8 Days Serengeti and Rwanda gorilla trekking safari
Welcome to your 8 days Serengeti and Rwanda gorilla trekking safari, an experience that combines both the savannah and mountainous zones. This safari trip will take you through the savannah plains of Ngorongoro and Serengeti National Park up the Volcanoes National Park mountains. You will encounter savannah-based wildlife species like the Big 5 animals, antelopes, hyenas, and others while on a game drive in Serengeti.
In addition to this, you will also hike the Gol mountains and visit the Olduvai Gorge. You will also trek the endangered mountain gorillas of Volcanoes National Park as well as other small primates. While in Rwanda, you will have a tour of Kigali and stop to visit the genocide sites in the city as well as cultural encounters at Ibyi’wacu cultural village. This and more you will expect as we go through your detailed itinerary.
Summary of Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Day 2: Game drive and Masai tribe tour
Day 3: Transfer to Serengeti National Park and afternoon game drive
Day 4: Game drive and hike to the summit of Gol mountains
Day 5: Transfer to Arusha airport for a flight to Kigali
Day 6: Kigali city tour and visit genocide sites
Day 7: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park and Cultural Tours
Day 8: Gorilla trekking and departure
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Upon arrival at Arusha airport, you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you shortly about your 8 days Serengeti and Rwanda gorilla trekking safari. He will thereafter transfer you to Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Lunch will be en route. You will arrive at your lodge in the conservation area by evening. You will then be served dinner and relaxation for the night ahead.
Meals: Lunch and Dinner
Day 2: Game drive and Masai tribe tour
In the morning, you will be served an early breakfast to prepare you for the morning activity. Our driver guide will then pick you up and head for a game drive in the crater rim of Ngorongoro. This rim is referred to by many as a “Garden of Eden” for the wildlife species because of its abundant fresh pasture and water. These attract numerous animals both the prey and predators. Game drives in the crater rim will introduce you to a variety of wildlife species like the big 5 animals, antelopes, waterbucks, zebras, wildebeest, and warthogs among others.
After your delicious lunch, you will embark on a Masai tribe tour of Africa’s fascinating indigenous people of the land. You will be entertained by their traditional dances and have a chat with the elders about their history. You will also meet with the warriors that graze their livestock in the Carter Rim together with the wildlife. This tribal encounter with the Masai will surely be a memorable one.
In the afternoon, you will head to the Olduvai Gorge for a tour of the place where the oldest human being skull was found. This gorge is considered as “the Cradle of mankind” because the remains of the direct ancestor of now humans were found. You will visit the museum and have a chance to see these remains that will leave you astonished. You will later be driven back to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 3: Transfer to Serengeti National Park and afternoon game drive
You will have breakfast, check out, and hit the road to Serengeti National Park. This 6-hour drive will take you through some of the best landscapes. You will arrive at your lodge in the park just in time for your lunch. After lunch, you will have your first wildebeest migration encounter in Serengeti National Park. This is one of the highlights of your 8 days Serengeti and Rwanda gorilla trekking safari. The southern and central parts of Serengeti National Park are rewarding safari destinations. You will also encounter hundreds of bird species. Dinner and overnight will be at your tented camp or safari lodge.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 4: Game drive and hike to the summit of Gol mountains
Breakfast will be served to you early morning to enable you to go for a morning game drive just in time. A game drive in Serengeti National Park will take you up close to the wildlife while in the comfort of your vehicle. You will enjoy a ton of wildlife species including lions, leopards, zebras, buffaloes, wildebeests, antelopes, giraffes, and many more. You later on have lunch.
In the afternoon, you will take a hike to the summit of the Gol mountains. This hike is rather challenging and adventurous. You will have stunning views of the entire park below and also spot a variety of bird species on your hike. You will have a photo moment at the top of the mountain as you observe the beautiful sun setting on the savannah plains of the park. You will then return to the base of the mountain and be transferred back to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 5: Transfer to Arusha airport for a flight to Kigali
You will wake up to a delicious breakfast at the lodge before checking out. Our driver guide will be there just in time to transfer you to the airport in Arusha. Lunch will thereafter be served before boarding. You will take a 6-7-hour flight to Kigali International Airport from where our driver guide will pick you up and transfer you to your booked hotel for dinner and overnight.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 6: Kigali city tour and visit genocide sites
In the morning after your breakfast, you will take on a tour around Kigali city. This city is the cleanest in East Africa. You will be amazed by the organization and hospitality of the people of Rwanda. You will visit the local markets and observe the local people as they trade and go on with their daily lives. You will after be served lunch in the city. In the afternoon, you will visit the genocide sites in the city such as the genocide memorial hall, Nyamata church, and many others. After this encounter, you will return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park and cultural tours
After your breakfast early in the morning, you will check out of the hotel and be transferred to Volcanoes National Park. On arrival in the park, you will settle in your lodge and have lunch. After your lunch, you will head to Ibyi’wacu cultural village for a cultural tour. You will be welcomed by the traditional dancers with their songs. You will learn the different cultural practices of the Rwandan people such as the rearing of the long-horned Ankole cattle among other things. You will interact with the elders for a tale of history on their land. You will return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 8: Gorilla trekking and Transfer to Kigali – Departure
As you prepare for the last day of your 8 days Serengeti and Rwanda gorilla trekking safari, you will have breakfast and move to the park offices. The rangers in charge with then take you through a pre-trekking briefing. This briefing takes you through the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking and the expected code of conduct around the gorillas.
A professional ranger will then guide through the forest to the habitat of the mountain gorillas. You will across other smaller primates like the vervet monkeys, and blue monkeys among others. You will have an hour with the mountain gorillas as you observe them in their natural habitat. You will head back to for lodge and lunch and check out. In the afternoon, you will be driven back to Kigali International Airport for your departure flight.
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
