Gorilla treks in the mist, the Great Migration on the move and quiet Zanzibar beaches. Six countries, one team, and a route shaped around you.
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Your trip is put together by planners who live here and travel these routes, not by a desk abroad reselling someone else’s package.
Gorilla and chimp permits sell out months ahead in the busy seasons. We book them as soon as your dates are set, together with park fees, lodges and internal flights.
You travel in a private 4×4 with a pop-up roof and an English-speaking driver-guide who stays with you from the day you land to the day you fly home.
Every quote lists what is included and what is not, from permits to tips, so the price you agree is the price you pay.
“The best safari is the one that fits the traveller, not the brochure. We start with what you want to see and build every day from there.”
Adorable SafarisSafari planning team, Kampala
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A few of our most-asked-for routes. Every one can be shortened, stretched or re-routed.
Nine days through Kenya's classic circuit: the Mara, Lake Nakuru, Mount Longonot, Hell's Gate, Lake Naivasha, and Amboseli.
A gorilla trek in Uganda's Bwindi Forest and a second in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park, linked by the overland border…
Seven days timed for the July–October crossing window, with extra time at the river and no promise of a crossing…
Four days of private Serengeti game drives followed by three nights on Zanzibar's coast: a classic, unhurried honeymoon pairing.
Gondar's castles, Lake Tana's monasteries, Lalibela's rock churches and Axum's stelae fields in six days.
Kilimanjaro's eight-day Lemosho Route, starting on the mountain's quieter western flank: the widest scenic range of any route and success…
Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park followed by Big Five game drives and a boat safari in Akagera.
Eleven paced family days: Nairobi, the Maasai Mara, the Rift Valley lakes and Amboseli, with rest afternoons built in throughout.
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A gorilla hour in Bwindi, a balloon over the Mara at dawn, chimps in Kibale. Add any of them to a tour, or build a trip around one.
Birding
A slow boat across Lake Naivasha's freshwater Rift Valley waters, past fish eagles, pelicans, hippo and Crescent Island's…
Water & Coast
A short, calm boat ride to the spot marking the source of the Nile at Jinja, where Lake…
Birding
A slow walk along a historic mahogany-lined trail in Budongo Forest, among Uganda's best sites for elusive forest…
Water & Coast
A traditional wooden dhow sail along Zanzibar's coastline timed to the sunset, quiet, engine-free and centuries old in…
Aerial
A dawn balloon flight over the Maasai Mara's rolling plains and river lines, followed by a champagne bush…
Primate Trekking
A suspension bridge walk roughly 60 metres above the forest floor in Nyungwe, East Africa's only canopy walkway…
Birding
A quiet canoe paddle through Mabamba's papyrus wetland on Lake Victoria, one of the most reliable places to…
Cultural
A guided walk through working spice farms outside Stone Town, identifying clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper by smell…
Cultural
A visit to a working Maasai homestead near the Mara or Serengeti, covering livestock life, traditional dance and…
Wildlife
A game drive through Ishasha's fig woodland scanning tree branches for lions — one of only two well-documented…
Wildlife
A radio-telemetry drive with Uganda Carnivore Programme researchers to locate collared lion prides in Queen Elizabeth's Kasenyi plains.
Water & Coast
Steep coral wall diving off Pemba Island, with strong currents, excellent visibility and far fewer divers than Zanzibar's…
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Six countries, each with its own reason to go: gorillas, migration herds, high mountains, rock-hewn churches and the Indian Ocean.
Rock-hewn churches at Lalibela, gelada baboons on the Simien escarpment and the Omo Valley's tribal cultures.…
4 places to visit
The Great Migration, open Rift Valley plains and the region's most developed safari infrastructure, with a…
10 places to visit
The most accessible mountain gorilla trekking in the world, a rainforest canopy walk in Nyungwe and…
5 places to visit
The Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Kilimanjaro in one northern loop, plus a much quieter southern circuit…
9 places to visit
Gorilla trekking, chimp tracking and savannah game viewing within a day's drive of each other, plus…
12 places to visit
A spice-trade island off Tanzania with a UNESCO old town, beach towns on three coasts and…
4 places to visit
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From gorilla forest to migration plains, these are the places our trips are built around. Every park has its own page, with seasons, wildlife and how to get there.
