Updated 19 October 2026

Tanzania is the stronger choice for classic savannah safari: the Serengeti, the Great Migration, Ngorongoro Crater and big herds of plains game, plus Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar. Uganda is the choice for mountain gorillas, which Tanzania does not have, and for variety in a compact country: chimpanzees, rainforest, the Nile, crater lakes and savannah parks within a week. Many travellers combine the two. Here is how they compare on wildlife, cost, travel style and timing.

Wildlife

Tanzania’s northern circuit is among the best big-game areas in Africa. The Serengeti holds large lion and cheetah populations and, with Kenya’s Masai Mara, the migration of well over a million wildebeest with zebra and gazelle. Ngorongoro Crater, about 19 km across, packs buffalo, elephants, lions and black rhino into one caldera, and Tarangire is known for elephants and baobabs. In the south, Nyerere National Park, formerly part of the Selous, and Ruaha are wild and less visited.

Uganda’s savannah parks, Queen Elizabeth, Murchison Falls and Kidepo, have elephants, buffalo, lions, giraffe and many antelope, but in smaller numbers. Its strengths are elsewhere: about half of the world’s mountain gorillas in Bwindi and Mgahinga, easily seen chimpanzees in Kibale, golden monkeys, over 1,000 bird species and the shoebill. Tanzania does have chimpanzees, at Gombe and Mahale on Lake Tanganyika, but they are remote and expensive to reach.

The Great Migration and gorillas

These are the two headline experiences, and each belongs to one country. The migration moves through the Serengeti all year: calving in the southern plains around January to March, and river crossings in the north, usually from July to October. Gorilla trekking is possible only in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. Uganda’s permit costs US$800, or US$600 in April, May and November, compared with US$1,500 in Rwanda. See our gorilla permit guide.

Travel style and landscapes

A Tanzania safari is mostly game drives in open-roof vehicles across wide plains, with long but scenic drives on the northern circuit or light aircraft flights between camps. Uganda is more active: forest treks for gorillas and chimps, boat trips on the Kazinga Channel and the Nile, and drives through green hills, tea estates and crater lakes. Tanzania also adds Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain at 5,895 m, and Zanzibar’s beaches; Uganda has the Rwenzori Mountains and white-water rafting on the Nile at Jinja.

Cost

Tanzania’s northern parks charge high daily fees, and Ngorongoro adds a crater service fee per vehicle, so even mid-range trips are not cheap. Uganda’s park entry and lodges are generally less expensive, but gorilla and chimp permits add significant cost to each day they are used. Overall, a mid-range week in Uganda including one gorilla trek is often similar to or a little less than a comparable week in northern Tanzania. See our guide to gorilla trekking in Uganda.

When to go

Both countries are best in the drier months: in Uganda, June to September and December to February; in northern Tanzania, June to October and January to February, with the timing of the migration deciding where in the Serengeti to stay. The long rains, roughly March to May, affect both, though gorilla trekking continues and Uganda discounts permits in April and May.

Combining Uganda and Tanzania

A popular plan is a week in Uganda for gorillas and chimps, then a flight from Entebbe to Kilimanjaro, often via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam, for the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, finishing in Zanzibar. The East Africa Tourist Visa covers Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya but not Tanzania, which needs its own visa. Compare also our Uganda vs Rwanda and Uganda vs Botswana guides.

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