Countries: Rwanda and Tanzania
Destinations: Kigali, Volcanoes National Park, Arusha, Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park, and Ngorongoro Crater.
Itinerary at Glance
Day 1: Arrive in Kigali
Day 2: Kigali city tour and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Day 3: Gorilla Trekking at Volcanoes National Park
Day 4: Golden Monkey trek and transfer to Kigali
Day 5: Fly to Tanzania and transfer to Lake Manyara National Park
Day 6: Game drive in Lake Manyara National Park en route to Serengeti
Day 7: Game drive in Serengeti National Park
Day 8: Game drive in Serengeti National Park en route to Ngorongoro
Day 9: Game drive in Ngorongoro and depart to Arusha
Day 10: Departure.
Trip Overview.
The 10 Days Rwanda Gorilla trek and Tanzania BIG 5 Wildlife safari, rewards you with a 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, undertake Kigali city tour and transfer to Volcanoes National Pak, return to Kigali and fly to Tanzania, for a great wildlife experience.
Trip Highlights
- Gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda
- Golden monkey trekking
- Kigali city tour
- Safari game drives in Tanzania
- Wildlife experience
- Countryside experience
- Ngorongoro crater wildlife experience
- Canoe ride on Lake Bunyonyi
- Road drive experience
Day 1: Welcome to Kigali – Rwanda!
Day Itinerary
Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport and passing through the immigration process, you will be welcomed by our safari driver who will brief you shortly and 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 said to be one of the most attractive cities in Africa and is definitely worth a visit.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Overnight stay at: The Retreat Hotel.
Meal Plan: Bed and breakfast
Day 2: Kigali city tour and transfer to Volcanoes National Park. Travel time + 2hrs
Day Itinerary
Today after taking your relaxed morning breakfast, you will checkout of 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.
Overnight stay at: Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel (luxury)
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park
Day Itinerary
After an early morning breakfast, you will be transferred 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 you will walk back to the starting point, meet your guide waiting for you and be transferred to your lodge for lunch, and after lunch, you can decide to relax at your lodge at your leisure or head for a cultural encounter with a walking tour to different site to get an insight of Rwandan culture. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Gorilla Trekking at Volcanoes National Park
Gorilla Trekking in the Volcanoes National Park offers visitors the unique opportunity of discovering 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 is guided by a guide and two scouts who are well trained in emergency situations. The amount of time set aside per trek is different 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.
Overnight stay at: Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel (luxury)
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 4: Golden Monkey trekking and transfer to Kigali and fly to Kenya
Day Itinerary
Today after your warm early morning breakfast, we will be transferred back to the park headquarters for briefing and start off your day golden monkey trekking in search of these primates in the jungle. Just like the gorilla trekking experience, the same trekking procedures and guidelines apply to golden monkey trekking though not so hectic like gorilla trekking. You will later return to the lodge for lunch and later transfer to Kigali, and 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. Dinner and overnight
Overnight stay at: The Retreat Hotel
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Fly to Arusha and transfer to Lake Manyara National Park
Day Itinerary
Have your relaxed breakfast, and 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, you will be welcomed by your assigned Tanzania driver-guide, who will lead you to your 4 X 4 safari land cruiser, and you start a drive to Lake Manyara National Park via Arusha and drive to your booked lodge for dinner and overnight.
Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara’s game includes good numbers of elephant, 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 are 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.
Overnight stay at: Escarpment Luxury Lodge (Luxury)
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Lake Manyara to Serengeti National Park via Ngorongoro Area
Day Itinerary
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, took its name from the Maasai word for “euphorbia tirucalli”, a bush which 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 amazing hours of exploration, you will exit the park, and drive to Serengeti National Park via the Ngorongoro Conservation area. Stop at the Crater view point to view the Ngorongoro crater then proceed further and visit one of the Maasai bomas for an amazing Maasai Cultural tour before entering the Serengeti through the Naabi hill gate. Lunch at the picnic point followed by 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. Dinner and overnight at Lodge/Tented Camp.
Overnight stay at: Kubu Kubu Tented Camp (Luxury)
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Full day of Game drives and Game viewings in Serengeti National Park
Day Itinerary
We are completely flexible with your preferences and this day will be organized according to your wishes. 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, return to the camp/lodge for lunch and relaxation and 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 Maasai Language meaning endless plain. This massive plain (14763sq km) is home to many animals including Lions, Elephants, Giraffe, Wildebeest, Zebra, Leopard, and Cheetah, baboon, 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 into the right path making sure you have the best time to enjoy these great phenomena. Dinner and Overnight at the Camp/Lodge.
Overnight stay at: Kubu Kubu Tented Camp (Luxury)
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 8: En route Game drives to Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Day Itinerary
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 with great possibility to spot any other animals that you did not see in your first days. Lunchboxes shall be served to you at the picnic point. Dinner and overnight at lodge.
Overnight stay at: Foresight Eco Lodge (Luxury)
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 9: Ngorongoro Crater for Game drives to Arusha
Day Itinerary
Early in 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 a 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 overnight stay at the hotel.
Overnight stay at: Katambuga House (Luxury)
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 10: Departure
Day Itinerary
Have an early morning breakfast at your hotel, meet your guide and transfer you, for your morning flight back home, with incredible life time 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. End of service!
Meal Plan: Breakfast only.
Note: You can as well as opt to combine this trip with a beach treat at Zanzibar.
The Safari includes.
- Transportation on a 4 x 4 safari vehicle with a pop up roof.
- Airport transfers
- Accommodation and meals as listed on the itinerary
- Service of an English speaking driver guide
- Park entrance fees
- Ngorongoro crater fees
- 1 Gorilla ($1500) permit per person
- En route lunches
- Golden monkey permit
- Maasai Cultural tour in Ngorongoro
- Crater fees
- Community and cultural experience as per itinerary
- Game drives as mentioned
- Unlimited supply of mineral water
The package excludes expenses of personal nature like:
- Visa Fees & flights
- Optional activities
- Tips for guides
- Laundry
- Alcoholic drinks
- International vaccinations & tests
- Health test requirements
- Personal travel Insurance
- Personal shopping bills
- Phone call bills
- Extras while at the hotel
- Items of personal nature
Please contact us for a free detailed quote on the option of your choice. We can tailor a request that suits your interests, and budget, as well as we can change or upgrade the lodge options. Write to us with more details about your safari.