Overview

The ultimate combination in 18 Day Gorilla Tracking! We first head to Rwanda for Gorilla trekking. We then visit the major parks of Kenya & Tanzania including the Masai Mara in Kenya and Lake Victoria, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Taragire in Tanzania. Finish it up with the beaches of Zanzibar!

Itinerary in Details

Day 1: Arrive Kigali

On arrival in Kigali you are met off your flight by your guide and transferred to the Lemigo Hotel for your overnight rest. Lemigo is a comfortable, mid-range city hotel with a pool. Should you wish to arrive early, extra nights accommodation can be arranged before starting this 18 Day Gorilla Tracking

Day 2: Kigali to Volcanoes National Park

This morning you will be briefed by your guide concerning 18 Day Gorilla Tracking before we depart on a city tour of Kigali including a visit to the Genocide Memorial site, a grim reminder of a senseless massacre of innocent’s lives in 1994. Learn about Rwanda’s history from pre-colonial times to the 1994 genocide and how Rwanda has dealt with that past. We continue our tour and see the new developments in Rwanda; the recovery has been incredible, a testament to humankind’s resilience. We enjoy lunch at a restaurant in Kigali. Thereafter, we drive to Musanze (formerly called Ruhengeri) in the northwest part of Rwanda, the main base town for Gorilla tracking. The drive is through beautiful rolling hills passing coffee, tea and banana plantations on a comfortable paved road and is approximately 2.5 hours from Kigali. Accommodation: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge

Day 3: Gorilla Trekking and Return to Kigali

After your morning wake-up call report to the park headquarters for briefing by the Volcanoes National Park’s guides on the Gorillas’ etiquette. Groups of trekkers will have a maximum of 8 visitors per gorilla family. Your trek will vary in length depending on which gorilla group you have been assigned to and will commence at about 7,000 feet of altitude in the upper terraced slopes of the volcano. You follow paths and the walking is steep but not overly strenuous. Nothing can prepare one for the impact of encountering a fully grown silverback gorilla: up to three times as bulky as the average man, yet remarkably peaceful and tolerant of human visitors. After locating your assigned Gorilla group you will spend one hour in their company before retracing your steps back down the volcano slopes. Lunch at the lodge. We return to Kigali for your overnight rest. Accommodation: Lemigo Hotel

Day 4: Kigali to Naiorbi

Today you will be transferred to the airport in time for your onward flight to Nairobi. Upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. Dinner (not included) can be taken at the hotel or at any of the cities many restaurants. Accommodation: Boma Hotel

Day 5: Nairobi to the Masai Mara

Leaving the lodge after breakfast, continue up the floor of Rift to arrive in the famous Masai Mara National Reserve, and at the Ashnil Mara Camp in time for a late lunch. In the afternoon, enjoy your first game-drive in the Mara. World renowned for the breathtaking spectacle of ‘the greatest wildlife show on earth’, the awe inspiring annual migration of the wildebeest, the Mara is Kenya’s most visited protected area. Technically an extension of Tanzania’s renowned Serengeti National Park, the Mara constitutes only 4% of the entire Serengeti ecosystem but its rolling grasslands, meandering rivers and towering escarpments offer one of the world’s most rewarding and evocative wildlife arenas. Returning to the camp, enjoy some relaxation on your private veranda, sundowners and dinner in the central restaurant. Accommodation: Ashnil Mara Camp

Day 6-7: Masai Mara

Spend all day on safari in the reserve with morning and afternoon game drives and breakfast, lunch and dinner at the camp. When it comes to game-viewing, there is nowhere in Africa richer in wildlife or more eventful in encounters than the Mara. A pristine wilderness of haunting beauty, it promises its visitors a profusion of wildlife, prolific bird life and the unprecedented opportunity of catching up with all the members of the ‘Big Five’ in one morning. Accommodation: Ashnil Mara Camp

