There’s something so deeply magical about staring into the eyes of a wild gorilla that can’t be summarized with words, it simply needs to be experienced first hand. Head into the rainforested mountains of Rwanda with a trekking guide in search of these incredible animals, and seek out your own unforgettable encounters. From there, head to Tanzania and the plains of the Serengeti for a unique game tracking safari adventure, where you’ll have plenty of opportunities to spot a number of the African Big Five game animals. The famed wildebeest migration moves through the Serengeti from from October to July/August as it rotates through the park – always a special thing to experience. Lastly, continue to Ngorongoro, a UNESCO-listed conservation area where you’ll round out your trip with nature walks and an excursion to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater.

NOTE: Gorilla permit fees are sold on a first come first served basis. Once your permits are booked we require a $750 per permit non refundable deposit. It will take 24-48 hours to secure the permit from the local authorities. The park authority/management reserves the right to cancel any permit without any refund or further reference.

Enjoy a personalized vacation that best suits your needs, developed by one of our experienced destination experts. Relax during your trip with our 24/7 support and expert local guidance.

DAY 1: KIGALI

Enjoy your private transfer between the airport and hotel.

While you are in the care of Tsavorite Tours, your safety and security are our number one priority. As such, in the unlikely event of serious illness or injury, all Tsavorite Tours clients are covered by “Flying Doctors” Insurance policy. This emergency evacuation insurance covers the cost of the evacuation flight back to Nairobi for treatment.  This insurance policy however DOES NOT cover the cost of any medical treatment received. We highly recommend travel insurance for full coverage.

Accommodation: Grand Legacy Hotel

Stylish modern, comfortable and conveniently located in the up and coming suburb of Remera, Grand Legacy Hotel is your ultimate choice for your stay in Kigali. The hotel lies just 5 minutes drive away from Kigali international airport, and about a 15 minutes drive to the city center. The hotel boasts a total of 43 en-suite rooms. Within the rest of the hotel, you can enjoy many other services and facilities designed at making your stay enjoyable. These include an outdoor pool, an on-site gym, fully equipped business centre, complimentary airport shuttle, laundry services, sauna, steam room and massage services and outstanding service.

DAY 2: KIGALI – PARC NATIONAL DES VOLCANS

Prepare your senses for an explosion of culture and emotion during today’s excursion through Kigali.  Begin by visiting some of the popular market places to view and purchase some of the local products.  Next, you’ll travel to a location stained with heart aching cultural history, The Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre.  This tragic memorial was constructed in April 2004 to honour those whom lost their lives during the Rwandan Genocide.  The centre was built on the site where an estimated 250 000 victims were buried.  This location serves as a place where individuals can grieve the loss of their loved ones and to provide educational information regarding the genocide.  Rwandans believe that although the gruesomeness and painful emotions associated with this tragedy may be construed as negative, it is extremely important that the younger generations of Rwandans fully understand the reasons and effects of such an event on a nation.  The Centre features three permanent exhibits which depict the events of 1994, as well as a children’s memorial which exhibits the history of genocidal violence towards children from all over the world.

A private vehicle with English speaking driver will provide a transfer today from Kigali to Parc National des Volcans. The approximate travel time is 3 hours.

Accommodation: Mountain View Lodge

The Mountain Gorilla View Lodge is an ecolodge that is perfectly situated for gorilla tracking in Rwanda. The 30 individual cottages have been built on 4 acres of land on the slopes of Mount Karisimbi, one of the volcanic mountains that makes up a part of the Virunga Massif. The stone and thatch cottages each have en suite facilities, a small lounge with a fire place, and a private veranda. The cottages are sizable and are positioned to provide each cottage with space for privacy. There is a separate restaurant and bar area where meals are served using local produce. Mountain Gorilla View Lodge provides good value for money with the luxury of great views and easy access to Parc National des Volcans.

DAY 3: PARC NATIONAL DES VOLCANS

The Parc National des Volcans is located in the Virunga Mountains, a magnificent chain of dormant volcanoes in the North of the country. This area is home to the world’s last surviving mountain Gorilla populations, currently a mere 700 individuals. After breakfast you will depart the lodge and drive for approximately 1 hour to the Park Headquarters where you will meet with excellent local guides and trackers who will provide an informative session on the etiquette of gorilla trekking. After the session the hike into the forest begins.

