It is always a dream come true for a traveler to spend less on a Safari but still enjoy all the moments beyond expected.
Though traveling in Africa can some times turnout costing a lot, with proper planning, you can embark on a trip to any of the destinations in East Africa that will make you realize that making a memorable Safari in the region could only be as expensive as you wanted it to be.
In East Africa, tourism is mostly booming in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania. Some times the Democratic Republic of Congo is referred by some travellers to be in the East African region though the country it is actually in the Central Africa region. This is because most of the tourism activities in Congo take place in the Eastern part of the country on the borders with both Uganda and Rwanda.
Each of these nations represents its unique tourist attraction/ unique tourism activity. For instance the Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Uganda & Rwanda, Wildebeest migration in Kenya and Tanzania, Nyiragongo active volcano and low land gorillas of DR Congo among others. You can still enjoy more activities such as Game Viewing, Boat Launches, Bird watching, hiking, nature walks, Cultural tours am0ng others on a tight budget while in these destinations.
Meanwhile, after reading this article to the bottom, you will have changed and challenged the popular concept that traveling to some parts of Africa takes heaps of money. It will always cost much less than expected while traveling these East African nations.
Tanzania
Tanzania has two highly valued aspects for travelers: tourist spots for those who want to enjoy nature (fauna and flora) and ruins for those interested in hiking. The country has the highest mountain in Africa, the Kirimanjaro that is elevated at a height of about 4,900 and 5,895 meters from its base mountains and sea level respectively.
For those who want to experience natural diversity on foreign land, put visiting any of the many national parks in Tanzania on top of your bucket list. The country is well known for its vast wilderness in most of the parks such as Serengeti, that is populated by huge numbers of the African Big 5 (Rhinos, Lions, Bufalloes, Leopards and Elephants).
There are also large numbers of archeological sites such as temples, fortresses and others that represent the culture of the people of Tanzania.
Offshore, lie the magical Zanzibar islands with a marine park home to whale sharks and coral reefs alongside pure white fine sandy ocean beaches. With activities such as Game viewing, cultural visits, simple mountain hiking among others, you do not have to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars to enjoy a good time in this beautiful Nation.
Uganda
A perfect Uganda Safari may not be as cheap as in the other countries on the list. However, a little pre-planning will help you travel the country without blowing a hole in your wallet. The ‘pearl of Africa’ offers an endless list of attractions including a variety of primates species, birds, wild animals in the game parks, lakes and rivers, amazing features such as the source of the longest river in the world and the greatest waterfalls in the world; the Murchison, nature and landscape and so many more.
The people speak numerous languages and identify with a number of different cultures and traditions, dominated by the Baganda in numbers, one of the most hospitable tribes in Africa. All Ugandans are always friendly to foreigners and often eager to help.
Some of the unique animals in the country include the rare endangered Mountain Gorillas, of which the country is home to more than half of the world’s remaining population of about 1,005 individuals. Others include the Chimpanzees, golden monkeys, African Big Five among others.
However, to keep the budget low, you can leave out some activities that can make the trip look expensive such as Mountain Gorilla trekking and Chimpanzee trekking. You can stick to other adventure activities such as game viewing, birding, rafting, forest & nature walks, cultural and historical tourism among others.
Rwanda
If you don’t look into Gorilla tracking and structured high-end accommodation, Rwanda can be a budget friendly destination too to visit. Just like Kenya and Tanzania, it doesn’t take hours and hours on a journey to reach the country’s top tourist destinations as it is in Uganda.
Rwanda also known as ‘the land of a thousand hills’ is a beautiful country with rich culture and tradition in its every pore.
In terms of transportation, it is very affordable to travel to some of Rwanda’s top destinations such as Akagera and Volcanoes National Park.
You can include activities such as Game viewing in Akagera National Park, Primates tracking in Nyungwe Forest, Kigali City tour to visit the various Genocide memorial sites and other historical monuments of the country, cultural tours since the residents of the nation have an incredible cultural background which is fascinating to learn about among others. All these can give you a memorable budget friendly adventure.
Kenya
Kenya attractions are almost the same as those of Tanzania. The country has a large diversity of different kinds of wildlife from unique birds such as the Flamingos at Lake Nakuru, the African Big Five and other animals such as Giraffes, Zebras, different kinds of Antelopes among others.
The country’s hot spots for tourists include the Masaai Mara National park famous for Wildebeest migration & the Masaai people, Amboseli National Park for spectacular views of Mountain Kirimanjaro plus a variety of elephants, Lake Nakuru – a rift valley soda lake featuring rhinoceros and the highest population of flamingos on the continent, Mountain Kenya – the second highest in Africa, Tsavo East National Park – one of Kenya’s oldest and largest parks famous for birds and lions, Samburu national reserve, fine sandy beaches among others.
The residents of the nation have an incredible cultural background which is fascinating to learn about such as the Masaai and Samburu while accommodation in Kenya is surprisingly cheap. The food is delicious whether it is served in fancy restaurants or in the street carts, ranging from 3 – 30 dollars, depending on how high-end the place is.
Now that you know where you can go, pack your bags, book a flight and have the time of your life on a trip to any of the countries mentioned above. However, proper pre-planning and seeking advise or arrangements with local travel agencies is recommended.