You can combine Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda on one private East Africa safari, and the order that works best is forest first, savannah second and coast last: gorillas and chimpanzees in Uganda, then the Maasai Mara and Amboseli in Kenya, then the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, with Zanzibar to finish. Kenya and Tanzania work in 11 to 21 days, and adding Uganda properly takes the trip to about a month, because the Ugandan roads are slow and the trekking days need buffers. Each country has its own entry paperwork, and the East Africa Tourist Visa does not cover Tanzania.
This guide covers the route we use, the border crossings, the entry papers and how the price is built. Entry and health rules in the region changed in recent weeks, so the details below are current as of 9 October 2026.
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East Africa safari at a glance
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Best for | Travelers with three to four weeks who want gorillas, the Mara and the Serengeti in one private trip |
| How many days | 11 to 21 days for Kenya and Tanzania; about 30 days to add Uganda |
| Best months | June to August is dry in all three countries. December to February is Uganda’s second dry spell and brings the herds to the southern Serengeti |
| From, three countries | 30-Day Uganda, Kenya & Tanzania Safari, from USD 13,500 per person |
| From, two countries | 21-Day Kenya and Tanzania Safari with Zanzibar, from USD 9,050 per person |
| Getting there | Fly into Entebbe and home from Zanzibar (30-day); fly into Nairobi (21-day) |
Each from price is per person for two people sharing, with Budget lodges, in April to June. Prices depend on season, group size and lodge choice.
What each country adds
Uganda: the primates
The Uganda Wildlife Authority says Bwindi holds roughly half of the world’s mountain gorillas and that a trek can take 2 to 7 hours, including one hour with a habituated family. Kibale adds chimpanzee trekking, and Queen Elizabeth National Park brings a boat trip on the Kazinga Channel and, with luck, the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha. Uganda is a forest and primate destination first; for open-plains big-cat country you head to the Mara and the Serengeti.
Kenya: the easy hub
The Maasai Mara is five to six hours from Nairobi by road, or a short flight. The Mara has resident lions all year and, from about July to October, river crossings. Lake Nakuru is one of the most reliable places in Kenya to see black and white rhino, and Amboseli puts elephant families beneath Kilimanjaro.
Tanzania: the scale
The Serengeti is the same ecosystem as the Mara, and the wildebeest circle through both each year. Four nights there lets you follow the herds. Add the Ngorongoro Crater floor and Tarangire’s baobabs and elephants. If you are still choosing between those two countries alone, our guide to Kenya or Tanzania for a first safari compares them side by side.
The route that works: forest, savannah, then sea
Start in Uganda while you are fresh, because the primate treks are the most physical days and the forest roads are the slowest. Kenya comes next, since Nairobi is an easy place to reset, and Amboseli is the natural last stop before the Namanga border. In Tanzania the parks follow one road west, and a flight from the Serengeti to Zanzibar replaces a long drive back. Our 30-day route looks like this.
| Days | Where | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 8 | Uganda: Entebbe, Kibale, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi | Chimpanzee trek, Kazinga Channel boat trip, gorilla trek, then a flight from Kihihi to Entebbe |
| 9 | Entebbe to Nairobi | A flight of about 1 hour 20 minutes; the Kenya leg starts the next morning |
| 10 to 16 | Kenya: Maasai Mara (3 nights), Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Amboseli (2 nights) | Two full days in the Mara, rhino at Nakuru, elephants beneath Kilimanjaro |
| 17 to 25 | Tanzania: Arusha, Tarangire (2 nights), Karatu (2 nights), Serengeti (4 nights) | The Namanga border crossing, the Ngorongoro Crater floor, the Serengeti |
| 26 to 30 | Zanzibar (4 nights) | A flight from the Serengeti, Stone Town, spice farms, the beach |
The pace is honest, not gentle. The route changes base 14 times in 29 nights, and seven of the road days run five hours or more. If that sounds like too much, the fix is fewer countries rather than faster driving: drop Uganda for three weeks in Kenya and Tanzania, or drop Tanzania for a primate and Kenya safari.
Two ways to see East Africa
30-Day Uganda, Kenya & Tanzania Safari: gorillas, chimpanzees, the Mara, the Serengeti and Zanzibar, for travelers with a month. From USD 13,500 per person.
21-Day Kenya and Tanzania Safari with Zanzibar: both halves of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem and a beach finish, for travelers with three weeks. From USD 9,050 per person.
Prices are per person and depend on season, group size and lodge choice.
How you move between the three countries
Uganda to Kenya: by air, with a buffer night
From Bwindi you drive to the Kihihi airstrip and take a scheduled light-aircraft flight to Entebbe, about 1 hour 45 minutes. We plan a night in Entebbe before the flight to Nairobi, so a late aircraft never puts your onward flight at risk.
Kenya to Tanzania: by road at Namanga
From Amboseli the drive to Arusha takes 6 to 8 hours including the border. Allow one to two hours at Namanga, where you change vehicle and driver-guide, and keep your passport, visa and insurance papers handy. Our Masai Mara and Serengeti safari guide compares the road and air crossings if you want to avoid the long day.
Tanzania to Zanzibar, and your luggage
The Serengeti to Zanzibar leg is a flight. The Bwindi and Serengeti flights use small aircraft with a strict soft-bag limit, often around 15 kg per person, so hard suitcases usually will not fit. Your international flights are not in our price; the route works best as an open-jaw ticket into Entebbe and out of Zanzibar.
