101 things to do in East Africa
The most popular safari activities and experiences across Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania, with the essentials marked for first-time travellers.
The 10 experiences to start with
If you only read one part of this page, read this. These are the encounters our first-time guests remember most.
1Gorilla trekkingBwindi or Volcanoes NP
2Chimpanzee trackingKibale Forest
3The ShoebillMabamba Swamp
4Kazinga Channel cruiseQueen Elizabeth NP
5Tree-climbing lionsIshasha
6Murchison FallsUganda’s Nile7River crossingsMasai Mara
8Elephants & KilimanjaroAmboseli
9The Ngorongoro CraterTanzania
10Stone Town & the beachZanzibarHow a first safari usually works
- Arrive in Entebbe, Kigali, Nairobi or Kilimanjaro and rest the first night.
- Start with something easy, such as the Shoebill canoe trip or a city day.
- Then the big encounters: a gorilla or chimp trek, game drives, a boat safari.
- Days begin early (often before 6am) because wildlife is most active at dawn.
- Finish with a slower day, or a few nights on the beach in Zanzibar.
How long should my first safari be?
Seven to ten days is ideal: enough for gorillas or chimps plus a savannah park, without rushing. A four-day trip works if you mainly want gorillas.
Which country is best for a first safari?
For primates, Uganda offers the most variety in one trip. For classic big-game plains, Kenya or Tanzania. Many first-timers combine Uganda with Kenya or Tanzania.
Is a safari suitable if I’m not very fit?
Game drives and boat cruises need no fitness at all. Gorilla and chimp treks do involve hiking, but porters and well-chosen sectors make them manageable for most people.
All 101 inspirations
Gorillas & primates
14 ideas- 01
Gorilla trekking in BwindiFirst-timer favourite
Trek through ancient montane forest for one unforgettable hour with a habituated mountain gorilla family.
Bwindi Impenetrable NP, Uganda - 02
Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National ParkFirst-timer favourite
Bamboo slopes beneath the Virunga volcanoes, a short drive from Kigali.
Musanze, Rwanda - 03
The gorilla habituation experience
Spend up to four hours with researchers and a family still getting used to people.
Rushaga, Bwindi, Uganda - 04
Gorillas in Mgahinga
Uganda’s slice of the Virungas: volcano views, bamboo forest and very few visitors.
Mgahinga Gorilla NP, Uganda - 05
Golden monkey trekking
Track the bright-orange, endangered golden monkey through Virunga bamboo.
Volcanoes NP & Mgahinga - 06
Chimpanzee tracking in KibaleFirst-timer favourite
Uganda’s most reliable chimp tracking, in a forest with 13 primate species.
Kibale Forest NP, Uganda - 07
The chimpanzee habituation experience
A longer day with researchers, including up to four hours with a chimp community, ideal for photographers.
Kibale Forest NP, Uganda - 08
Chimpanzees in Nyungwe
Track chimps in one of Africa’s oldest montane rainforests.
Nyungwe NP, Rwanda - 09
Kyambura Gorge chimps
A sunken river forest in the middle of the savannah, known as the ‘Valley of Apes’.
Queen Elizabeth NP, Uganda - 10
Budongo Forest chimps
Mahogany forest chimp tracking that fits neatly into a Murchison safari.
Near Murchison Falls, Uganda - 11
Bigodi Wetland primate walk
A community-run boardwalk with eight primate species and superb birding.
Next to Kibale, Uganda - 12
Colobus troops of Nyungwe
Nyungwe is known for unusually large troops of Angola colobus monkeys.
Nyungwe NP, Rwanda - 13
Chimps of the Mahale Mountains
Remote forest on the shore of Lake Tanganyika, reached by light aircraft and boat.
Western Tanzania - 14
Wildlife & game drives
22 ideas- 15
Great Migration river crossingsFirst-timer favourite
From roughly July to October, the herds plunge across the Mara River.
Masai Mara, Kenya - 16
Calving season in the southern Serengeti
Thousands of wildebeest calves born on the short-grass plains, usually January to March.
Ndutu, Tanzania - 17
Big cats of the central Serengeti
Year-round lion, leopard and cheetah sightings along the Seronera River.
Seronera, Tanzania - 18
A day on the Ngorongoro Crater floorFirst-timer favourite
Wildlife packed into a collapsed volcano: a classic first safari day.
Ngorongoro, Tanzania - 19
Black rhino in Ngorongoro
One of the best chances of seeing black rhino in East Africa.
Ngorongoro, Tanzania - 20
Elephants beneath KilimanjaroFirst-timer favourite
Large elephant herds on open plains with Africa’s highest mountain behind.
