Itinerary
- Day 1
Kigali
You'll arrive in Kigali this evening and meet your group and local leader at 6pm. This is where your journey through Rwanda begins, a country that's rebuilt itself with remarkable resilience. You'll be staying in a nation known for its warm hospitality, beautiful lakes, and the Virunga Mountains rising in the distance.
- Day 2
Kigali to Musanze
After breakfast, head to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre to learn about Rwanda's complex history and the events of 1994. The afternoon takes you to Musanze, where you'll visit The Gorilla Doctors headquarters. There you'll understand their conservation work protecting mountain and eastern lowland gorillas through veterinary care and medical intervention.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit to Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre
- Visit to The Gorilla Doctors headquarters
Landmarks Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre - Day 3
Musanze
Start your day at The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund to learn about gorilla conservation efforts and Fossey's pioneering research. In the afternoon, you can choose your own activity. Options include golden monkey trekking in the Virunga Mountains, hiking Mount Bisoke, paddling on the Mukungwa River, or visiting Redrocks Rwanda to see banana beer production and cultural performances.
Included Activities
- Visit to The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund
Optional Activities
- Golden Monkey Trekking in the Virunga Mountains
- Mount Bisoke trek
- Canoe ride on the Mukungwa River
- Visit to Redrocks Rwanda - banana beer production, dancing, drumming and basket-weaving demonstrations
Landmarks Virunga Mountains Mukungwa River - Day 4
Musanze to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda
You'll cross into Uganda and drive toward Queen Elizabeth National Park. The journey itself feels like a safari where you might spot African elephants, buffalo, hippos, warthogs, Nile crocodiles, leopards, hyenas, lions and chimpanzees along the way. By evening you'll settle into a simple safari lodge within the park, with views overlooking the Kazinga Channel.
Included Activities
- 4x4 Game Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Landmarks Queen Elizabeth National Park Kazinga Channel - Day 5
Queen Elizabeth National Park
An early morning 4x4 drive through the park gives you the best chance to see leopards, lions and other wildlife active in the cooler hours. After returning to camp for a break and lunch, you can choose to cruise the Kazinga Channel in the afternoon. Local guides will point out hippos, crocodiles, elephant herds and numerous bird species from the water.
Included Activities
- 4x4 Game Drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Optional Activities
- Cruise down the Kazinga Channel linking Lake Edward to Lake George
Landmarks Lake Edward Lake George - Day 6
Ishasha (Queen Elizabeth National Park)
Head south to Ishasha, the park's southern sector. You'll visit a local organic farm to learn about anti-crop raiding techniques and meet a Mukiga woman who shows you how to sort, pound and grind millet for traditional Bakiga meals. Later, a game drive takes you toward the northern sector where you'll look for the region's tree-climbing lions plus herds of elephants, buffaloes and antelopes.
Included Activities
- Ishasha Community Tourism Project Visit
- 4x4 Game Drive in Ishasha
Landmarks Ishasha - Day 7
Queen Elizabeth National Park to Kisoro
You'll drive out of Queen Elizabeth National Park heading southwest toward Uganda's corner where the borders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo meet (about 6 hours). Along the way, watch for zebras, antelopes, baboons and monkeys. Arriving in Kisoro gives you access to seven gorilla groups in the surrounding mountains.
Landmarks Kisoro 
- Day 8
Bwindi National Park
With local guides and trackers, you'll trek through the rugged terrain of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to find mountain gorillas. Tracking is challenging with wet, muddy conditions and steep terrain. But when you finally lock eyes with these creatures and spend an hour watching them eat, sleep, groom and play under the silverback's watch, it becomes an unforgettable moment. You'll return to the lodge to process the experience.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Bwindi National Park - Mountain Gorilla Permit & Trek
Landmarks Bwindi Impenetrable National Park - Day 9
Bwindi to Nairobi
After breakfast, you'll journey back to Kigali and head to the airport for your evening flight to Nairobi. Upon landing, a local representative will meet you for a transfer to your hotel. Once you check in, freshen up and rest before reconnecting with your group in the morning.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Day 10
Nairobi to Maasai Mara
You'll transfer to the Maasai Mara, stopping first in Loita Hills at Tepesua Village. Maasai Warriors greet you with traditional song and dance, and your hosts talk you through Maasai culture. You'll see a traditional home, cattle enclosures, and a community village created for widows where women craft and sell handicrafts. From there, continue to your permanent tented camp on the Mara's outskirts.
