Africa Country Combinations

Rwanda and Tanzania

For those looking for truly incredible game viewing experiences (and willing to push the boat out), an itinerary combining the Serengeti National Park and gorilla trekking in Rwanda would be the perfect choice! As neighbouring countries, and Coastal Aviation providing direct charter flights between Kigali and the Serengeti, it’s certainly easy to combine the two contrasting, extraordinary destinations.

The game-filled plains of the Serengeti National Park are roamed by millions of wildebeest, zebra and others, while being stalked by some of the continent’s fiercest predators. Whether you are combining the northern parks of Tanzania (Lake Manyara National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park), or solely heading to the Serengeti, an incredible fix of wildlife is definitely on the cards!

A small charter flight from the Serengeti into Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, will bring you onto your next adventure... and what a memorable one it will be! The gorillas habituated in the Volcanoes National Park are part of a worldwide population of the only 800 mountain gorillas remaining, and being able to track and observe them in their natural habitat may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. For more information, please see our blog.

Suggested itineary to combine these destinations: Serengeti & Mountain Gorillas

Kenya and Zanzibar

The idyllic island of Zanzibar has now become one of the most popular destinations to go to for some time on the beach after an exciting safari. Its international airport makes accessibility easy and several airlines, such as Kenya Airways, provide direct routes to make the combination more attractive. Although Kenya is fortunate to have the Indian Ocean along the east, Zanzibar has a greater choice of accommodation - from larger resorts with a wealth of facilities, ideal for families, to small and intimate boutique hotels perfect for honeymooners. Zanzibar also has a capital full of culture and history - Stonetown. As a trading nation of its own at one point, Zanziabr was an outpost of the Omani empire, in the 14th century. As such, it still maintains plenty of this Arabic heritage with Stone Town being preserved as an UNESCO world heritage site.

Suggested itinerary to combine these destinations: Plateaus and Plains

Tanzania and Mozambique

Sharing Tanzania's southern coastal border is the thin country of Mozambique. While the country has, historically, suffered years of civil war, it is, today, arguably the best place in Africa to head to for some beach time. In the north it is possible to fly into the small town of Pemba and then route from there to one of the small, idyllic islands off the coast. In the south, similarly, it is a hop from South Africa to the capital, Maputo, and then out to the Bazaruto Archipelago for some time in the sand. The one thing to point out about Mozambique is that the transport can be an issue. With only one governmental airline, Linhas Aereas de Mocambique, and this being fairly unreliable, it has always been struggle to get to and from the northern islands. A few of the more upmarket lodges decided to side step this problem and use their own planes to fly down from Dar es Salaam which is, by far the best method to get here. For more information please click here..

Suggested itinerary to combine these destinations: Selous and northern Mozambique

Zambia and Zanzibar

Landlocked in Southern Africa, Zambia is a country renowned for its authentic walking safaris, game-filled national parks and quality of guiding. The variety of game viewing in Zambia goes above and beyond the traditional game drive... with top-quality walking safaris. night drives and boat safaris on offer. Although we wouldn't ncessarily combine Zambia with an East African country for a safari, it can be combined with other beach destinations such as Zanzibar (via Nairobi), Mauritius (via Johannesburg) or the Seychelles as Zambia lacks a beach. For more information about Zambia, please click here...

Although Zambia is landlocked and has no real 'beach destination', a good option is to combine it with Tanzania's paradise island, Zanzibar. The best option, logistically, is to fly from Lusaka to Dar es Salaam ith Air Tanzania. This is a direct flight departing at 13:20 and arriving two hours later at 16:20. Once you land in Dar es Salaam, you can connect onto either the 17:15 or 17:45 to Zanzibar. This means that travel only takes one afternoon so you can be on safari in the morning and then beach by the evening! We can help book international flights, or you can book them individually, whatever suits you!

Suggest itinerary to combine these destinations: Zambia and Zanziba

Uganda and Kenya

There are now better routings between Entebbe and Kenya so you can combine an itinerary around Uganda with a safari in Kenya easily. Although you can do a safari in Uganda, the quality in Kenya is much better in terms of the numbers and variation of animals. A popular routing is to do the gorilla tracking in Bwindi National Park, the chimpanzee tracking in Kibale, and then fly down to the Masai Mara in Kenya to finish up with a great safrai. The timings work well on this combination too as the chimpanzee and gorilla tracking is best in the dry periodb between June and September, which is the best time to head on safari as the animals congregate around the water sources making the game viewing reliable. The wildebeest migration herds are also in the Mara at this time which is a spectacular sight.

Uganda and Zanzibar

The downside to the location of Uganda is that it is landlocked and has no real 'beach' desintation to combine with a safari or gorilla itinerary. Jinja, located in the south east of the country is a good alterantive as it sits on the River Nile. It is a nice place to relax to the sound of the Nile and rapids, but also a good place to go to if you wanted to be a little more active (you can do white water rafting, village tours, boat trips, sunet cruises etc.). If you were looking for a beach trip, then you can combine Uganda with Zanzibar - a paradise island off the coast of mainland Tanzania. There is a direct flight from Entebbe to Zanzibar with UTair airlines, or you can fly with Air Tanzania or Kenya Airways with a short changover on route. Either option means you can be on the beach by the afternoon, relaxing after your gorilla trek and safari itinerary!