Amboseli NP, Kenya - 21
Tarangire’s elephants and baobabs
Dry-season herds gather along the river under giant baobab trees.
Tarangire NP, Tanzania - 22
Tree-climbing lions of IshashaFirst-timer favourite
Lions resting in the branches of fig trees in Uganda’s southern savannah.
Queen Elizabeth NP, Uganda - 23
Lions of the Kasenyi plains
Early-morning drives among Uganda kob, with lions often close behind.
Queen Elizabeth NP, Uganda - 24
Game drives in Murchison Falls
Giraffe, elephant and buffalo on the Buligi tracks north of the Nile.
Murchison Falls NP, Uganda - 25
Rhino tracking on footFirst-timer favourite
Walk with rangers to Uganda’s only wild rhinos, on the way to Murchison.
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Uganda - 26
Kidepo Valley wilderness
Remote valleys with cheetah, ostrich and almost no other vehicles.
Kidepo Valley NP, Uganda - 27
Zebra, eland and impala at Lake Mburo
A compact park, perfect for a first night out of Entebbe.
Lake Mburo NP, Uganda - 28
Samburu’s northern species
Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and Beisa oryx in dry northern Kenya.
Samburu, Kenya - 29
- 30
Akagera’s Big Five
Lakes, wetlands and savannah where lion and rhino have been reintroduced.
Akagera NP, Rwanda - 31
Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Home to the last two northern white rhinos and a chimpanzee sanctuary.
Laikipia, Kenya - 32
Nairobi National Park
Giraffe and rhino with the city skyline behind: perfect on an arrival day.
Nairobi, Kenya - 33
Southern Tanzania’s wild parks
Big, quiet parks with boat safaris, walking and very few vehicles.
Ruaha & Nyerere, Tanzania - 34
- 35
Walking safari
Follow a ranger on foot among zebra and eland: safari at walking pace.
Lake Mburo NP, Uganda - 36
Horseback safari
Ride among zebra and antelope, one of the few places in East Africa to do so.
Lake Mburo NP, Uganda Birds & birding
12 ideas- 37
The Shoebill at MabambaFirst-timer favourite
Search the papyrus by dugout canoe for Africa’s most sought-after bird.
Mabamba Swamp, Uganda - 38
Shoebill in the Murchison delta
A boat trip downstream to where the Nile meets Lake Albert.
Murchison Falls NP, Uganda - 39
Albertine Rift endemics in Bwindi
Some of Africa’s best montane forest birding, including many range-restricted species.
Bwindi, Uganda - 40
Great Blue Turaco
A spectacular, turkey-sized turaco often seen on the Bigodi walk.
Kibale & Bigodi, Uganda - 41
Flamingos of the Rift Valley lakes
Pink shorelines when water conditions suit the flocks.
Lake Nakuru & Lake Bogoria, Kenya - 42
Papyrus Gonolek
A papyrus specialist with a scarlet breast, seen at Mabamba and Bigodi.
Papyrus swamps, Uganda - 43
Waterbirds of the Kazinga Channel
African Skimmer, pelicans and Goliath Heron from the boat.
Queen Elizabeth NP, Uganda - 44
Grey crowned crane
Uganda’s national bird, a common sight around Lake Victoria.
Wetlands across Uganda - 45
- 46
Semuliki’s Congo-basin birds
Lowland forest species normally found much further west.
Semuliki NP, Uganda - 47
- 48
Secretary birds of the Serengeti
Long-legged raptors striding through the grass after snakes.
Serengeti, Tanzania On the water
11 ideas- 49
Kazinga Channel boat cruiseFirst-timer favourite
Hippos, buffalo, elephants and waterbirds from a few metres away.
Queen Elizabeth NP, Uganda - 50
Launch trip to the foot of Murchison FallsFirst-timer favourite
Cruise up the Nile past crocodiles and hippos to the base of the falls.
Murchison Falls NP, Uganda - 51
Hike to the top of Murchison Falls
Stand above the narrow gorge where the whole Nile forces through.
Murchison Falls NP, Uganda - 52
Source of the Nile boat trip
Visit the point where the White Nile leaves Lake Victoria.
Jinja, Uganda - 53
White-water rafting on the Nile
Big-volume rapids for the adventurous, with calmer family options.
Jinja, Uganda - 54
Canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi
Paddle between terraced islands on one of Africa’s most scenic lakes.
Kabale, Uganda - 55
Kayaking on Lake Kivu
Island-hopping and calm water between gorilla trekking and Nyungwe.
Western Rwanda - 56
Boat safari on Lake Ihema
Hippos, crocodiles and fish eagles on Akagera’s largest lake.
