to October and December to February, suit both trekking and game viewing. The wetter months offer fewer vehicles, greener scenery and good birding, with muddier trails.
Can I add the Masai Mara?
Yes, if you can add days. The Mara is part of the same ecosystem as the Serengeti, and we can suggest routing that fits your dates.
Plan Your Gorilla and Serengeti Safari
To start, tell us:
- your travel dates;
- where you would like to arrive (Entebbe, or Kigali if you prefer);
- how many people are travelling;
- your preferred comfort level.
We will then:
- check gorilla permit availability for your dates;
- verify the flight routing for those dates;
- build your final route;
- send your quotation.
Booked guests have an emergency contact while travelling with us.
Start on our plan your safari page, or read more about our tailor-made safaris.
Check live permit availability and receive a personalised confirmation.