Visit the Shanga Community Project in Arusha to see artisans at work across crafts such as weaving, beadwork, glasswork, paper making and metalwork. The visit puts the techniques and people behind locally made pieces in focus.

Shanga is a social enterprise that provides employment opportunities for Tanzanians with disabilities. Watching skilled makers practise their crafts offers insight into an initiative where creative work, livelihoods and community support are closely connected.

Search for wildlife around Lake Manyara on a game drive through a landscape that differs markedly from the open Serengeti. Look out across the lakeshore and surrounding habitats for animals and birds, while keeping watch for the lions for which the park is known.

Lake Manyara is associated with tree-climbing lions, though seeing one in a tree is never assured. Its mix of woodland, groundwater forest and lake-edge scenery gives this safari a distinctive setting.

Raft the Nile near Jinja for a more energetic way to experience the river close to its source. Navigate white-water rapids as part of a rafting outing, with stretches of river between the faster sections.

Jinja has long been known as an East African adventure centre, and the Nile’s rapids give the town its particular appeal for rafters. This is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour; it is an alternative to the more relaxed Source of the Nile cruise.

Take a boat cruise to the Source of the Nile near Jinja for a gentler outing on the river. Enjoy views from the water around the area where the Nile begins its long northward journey from Lake Victoria.

The location links a riverside town to one of the world’s most storied waterways. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, offering a relaxed alternative to white-water rafting.

Drive through Nairobi National Park in an overland truck, watching for wildlife around the grasslands and waterholes. The park offers the unusual sight of animals roaming with Nairobi’s urban skyline beyond the reserve.

Few capital cities have a national park so close to their centre, making the meeting of wildlife and cityscape its defining feature. This optional game drive is at additional cost and bookable on tour; sightings depend on the animals’ movements.

Take a night game drive in the Lake Manyara area for a chance to experience the landscape beyond daylight safari hours. Watch for wildlife while listening to the sounds of the bush after dark.

A night drive offers a distinct contrast with the included daytime game drive, though animal sightings remain unpredictable. This is an optional experience at additional cost and is bookable on tour, subject to local availability.

Opt for a game drive in Tarangire National Park, searching for wildlife among the park’s baobab trees and open habitats. Keep watch for elephants, one of the animals most closely associated with Tarangire.

Elephants and monumental baobabs give this northern Tanzanian park its distinctive safari scenery. The drive provides an additional wildlife-viewing opportunity beyond the included national park visits. It is optional, at additional cost and bookable on tour; sightings are never guaranteed.

Follow local guides into Kalinzu Forest, listening for chimpanzee calls and movement in the canopy. The trails lead through dense Ugandan woodland where monkeys and abundant birdlife may also draw your attention.

Spotting wild chimpanzees takes patience: they travel quickly, and sightings depend on their movements. The search offers a different perspective on primate life from Bwindi, with calls echoing through the forest often providing the first clue that a group is nearby.

Trek through Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with local guides and trackers in search of a wild mountain gorilla family. Forest paths can be steep or muddy, and the length of the walk depends on where the gorillas are roaming.

Once located, spend one hour observing the gorillas as they feed, rest and interact in their natural habitat. Bwindi protects a significant share of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, making this a rare, closely managed wildlife encounter.

• 9 Lunch (L)
• 13 Dinner (D)
• 18 Breakfast (B)
• 1 Picnic Lunch (PL)

• Bwindi Impenetrable National Park: Venture deep into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in search of mountain gorillas. With expert guides leading the way, you’ll trek through thick jungle before spending one incredible hour observing a gorilla family up close.
• Kalinzu Forest: Step into Kalinzu Forest with local trackers and listen out for the calls of wild chimpanzees. You’ll hike through dense jungle before watching these clever primates swing, climb and do their thing in the wild.
• Queen Elizabeth National Park: Our drive from Kalinzu Forest to our accommodation for the night means we get to do a scenic drive through Queen Elizabeth National Park. It may be a simple ride through the reserve, but there’s still plenty of opportunity to spot wildlife along the way, with stops made for animal sightings and photos as we journey through Uganda’s famous savannah landscapes.
• Queen Elizabeth National Park: Snap the classic Equator photo near Kikorongo and casually stand in two hemispheres at once.
• Murchison Falls National Park: Enter Murchison Falls National Park with a scenic transit game drive to our home for the next two nights. Keep watch for giraffes, elephants, buffalo and antelope as we roll through Uganda’s largest national park.
• Murchison Falls National Park: View the top of Murchison Falls – watch the Nile force its way through a narrow gorge before crashing below, with viewpoints that absolutely earn their place on the camera roll.
• Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary: Follow expert rangers through Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for a seriously special encounter with Uganda’s only wild rhinos. You’ll learn how these legends are being protected, then spot them in the bush from a safe distance.
• Nairobi: Meet the dedicated team and see for yourself the work being done to help the women and children who live here in the Kibera slum.
   