A full day trek with your guide through the park is a reasonably strenuous activity which can last the morning or all day as you seek out the gorilla families. The guide will take you to where the gorillas were seen the night before and begin to track them from that point.  The trekking can take from 1 to 6 hours and climb to altitudes not in excess of 7,500 feet.  The terrain is rough and at times quite muddy. Once the gorillas are located all the aches and fatigue of the trek are forgotten, as the experience is often described as finding a hidden natural treasure in the mist. Viewing time is limited to one hour, and only 8 maximum are allowed per group. Visitors are asked to maintain a distance of 7m (about 22 feet) from the gorillas. Cameras and plenty of fast speed film are recommended. It can rain at any time in the forest, so waterproof clothing is recommended for you, your cameras and film. Please note that plastic (e.g. carrier / shopping) bags are illegal in Rwanda. Kids under age 15, or people sick with a cold, flu or other contagious illness, are not allowed to visit the gorillas.
PERMITS MUST BE PAID IN FULL AT TIME OF CONFIRMATION AND ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.

Enjoy a full day with your private vehicle and English speaking guide exploring Parc National des Volcans and all it has to offer.

Accommodation: Mountain View Lodge

DAY 4: PARC NATIONAL DES VOLCANS – KIGALI

Golden monkeys are a local subtype of the blue monkey which are endemic to the Albertine rift and live in the montane forests of the Volcanoes National Park area of Rwanda. There is currently 2 groups of habituate golden monkeys in Volcanoes National Park, also popularly known as Parc de National Volcans. Each of the habituated golden monkey groups has between 80-100 members in each troop. The golden monkeys are a very playful and inquisitive primates which are habituated to human presence and will usually act up the presence of human visitors leaping from tree to tree as they feed on the bamboo shoots in the forest. Only open for visitors since June 2003, enjoy a rare treat watching these unique primates play and perform in the forest.

Like with gorilla trekking, golden monkey trekkers are required to assemble at PNV park headquarters at 07:00am for pre-tracking briefing. The park guides will lead into the forest for the search of the golden monkeys. The golden monkeys are mostly found at the foot of Mt Sabyinyo. Golden monkey tracking is generally less arduous and less challenging that the gorilla trek.

A private vehicle with English speaking driver will provide a transfer today from Parc National des Volcans to Kigali.  The approximate travel time is 3 hours.

Accommodation: Grand Legacy Hotel

DAY 5: KIGALI – SERENGETI

Enjoy your private transfer between the airport and hotel.

Enjoy your shared charter flight from Kigali to Serengeti. The flights are approximately three to six hours.

Luggage restriction applicable to this flight: 15kg (32 lb) per person, for both carry-on and checked luggage. Your checked luggage needs to be soft-sided – no wheels / no spine, a duffel bag is recommended. A small purse/backpack, is recommended as a carry-on, to keep your camera, passport, hat, sunblock or other items you need within easy reach.

An expert guide will meet you at the airstrip and take you on a game viewing drive before bringing you to your camp.

Get ready for an afternoon to remember as you set out accompanied by an experienced tracker-guide into the seamlessly never-ending expanses of the Serengeti.  The park is world renowned for its healthy stock of resident wildlife species, in particular the African Big 5 which or course includes buffalos, elephants, rhinoceros, leopards and lions.  Although with sightings considered a rarity, very few black rhinoceros still live within the confines of the park grounds.  The Serengeti is also home to the largest population of lions and giraffes in all of Africa.  Heavy concentrations of topi, gazelle, waterbuck and Coke’s hartebeest provide an ample food source for local carnivores including cheetah, hyenas and African wild dog.  The park is also home to some 500+ species of birds, ranging in size and weights some of these bird including ostrich, crowned crane, marabou stork and secretary bird are the most sought after photogenic birds on the planet.

Accommodation: Mbugani (Central)

Enhance your safari adventure in the comfort and serenity of Mbugani Camps, located in the famed Serengeti National Park. Whether you’ve experienced the wonder of the Serengeti before, or are embarking on the voyage of your dreams, Mbugani Camps provides you with the perfect balance of natural surroundings and the comforts of home.  Enjoy the luxury of soft furnishings, private baths, front porches, freshly-made meals with local foods, drinks at sundown, and stories by the campfire after a day of sightseeing and exploring with local guides, or just spend the day relaxing at camp.

DAY 6: SERENGETI

This morning’s African adventure begins with an exploratory game drive through Tanzania’s oldest and most recognized National Park, the Serengeti.  This location offers the most expansive game viewing in Tanzania. From predators to prey, great herds of grazing herbivores to tactically cunning packs of carnivores, life on the plains of the Serengeti can best be defined as a complete “circle of life.”  A photographic dream unfolds before your eyes as giraffes and elephants feast on tasty shrubbery, whilst impalas, gazelles and buffalos dance carefully through the plains as to not become the latest meal for on-looking lions, cheetahs and hyenas.

