Serengeti Safari & Rwanda Primates

SERENGETI SAFARI AND RWANDA PRIMATES

Trip duration

14 days/ 13 nights

The Serengeti Safari & Rwanda Primates trip can be combined with our Lamu Beach Holidays.

DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN TANZANIA

Our Serengeti Safari and Rwanda Primates trip will start in Tanzania’s tourism capital, Arusha. We shall arrive via the Kilimanjaro Airport, where our Tour Leader will be ready to receive us and kick start our journey. We shall then head to our hotel in Arusha, where we shall check in.

On this day, if we have an early arrival, we may explore local attractions around Arusha. Otherwise, we can relax and enjoy the nice Arusha weather from our lodge; preparing for our Serengeti Safari & Rwanda Primates trip.

Night in Arusha.
DAY 2, 3 AND 4: SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK – CROSSING THE EASTERN GREAT RIFT VALLEY

We shall then proceed to Serengeti National Park; where our next leg of the Serengeti Safari and Rwanda Primates trip takes place. We shall enjoy game drives in this wonderful park as we enjoy the scenery of these vast plains. We shall spend time looking around some of the famous rock outcrops, often referred as Kopjes.

Look out for animals such as Leopard, Cheetah, Cape Buffalo, assorted Gazelles, Maasai Giraffe, Wildebeest, Common Zebras, Savannah Elephant and African Lions.

Here you shall also get an opportunity to learn all about the famous Serengeti migration and get to follow in the steps of the Wildebeests in a lovely Kopje rock, modelled to imitate the migration cycle. This is always a big highlight on all our Serengeti Safari and Rwanda Primates trips.

Nights in Serengeti.
DAY 5 AND 6: NGORONGORO CRATER; VIA OL DUVAI GORGE MUSEUM – PREHISTORY AND MAASAI CULTURE

We shall then make our way to a phenomenal pre-historic site, the Ol Duvai or Ol Dupai gorge. This site has led to multiple archaeological and paleontological discoveries; and is often a highlight on our Serengeti Safari and Rwanda Primates trip. Home to the great work by Louis and Mary Leakey, this is a phenomenal destination. Some famous discoveries here include Zinjanthropus, Homo habilis and Homo erectus. You will get to learn all about the work going on at the site in a very interactive way.

We shall then enjoy a cultural visit to one of the local Maasai Villages. This is one of the best kept traditions of indigenous African tribes; and we shall enjoy learning from our hosts about their culture. Later, we proceed to the Ngorongoro Highlands for a relaxed afternoon.

We shall enjoy the next day at the beautiful Ngorongoro crater, which is a major highlight on our Serengeti Safari and Rwanda Primates trip. The mighty Ngorongoro is indeed an amazing place. It is known as one of the wonders of Africa. Descending down the crater floor takes you through great scenery and you get to experience the local Euphorbia tree varieties.

Herds of wild animals are plenty inside the crater as well as wonderful views of the crater walls. Look out for the local African Lions, Black Rhinos, Common Zebras, Cheetah, assorted Gazelles, Nile Hippos and White-bearded Wildebeests.

Nights in Ngorongoro.
DAY 7: ARUSHA TO KIGALI – LAND OF A THOUSAND HILLS

We shall then enjoy a flight from Tanzania to Rwanda; where our next leg of the trip will continue. Rwanda is a famous country for her Great Apes – Mountain Gorillas and Eastern Chimpanzees; and these will be a key highlight on our Serengeti Safari and Rwanda Primates trip. Rwanda is often called “the land of a thousand hills” owing to the many hills all across the country.

We shall enjoy a relaxed evening in Kigali- as we enjoy one of the cleanest cities in Africa.

Night in Kigali.
DAY 8: TO NYUNGWE FOREST NATIONAL PARK

We shall proceed on our Serengeti Safari and Rwanda Primates trip from Kigali and head towards Nyungwe Forest on a very scenic journey. On the way to Nyungwe Forest National Park, we shall enjoy the local ways of life; where our experienced safari guide will keep sharing commentary. The cultural diversity of Rwanda is very rich indeed. The landscapes of Rwanda are always very beautiful and the experiences we enjoy on this route will make the drive very rewarding.

We shall arrive at our lodge in the afternoon, where we shall enjoy the local weather and beautiful sounds of birds and insects.

Night in Nyungwe.
DAY 9: CHIMPANZEE TREKKING IN NYUNGWE FOREST NATIONAL PARK; AND CANOPY WALK

Departing our lodge early, we shall head into Nyungwe Forest, where the Chimpanzee trek will take place today. On the drive, we may encounter several primate species such as Red-tailed Monkeys; who often love to feed along the roadsides.