• Maasai Mara National Reserve: Known for its grassy plains and rolling hills, home to lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras and hippos, the Maasai Mara is a jewel in Africa’s wildlife crown, so don’t miss your chance to explore it from sunrise to the afternoon, with a picnic lunch in the wild. 
• Amboseli: Get that iconic wildlife shot with the snow-capped peak of Kilimanjaro as a backdrop. 
   
• Amboseli: Get up early in search of the famous elephants in this iconic Kenyan National Park. 
• Arusha: Support this social enterprise that employs local disabled people with artisanal skills. Watch weaving, glass blowing, beading, paper making and metal work. 
• Serengeti: Watch out for local wildlife as we head to our camp, which is bang in the middle of these endless plains. Could the location be any more epic? 
   
• Serengeti: Was that lion we heard last night? Let’s go find out. Take an incredible morning drive in search of the wildlife we heard throughout the night. 
• Serengeti: Cruise around the plains at sunset to explore new areas and spot a few more animals before they head off to bed. 
• Serengeti: Another day, another game drive, giving us the most amount of opportunities to see the wildlife that roams these plains.

Travel through Queen Elizabeth National Park on a wildlife-viewing drive across its open savannah. Watch for elephants, buffalo and antelope from the vehicle, with stops for animal sightings and photographs along the route.

Set against a landscape of grassland, lakes and distant hills, this Ugandan reserve is known for its varied habitats. Because the drive also serves as a route through the park, sightings are spontaneous rather than guaranteed, giving even the journey a sense of safari discovery.

Stand at the Equator near Kikorongo and take a photograph at the line marking the division between Earth’s northern and southern hemispheres. It is a simple, distinctive landmark visit during your travels through western Uganda.

The stop places a familiar geographical idea in a tangible setting: one foot in each hemisphere, surrounded by the landscapes of the East African Rift. There is time for the classic photograph before continuing through Uganda’s countryside.

Search for wildlife in Murchison Falls National Park on drives that include an initial journey through the reserve and a dedicated sunrise safari. Watch the grassland and woodland edges for giraffes, elephants, buffalo, antelope and, with luck, predators.

Uganda’s largest national park is shaped by the Victoria Nile, which cuts across its varied habitats. Early-morning wildlife viewing offers a different atmosphere from the drive into the park, when animals may be active in the cooler light.

Cruise the Victoria Nile toward the base of Murchison Falls, scanning the riverbanks and shallows for hippos, crocodiles and birds. Viewing the park from the water reveals wildlife habitats that feel distinct from its open safari tracks.

The river gathers force as it approaches the falls, where the Nile is channelled through a narrow gap in the rock. Water, wildlife and the sound of the falls make this a striking perspective on Uganda’s largest national park.

View Murchison Falls from above and watch the Victoria Nile surge through a narrow rock gorge before plunging into the river below. The viewpoints bring you close to the spray, noise and force of the water.

This is the park’s defining landscape feature and a memorable contrast to watching the river from a boat. The Nile compressed between steep rock walls gives a clear sense of why the falls have become one of Uganda’s best-known natural landmarks.

Explore Murchison Falls National Park after dark on a night game drive, looking for wildlife that can be difficult to spot in daylight. The familiar savannah takes on a different character when visibility narrows and attention turns to movement beyond the vehicle.

Nocturnal sightings are never certain, but the drive offers another way to experience Uganda’s largest national park. Sounds from the bush after sunset are part of the encounter, whether animals appear close by or remain out of sight.

Track rhinos on foot at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary with experienced rangers, observing the animals from a safe distance in the bush. Walking rather than viewing from a vehicle makes this a particularly direct wildlife encounter.

Ziwa’s conservation work is helping restore a species lost from Uganda’s wild landscapes. Rangers explain the protection and breeding efforts behind that work, giving the sight of rhinos in their natural surroundings a deeper meaning than a conventional safari photograph.

Visit Mirror of Hope in Nairobi’s Kibera neighbourhood and meet people involved in its community work. Learn about efforts supporting local women and children directly from those connected with the initiative.

This visit offers an opportunity to listen and engage beyond Kenya’s safari landscapes. First-hand perspectives from the community are at its heart, with the focus on the people and their work rather than treating the neighbourhood itself as a spectacle.

Explore the Maasai Mara on extended game drives, searching its grassy plains and rolling hills for lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras and other wildlife. A picnic lunch in the reserve allows more time out among the landscapes you have come to see.

The Mara forms part of a wider cross-border ecosystem celebrated for its large mammals. At certain times of year, migrating wildebeest and zebras may be present, though their location and the wildlife you encounter can never be guaranteed.

