How many days do you need on safari?

The short answer

For most first safaris, five to eight days is a comfortable length: enough for two or three places without spending every day on the road. Our catalogue reflects that range. Kenya safaris run from 2 to 10 days, Tanzania safaris from 3 to 10 days, Kenya and Tanzania journeys from 6 to 19 days and Uganda journeys from 3 to 15 days.

Every length counts its travel days, including the first and last. On arrival and departure days, game drives depend on when you arrive and leave, so a three-day safari is not three full days of game viewing. The sections below show what each length realistically allows.

The best sightings often come from waiting, not driving. Give each place time.

Two or three days

Enough for one reserve. The Maasai Mara is the classic short safari from Nairobi, and in Uganda a short trip is built around a single gorilla trek in Bwindi, by road or by air. With so little time, choose one place and stay there rather than adding a second park.

A short safari works best as an addition to something else: a business trip to Nairobi, a stopover on the way to the coast, or a first taste before a longer journey another year. If this is your only safari, and you can find the days, a longer trip almost always feels better value, because the travel days are spread over more time in the parks.

Four or five days

Enough for the Mara and a Rift Valley lake in Kenya, or a short circuit of northern Tanzania’s parks. Four or five days is also the length of our shortest gorilla-and-chimpanzee journey in Uganda. It is a good length for a first safari if you would rather see two places well than four in a hurry.

Six to eight days

The classic length. In Kenya it covers the Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli, or a route north to Samburu and Ol Pejeta; in Tanzania, the calving season at Ndutu with the Serengeti and the crater; in Uganda, gorillas, chimpanzees and wildlife. Six to eight days is also when a combined Kenya and Tanzania journey starts to become possible.

Nine days or more

Longer journeys combine countries or reach the remote corners: Kenya and Tanzania across the ecosystem, southern Tanzania’s rivers and wilderness, Uganda’s primates with its savannah parks, or a safari followed by Zanzibar. At this length, build in a rest day or a slower day every so often; a long safari is not a test of endurance. Long journeys also leave room for the unplanned: an extra hour with a lion pride, a quiet afternoon at camp, or a second visit to a place you loved.

How to choose your length

• How far is your first park? A long drive or flight on day one is part of the safari, so count it.
• How many places do you want to see? Allow at least two nights in each main park; three is better in a big one.
• Who is travelling? Children and older travellers often enjoy fewer, longer stays more than many short ones.
• What else is on the trip? A climb, a gorilla trek or a beach each needs its own days.
• What season is it? In the rains, roads can be slower, so leave more time between parks.

If you are unsure, tell us how many days you have and what matters most, and we will suggest a route that fits without rushing. It is easier to add a day than to enjoy a safari that is always on the move, and a slower pace almost always means more time watching wildlife.

Travel days are part of the trip

Distances between parks shape every itinerary. Kenya Wildlife Service notes that different parts of Tsavo can be a long drive apart, and Tanzania National Parks calls the road from Arusha to the Serengeti long but scenic. In Uganda, the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s tariff lists road distances from Kampala of about 389 kilometres to Queen Elizabeth and 512 to Bwindi.

Rain adds time too: Kenya Wildlife Service says park roads may need four-wheel drive in the long rains of April to June. Flying between parks saves time on longer routes; read getting around on safari for how roads and flights compare.

Adding a climb, a trek or a beach

• Kilimanjaro: our treks run from six to nine days, and TANAPA advises allowing acclimatisation days, because more days on the mountain improve your chances of reaching the top.
• Gorilla trekking: plan a whole day around the trek; UWA allows one hour with the gorillas once they are found.
• Zanzibar or the coast: ask how many nights each journey spends on the island; a beach is restful only if you give it time.