A Guided Gorilla Trek and Tanzania Safari Itinerary with Local Experts

 Tour Summary

• Safari starts with pick up in Kigali
• Activities include gorilla trekking and game drive.
• Transfers will be by a 4×4 safari vehicle
•  Accommodation before and after a trip can be arranged on request at an extra cost

What you need to know

• Accommodation & meals are provided as included 
• Pack the right Gorilla trekking clothes
• Tour can start any time of the year
• The minimum age for Gorilla trekking is 15 years

Itinerary Highlights: Gorilla Trek and Tanzania Safari

• Day 01: Arrival in Kigali and Transfer to your Hotel
• Day 02: Full Day Kigali City Tour
• DAY 03: MUSANZE / RUHENGERI FOR IBIWACHU CULTURAL EXPERIENCE
• DAY 04: TRANSFER TO LAKE BUNYONYI IN UGANDA
• DAY 05: CANOEING – TRANSFER TO KABALE NATIONAL PARK
• DAY 06: CHIMPANZEE TREKKING – BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK
• DAY 07: GORILLA TREKKING IN BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST NATIONAL PARK
• DAY 08: FLY TO KIGALI – NGORONGORO
• DAY 09: GAME DRIVES IN THE CRATER – SERENGETI
• DAY 10: FULL DAY SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
• DAY 11: MORNING GAME DRIVE – EVENING RELAXATION AT THE LODGE
• DAY 12: TRANSFER TO TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
• DAY 13: TRANSFER TO ARUSHA
• DAY 14 – 15: FULL DAY IN ZANZIBAR
• DAY 16: TRANSFER FROM ZANZIBAR SERENA HOTEL TO ZANZIBAR AIRPORT

What’s the real story?:

Itinerary Details: Gorilla Trek and Tanzania Safari

DAY 01: ARRIVAL IN KIGALI AND TRANSFER TO YOUR HOTEL

Upon your arrival to Kigali International Airport, you will be picked up by your driver guide who will then brief you about your upcoming 14 days Tanzania Safari through Rwanda and then drops you at your hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Dinner

DAY 02: FULL-DAY KIGALI CITY TOUR

Following an early morning breakfast, you will depart your hotel and head to Gisozi genocide memorial centre. While here, you will witness the graveyards of the genocide victims laid to rest. You have a great opportunity to watch some of the touching videos and pictures and listen to stories that narrate the horrifying genocide act in the past years. You will then continue to Nyamata Church where over fifty thousand people were killed as they sought shelter in the church.

You will then visit the presidential palace museum, the state house to the former president the late Juvenal Habyarimana whose death in a plane crash sparked the genocide in 1994. You will end your day with a visit to Caplaki crafts market as you will have a variety of items from which you can buy some souvenirs for you and your loved ones.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

DAY 03: MUSANZE / RUHENGERI FOR IBIWACHU CULTURAL EXPERIENCE

Today you will visit the Iby’lwacu village for your cultural experience.  The place is one of the best spots to hide, relax and recuperate your mind. The tranquility and hospitality of these locals is absolutely incredible as they will welcome you with a warm smile.

The village displays a traditional lifestyle of Rwandan Including dress code, food growing, processing and preparation, traditional ceremonies and the interpersonal relationships.

While here, you will enjoy different types of traditional dances performed by the locals like Intore Dance, and Ibyivugo using local and traditional musical instruments, like Umuduri, Ikembe, Iningiri, Inanga, Ingoma, Amakondera and Agakenke among others

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner

DAY 04: TRANSFER TO LAKE BUNYONYI IN UGANDA

Today you will wake up at leisure and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale for an Overnight stay and dinner

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

DAY 05: CANOEING – TRANSFER TO KABALE NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast, you will embark on an early morning canoe cruise on Lake Bunyonyi, famously known for hosting several islands with around 29 found there. The cruise a morning soothing recreational encounter that is worth exploring and is refreshing. Latter in the afternoon, you will continue with a transfer to Kibale National Park where you will enjoy a nature guided walk in Bigodi wetland.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

DAY 06: CHIMPANZEE TREKKING – BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK

After early morning breakfast, your tour guide will lead you to Kanyanchu park had quarters for a briefing from the senior park rangers. At exactly 8:00 am, you will join the rest of the trekking group and continue with your journey to the starting point.

While in the forest, you have a great opportunity to sight several primate species and other inhabitants including the L’Hoest monkey, baboons, white and black colobus monkeys, grey checked mangabey, red colobus, blue monkeys and pottos.