Spend the day taking in the spectacle of the famous wildebeest migration.  This annual migration through the Serengeti and Masai Mara is one of the safari highlights of Africa.  The wildebeest migration moves in a basic clockwise direction throughout the year in the Serengeti eco-system and moves north into the Masai Mara in Kenya from June/July through to Sep/October.  Sightings cannot be guaranteed as the herds move according to the availability of food sources and migration movements can be erratic. The herds are accompanied by zebras and Thomson’s gazelles and are stealthily hunted by local predators such as leopards, lions and hyenas.

Accommodation: Mbugani (Central)

DAY 7: SERENGETI

The Serengeti ecosystem is one of the oldest on earth. The essential features of climate, vegetation and fauna have barely changed in the past million years. Some patterns of life, death, adaptation and migration are as old as the hills themselves. Head out into this magnificent park to track animals and take in the breathtaking beauty of this unchanging landscape.

On today’s afternoon game drive the choice is up to you: search for the Big 5 or expand your horizons to discover something different. Masai Mara not only has a rich mix of animals – it also has an incredible array of bird life with almost 450 different species.

Accommodation: Mbugani (Central)

DAY 8: SERENGETI – NGORONGORO

This African journey continues as you board a privately driven vehicle, accompanied by a local tracker-guide for your visit to the overwhelming large Ngorongoro Conversation Area.  You’ll depart the Serengeti National Park grounds at a somewhat slower pace as to get in some more game-viewing. At the Serengeti Welcome Centre you’ll have an opportunity to marvel at a panoramic view of the surrounding area from the lookout point.  A stop for a picturesque picnic is also scheduled during this journey.  Upon your arrival into the conservation area, you’ll head towards your overnight accommodation whilst taking in the overwhelming size of the Ngorongoro Crater.  The approximate travel time may vary between 5 to 6 hours depending on weather conditions and the number of stops you’ve made along the way.  During the heavy rainy season, longer travel times should be expected.

The massive Olduvai Gorge or Oldupai Gorge is often referred to as “The Cradle of Mankind.”  Beginning in the eastern Serengeti plains, the gorge is roughly some 48 kilometers long.  Resulting from millions of years of natural erosion, this gorge boasts a steep-sided ravine that cuts and stretches its way through the Great Rift Valley along eastern Africa.  The gorge is named after a commonly used plant by the Masai people with the scientific name of Sansevieria-Ehrenbergii, or Oldupai for short.

Enjoy a box lunch while you travel (included in tour price).

During your stay at Ngorongoro there are many optional activities available to you. Depending on which lodge you’re staying at, activities may include: nature walks, cultural village visits, a hike to Endoro waterfalls, bike tours, coffee plantation tours and more. Some of these can be prebooked through your destination specialist while others can be booked directly with the lodge upon arrival.

Accommodation: Ngorongoro Farm House

The Ngorongoro Farm House is a small and exclusive lodge facing the Oldeani Volcano, only 5 kilometers from the Ngorongoro Lolduare gate.  This unique property was built to offer visitors an authentic experience reminiscent of the atmosphere of the old days.  Inaugurated in 2003, this lodge offers various rooms, cottages, and suites, all rustically designed and decorated using local materials and furnishings, all for the purpose of providing each guest an imaginary journey to the life of days gone by.  Meals are served in the main building, or on occasion around the pool, and feature ample selections of locally inspired dishes or popular western fares.  Guests at this lodge can cool off in the pool or enjoy tension soothing massages after game drives.

DAY 9: NGORONGORO

You are provided with a personalized, experienced tracker-guide and private transportation today whilst exploring around the Ngorongoro National Park grounds.

Explore one of the most recognized wildlife conservation areas in Tanzania today.  Depart your camp or lodge in a privately driven vehicle, along with a local expert guide, for an approximately 20 to 30 minute drive towards the Ngorongoro Park Gate.  It will then take you another 20 minutes to reach the crater rim itself.   The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest inactive, intact, and unfilled volcanic caldera.  This geological masterpiece was formed as a result of an extremely large volcanic explosion which caused the volcano to collapse in on itself, thus creating a crater.  The crater is roughly 20 kilometers wide and some 2000 feet deep, making the trip from crater floor to rim around 45 minutes by 4×4.  The extremely fertile crater floor is the reason why there is such a highly concentrated amount of wildlife here.  Over 20000 mammals call the crater home, including some of the only remaining black rhinos in the world.  The crater floor also boasts one of the highest carnivore densities in the world including large prides of lions, packs of hyenas and solitary predators like cheetahs and jackals.  A keen eye and expertly recommended search patterns from your guide, may help you spot some of the less common species like leopards, servals, and bat-eared foxes.

Accommodation: Ngorongoro Farm House

DAY 10: NGORONGORO

Your guide will drive you from the Ngorongoro Conservation area to Mt. Kilimanjaro. The drive will take an estimated 3 hours.