This 10 Days Rwanda Primates and Tanzania Safari offers you an opportunity to explore Rwanda and Tanzania at a limited period of just 10 days visiting the main tourist attractions in the 2 countries. Rwanda is one the 3 gorilla trekking destinations in Africa and it offers the easiest opportunity to trek gorillas. Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is done in Volcanoes national park bordering Congo and Uganda. Other places you will visit is Nyungwe forest national park which is a home of other primates including the chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, Vervet monkeys and other primate’s species. The canopy walk in Nyungwe forest is one area for everyone to visit as it is the highest canopy in East Africa. In Tanzania, you will visit the best wildlife savannah park in Africa Serengeti national park and if you travel in the months of August, September and October, you may be lucky to witness the great wildebeests crossing the Mara River, this happens every year. You visit in Tazania will be blended with Mgorongoro Conservation area park to increase your chances of seeing other animals in Ngorongoro crater. We also book your accommodation stay depending on your budget and also offer ground transfers in our confirmable 4 Wheel drive vehicles to give you an experience of the wild.
Safari highlights
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking and community tour
Day 3: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park – Canopy walkway
Day 4: Chimpanzee tracking – transfer to Kigali
Day 5: Fly to Tanzania
Day 6: Transfer to Lake Manyara national park
Day 7: Transfer to Serengeti national park
Day 8: Full day Serengeti
Day 9: Visit Ngorongoro crater
Day 10: Return to Arusha – Fly to Zanzibar
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
On arrival in Kigali airport, you will be met by our company representative and transfer to embark on your drive to Musanze – the nearest town to Volcanoes National Park found in the northern province of Rwanda. It’s a 2-3 hours’ drive arriving late afternoon. Check-in your lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at 5 Volcanoes lodge for luxury/Le Bamboo Gorilla lodge for mid-range/Hotel Muhabura for budget option
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking and community tour
On the 2nd day of your 10 Days Rwanda Primates and Tanzania Safari, You will enjoy early morning breakfast and transfer to the park headquarters with your packed lunch and bottled drinking water for briefing by the park ranger guides at 7:00am. After briefing, you will start your gorilla trekking journey accompanied by the ranger guides in search of the mountain gorillas; this takes 2 to 8 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas. You will spend 1 hour with these gentle giants and later return to your lodge to refresh and relax.
In afternoon, you can do an optional community tour visiting Iby’ cuwa cultural village for a Rwanda cultural experience. Dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above
Day 3: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park – Canopy walkway
After breakfast at your lodge check-out and embark on your journey to Nyungwe forest national park. It’s a 6-7 hours’ drive with en-route early lunch. Upon arrival in Nyungwe forest national park, you will go on a walking trail that will take you to the Canopy Walk-a swing bridge 50 meters in length that is suspended from large trees. You will be able to see the amazing rainforest with a bird’s eye view, spotting wildlife moving about below you. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Nyungwe One and Only hotel for luxury/Nyungwe Top Hill Lodge for mid-range/Gisakura Visitors centre for budget option
Day 4: Chimpanzee tracking – transfer to Kigali
Enjoy breakfast and go for briefing about the endangered chimpanzees before entering the forest in search of the active and playful fellows in Nyungwe forest. The Chimpanzees are much easier to spot as they jump from one tree to another, chattering and laughing. Chimpanzee tracking usually takes about 3 hours. On finding them, spend an hour while taking pictures and videos.
After chimpanzee tracking, transfer back to Kigali, visit the Kigali genocide memorial and Kimironko market then connect to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay at Kigali Serena Hotel for luxury/Des Mille Collins Hotel for mid-range/Step Town Motel for budget option
Day 5: Fly to Tanzania
On the 5th day of your 10 Days Rwanda Primates and Tanzania Safari, After breakfast and depending on your own booked flight. Your safari guide will drop you off at Kigali airport for your onward flight to Tanzania. Land in Arusha airport and meet our company representative for an airport pick up who will also brief you about the trip. Transfer to a hotel in Arusha. Check-in at Tulia boutique hotel and spa for mid-range/Four Points by Sheraton Hotel for luxury/Runako Lodge for budget
Day 6: Transfer to Lake Manyara national park
After breakfast, you will be picked up by your safari guide, and drive to Lake Manyara located on the shores of the Great Rift Valley of East Africa which is about 2 hours’ drive from Arusha, connect for a game drive, the drive is slow even on good roads but due to traffic regulations, your drive will always be slow.
Upon arrival at Lake Manyara around mid-morning or early afternoon, you branch to your booked lodge for refreshment and lunch. After lunch, go for an evening game drive depending on the weather but the game drives are always rewarding and excellent as you get more animals searching for their dinner and big ones resting after a long day hustle. The most sited habitats are Elephants, Lions, Giraffes, Zebras, Baboons, and others. Return to our lodge for dinner and overnight at Twiga Lodge for a mid-range option/Elileens Tree Lodge for budget/ Karatu Simba Lodge for luxury
Day 7: Transfer to Serengeti national park
On the 7th day of your 10 Days Rwanda Primates and Tanzania Safari, Wake up early, have breakfast then explore more of the park on a morning game drive. Later proceed to connect to Serengeti national park with your lunch boxes. It’s a 4-5 hours’ drive to Serengeti. Dinner and overnight at Osinon Camps and Lodges for budget/Mid-range option/Serengeti Serena Lodge for luxury
Day 8: Full day Serengeti
Wake up early for breakfast and have your lunch boxes ready and hit the wilderness. Have a full-day game drive in search of a wide range of Serengeti wildlife. In January, there are chances of encountering the great wildebeest migration because the migration process will be finishing in the southwards trek, moving along the eastern edge of the Serengeti national park into the Ngorongoro conservation area and also during the late January or February, the herds occupy the short-grass plains that spread over the lower northern slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater highlands and around Olduvai Gorge
Seeing the great migration is not guaranteed however you will be able to fully explore the Serengeti. The park is gifted by nature with over 30 species of animals, over 400 species of birds. Find animals such as the big five like lions, leopards, buffalos, rhinos and elephants. You will also see other wildlife and bird species which include wildebeest, waterbucks, antelopes, zebras, kudus, hippos, buffalos among others. You will return to your lodge after your evening game drive for dinner and overnight at lodge as above
Day 9: Visit Ngorongoro crater
Starting our day with breakfast, and see off early to Ngorongoro conservation area, clearing for transit, proceed to the crater for a wildlife experience to see the animals dotted on the floor of the world’s largest crater with your packed lunch to spend a full day in the crater with picnic lunch. Late evening, there is also an OPTIONAL stopover at Olduvai Gorge, boasting with a history and it is the place where anthropologists Drs. Lois and Mary Leakey discovered the skulls of early man. Dinner and overnight stay at Hhanda Coffee lodge for mid-range/Elileen Tree Lodge for budget/ Retreat at Ngorongoro Lodge for luxury
Day 10: Return to Arusha – Fly to Zanzibar
Enjoy breakfast, after which you will transfer back to Arusha. Upon arrival in Arusha will be dropped at the airport for your onward flight to Zanzibar or at your own booked hotel to mark the end of your trip with us.
