Kenya

Masai Mara · Amboseli · Diani

The northern half of the same ecosystem as the Serengeti, easily added by road or a short hop from Kilimanjaro.

• 01Masai Mara for the July to October river crossings
• 02Amboseli, elephant herds framed by Kilimanjaro
• 03Lake Nakuru and Naivasha for flamingo, rhino and walking safaris
• 04Diani and Watamu beaches on the Indian Ocean
• 05Nairobi in a day, elephant orphanage, giraffe centre, Karen Blixen

Uganda

Bwindi · Queen Elizabeth · Nile

Green, wet and dense. Uganda is where East Africa's savannah meets rainforest, and where you go for primates.

• 01Mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
• 02Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest
• 03Queen Elizabeth NP, tree climbing lions of Ishasha
• 04Murchison Falls, the Nile squeezed through a seven metre gap
• 05Source of the Nile at Jinja, rafting and kayaking

Rwanda

Volcanoes · Nyungwe · Kigali

Small, orderly and steep. Rwanda offers the shortest route from an international airport to a gorilla family.

• 01Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, two hours from Kigali
• 02Golden monkey tracking on the Virunga slopes
• 03Nyungwe Forest canopy walk and chimpanzee habitat
• 04Akagera, a restored Big Five savannah park in the east
• 05Kigali, Genocide Memorial and the country's food and coffee scene