10 Days Rwanda Gorilla trek and Tanzania Big 5
10 Days Rwanda Gorilla Trek and Tanzania Big 5
The 10 Days Rwanda Gorilla Trek and Tanzania Big5 Wildlife safari, rewards you with great trekking of the famous mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park which is the leading attraction in Rwanda, and golden monkey trekking, before you return to Kigali and flying to Tanzania, for a big wildlife game safari, which rewards you with a great experience of encountering the BIG 5, during the game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro crater. This trip starts with arrival in Kigali – Rwanda, undertaking a Kigali city tour and transfer to Volcanoes National Pak, returning to Kigali, and flying to Tanzania, for a great wildlife experience.
Highlights
- Arrive in Kigali
- Kigali city tour and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
- Gorilla Trekking at Volcanoes National Park
- Golden Monkey trek and transfer to Kigali
- Fly to Tanzania and transfer to Lake Manyara National Park
- Lake Manyara National Park game drive and en route to Serengeti
- Serengeti National Park
- Serengeti National Park en route to Ngorongoro
- Game drive in Ngorongoro and depart to Arusha
- Departure.
Day 1: Welcome to Kigali – Rwanda!
Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will meet our safari driver who will brief you. Transfer you to the booked accommodation.
Rwanda’s capital and biggest city stretches across undulating lush hills surrounded by towering mountains, the largest of which is Mount Kigali, rising 1850 meters above sea level. Kigali is the country’s financial, commercial, and cultural hub, served by an international airport and featuring a wide range of accommodation options, restaurants, and points of interest, including the Kigali Genocide Centre, an atmospheric market, and numerous craft shops. With its interesting architecture, busy streets, meandering boulevards, and green hillsides, Kigali is one of the most attractive cities in Africa and is worth a visit.
Lodging: Hotel des Mille Collines
Meal Plan: Half board
Day 2: Kigali city tour and transfer to Volcanoes National Park.
Today after taking your relaxed morning breakfast, you will check at the lodge, meet your guide, share a short introductory briefing about the trip, get into your safari vehicle, and drive to visit the Kigali genocide memorial grounds, which honors the memory of the more than one million Rwandans killed in 1994 through education and peace-building. You will be able to watch and listen to some video clips from some of the survivors of the incident. Later you will proceed for lunch in town before you drive to Musanze which is roughly 2 hours to your booked accommodation, where you will reach in the evening and relax.
Lodging: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge/Gorilla Solution Lodge/Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge
Meal plan: Full board
Day 3: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park
After an early morning breakfast, you will drive to the park headquarters. You will meet with your ranger who will brief you about the code of conduct while with the gorillas. You will then enter the forest in search of the gorillas. The gorilla trekking may take 2 – 6 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas in the jungle and your group speed as well. Meet and stay with the gorillas for a maximum of one hour. After a great experience, walk back to the starting point, meet your guide waiting for you, and transfer to your lodge for lunch. After lunch, you can decide to relax at your lodge at your leisure or head for a cultural encounter with a walking tour to a different site to get an insight into Rwandan culture.
Gorilla Trekking at Volcanoes National Park
Gorilla Trekking in the Volcanoes National Park offers visitors the unique opportunity to discover the 10 families of gorillas that live within the national park. Visitors can enjoy a cup of coffee before the trek starts and will be separated into groups of 8 depending on their physical abilities. Each group has a guide and two scouts who are well-trained in emergencies. The amount of time set aside per trek differs depending on where the gorilla family is situated. Some trips may take as little as half an hour and some take the better part of the day.
Lodging: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge/Gorilla Solution Lodge/Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge
Meal plan: Full board
Day 4: Golden Monkey trekking and transfer to Kigali
Today after breakfast, you will drive to the park headquarters for briefing. Continue and start your day in search of these primates. Like the gorilla trekking experience, the same trekking procedures and guidelines apply to golden monkey trekking though not so hectic as gorilla trekking. You will later return to the lodge for lunch and later transfer to Kigali. If time permits, you may opt for an added Kigali city tour with a visit to the local market, art craft shorts, and art galleries.
Day 5: Fly to Arusha and transfer to Lake Manyara National Park
Have your relaxed breakfast, transfer to Kigali Airport, and catch up with your early morning flight to Kilimanjaro Airport.
Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport and after clearing customs and immigration formalities, your assigned Tanzania driver-guide will welcome you. who will lead and you start a drive to Lake Manyara National Park via Arusha and drive to your booked lodge.
Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara’s game includes good numbers of elephants, buffalo, and wildebeest along with plenty of giraffes. Also prolific in number are zebra, waterbuck, warthog, and impala. You may need to search a little harder for the small and relatively shy Kirk’s dik-dik, and klipspringer on the slopes of the escarpment. The broken forests and escarpment make it a good country for leopards, whilst Manyara’s healthy lion population is famous for their tree-climbing antics. (Whilst unusual, this isn’t as unique to the park as is often claimed.) Immediately obvious to most visitors are the huge troops of baboons which often number several hundred and are widely regarded as Africa’s largest.
