Uganda Rwanda Kenya Safari Itinerary: 13 Days, 3 Countries

A uganda rwanda kenya safari itinerary works best when you build it in one order: game drives first, treks second, and only one crossing of the Rwanda-Uganda border. Most itineraries written for this trip come from Uganda or Rwanda operators, with Kenya’s Maasai Mara added on as an afterthought. That’s backwards, since most international flights into this part of East Africa still land in Nairobi. Here’s an east africa safari itinerary built from the Kenya side, with real numbers instead of “request a quote.”

Decide Your Route Order First

Start in Kenya, finish in Uganda. That order avoids backtracking across the Rwanda-Uganda border twice.

Kenya’s Maasai Mara for three to four days of vehicle-based game drives.
Fly Nairobi to Kigali, Rwanda, for gorilla and golden monkey trekking.
Cross overland into Uganda, once, for Bwindi gorillas and Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Exit through Entebbe, or fly back through Nairobi to connect home.

This sequence puts the physically easy days first and the hiking days second, while your legs are freshest. If you want to see how the parks themselves differ before picking which order suits you, how Rwanda and Uganda’s parks actually differ is worth reading before you lock in flights.

How Many Days You Actually Need

Fourteen days is the workable minimum for a genuine three-country trip. That splits roughly into three to four days in Kenya’s Mara, three days in Rwanda, and four to five days in Uganda, plus travel days connecting them. Drop below twelve days and most travelers end up cutting either Rwanda’s gorillas or Uganda’s chimps rather than doing both properly.

Three to four days in the Maasai Mara.
One travel day to Kigali.
Two to three days for gorilla and golden monkey trekking in Rwanda.
One overland travel day into Uganda.
Four to five days split between Bwindi and Queen Elizabeth National Park.
One exit day.

For a sense of how a similarly structured trip prices out elsewhere in the region, what a 14-day multi-country safari costs is a useful comparison, even though that route runs through Tanzania instead.

Cost Breakdown: Permits, Flights, and Lodging

Most searches for Uganda Rwanda Kenya safari cost land on quote forms instead of actual figures. Budget $6,000 to $9,000 per person for twelve to fourteen days in mid-range lodges with a shared vehicle, not including international flights. Permits and internal flights typically make up 30 to 40 percent of that total.

Item	Indicative cost per person
Uganda gorilla permit	~$800
Rwanda gorilla permit	~$1,500
Uganda chimp tracking permit	~$150
Rwanda golden monkey permit	~$100
East Africa Tourist Visa	$100
Nairobi-Kigali or Nairobi-Entebbe flight	~$300-$600

Price permits first, since they’re fixed and non-negotiable.
Add one or two regional flights to connect the countries.
Choose mid-range lodges over luxury camps to keep the total in the $6,000-$9,000 range.
Book gorilla permits four to six months ahead if traveling July through October.

When to Go: Best Time Across Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda

June through September and December through February are dry across all three countries at once, the only stretches when Mara roads, forest trails, and game visibility line up together. July through October adds the Maasai Mara migration, but it also peaks Rwanda’s gorilla permit demand, so book those months well ahead. There’s no single best time for a Uganda Rwanda Kenya safari that suits every traveler equally, but these two windows come closest.

June-September: dry season everywhere, plus the tail end of the migration in the Mara.
December-February: dry and quieter, with fewer travelers on Rwanda’s trekking trails.
March-May and October-November: rain hits Rwanda and Uganda’s forests hardest and can delay Mara river crossings for days.

Sort Out Visas and Border Crossings

The East Africa Tourist Visa costs $100 and covers single-entry access to Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda for ninety days, cheaper than three separate visas. You apply through whichever of the three countries you enter first, so settle your route before you submit the application.

Confirm your entry country, since that’s where the visa application goes.
Apply for the East Africa Tourist Visa online at least a few weeks ahead.
Carry proof of onward travel for the Uganda-Rwanda land crossing.
Expect one to three extra hours for a land crossing such as Gatuna-Katuna compared with flying between capitals.

Get the Trekking Logistics Right

Gorilla trekking and chimp tracking each need a separate permit, a specific park, and a full day, with no guarantee of exact sighting time, though gorillas are typically found. Treks involve two to six hours of uphill forest hiking, a different physical demand than Kenya’s vehicle-based drives, so schedule them early in the trip while your legs are freshest.

Book Uganda and Rwanda permits separately, months ahead if traveling July through October.
Pack for hiking, not just game drives. Our Kenya packing list covers the Mara leg, but forest treks need proper boots and gaiters too.
Traveling with older members of the group? Read up on the fitness demands of gorilla trekking before locking in the itinerary.
Build in a rest day after trekking, since legs need recovery before the next park.

Sample 13-Day Uganda Rwanda Kenya Safari Itinerary

This itinerary covers 13 days across three countries. It starts in Kenya’s Maasai Mara and ends in Uganda.

Days 1-4: Maasai Mara game drives. Consider staying in one of the Mara’s private conservancies, such as Naboisho or Mara North, where vehicle limits and off-road access mean less crowded sightings than the main reserve. The Masai Mara guide breaks down how the conservancies compare to the national reserve.
Day 5: Fly Nairobi to Kigali.
Days 6-7: Gorilla trekking and golden monkey tracking in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.
Day 8: Overland transfer into Uganda.
Days 9-10: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest gorilla trekking.
Days 11-12: Queen Elizabeth National Park, with a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel.
Day 13: Fly out through Entebbe, or back to Nairobi for international connections.

This works as a Maasai Mara gorilla trekking safari precisely because the two halves don’t compete for the same energy or skill. The Mara asks nothing of your legs. The forests ask a lot.

What to Do Next

Once you’ve settled on route and day count, the next concrete step is to compare safari operators who can run all three countries as one connected trip, rather than handing you off between separate local agents at each border. Browse packages on FindMySafari, Valley Safaris, or Trunktrails Safaris, and confirm before you pay a deposit that gorilla permits get booked at the same time as your ground arrangements, not weeks later.