We shall head to the park headquarters where our Chimpanzee trek will commence. We shall all meet for a briefing from the local rangers at the visitors centre. We shall then be assigned our guides and head into the forest using our vehicle. On arrival, we shall embark on a nice trek deeper into the forest where our primate friends await- the Eastern Chimpanzees. This is indeed a major highlight of our Serengeti Safari and Rwanda Primates trip. We shall spend time enjoying these beautiful animals as we learn more about their Biology from our very experienced guides.

Photography is allowed here and we can take as many photos as we would like to. There is a restriction regarding flash-photography, where we are always required to keep our cameras out of flash mode. Flash bursts often scare these lovely great apes, therefore we are required to avoid camera flash to ensure we enjoy a nice time with the chimpanzees.

The Nyungwe Forest National Park is also inhabited by many other different primate species. The common primates here include Johnston’s Grey-cheeked Mangabey, L’Hoest’s Monkey, Rwenzori Angola Colobus Monkey and Olive Baboon.

In the afternoon, depending on how tired we are, we shall have the option to enjoy a scenic canopy walk in the forest. This is often a nice spot to enjoy monkeys, birds and the flora of Nyungwe Forest National Park; and often a highlight on our Serengeti Safari and Rwanda Primates trips.

We shall spend the night in Nyungwe.
DAY 10: LAKE KIVU – THE ALBERTINE RIFT VALLEY

We shall then proceed to the scenic Lake Kivu, where our Serengeti Safari and Rwanda Primates trip continues. Lake Kivu lies on the expansive border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Lake Kivu (Africa’s sixth-largest lake) feeds its water into the Ruzizi River, which drains into the famous Lake Tanganyika. We shall enjoy a relaxed afternoon strolling along the sandy shores of the lake and taking part in several activities around our lodge.

Night at Kivu.
DAY 11: LAKE KIVU TO VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK

After a relaxed morning around Lake Kivu, we shall proceed on our Serengeti Safari and Rwanda Primates trip to the phenomenal Volcanoes National Park area; which forms part of the vast Virunga Mountains ecosystem.

This afternoon, we shall enjoy some local activities around our lodge as we relax in the highlands of Rwanda. The mighty mountains of the Volcanoes National Park will be visible towering across the horizon; and we can enjoy some landscape photos from our lodge.

Night in Musanze.
DAY 12: GOLDEN MONKEYS TREK IN VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK AND COMMUNITY EXPERIENCES

We shall proceed to Kinigi Park headquarters where we shall be welcomed by a warm team of hosts. We shall then receive a briefing session from the local rangers and trekking guides. From here, we shall board our vehicles and drive to the starting point at the edge of the farmlands that border the Volcanoes National Park.

We shall then walk with our guides as we learn about this great ecosystem and follow the forest trails to the Golden Monkeys troop. This is a great experience on our Serengeti Safari and Rwanda Primates trips. We are allowed to use flash photography with Golden Monkeys and we shall spend a good amount of time enjoying the monkeys and taking the best photos.

We shall spend a relaxed afternoon exploring the local community villages. Here we shall learn about the local economic activities and also enjoy a cultural dance from our hosts.

Night in Musanze.
DAY 13: MOUNTAIN GORILLAS TREKKING IN VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK

Departing our lodge with packed lunch, we shall head to Kinigi Park headquarters, where the gorilla trek will take place. We shall all meet for a briefing from the local rangers. This day is definitely the most interesting part of our Serengeti Safari and Rwanda Primates trip. We shall then venture into the forest following nice trails.

Soon enough, we shall meet our “hosts” for the day- the majestic Mountain Gorillas. This is the climax of our Serengeti Safari & Rwanda Primates trip. Sometimes the hike takes longer depending on the local movements of these great apes; who live a very natural lifestyle in this great forest. We shall spend time enjoying the great apes and making the best photos. Most gorilla families are well composed with a dominant male, several females and young.

Note:- Flash photography is not allowed when watching gorillas, as they often get disturbed by the flashing lights from cameras.

We shall then hike back to our starting point and return to our lodge for a relaxed afternoon.

Night in Musanze.
DAY 14: VOLCANOES HIGHLANDS TO KIGALI

On this day we shall head to Kigali after a relaxed morning at our lodge. We shall enjoy the nice roadside views as we cruise back towards the capital of Rwanda, Kigali. On the roadsides, we often meet many bicycle and motorcycle riders; carrying passengers from one location to the next. Sometimes these bicycles are laden with a local brew known as the banana beer.

Evening flights from Kigali will mark the end to our lovely Serengeti Safari and Rwanda Primates trip.

Note:- For those flying late in the evening, we can organise local afternoon activities in Kigali City.
Highlight mammals and others
Highlight birds
Habitats covered
Photographic opportunities
Special moments

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Serengeti Safari & Rwanda Primates

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