Included Activities
- Loita Hills - Maasai Village Visit
Landmarks Loita Hills Maasai Mara National Reserve - Day 11
Maasai Mara
Consider taking a hot air balloon ride at sunrise with a bush breakfast to see the plains filled with wildlife. Then explore the Mara with morning and afternoon 4WD game drives for chances to spot the Big Five. Keep your eyes open for wildebeest, lions, leopards, antelopes and giraffes across the open plains.
Included Activities
- Maasai Mara National Reserve - Full Day 4WD Safari
Optional Activities
- Hot air balloon ride and bush breakfast
Landmarks Maasai Mara National Reserve - Day 12
Maasai Mara to Lake Victoria
This is a long travel day as you journey toward the Kenya-Tanzania border and make your way to Lake Victoria. This massive lake is the primary source of the Nile River and borders Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. You'll arrive and unwind with a lakeside dinner, taking in the scale of the world's largest tropical lake.
- Meals
- Dinner (Lakeside dinner)
Landmarks Lake Victoria - Day 13
Lake Victoria to Serengeti National Park
Spend a relaxed morning enjoying Lake Victoria's views, then travel to Serengeti National Park. The scenic safari route through the park offers stops for photographs and wildlife spotting before you reach your permanent tented camp in the heart of the Serengeti. After dinner, gather around the campfire to share stories before drifting off to the sounds of the wild.
- Meals
- Dinner
Included Activities
- Serengeti National Park - 4WD Safari (scenic route entry)
Landmarks Serengeti National Park 
- Day 14
Serengeti National Park
An early morning 4WD safari catches wildlife at their most active. You'll return to camp for a relaxed brunch, then head back out in the afternoon for another drive through the park. Return to camp for dinner and another night under the Serengeti's stars, listening to the sounds around you.
- Meals
- Brunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Serengeti National Park - Morning 4WD Safari
- Serengeti National Park - Afternoon 4WD Safari
Landmarks Serengeti National Park 
- Day 15
Serengeti National Park to Ngorongoro Crater
Take a final game drive through the Serengeti as you exit camp and head toward the park gate. Continue on to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descend to the crater floor in open-roof 4WD jeeps. Animals here are less cautious around humans, making close observation easier. Look for wildebeest, lions, zebras, cheetahs, buffalo, gazelles, endangered black rhinos and Maasai herding cattle. By afternoon you'll drive to Karatu, your base for the next two nights.
- Meals
- Dinner
Included Activities
- Serengeti National Park - Morning 4WD Safari
- Ngorongoro Crater - 4x4 Game Drive
Landmarks Ngorongoro Crater - Day 16
Lake Eyasi and Hadzabe Bushmen
After breakfast, head toward Lake Eyasi, a vast seasonal soda lake, stopping at a viewpoint for panoramic views. You'll meet the Hadzabe people who have lived here for over 10,000 years with traditional practices and minimal modern influence. Join their daily activities like hunting and gathering, learn their distinctive 'click' language believed to be one of the oldest still spoken, and participate in traditional dance. Return to Karatu lodge in the evening to relax.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Lake Eyasi - Soda Lake View Point
- Lake Eyasi - Hadzabe Bushmen Visit
Landmarks Lake Eyasi - Day 17
Karatu
This is your free day to rest or pursue optional activities. Visit a local coffee plantation, take a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, or hike through the Ngorongoro Reserve Forest to Elephant Caves with a local guide and armed ranger. The rainforest hike lets you spot wildlife tracks and varied birdlife. In the afternoon, head to Arusha for your last night.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Visit to local coffee plantation
- Game drive in Lake Manyara National Park
- Hike through Ngorongoro Reserve Forest to Elephant Caves with local guide and armed ranger
Landmarks Lake Manyara National Park Ngorongoro Reserve Forest - Day 18
Arusha
Your adventure concludes after breakfast. You can arrange a departure transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport or Arusha Airport for an extra fee, or continue with your group toward Nairobi to finish your journey there.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Departure transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO)
- Departure transfer to Arusha Airport (ARK)
