Itinerary for the Rwanda Gorilla Tracking, Tanzania Ngorongoro, Tarangire, Manyara, and Serengeti - 8 Days
Day 1: Meet in Kigali and drive to Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
A Gorillas and Wildlife Safaris tour guide shall be meeting with you in Kigali (at your hotel or at Kigali Airport) to start the tour. The preferred time is to set off at 8 AM, but if you are arriving at Kigali Airport on this day, we can delay setting off as we wait for you to arrive. In all cases, we shouldn't be starting later than 3 pm.
Your tour guide will take you on a brief tour of Kigali City. Among the places you shall be visiting is the Gisozi Genocide Memorial in Kigali, the local market, and other significant places in Kigali. The memorial is very moving – the tour takes a couple of hours - and will be of interest to anyone who has spent some time in this enchanting country. It is in memory of the multitudes murdered in Rwanda´s genocide in 1994. The memorial sites and centres are places of dignified remembrance for loved ones lost. It is also a place of reflection and learning for the wider community, both in Rwanda and internationally.
Afterwards, we shall be driving to Volcanoes National Park.
Ranging in altitude from 2,400m to 4,507m, the Volcanoes National Park is dominated by the setting of volcanoes after which it is named. Best known to the outside world as the place where, for almost 20 years, the American primatologist Dian Fossey undertook her pioneering studies of mountain gorilla behaviour.
Our accommodation is ideally positioned for those who want to watch animals in their habitat, specifically the endangered Rwanda mountain gorillas that still roam these areas.
Accommodation Options in Volcanoes National Park
Luxury level: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Moderate: Gorilla Solutions Lodge
Low Budget: Muhabura Lodge
Meals included today: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 2: Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park
Your tour guide will link up with you over breakfast at the lodge to transfer you to the Volcanoes National Park offices for the pre-gorilla trek briefing. This briefing is meant to best prepare you for your special encounter with the mountain gorillas. You will learn more about the gorillas and the conservation efforts for the park amidst conflict with the neighboring communities. When the briefing is done, you will be allocated a gorilla group to track. Mountain gorillas live in family groups, and on any given day, only 8 tourists can track such a group. You could suggest a preferred gorilla group to visit, but the final determination of this is all in the hands of the Volcanoes National Park officers.
A thrilling trek through the refined foothills of the Virungas provides inspiring views of the volcano ranges in all directions. Then, suddenly, the trail enters the national park, engrossing trekkers in the strange closeness of the rainforest, alive with the calls of colorful birds and chattering of the rare golden monkey, and besieged with fresh spoor of the mountains' elusive populations of buffalo and elephant.
Through gaps in the forest canopy, the marvellous peaks are sighted, easily easy to get to and among the uppermost in Africa, indicating an ascent. Gorilla trekking is quite strenuous, but a worthwhile encounter of these gentle giants. The enthusiasm of your coming across these apes will wipe away your intricacy of the strenuous trek.
Spend time watching gorillas, watch the adults feeding their young ones, brushing and resting as the youngsters play from vines in a pleasurably playful display.
Accommodation Options in Volcanoes National Park
Luxury level: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Moderate: Gorilla Solutions Lodge
Low Budget: Muhabura Lodge
Meals included today: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 3: Golden Monkey Tracking in Volcanoes National Park, Drive to Kigali, transfer to Tanzania for more safaris
Early morning, go to the park headquarters, pick your guide, and go to track the golden monkeys. The Golden Monkey may not be the most well-known primate, but it is certainly an enjoyable little creature that is worth visiting. It is a small, curious monkey, golden in color, and loves to scamper around the trees. Golden monkeys are named after their golden-orange fur, and like mountain gorillas, are also considered an endangered species. Golden monkeys are primarily found in the bamboo forest that skirts the lower slopes of the volcanoes. They are more active in the bamboo canopy. Golden monkeys are opportunistic feeders. What they feed on could be determined by the availability of fruits, leaves of bamboo trees, shoots of bamboo, shrubs, flowers, invertebrates, and this makes it restricted to highland forest, mostly the bamboo forest.
