PLANNING GUIDE
AFCON 2027 Travel Planning: What Fans Need to Know
WHAT’S CONFIRMED, WHAT’S EXPECTED, AND WHAT WE PLAN AROUND ANYWAY.
There is a lot of premature certainty online about AFCON 2027 venues and fixtures. We label everything, and we build routes that survive a schedule change.
Author: Written by Kwezi Adventures' East Africa Travel Planning Team
TOURNAMENT
19TH JUNE - 17TH JULY 2027
HOSTS
UGANDA. KENYA. TANZANIA
NAME
AFCON PAMOJA 2027
Confirmed by CAF. Final venue allocations and fixture sequence: subject to CAF confirmation.
VISAS
PARTLY CONFIRMED
The East Africa Tourist Visa covers Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda on one application. Tanzania is issued separately. A PAMOJA visa framework is under discussion but not yet operational. We will update this as CAF and the host governments confirm.
FIXTURES & VENUES
EXPECTED
The tournament window is confirmed for 19 June – 17 July 2027. Final venue allocation and the fixture sequence are not yet officially announced, so we design routes with schedule-change tolerance built in.
INTERNAL FLIGHTS
CONFIRMED
The East Africa Tourist Visa covers Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda on one application. Tanzania is issued separately. A PAMOJA visa framework is under discussion but not yet operational. We will update this as CAF and the host governments confirm.
GORILLA PERMITS
CONFIRMED
Permits are date-specific, limited, and non-transferable. They are secured upon confirmation, which is why gorilla plans have to be made before fixtures are final.
HEALTH & ENTRY
CONFIRMED
Yellow fever certificates are commonly required for regional movement. Confirm requirements for each country on your route before departure.
MONEY & CONNECTIVITY
CONFIRMED
Mobile money is dominant in Kenya and Uganda. Regional SIMs and roaming plans are worth arranging on arrival rather than at the border.
ACCOMMODATION PRESSURE
EXPECTED
Host-city hotel stock is finite and will be absorbed by teams, media, and CAF delegations first. Safari camps outside the cities are far easier to secure and are usually better value. Base outside the host city on non-match nights and travel in for kick-off.
WEATHER IN JUNE & JULY
CONFIRMED
Tournament dates fall in the long dry season across most of the region. The best game viewing of the year, with the Mara migration typically arriving from July. Forest treks stay wet and cool year-round. Pack layers and waterproofs for forest days even though it's the dry season.
Updated August 2026 — based on information officially confirmed as of this date.
CROSS BOADER ROUTNG
Nairobi → Kampala → Dar es Salaam, without wasting days
A three-country tournament means the border is part of your itinerary. These are the legs we plan most often, and how we treat them when a match sits at the other end.
NAIROBI → KAMPALA
Air 1h 20m flight · Road 12–14h drive + border
Fly. The road day is never worth a match-day risk.
KAMPALA → BWINDI
Air 1h 30m to Kihihi · Road 8–9h drive
Fly when the gap is under five days.
NAIROBI → MASAI MARA
Air 45m scenic flight · Road 5–6h drive
Fly on short gaps; drive when you have the days.
KAMPALA → MURCHISON FALLS
Air 1h charter · Road 5h drive
Drive. The road is good, and the charter rarely pays for itself.
NAIROBI → DAR ES SALAAM
Air 1h 30m flight · Road Not advisable
Fly, and never on match day.
DAR ES SALAAM → ARUSHA
Air 1h 20m flight · Road 9–10h drive
Fly. Arusha is the gateway to the northern circuit.
Booking timeline: what to do and when
| Planning Timeline | Recommended Action |
|---|---|
| 12+ Months Out | Secure gorilla permits and premium camps. These are the only elements that genuinely sell out this early. |
| 9 Months Out | Book international flights and hold refundable host-city hotel nights for the group stage window. |
| 6 Months Out | Qualification completes. Shape your route around likely host-city clusters rather than named stadiums. |
| 3 Months Out | Draw and fixture list published. Convert flexible bookings into fixed dates and lock regional flights. |
| 6 Weeks Out | Apply for the East Africa Tourist Visa and any separate Tanzania visa. Confirm yellow fever documentation. |
| 2 Weeks Out | Reconfirm every internal flight and transfer. Match-week schedules can shift as CAF finalises logistics. |
Cross-border routing: fly or drive?
A three-country tournament means the border is part of your itinerary. These are the legs we plan most often, with our honest verdict on each.
| Route | By Air | By Road | Our Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nairobi → Kampala | 1h 20m flight | 12–14h drive + border | Fly. The road day is never worth a match-day risk. |
| Kampala → Bwindi | 1h 30m to Kihihi | 8–9h drive | Fly when your gap is under five days. |
| Nairobi → Masai Mara | 45m scenic flight | 5–6h drive | Fly on short gaps; drive when you have the days. |
| Kampala → Murchison Falls | 1h charter | 5h drive | Drive. The road is good and the charter rarely pays for itself. |
| Nairobi → Dar es Salaam | 1h 30m flight | Not advisable | Fly, and never on match day. |
| Dar es Salaam → Arusha | 1h 20m flight | 9–10h drive | Fly. Arusha is the gateway to the northern circuit. |
| Arusha → Serengeti | 1h 15m to Seronera | 7–8h drive | Fly in, drive out — you keep a full game-viewing day. |
| Serengeti → Zanzibar | 2h 30m direct | Not possible | Take the direct flight rather than backtracking through Arusha. |
Match-gap planner
Tell us the gap, we'll tell you how far you can realistically get and still make kick-off.
24 hours
Stay in the host city or its immediate outskirts.
48 hours
One nearby reserve, one night under canvas.
72 hours
Two nights in one camp — the shortest genuine safari.
4-5 days
Two contrasting parks, or a gorilla trek with a buffer.
6-7 Nights
A full circuit: savanna, primates, and coast.
AFCON 2027 planning questions
-
AFCON Pamoja 2027 runs from 19 June to 17 July 2027, co-hosted by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. The tournament window is confirmed by CAF; final venue allocation and the fixture sequence are still to be announced.
-
No for Kenya and Uganda — the East Africa Tourist Visa covers both (plus Rwanda) on one application. Tanzania is issued separately. A single tournament-wide visa has been discussed but is not yet operational.
-
Yes. A 24-hour gap suits the host city and its outskirts, 48 hours allows one night in a nearby reserve, and 72 hours or more opens up full safari circuits. The deciding factor is flight timing, not distance.
-
As early as possible, and before the fixture list exists. Permits are date-specific, capped daily, and non-transferable, and June–July is peak season independent of the tournament.
-
It is one of the best. The tournament falls in the long dry season, when game concentrates around water, and the Masai Mara migration typically arrives from July onwards.
-
Fly. Nairobi–Kampala is 1h 20m by air, compared with 12–14 hours by road with a border crossing, and Nairobi–Dar es Salaam has no sensible road option. Keep travel days off match days entirely.
Send your match dates
Give us the fixtures. We'll build around them.
Tell us which matches you hold tickets for and the host cities you'll be in. We'll come back with what fits and what doesn't.
Honest verdicts on tight windows, not upsells
Gorilla permits secured on confirmation
One East African Tourist Visa covers the route
Give us the fixtures; we'll build around them
Honest verdicts on tight windows, gorilla permits secured on confirmation, and one visa covering most of the route. Start from the stage of the trip you're planning.