Take game drives through Amboseli in search of elephants and other wildlife across the park’s open plains. There are opportunities to watch for the large-tusked elephants associated with this landscape and photograph animals against Mount Kilimanjaro when the mountain is visible.

Amboseli’s wetlands and grasslands draw wildlife beneath Africa’s highest peak. Elephants beneath Kilimanjaro is an iconic image for good reason, although clouds can conceal the summit and sightings always depend on conditions in the park.

Descend into Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive across its floor, watching for lions, elephants, buffalo and other wildlife. Grassland, marshes and wooded areas create varied viewing conditions within the walls of this vast volcanic caldera.

Ngorongoro is one of East Africa’s most distinctive safari settings: wildlife framed by the crater rim rather than an apparently endless plain. The Big Five are associated with the area, but no particular animal sighting is guaranteed.

Explore the Serengeti on multiple game drives, including wildlife viewing on the way to camp, a full day on the plains, and drives in morning or late-day light. Search for big cats, elephants, giraffes and grazing herds across changing habitats.

The name Serengeti evokes its expansive grasslands, but its wildlife is always moving. Depending on the season and location, wildebeest and zebra migration herds may be visible; smaller encounters with predators, prey and birdlife are just as much a part of the safari.

Visit the Sheldrick elephant nursery in Nairobi for a chance to watch young elephants as they play and bathe. Hear about the care involved in their recovery and the work undertaken to prepare rescued elephants for life beyond the nursery.

The visit brings Kenya’s wildlife conservation efforts into close focus through individual animals and their stories. This is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour subject to availability and any required reservation arrangements.

Visit a Maasai village near the Maasai Mara to meet community members and learn about traditions from the people who practise them. The experience offers a cultural perspective on the region alongside its better-known wildlife.

Maasai communities have longstanding connections to the grasslands of southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. This optional visit is at additional cost and bookable on tour, with the value lying in respectful conversation and first-hand exchange rather than a distant view of village life.

Opt for another game drive in the Maasai Mara to spend more time looking for wildlife across the reserve’s grasslands. A further outing offers another chance to encounter big cats, elephants and grazing animals as conditions and their movements change.

Safari sightings cannot be scheduled: even familiar tracks can reveal something different on a new drive. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, separate from the included Mara safari.

Go white-water rafting in Sagana, choosing a river-based adventure from the activities available at this Kenyan riverside stop. Rapids and calmer stretches make the water itself the focus of the experience.

Sagana’s setting offers a change of pace from safari game drives, replacing wildlife watching with a hands-on outdoor challenge. Rafting is an optional activity at additional cost and is bookable on tour; available outings and conditions may vary.

Try rock climbing in Sagana as one of the outdoor activities available at the riverside adventure base. It is a chance to take on a physical challenge while spending time in Kenya’s open-air landscape.

The appeal lies in the activity itself: concentrating on footholds and movement rather than watching the scenery pass from a safari vehicle. Rock climbing is optional, at additional cost and bookable on tour; available arrangements may depend on local conditions.

Try archery in Sagana as a hands-on alternative to the area’s river and climbing activities. Take aim and practise your technique in an outdoor setting, with the focus on balance, concentration and improving your shot.

This is a more measured choice among Sagana’s adventure options, well suited to travellers who want an activity without taking to the rapids. Archery is optional, at additional cost and bookable on tour, subject to local availability.

Go ziplining in Sagana for a fast-moving outdoor experience at this Kenyan adventure stop. The activity offers a different way to take in the setting, with the brief rush of travelling along a suspended line.

It is one of several ways to make an active day here your own, distinct from both the river-based outings and ground-level challenges. Ziplining is optional, at additional cost and bookable on tour, subject to local availability and conditions.

Choose a Maasai village tour near Mto wa Mbu to meet local community members and hear about their traditions in northern Tanzania. It offers a cultural option alongside the area’s national parks and outdoor activities.

Maasai heritage is closely connected to the region around the Great Rift Valley. The opportunity for first-hand cultural exchange is what sets this visit apart from wildlife viewing. It is optional, at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Explore the Mto wa Mbu area by mountain bike for an active way to experience this northern Tanzanian destination. Cycling brings you closer to the surroundings than a safari vehicle and lets you set your attention on the landscape immediately around you.

Mto wa Mbu sits near the Great Rift Valley and several major wildlife areas, but this outing is about the ride rather than a game drive. Mountain biking is optional, at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Choose a canoeing outing on Lake Manyara to experience the lake from the water rather than from a safari vehicle. Paddling offers a quieter perspective on the broad lakeside landscape and its surroundings.

Lake Manyara’s setting beneath the Rift Valley escarpment gives this activity a different character from the region’s road-based safaris. Canoeing is optional, at additional cost and bookable on tour, subject to local operating conditions.