A 15 Days Luxury Rwanda/Kenya/Tanzania/Zanzibar Itinerary

Day by Day Summary: Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania & Zanzibar

Day 1: Arrival in Kigali

For a morning city tour of Kigali, your guide will meet you at the hotel after breakfast. Following the tour, you will be driven to the northwestern region of the country, where the mountain gorillas’ natural habitat is, the Volcanoes National Park. It takes about three hours to get from Kigali to your lodge through gorgeous rolling hills, breathtaking scenery, and around coffee and banana farms on a pleasant paved road. Once you get to your lodge, you can check in, eat lunch, and then spend the rest of the day relaxing and taking in the stunning scenery.

Transfer time: Kigali to Volcanoes National Park and your lodge – approx. 3 hours

Day 2 – 4: Volcanoes National Park

GORILLA TREKKING in Rwanda

The location of Volcanoes National Park is close to the borders of Uganda and the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo. The entire Virunga Range serves as the international border. In Rwanda, the park’s perimeter covers 65 km, from the Congo border near Gisenyi to the Uganda border near Kisoro. The famed habituated mountain gorillas are found in the 16000-hectare Volcanoes National Park, where three gorilla groups are used for study and 10 gorilla families are open for trekking.

Day 4: Volcanoes National Park to Nairobi

Around 7 a.m., after a leisurely breakfast, you’ll embark on a morning trip to visit the Golden Monkeys. It is typically a short hike that lasts one to two hours. You will return to your lodging following the Golden Monkey Trek, relax for a little, eat lunch, and then be transferred to the airport in Kigali for your departure to Nairobi, Kenya.

Transfer time: Volcanoes National Park to Kigali International Airport – approx. 3 hours
Flight time: Kigali, Rwanda to Nairobi, Kenya – approx. 1 hour 20 minutes
Transfer time: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi to hotel – approx. 40 minutes

You will be greeted at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport upon arrival and guided through customs and immigration before being driven to your overnight lodging in the city. A brief explanation of your daily safari schedule for the upcoming days will be given to you.

Day 5: Nairobi to Masai Mara Game Reserve

After breakfast today, you’ll travel through the Rift Valley and up its western rim into Masai territory. Masai warriors in red clothing and spears tend their herds of cattle while surrounded by wildlife, magnificently unfazed by the presence of powerful predators. The Maasai Mara is a treasure unto itself and the Serengeti’s most northern extension. After eating lunch at the camp, you’ll go on your first game viewing drive.

Transfer time: Nairobi to Tipilikwani Mara Camp – approx. 5 hours

Day 5 – 8: Masai Mara Game Reserve

Masai Mara | The Safari of a LIFETIME!

The Masai Mara, possibly the most well-known reserve and the best place to view animals in Africa, has come to be associated with the safari and is currently being highlighted in the BBC’s new programme Planet Earth Live.

The 700 square miles of the Masai Mara Reserve practically continue the northern swath of the Serengeti plains in neighboring Tanzania, forming one enormous habitat. The annual Wildebeest migration, which takes place from June to October when the Mara becomes home to an almost unfathomable half million wildebeest in search of the grasses grown by the spring rains in April and May, is what makes the Mara regions famous. The wildebeest migrate north in large groups after using up all the pasture in the northern Serengeti. This is a truly amazing sight, and when the sound of hundreds and thousands of hooves pounding the ground is added, it creates a memorable spectacle.

There are other occupants of the land besides the wildebeest. The big cats—cheetahs, lions, and leopards—as well as zebra, elephants, and other animals call the Mara home. This enormous variety of animals includes hyena, jackal, buffalo, eland, topi, impala, gazelle, and warthogs.

Day 8: Masai Mara to Serengeti National Park

You will be taken to Mara Ol Kiombo Airstrip this morning after an early breakfast in preparation for your journey on Air Kenya Aviation to Serengeti via Tarime. You will proceed through immigration and customs at Tarime. Your next aircraft takes off from Tarime and lands in Kogatende, Serengeti National Park.

Your camp driver/guide will be waiting for you at the airstrip when you arrive in Kogatende at around 12:30 to take you on a brief game drive on the way to the camp for lunch. Many people believe the Serengeti National Park’s expansive grasslands to be the best place to watch African wildlife.

