Overview
This 19-day itinerary is our most complete East Africa trip, combining safari in both Kenya and Tanzania with Rwanda's gorilla trekking — a genuinely comprehensive way to see the region's biggest wildlife draws in a single, well-planned journey rather than three separate trips.
The itinerary typically opens in Kenya, covering the Maasai Mara before crossing into Tanzania for the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and the rest of the Northern Circuit. From there, a flight to Rwanda adds several days of mountain gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, one of the only places on Earth to see gorillas in the wild.
Given the genuine complexity of coordinating border crossings, permits and flights across three countries, this itinerary is best planned well in advance — particularly because Rwanda's gorilla permits are limited and should be secured months ahead of travel.
See our Rwanda gorilla trekking combo guide, or contact us to start planning this itinerary around permit availability.
| Accommodation | Confirmed together with you — see the Rates tab for general comfort levels we work with. |
|---|---|
| Meals | Full board on safari days; meals as specified for any city/beach nights, per your final itinerary. |
Day by Day (19 days)
to your Nairobi Hotel for bed and breakfast.
You will be picked from Nairobi Hotel early in the morning and proceed to Lake Naivasha arriving time for lunch, afternoon have a visit to Hell's Gate and have activities like cycling through the animals ,boat ride ( later dinner and overnight at Fish Eagle Tented Camp.
Afternoon breakfast, proceed to Masai Mara arriving in time for lunch, afternoon game drive then later dinner and overnight at Sentrim Tented Camp or AA Lodge.
After breakfast, proceed for a full day game drive with a packed lunch with also a visit to Mara river and get to see crocodiles and hippos, later dinner and overnight at Sentrim Tented Camp or AA Lodge.
After breakfast then proceed for a game drive with a visit to Masai village to get to know their culture, later dinner and overnight at Sentrim Tented Camp or AA Lodge.
After breakfast proceeds for a game drive in the morning and also in the afternoon, later dinner, and overnight at Sentrim Tented Camp or AA Lodge.
After breakfast check out and proceed to the Isbania border where you will be picked and proceed to Serengeti park.
SECTION 2 > SAFARI IN TANZANIA)
World Class Highlights : Mt.Kilimanjaro views, Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro crater, Serengeti National Park
clear immigration, pick up, and transfer to Arusha lodging with an itinerary briefing to be provided and our unique gifts will also be given out.
Lodging : Planet Lodge or equivalent with dinner.
After another early rising and breakfast, we venture to the Serengeti park for the start of our safari and game viewing on the vast plains that are broken only by stands of acacia trees and the occasional kopje. We will normally experience large herds of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle. There are always plenty of resident animals, such as giraffes, buffalo, and elephants, and many large cat predators such as lions, cheetahs,s and the elusive leopard. We may be fortunate to experience the entire ‘Big 5’ here! There is a break for lunch at the lodge before we spend the afternoon on our 2 nd game drive of the day.
Lodging : Mbugani Tented Camp or Sound of Silence.
We spend another full day in this wonderful park, rising early again. We can spend time at the
Hippo pool watching these majestic animals laze about in the cool water living alongside the crocodiles, watch a big pride of lions sometimes on the prowl for the many wildebeest and even zebras who travel with the wildebeest.
We journey from the open plains to the kopjes: these volcanic rocky outcrops provide protection and shelter for a wide variety of animals including Lions and from the top, we can see out across the vast grasslands of the Serengeti. This diverse and interesting landscape will provide us with the ultimate in-game viewing, and we will hopefully see all of the plain game; elephants, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, lions, and ideally the leopard and cheetah. We’ll also view interesting birdlife, from the elegant secretary birds to possibly the flightless ostrich.
