By choosing this 16 days Rwanda gorillas, Tanzania and Zanzibar safari, your dream of diving into a world of wonder, spend nights in classic accommodations despite your status and nationality, meet new friends, visit your relatives in the wild and know some of Africa’s top attractions and most visited national parks comes true.
You will have a Kigali city tour, twin lakes tour, chimpanzee tracking and canopy walk in Nyungwe national park; Mountain Gorilla trekking and Dian Fossey grave in Volcanoes national park; Rwanda.
In Tanzania, you will have a game drive in Lake Manyara national park, Maasai cultural visit and game viewing in Serengeti national park, and Top of crater hike in Ngorongoro crater. Zanzibar is the last destination to visit but offers the best safari experience as you will relax by the beautiful beaches at the shoreline of the Indian Ocean, visit the stone town and enjoy the sweet fragrance in the spice plantations. The trip starts in Rwanda and ends in Zanzibar.
Detailed safari
Day 1: Arrival in Kigali city
On this day, you will land at Kigali international airport where our expert driver-guide will meet and brief you about the entire trip; tell you about the history of the country, and all the activities you will engage in, before taking you to the hotel for dinner and a nap, as you wait for the next day’s activities.
You are free to have nightlife in Kigali city through the guidance of the tour guide.
Day 2: Kigali city tour and Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
At sunrise, you will greet your intestines with a heavy cup of coffee, before checking out of the hotel for a drive to volcanoes national park; the northern province of Rwanda. But first, you will have a city tour; visiting the local markets to see the different souvenirs, as well as watching the locals bargain and carry out trade.
You have the opportunity of exchanging your money to local currency before heading to the genocide memorial to see the documentaries, pay tribute and listen to the lectures of over 25000 people who lost their lives in the 1994 Rwanda conflict between the Tutsi and Hutus.
Thereafter, you will have lunch around the city, and then a 2-3 hours’ scenic drive to Volcanoes national park, traversing rolling hills, green plantations and the backdrop of Virunga Mountains as you proceed to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Gorilla trekking and visit to the Twin Lakes
At birds’ call, you will enjoy your tasty breakfast at the lodge, followed by an early morning drive to the packs’ headquarters for a pre-trekking briefing which starts at 8:00hours, for about 30minutes, by the park rangers who will verify your documents, tell you the does and don’ts of Gorilla trekking and then allocate you to a gorilla family which they will guide you in tracking for over 1-7 hours’, depending on your speed and the distance the apes have taken.
Gorilla trekking is fun and though requires conquering hills and valleys, you will keep on encountering several other primates, rare birds, unique tree species, and reptiles among others.
Upon finding the apes, you will be assigned one hour to closely watch, ask questions, and take photos of the silverback, mothers nursing their young ones, and the adolescents playing.
You will then return to the lodge for lunch, before visiting the twins’ Lake Burera and Ruhondo to refresh, enjoy nature and have a boat ride, before retiring to the lodge for dinner and overnight
Day 4: Depart Volcanoes for Nyungwe national park
On this day, you will have an optional visit to the Graveyard of Dien Fossy; a primate researcher who devoted her whole life and heart to the conservation of the Gorillas not only to be killed by some unknown assailants. She was laid beside her “family” the Gorillas in the park, and leaves behind an unforgettable legacy and a famous movie “Gorillas in the mist”
Later in the day, you will have early lunch before checking out of the lodge for a drive to Nyungwe national park; hosting over 13 unique primate species, with chimpanzees dominating for dinner and overnight stay as you wait for the next day’s activities.
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk
At daybreak, you will enjoy an energy-giving breakfast meal, followed a drive to Nyungwe national park headquarters for registration, and briefing. Afterward, you will start the chimpanzee trekking through the guidance of the park rangers. The exercise can last for about 4 hours, with one-hour allowance for you to watch the primates sing, play and make all sorts of vocalization.
The beauty of these activities is that you will enjoy lots of beautiful melodies from the birds, chimpanzees, and monkeys among others during the adventure. Chimpanzees are humans’ closest relatives, with over 98% DNA, and similar attributes and behaviors; they sleep in nests and live in groups.
After the one hour, you will have a lunch break, and refreshment, before going for the afternoon canopy walk on treetops, which enable you to have an aerial view of the park, watch the different primates and birds play on the treetops and relax until the time of returning to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Transfer to Arusha
You will start the day with breakfast, followed by an amazing drive to Kigali for lunch, and then to the airport for a flight to Arusha; the northern city of Tanzania. At Arusha, you will meet our company representative who will brief you on the different aspects of this unique destination, before transferring you to the lodge for refreshment, dinner, and overnight.
Day 7: City tour and Depart Arusha for Manyara national park
At daylight, you will have a relaxed breakfast, followed by a rewarding 2-3 hours’ city tour where you will familiarize with the city by visiting the museum and several other interesting places in it, before embarking on an exciting 4-5 hours’ drive through tarmac and maram roads, decorated with undulating hills and green vegetation to Lake Manyara national park; where your dream of ever seeing a tree-climbing lion comes true. You will arrive at your lodge in the evening for relaxation and overnight.