In the afternoon, you will enjoy a delicious meal before heading for a guided nature walk in the Bigodi wetland to enhance your birding experience as you spot several bird species.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

DAY 07: GORILLA TREKKING IN BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST NATIONAL PARK

In the early morning, have breakfast at the hotel before heading out for your gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi. With your gorilla trekking gear, you will meet your driver guide who will drive you to Ruhija Park Headquarters for briefing and joining others before heading into the forest for your gorilla trek. This trek can last for between 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on the location of mountain gorilla family on that particular day. Once the gorillas are located, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them while observing their behavior, taking photographs before you return to the park headquarters for your certificate of participation, evidence that you did the trekking.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

DAY 08: FLY TO KIGALI – NGORONGORO

Today after breakfast, you will head to the airport to catch your flight which departs Kigali in the morning arriving in Arusha in the Afternoon.

You will then transfer to Ngorongoro arriving late in the evening to check in your hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

DAY 09: GAME DRIVES IN THE CRATER – SERENGETI

After breakfast, you will depart heading down into the crater. From the rim, we admire the incredible view and then descend into the vast crater itself. On one side there’s the Lerai Forest, a classic mountain forest landscape with almost tropical characteristics. This is good elephant country, so keep your eyes peeled. By the side of the nearby swampland is what is sometimes called the ‘elephant graveyard’ as the mighty male tuskers at the end of their lives come to chew on the soft, swampland grasses once their teeth have failed them.

The crater has a population of around 120 lions, with well-defined territories; 15,000 wildebeest, 9,000 zebra, 400 hyenas, and around 50 black rhino. Many wildebeest and other herd animals are residents, benefiting from the many sources of year-round waters and are boosted by some migrators in season. Buffalo, Thomson’s gazelle, and eland are also present in numbers. Hippos can be found in pools and swampland and highland birdlife is colorful and plentiful around the waters. Flamingos can often be seen in Lake Magadi, which occupies part of the crater floor. In the late afternoon, you will be transferred back to Serengeti for an overnight stay and dinner.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

DAY 10: FULL DAY SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

Today will be the “Serengeti game viewing day”. After breakfast this morning, enjoy an amazing game drive. The great diversity of Serengeti wildlife is evident here—look for buffalo, hippopotamus, elephant, giraffe, antelope, Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelle, and lions. If you are there during the spectacular wildebeest migration, you will be more than astonished. In the late afternoon, we venture out in another game drive.

Everywhere there are animals, monkeys and, yes, birds…but look closely and you will be thrilled to see the huge jungle cats—lion, leopard and cheetah—watching the world go by. And go by it does. Rhino, gazelle, antelope and massive elephants by the hundreds. Animals in the trees, flying, camouflaged in the bush, in rivers and in streams. This is the adventure of a lifetime! After an evening game drive, you head to your already booked and stated accommodation for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

DAY 11: MORNING GAME DRIVE – EVENING RELAXATION AT THE LODGE

Today you will wake up at leisure and stay at the lodge relaxing. After lunch, you will embark on an afternoon game drive in Serengeti National Park as you witness more wildlife in the park. In the evening, you return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

DAY 12: TRANSFER TO TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast, you will depart for Tarangire National Park. Bush savannah, seasonal swamps, and giant baobab trees make up the landscape of this nature reserve and perhaps the best place in East Africa to see elephants. Not only they are found in thousands but also they seem to be more accustomed to vehicles, and for this you can be closer to these gigantic animals. It is not only the elephants rather a varied numbers of animals such as to Masai giraffes, various gazelles, antelopes, buffaloes, lions, leopards, baboons and more than 500 types of birds make this the one stop solution for both the bird and the animal lovers. After the game drive you will leave the park in the late afternoon and drive to the lodge for your overnight stay. After the game drive you will leave the park in the late afternoon and drive to the lodge for your overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

DAY 13: TRANSFER TO ARUSHA

After an early morning breakfast, you will embark on a transfer to Arusha after enjoying a morning game drive, arriving at lunch time and checking in your lodge where you will have an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

DAY 14 – 15: FULL DAY IN ZANZIBAR

Enjoy your Zanzibar holiday at leisure. Relax on the white sand beach, go snorkeling, diving or sailing (At extra fees for these activities)

Meal Plan: Full Board

DAY 16: TRANSFER FROM ZANZIBAR SERENA HOTEL TO ZANZIBAR AIRPORT

After your extensive East African tour, bid farewell to the sun and sand as you transfer to Zanzibar International Airport for your departure flight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

End of the 16 Days Gorilla Trek and Tanzania Safari

Cost Inclusions

• All activities as included
• Accommodation & meals as indicated
• 4×4 Safari Vehicle
• A professional English-speaking knowledgeable driver guide. (other Language speaking guides are provided at an extra cost)
• Bottled drinking water on board
• Regional flights between Kigali and Arusha, Tanzania with accompanying ground transfers

Cost Exclusions 

• International flights & Visas 
• Tips
• Travel and medical insurance
• Drinks
• Any changes to the itinerary 
• Laundry

Transport 

• 4×4 safari land cruiser for luxury travelers
• 4×4 safari van for budget travelers