After an early breakfast, we will travel the short drive to the UNESCO World heritage designated Ngorongoro crater. We will descend over 600 meters to the floor of the volcanic crater. Here we will explore the forest areas inhabited by monkeys and elephants and the lake area where we may see flamingos. We next visit the open savannah plains where lions roam and hunt and we will see large herds of wild buffalo. Ideally, you see the endangered Black Rhinoceros. Picnic lunch in the crater. In the late afternoon, we make the short journey to Karatu town for overnight Lodging at Eileen's Tree Lodge
- Arusha town
After breakfast, around 08:00am we depart for Tarangire, about 1.5hrs away. This park is one of the most diverse reserves in the country, covering approximately 2,850 km² and is particularly spectacular during the dry season when many of the migratory wildlife species return to the permanent waters of the Tarangire River. Huge herds of wildebeest, zebras, elephants, eland and oryx gather to remain in Tarangire until the onset of the rain season when they migrate again to greener grazing areas. After game safari we drive to Arusha. Lodging at Planet Lodge.
This is a free day to combine your safari trip with Arusha cultural tour or town experience. Consider last-minute shopping by taking a slow walk through Maasai Market and National Natural History Museum . Depart from the hotel for the airport following your flight schedule we will offer a transfer.
clear immigration, pick up, and transfer to Arusha lodging with an itinerary briefing to be provided and our unique Tanzania gifts/souvenirs will also be given out. This is the first day of this trip and since you are jetting in around 7:30 pm, you will be met and we welcomed by our driver-guide.Then you will be driven to Hotel Okapi for dinner and overnight.
Meals on H/B
: Drive to Volcanoes national park.
On this day you will wake up in the morning and have a relaxed breakfast. Then you will head for a city tour to various places of interest in the city like the Genocide memorial, parliament, Science university, and then to the local markets. You will break off for lunch and some refreshments. Then you will head for a 2 hours drive to the volcanoes national park where you will reach in the evening and check in for dinner and overnight mountain gorilla view lodge.
Meals on F/B
:Gorilla trekking day
On this day you will wake up very early in the morning and have your breakfast. Then you will head to the park headquarters for briefing about the dos and donts when in the company of these primates and allocation of gorilla family to trek. Then you will head to the forest for the actual gorilla trekking experience. This trek takes between 2-6 hours looking for these primates depending on their movement. After coming across them, you will be accorded one hour to interact and take pictures of them. Then you will head back to your hotel after being filled with this experience for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
:Drive to Nyungwe forest national park
On this, you will wake up very early in the morning and have your breakfast. You will jump onto your safari jeep and drive for 7-9 hours in the southern part of the country with an en-route luncheon. You will reach late in the evening and check-in for dinner and overnight at Nyungwe hill top view hotel. Meals on F/B
:Chimpanzee trekking
You will wake up early enough and have your breakfast. Then you will drive for 1hour to Kyamudongo forest which is the actual chimpanzee tracking spot. You will get into the forest and start the actual chimpanzee tracking experience. You will then return to your hotel for lunch and some refreshments. In the afternoon you will go for a nature walk that will take you till late evening where you will go back to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
:Departure day
This is the last day of this trip and you will have an early breakfast and then start on your drive back to Kigali with en-route luncheon where you will reach late in the evening and since your flight is on this date you will be dropped at the airport and this will mark the end of this trip.
Rates Per Person
See "Accommodation & Meals" on the Overview tab for the general comfort levels available — send us your dates and group size for an exact quote.
Next: Inclusions →Inclusions
Included
- Private vehicle with your own driver-guide
- Park entry and conservation fees
- Accommodation as specified in your itinerary
- Meals as specified per day (full board on safari days)
- Airport pickup and drop-off
Excluded
- International flights
- Visa fees
- Travel insurance
- Tips and gratuities
- Personal expenses and souvenirs
Getting There
Tour Start & End
This trip starts in Kilimanjaro International Airport and ends in Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Airport Information
Kilimanjaro International Airport and Mwanza Airport are the most common arrival points, depending on your route.
Transfer Information
Airport pickup and all transfers between destinations are included and arranged by our team.
Accommodation Before/After
Need a night in Mwanza or Arusha before or after this trip? We can arrange that on request.