Lodging: Lemala Manyar/Manyara Wildlife Safari Camp
Meal plan: Full board
Day 6: Lake Manyara to Serengeti National Park via Ngorongoro Area
After an early breakfast, leave the lodge with your packed luncheons, for a morning game drive. During your game drive, keep your eyes peeled for the park’s famous tree-climbing lions, an elusive and rare sight to behold. Witness massive herds of elephants, majestic giraffes, and various antelope species as they roam free in their natural habitat. This beautiful park with its lush vegetation and tropical forests of giant figs, takes its name from the Maasai word for “euphorbia tirucalli”, a bush that is used to make a thorny hedge to protect their cattle. Elephants, giraffes, buffalo, large populations of hippos, zebras, and even tree-climbing lions can be spotted lazily resting on the branches of an “Acacia tortilis” tree. The birdlife is also abundant, with flamingos, pelicans, hornbills, and plenty of forest species. Lunch boxes will be provided to you.
Later after exploration, you will exit the park, and drive to Serengeti National Park via the Ngorongoro Conservation area. Stop at the Crater viewpoint to view the Ngorongoro crater then proceed further. Continue to visit one of the Maasai bomas for an amazing Maasai Cultural tour before entering the Serengeti through the Naabi hill gate. Have lunch at the picnic point. Then, go for a game drive en route to your Lodge with a great chance to see the great herds of wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles or a pride of lions lounging in the shade.
Day 7: Full day of Game drives and Game viewings in Serengeti National Park
Have your breakfast early enough. Then, your guide will discuss with you the best timing for you, including the game drives and the wake-up time. For example, you may opt to do a morning game drive and return to the camp/lodge for lunch and relaxation. Then finish with an afternoon game drive, or you could do a full-day game drive with picnic lunches.
Serengeti National Park
The Serengeti National Park derived its name from the Maasai Language meaning endless plain. This massive plain (14763sq km) is home to many animals including Lions, Elephants, giraffes, Wildebeest, Zebra, leopards, Cheetah, baboons, warthogs, Hyena plus lots of bird life. In many cases, migration is taking place around Serengeti and at that particular time millions of wildebeest and zebra are mingling together followed by predators. Our professional guide will lead you to the right path. Make sure you have the best time to enjoy these great phenomena.
Lodging: Serengeti Serena Lodge/Serengeti Heritage tented Camp/Osinon Lodges and Camp
Meal plan: Full board
Day 8: En route Game drives to Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Every day is a new day in Serengeti with different amazing series of events. After breakfast, you will leave the camp with your packed lunches for another memorable day towards the Ngorongoro conservation area. On this day you will still have a great opportunity to explore the Serengeti ecosystem. There is a great possibility to spot any other animals that you did not see in your first days. You will have lunch at the picnic point. Dinner and overnight at lodge.
Early in the morning and after breakfast, leave the lodge with your packed lunches ready for another exciting day. Today your expert safari guide will lead you into the Ngorongoro crater for a wonderful game drive.
The Ngorongoro crater.
The Ngorongoro crater is the 8th wonder of the Natural World, spreading over 102 sq. miles and has 2.000 ft high walls, making it virtually Noah’s ark like, it is inhabited by almost every species of wildlife that is Indigenous to East Africa including the rare and endangered black rhinos, other animals that can be revealed on your game drives are Elands, Lions, Waterbucks, Wildebeests, Hyenas, jackals, African Elephants, Buffaloes, Secretive leopards, Cheetahs, hippos and many more alongside hundreds of bird species eg. Maasai Ostrich, Kori bustard, Ibis, Starlings, etc. Lunch Boxes shall be served to you inside the crater. Later after game drives, you will ascend the crater walls and drive back to Arusha, to your booked lodge, for dinner and an overnight stay at the hotel.
Lodging: Ngorongoro Crater Lodge/Simba Campsite/Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge/
Meal plan: Full board
Day 10: Departure
Have an early morning breakfast at your hotel, meet your guide, and transfer you, for your morning flight back home, with incredible lifetime memories to share. Thank you for choosing One More Adventure Safaris, for your incredible Uganda and Tanzania safari experience, we look forward to your recommendations, to family and friends.
Tour includes
- Bottled drinking water
- Gorilla trekking permits
- Fuel and vehicle
- English speaking guide
- Meals
- Accommodation
Exclude
- Alcoholic drinks
- Laundry
- Items of a personal nature
- International airfares
- Travel Insurance
- Tips and gratuities
Safari Vacations and Travel Services is a Local tour operator based in Uganda with its head offices in Entebbe. Moreover, Safari Vacations and Travel Services is a business for Ugandan natives. We specialize in life-changing experiences, sustainable tours, and holidays for all East African countries. Also, we are members of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators and with registration from the Uganda Tourism Board. We have a good and long working relationship with the Uganda Wildlife Authority. We are making booking your gorilla permits and gorilla trekking safari easy. Safari Vacations and Travel Services is also high in Trip Advisor reviews.