Day 8: Masai Mara to Lake Victoria

After breakfast cross the border between Kenya and Tanzania at Isabenia and drive to the shores of Lake Victoria with a picnic lunch on the way. Check into the Speke Bay Lodge, which is on the lake shore, and spend a restful afternoon on the largest inland lake in the world. The white‐painted lodge, which offers a series of traditional round or ‘rondavel’ thatched buildings, has been styled to resemble a small village of the local Sukuma people and offers guided walks, biking, fishing, canoeing and more (some or all of which may be charged additionally). Accommodation: Speke Bay Lodge

Day 9: Lake Victoria

Today you get to spend the day exploring the peaceful shores of Lake Victoria. You will enjoy a 1.5 hour boat ride on the Lake and a cultural visit to a local village. This mid-safari stop is a great opportunity to take some time to relax between the wildlife experience of Kenya and Tanzania. Accommodation: Speke Bay Lodge

Day 10: Lake Victoria to the Serengeti National Park

After breakfast drive to the Serengeti National Park and to Serengeti Sopa Lodge, which is ideally located for safari game drives as well as optional activities such as balloon safaris, guided walks etc. Lunch and afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight at the lodge, Accommodation: Serengeti Sopa Lodge

Day 11: Serengeti National Park

With a full day’s game-driving in the park, your options are wide. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served at the camp, where guided nature walks can also be taken. Game drives can be taken morning and afternoon. Whilst the annual migration is the Serengeti’s most famous attraction, the Park is also renowned for its lion, many of which have been fitted with radio-transmitter collars so that their movements may be tracked, and additionally for its wealth of cheetah, zebra, giraffe, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle, eland, impala, klipspringer, hippo and warthog. Accommodation: Serengeti Sopa Lodge

Day 12: Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater

After breakfast and a morning game drive, drive through the Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area, stopping en route for a picnic lunch and a visit to the world-famous Olduvai Gorge Palaeolithic site and reputed ‘Cradle of Mankind’. Scale the side of the crater, circle the rim and descend to the Ngorongoro Crater for afternoon half‐day guided tour of the crater. Picnic lunch will be taken at the crater floor. Ascend to your lodge for the evening and dinner at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, enjoying magnificent views down into the crater. Accommodation: Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge

Day 13: Ngorongoro to Tarangire National Park

After breakfast drive to Tarangire National Park, an arid haven, peppered with ancient baobab trees, towering termite mounts, and home to huge herds of elephant. Enjoy a picnic lunch and a game drive before arriving at Maramboi Tented Camp for your overnight rest. Accommodation: Maramboi Tented Camp

Day 14: Tarangire to Arusha to Zanzibar

After breakfast, drive to Arusha where lunch will be served in a local restaurant. Transfer to Arusha Airport to connect to your onward flight to Zanzibar. Upon arrival you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel for an overnight stay. Have the afternoon to wonder the amazing architecture of Stone Town and immerse you in the island’s colourful history. Accommodation: Tembo House Hotel

Day 15: Stone Town to Beach

This morning after breakfast in our 18 Day Gorilla Tracking we will embark on a city tour of Stone Town to learn about the city rich history by walking its backstreets, visiting sights and markets. This afternoon transfer to the beautiful beaches of the coast and to your idyllic 5 star beachfront hotel. Accommodation: Dream of Zanzibar

Day 16-17: Zanzibar Beach

Two days of leisure in Zanzibar, where the activities at the hotel include swimming, snorkelling, sea kayaking, kite surfing, diving, water sports, dhow trips (extra cost) and local cultural excursions (extra cost) or just relax! Your options and wide. Accommodation: Dream of Zanzibar

Day 18: Depart Zanzibar

After breakfast, depart to Zanzibar airport to connect to your onward flight. Extra nights available upon request. This will mark the end of 18 Day Gorilla Tracking.

Included

• Park fees (for non-residents)
• Gorilla permits (one per person, non-resident)
• All activities (unless labeled as optional)
• All accommodation (unless listed as upgrade)
• A professional driver/guide
• All transportation (unless labeled as optional)
• All flights during the tour
• All Taxes/VAT
• Roundtrip airport transfer
• Meals (as specified in the day-by-day section)
• Drinking water (on all days)

Excluded

• International flights (from/to home)
• Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
• Tips (tipping guideline US$10.00 pp per day)
• Personal items (souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
• Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
• Some meals (as specified in the day-by-day)