Transfer time: Camp to Mara Ol Kiombo Airstrip – approx. 1 hour 15 minutes
Flight time: Mara Ol Kiombo to Tarime – approx. 1 hour 55 minutes
Flight time: Tarime to Kokatende – approx. 1 hour
Transfer time: Kokatende to Camp – approx. 1 hour

Day 8 – 10: Serengeti National Park

SAFARI in Tanzania was NOT what I expected!

In the Maasai language, the phrase “endless plains” refers to the vast expanses of land that are home to literally millions of huge herbivores and the carnivores that accompany them. In addition to having the biggest concentration of migratory animals in the world, the Serengeti is well known for having a sizable lion population. The Serengeti National Park is a part of a vast conservation region that also includes the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya and the nearby Ngorongoro Conservation region. Numerous animals roam this area freely because there are no restrictions or fences. You will return to camp after your afternoon wildlife drive at twilight to eat your meal and turn in for the night.

Day 10: Serengeti National Park to Ngorongoro Crater

After breakfast, drive to your lodge on the rim of the Ngorongoro crater carrying a picnic lunch across the Ngorongoro Highlands. The crater’s area is more than 102 square miles (250 square kilometers), and it is home to the endangered black rhino, as well as large herds of buffalo, antelope, and wildebeest. Afternoon free time to watch the sunset and lunch at the resort.

Transfer time: Camp to Ngorongoro Crater – approx. 5 hours

Day 10 -12: Ngorongoro Crater

Because there is nothing to compare it to, it is impossible to accurately describe the enormity and beauty of the Crater. The late Professor Bernhard Grzimek, a well-known and esteemed naturalist, said, “It is one of the Wonders of the World. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which covers an area of over 8,300 square kilometers (3,192 square miles), is the ideal representation of East Africa since it combines breathtaking beauty, priceless archaeological sites, highlands, forests, grassland plains, extinct volcanoes, and an astounding abundance of species. The Ngorongoro Crater, whose floor spans an area of 260 square kilometers (100 square miles), serves as the area’s focal point. The road falls 2,000 feet to the crater floor before winding along the crater’s rim and providing stunning views. In reality, Ngorongoro Crater is a caldera, which is a volcano’s collapsed or submerged cone. It is the world’s biggest dormant caldera that isn’t broken or flooded. Bull elephants, lions, hyenas, zebras, and wildebeest, among other animals residing in the grasslands and acacia woods, can be found on the crater’s floor. The soda lake in the crater is called Lake Magadi; in Maasai, the term magad means “salt water.” Greater and lesser flamingos as well as other waterfowl are drawn to the lake. The crater is most renowned for being a very effective sanctuary for the critically endangered black rhinoceros. Beautiful scenery surrounds you as you see the animals, and the crater is a superb location for both photography and up-close viewing. The Maasai bring their cattle into the crater daily to drink as they have done for years. It is reported that the ground water springs are very nutrient-rich.

Day 12: Ngorongoro Crater to Zanzibar

Your final safari breakfast will be today. Your resort will pick you up, and you’ll be driven to Arusha Airport for your journey to Zanzibar. You will be met and taken to your resort after landing at Zanzibar Airport.

Transfer time: Lodge to Arusha – approx. 4 hours
Flight time: Arusha to Zanzibar – approx. 1 hour 30 minutes
Transfer time: Zanzibar Airport to Resort – approx. 1 hour

Day 12 – 15: Zanzibar

The Prefect Travel Guide to Zanzibar!

The “spice island” of Zanzibar is a wonderful site from which to enjoy the Indian Ocean’s crystal-clear turquoise waters. It is situated 26 miles off the coast of Tanzania. This makes Stone Town, where the history of the slave trade is vividly brought to life, the ideal companion to your African safari experience.

Your days in Zanzibar will be relaxed; you can go snorkeling, swim with dolphins, practice windsurfing, indulge in a few opulent spa treatments, explore a monkey forest, or simply unwind on one of the island’s stunning white-sand beaches. Take use of the resort’s various amenities as you relax by the Indian Ocean.

Optional activities include: enjoying the full-service spa, windsurfing, snorkeling, and scuba diving (certain activities have an additional cost). Set off on a thrilling journey to Kizimkazi, where swimming with dolphins is occasionally feasible.

Day 15: Departure

You have the morning to yourself before being driven to the airport in Zanzibar to catch your journey home.

Transfer time: Resort to Airport – approx. 1 hour

End of the 15 Days Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania & Zanzibar