Akagera NP, Rwanda - 57
- 58
Lake Naivasha and Crescent Island
A boat ride past hippos, then a walk among giraffe and zebra.
Naivasha, Kenya - 59
Dhow sunset cruise
Sail a traditional wooden dhow as the sun drops into the Indian Ocean.
Zanzibar, Tanzania Adventure & landscapes
12 ideas- 60
Hot-air balloon over the Masai MaraFirst-timer favourite
Drift over the plains at sunrise, followed by a bush breakfast.
Masai Mara, Kenya - 61
- 62
- 63
Trekking the Rwenzori Mountains
The ‘Mountains of the Moon’: glaciers, giant lobelias and serious hiking.
Rwenzori Mountains NP, Uganda - 64
Climbing Kilimanjaro
Africa’s highest peak, at 5,895 metres, reachable without technical climbing.
Northern Tanzania - 65
Hike to Dian Fossey’s research site
Walk to the Karisoke site and Fossey’s grave.
Volcanoes NP, Rwanda - 66
- 67
Sipi Falls hike
A chain of waterfalls on the slopes of Mount Elgon, with coffee farms nearby.
Mount Elgon, Uganda - 68
Mabira Forest zipline
Fly over the forest canopy on the road to Jinja.
Between Kampala & Jinja, Uganda - 69
Volcano hikes in Mgahinga
Summit Muhavura, Gahinga or Sabyinyo for views across three countries.
Mgahinga Gorilla NP, Uganda - 70
Bisoke crater lake hike
Climb through bamboo and hagenia forest to a crater lake.
Volcanoes NP, Rwanda - 71
Cycling the Congo Nile Trail
Ride along the lakeshore through hills, villages and coffee farms.
Lake Kivu, Rwanda Culture & people
16 ideas- 72
Batwa cultural experienceFirst-timer favourite
Learn forest skills from the Batwa, the forest’s original inhabitants.
Buhoma, Bwindi, Uganda - 73
- 74
- 75
Buganda Kingdom palace
The Lubiri palace grounds and the history of Uganda’s largest kingdom.
Mengo, Kampala, Uganda - 76
Kampala food and market tour
Rolex street food, busy markets and the energy of the capital.
Kampala, Uganda - 77
Uganda Martyrs Shrine
A major pilgrimage site honouring Uganda’s Christian martyrs.
Namugongo, Uganda - 78
Ankole long-horned cattle
Meet herders and the extraordinary long-horned cattle of the southwest.
Western Uganda - 79
Igongo Cultural Centre
A museum and restaurant introducing the cultures of western Uganda.
Near Mbarara, Uganda - 80
- 81
Kigali’s art and coffee scene
Galleries, design studios and some of Africa’s best coffee.
Kigali, Rwanda - 82
The King’s Palace at Nyanza
A reconstructed royal residence and its famous long-horned Inyambo cattle.
Southern Rwanda - 83
Gorilla Guardians Village
Community dance, music and traditions on the edge of the park.
Near Volcanoes NP, Rwanda - 84
Maasai village visit
Meet Maasai families and learn about life alongside wildlife.
Mara & Amboseli, Kenya - 85
- 86
Olduvai Gorge
One of the most important sites for understanding early human evolution.
Ngorongoro, Tanzania - 87
Hadzabe at Lake Eyasi
A morning with one of Africa’s last hunter-gatherer communities.
Northern Tanzania Beach & islands
6 ideas- 88
Stone TownFirst-timer favourite
UNESCO-listed alleys, carved doors and Swahili history.
Zanzibar, Tanzania - 89
Zanzibar spice tour
Clove, nutmeg and vanilla on the farms that made the island famous.
Zanzibar, Tanzania - 90
Beaches of northern Zanzibar
Swimmable tides and long sunsets on the island’s north coast.
Nungwi & Kendwa, Tanzania - 91
- 92
- 93
First-timer tips
8 ideas- 94
Pair gorillas with a savannah safariFirst-timer favourite
Forest primates and open plains together make the most complete first trip.
Uganda + Kenya/Tanzania - 95
Book gorilla permits firstFirst-timer favourite
Permits are limited, so we secure them before lodges and vehicles.
Uganda & Rwanda - 96
Build in a slower day
One half-day off after a long drive or trek makes the whole trip better.
Any itinerary - 97
- 98
Hire a porter on your trek
It helps on steep trails and supports local families.
Gorilla & chimp parks - 99
- 100
- 101
Sort visas and vaccinations early
Check the East Africa Tourist Visa and yellow fever requirements.
All countries
Start planning your East Africa journey
Tell us when you’d like to travel and what you want to see. A specialist from our Kampala team will reply within 24 hours with a first itinerary and an honest price.