Visas, entry papers and health notices
You need permission to enter three countries, and the rules differ by passport. The table summarizes what government and official sites say today; confirm yours before you pay.
| Country | What you need | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Uganda | A tourist e-visa, applied for online before you travel through the Ugandan immigration portal | On 2 October 2026 the authority said a yellow fever certificate is no longer mandatory for entry |
| Kenya | An eTA, applied for online at etakenya.go.ke; an approved eTA is valid for 90 days | Kenyan authorities recommend applying at least two weeks ahead. The UK government says that from 5 October 2026 applicants must also buy travel health insurance as part of the application, so check the portal for the current rule |
| Tanzania | A Tanzanian e-visa (Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, so there is no separate visa), plus compulsory inbound travel insurance | The embassy fee table lists USD 50 for single entry and USD 100 for multiple entry, so check the fee for your passport. Insurance costs USD 44, per a Clyde & Co summary of the regulations, and the UK government says you buy it for your first port of entry. We confirm whether Zanzibar needs its own policy on your dates |
For passports, plan on six months’ validity beyond arrival and at least two blank pages.
East Africa Tourist Visa or separate entry?
Uganda’s immigration authority describes the East Africa Tourist Visa as USD 100, valid for 90 days with multiple entries, and limited to Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda. Tanzania is not part of it, so you need a Tanzanian e-visa either way. The issuing country must be your first point of entry, and the visa is not renewable on exit from the bloc, so on our route it would cover only the Uganda and Kenya legs.
Since you use only two of its countries, compare the USD 100 with a separate Uganda e-visa and Kenya eTA before you buy. Kenya’s embassy in Vienna lists holders of earlier-issued e-visas, including the East Africa Tourist Visa, as exempt from the eTA, but confirm that on etakenya.go.ke and with your airline. Ask us which option is simpler for your passport.
Health notices to check before you book
Uganda no longer asks for a yellow fever certificate, but the CDC and the Government of Canada say Kenya and Tanzania require one from travelers arriving from countries where yellow fever occurs. On this route you may be asked for it when you enter Kenya and again at Namanga, so ask a travel clinic about vaccines at least eight weeks before you go.
The UK government says the World Health Organization declared Uganda’s outbreak over on 27 August 2026, that the outbreak in neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo continues and that Kenya confirmed its first imported case on 6 October 2026. The CDC’s Level 2 notice for Uganda, last reviewed on 28 August 2026, asks US citizens who were in Uganda within 21 days of arriving home to use designated airports for enhanced screening. Law firms Fragomen and EIG also report a CDC order, in force to 11 October 2026 unless extended, barring certain non-US nationals who were in Uganda in the previous 21 days from entering the United States, which matters if your trip home connects through a US airport. These rules can change within days, so check your own government’s travel advice and cdc.gov before you book and again before you fly.
When to go and what it costs
Uganda is driest from about June to August and December to February, which makes the forest trails easier. Kenya and Tanzania are driest from about June to October. The wildebeest are usually in the Maasai Mara from July to October and on the southern Serengeti plains from December to March, with calves born from late January. April and May bring the long rains, when trails are muddier and some camps close.
Our trip pages price by season (Low is April to June, Mid is November to March, Peak is July to October), lodge level (Budget, Midrange or Luxury) and group size. Solo travelers pay more, and groups of four to six sharing a vehicle pay less per person. Prices include park and conservancy fees, the gorilla and chimpanzee permits and the flights in the itinerary. They exclude international flights, visas, insurance, tips and trek porters. A sunrise hot-air balloon flight over the Maasai Mara is an optional USD 450 per person.
| Route | Days | From, per person |
|---|---|---|
| Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar | 30 | USD 13,500 |
| Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar | 21 | USD 9,050 |
| Kenya and Tanzania, five parks: the 11-day Amboseli to Serengeti safari | 11 | Tailor-made quote |
| Uganda and Kenya, without Tanzania | Your choice | Tailor-made quote |
Related safari guides
- 10-Day Kenya and Tanzania Safari: Amboseli, Mara, Serengeti
- Kenya or Tanzania for a First Safari? A Straight Comparison
- Masai Mara and Serengeti Safari: Crossing, Flights and Cost
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Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need for Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda?
About 30 days is the comfortable version. Our route gives Uganda eight days, Kenya eight with the Nairobi night, Tanzania nine and Zanzibar five. With less than three weeks, drop a country or the beach.
Can I use one visa for all three countries?
No. The East Africa Tourist Visa covers Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, not Tanzania. Tanzania needs its own e-visa and its compulsory inbound travel insurance, and Kenya needs an eTA unless an exemption applies to you.
Do I need a yellow fever certificate?
Not for Uganda since 2 October 2026, but Kenya and Tanzania can ask for one if you arrive from a country where yellow fever occurs. If your doctor agrees you should be vaccinated, carry the certificate.
Do we cross the borders in the same vehicle?
No. At Namanga you change from a Kenyan vehicle and driver-guide to a Tanzanian one, and the Uganda leg has its own vehicle and driver-guide. Each vehicle is private to your group.
Is the trip suitable for children or less mobile travelers?
The Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar sections suit children of most ages. The Ugandan treks carry age limits, which our trip page lists as 15 for gorillas and 12 for standard chimpanzee treks. The Uganda Wildlife Authority says treks need moderate fitness. Porters can help, and we can leave a trek out.
How far ahead should I book?
Send your dates as early as you can, because gorilla permits are limited and can sell out well ahead in the busiest seasons. Also allow at least two weeks for Kenya’s eTA and eight weeks for a travel clinic visit.
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