Day 8: Full day game drive
After a yummy breakfast, you will depart the lodge with packed lunch, camera and any other necessary item for a full day game drive at the gigantic Lake Manyara national park; one of the most visited game parks in the region, known for the tree-climbing lions, a large concentration of elephants, leopards, lions, buffalos, zebras and several antelope species among others.
Lake Manyara also has a very fascinating landscape, a variety of bird species such as flamingoes, ostriches, and many more, but not forgetting the primates and unique tree species. You will have a picnic after the first 4-5 hours, and dinner and overnight at the lodge after the entire activity.
Day 9: Depart Lake Manyara for Serengeti national park
Upon sipping the last dot of coffee from your cup, you will pack your language, bid farewell to your friends, and set off for Serengeti national park; the famous destinations in Africa, and the host to the annual wildebeest migration, the second largest mammal’s migration in the world.
Your driver-guide keeps on telling you stories about Tanzania and Serengeti, in particular, introduces you to the stunning landscape and flourishing plantation and has an en-route stopover for lunch before proceeding to the lodge in the park with an evening game drive. After refreshment, you will have a dinner feast and peaceful nap.
Day 10: Game drive and Masai cultural encounter
At dawn, you will join your driver-guide for a 3-5 hours’ game drive within and beyond the central area of the park, where several mammals, birds, and primates always feed, rest, hunt, and relax. It is by no surprise to spot if not all, Africa’s big 5 mammals, namely the lions, buffalos, elephants, rhinos, and leopards, plus the wildebeest, zebras, cheetah, warthogs, wild dogs and several others, but not forgetting the rare bird and tree species. You will have bush breakfast, followed by lunch at the lodge.
After lunch, you will rest a bit, before going for a cultural encounter with the Maasai people who will entertain you with sweet stories, drama, dance and songs, up to sunset when you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 11: Depart Serengeti for Ngorongoro crater
Depart the lodge for a very early morning game drive to seek for the morning risers, and nocturnal creatures, most of which you might have missed out on the previous day’s search, especially the cats such as the lions, leopards, hyenas and many more. Thereafter, you will have a bush breakfast, before returning to the lodge to depart for a transfer to the Ngorongoro crater. The drive can last for 4-5 hours with an optional stopover at the Olduvai Gorge, and any other fascinating spot.
You arrive in the afternoon for lunch and spend the rest of the evening relaxing as you wait for dinner and overnight
Day 12: Morning crater hike and game viewing
Early in the morning, you will enjoy a tasty breakfast meal, followed by a 3-4 hours’ crater summit hike; unforgettable moment of taking photos and experiencing life on the world’s largest crater, while watching the beautiful landscape, the hideouts of several mammals, primates and birds, and asking the guide any question.
After the Hike, you will have a picnic lunch, before having a 3-4 hours’ game drive, seeking to find Africa’s big 5 namely; leopards, Buffaloes, Rhinos, elephants, and lions among others, plus several other mammals such as the wildebeest, zebras, giraffes, and warthogs among others. Dinner and overnight at the lodge
Day 13: Fly to Zanzibar- spice plantation visit
After breakfast, you will check out of the lodge for a 2-3 hours’ drive to the airport, while glancing at the fascinating scenery, rolling hills, and flourishing plantations. The flight to Zanzibar lasts for 2-3 hours.
On landing at Zanzibar, you will meet our company representative who will brief you about the safari, before heading for lunch in town, and an afternoon visit to the spice plantations, where you will enjoy the sweet scent of the spices such as the different fruits, cinnamon, ginger, sisal, and vanilla among others. You will drive to the lodge for a mouth-watering meal and a peaceful nap.
Day 14: Stone town tour and the beach
On this day, you will have a tour around the stone town; a Unesco world heritage site after breakfast, visiting different attractions around town such as the house of wonder, Arab ruins, the cathedrals which formerly acted as a slave trade market, the local markets, Zanzibar museum and prison island among others.
A stone town is a unique place, decked with ancient Arab and European architecture, and many people from all walks of life. After the tour, lunch will be in the city, whereas dinner and overnight at the lodge
Day 15: Full day relaxing at the beach
You will start your day with a delicious breakfast meal, followed by a drive to the beautiful Zanzibar beaches where you will spend the entire day, swimming, having a boat ride, relaxing by the water bank, photography, sport fishing, enjoying the different seafood’s, and diving among others.
Late in the evening, you will have a sunset drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 16: Departure
Depending on your flight time, you will have a relaxed breakfast while enjoying the sunrise, after which you will bid farewell to your new friends and check out of the lodge for a transfer to the airport to get a flight to the next destination.
End of the 16 days Rwanda gorillas, Tanzania wildlife and Zanzibar beach safari.