Uganda · National Park
331 square kilometres of ancient rainforest holding roughly half the world's mountain gorillas, split into four trekking sectors on Uganda's southwestern border.
Kenya · Reserve
The Kenyan half of the Serengeti ecosystem, famous for the Mara River crossings between July and October and reliable Big Five viewing year-round.
Tanzania · National Park
14,763 square kilometres of plain hosting the largest overland migration on Earth, with resident Big Five wildlife in the Seronera Valley year-round.
Rwanda · National Park
Africa's first national park, protecting mountain gorillas since 1925, and the most accessible gorilla trekking destination anywhere thanks to its proximity to Kigali.
Tanzania · Reserve
A volcanic caldera roughly 20 km across, holding one of Africa's highest sustained densities of wildlife within its own walls year-round.
Uganda · National Park
Uganda's largest and oldest park, built around the point where the Nile forces through a seven-metre gorge and drops 43 metres into the gorge below.
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Permits, vehicles, lodges, flights and airport transfers, booked by the same team that plans your route. Here is what we look after.
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What you can expect from the first message to the last transfer home.
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{ Tailor-made }
Each itinerary on this site is a starting point. We shorten, stretch and re-route it around your dates, interests and budget.
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{ Handled }
Gorilla and chimp permits, park fees, internal flights and transfers are booked as part of your trip, so the paperwork is done before you land.
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{ Connected }
Pair gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda with the Mara or the Serengeti and finish on Zanzibar, all planned as one trip with one point of contact.
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Notes from travellers after their trip, each linked to where it was first posted.
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Practical guides on seasons, permits, packing and choosing where to go.
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Quick answers to what travellers ask us most. For permits, visas, health, money and more, see the full FAQ page.
Kenya and Tanzania give you the classic savanna safari, with big herds and the Big Five, and they combine easily. Uganda and Rwanda are where you track mountain gorillas. If you are unsure, tell us what you most want to see and we will suggest a route.
River crossings in the northern Serengeti and the Maasai Mara usually happen between July and October. Calving on the southern Serengeti plains runs from roughly January to March. The herds follow the rain, so exact timing shifts from year to year.
Both have healthy gorilla populations. Uganda’s permit is US$800 (US$600 in the low-season months of April, May and November); Rwanda’s is US$1,500. Rwanda’s parks are closer to Kigali airport; Uganda’s Bwindi requires a longer drive but costs less overall. Read our gorilla permit comparison for more detail.
Permits are limited, so three to six months ahead is sensible, and longer for July to September. We secure permits as soon as your dates are confirmed.
It varies by sector and by where the gorilla family is on the day, from a gentle hour to several hours of steep, muddy forest walking. See how hard is gorilla trekking, really? for a fuller picture, and tell us your fitness level so we can match you to a manageable sector.
Yes. Zanzibar is a short flight from Arusha, the Serengeti or Nairobi, and a few nights on the beach is a popular way to end a trip.
Typically accommodation, the vehicle and driver-guide, park fees and permits, and meals as specified on your itinerary. International flights, visas, tips and drinks are usually excluded. Every quote states this explicitly.
Tour prices on this site are per person sharing, from the lowest season. Your quote reflects your dates, group size and choice of accommodation.
It depends on your nationality and which countries you are visiting. The East Africa Tourist Visa covers Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda (not Tanzania) for US$100 and 90 days; Tanzania and Ethiopia use separate e-visas. Read our visa guide before you apply.
Yes, comprehensive cover including medical evacuation is mandatory for our trips, and Zanzibar requires proof of inbound travel insurance to enter.
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A tailor-made safari
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