Accommodation options in Arusha
Up-market: Mount Meru Hotel, Arusha
Moderate: Green Mountain Hotel
Low Budget: Tulia Boutique SPA Hotel
Day 4: Arusha-Tarangire National Park-Mto Wa Mbu
We will leave from Arusha in the morning and travel to the Tarangire National Park, where you can marvel at the two-story-high termite mounds and the “upside-down” giant baobab trees. The aesthetic scenery and cornucopia of birdlife assist in creating the unequivocally peaceful ambiance of the Tarangire National Park. In addition, the African elephant population, over 300 strong, is an extremely remarkable sight. African elephants are the largest living land mammals, with adult males weighing in at seven tons. Other animals endemic to Tarangire’s savannah include the hardy African lions, giraffes, toothy warthogs, ostriches, impalas, agile cheetahs, mongooses, water buffalo, and red-bottomed baboons. When your game drive comes to an end, the guide will transport you to Lake Manyara, complete with a pool and hot showers. As with guaranteed with each tour.
Accommodation options in Tarangire
Up-market: Lake Manyara Serena Lodge
Moderate: Eileen’s Tree Inn Lodge
Low Budget: Ngedere Camp
Day 5: Mto wa Mbu to Serengeti National Park
A delicious breakfast showcasing local and organic products will be served at camp, followed by a breathtaking drive to the Serengeti National Park. We will take the scenic route to Serengeti, allowing for an amazing, bird’s-eye view of Ngorongoro Crater. There is a high likelihood of spotting game on the drive. The endless golden savanna, contrasted with the vibrant patterns of zebras, lions, and elephants, makes it easy to understand why the Serengeti is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa. We will stop for a picnic lunch on the most famous kopje (a small hill in a generally flat area) in the park, allowing visitors to experience the vastness Serengeti from atop the hill. We will proceed further into the Serengeti for a leisurely game drive where you will likely view herds of giraffes, elephants, and zebra. You will spend the night at the Serengeti, where you will fall asleep to the mighty chorus of zebras, lions, and gazelles.
Accommodation options in Serengeti
Up-market: Serengeti Serena Lodge
Moderate: Serengeti Heritage Tented Lodge
Low Budget: Tumbili Campsite
Day 6: Serengeti National Park to Ngorongoro Crater
The day will begin with an early morning game drive right in the center of the majestic Serengeti. You are likely to view hundreds of the diverse animals that find their home within the Serengeti’s endless plains. This day will likely offer sightings of the African mammals that make the park famous- lions, leopards, elephants, cheetahs, and water buffalo, all within a few feet of the jeep. Visitors will also have the chance to view some of the park's known, but equally majestic animals, including elands, hyenas, gazelles, crocodiles, giraffes, zebras, monkeys, baboons, hippos, rhinos, and antelopes. Depending on the time of year, visitors will also have the chance to view thousands of zebras and wildebeest on their Great Migration. The hundreds of bird species, both endemic and migrating from the Eurasian region, are a special bonus for bird-watchers. Guests will enjoy a fresh and delicious dinner, another spot well-known for animal sightings.
Accommodation options in Ngorongoro
Up-market: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
Moderate: Anga’ta Tinted Lodge
Low Budget: Simba Campsite
Day 7: Ngorongoro Crater to Mto wa Mbu
A scarce number of safari destination produces the same experience as the Ngorongoro Crater – the game viewing is simply effortless. Most animals remain within the crater due to its high walls. This is the perfect location to view every member of ‘The Big 5’ in one day. We will have a wonderful picnic lunch inside the crater. The unfilled caldera is also home to hyenas, hippo, zebra, wildebeest and an impressive variety of water birds. Your guide will enlighten you by sharing facts about the animals, vegetation, and by locating hidden animals. After late afternoon, we will drive you to Mto wa Mbu, where you will spend the night and get dinner.
Accommodation options in Ngorongoro
Up-market: Manyara Serena Lodge
Moderate: Eileen’s Tree Inn Lodge
Low Budget: Ngedere Camp
Day 13: Game Drive in Lake Manyara National Park, Transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for departure
On our last day of the tour (we know, we wish it were longer too!), we will experience the beauty of Lake Manyara National Park. We will enjoy an early breakfast in order to start our game drive early enough to spot the “Big Five” mammals. Nestled at the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, Lake Manyara National Park provides picturesque yet varying scenery. Throughout the day, we will experience the shrubbery of the golden savannah, mighty rivers, and amazing wildlife. We will eat our picnic lunch in the heart of the beautiful park. Soda Lake and the surrounding savannah support a highly diverse ecosystem, leading to a diverse array of wildlife to be viewed within the park. With over four hundred species of dazzling birds, some of which are migratory, Lake Manyara National Park is a birdwatcher's paradise. Lake Manyara is home to the legendary tree-climbing lions as well as powerful water buffalo, immense African elephant, soaring giraffe, graceful impala, and gigantic hippo. In the late afternoon, we will leave Manyara and proceed to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your departure back home.
