12 Day Gorillas Wildebeests & Victoria Falls African Safari
Start-Ends: Kigali-Arusha-Victoria Falls | Visiting: Volcanoes NP, Serengeti NP, Amboseli NP, Masai Mara NR, Nairobi, & Victoria Falls NP
Gorillas Wildebeests & Victoria Falls African Safari
Overview
This 12 Day Gorillas Wildebeests & Victoria Falls African Safari takes you into the rainforest and savannah jungles of East and central Africa. It’s a whole mix of enchanted Africa safari experience including mountain gorilla trekking in the misty jungles of Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, the great migration experience in both Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve and Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, wildlife viewing game drives in Amboseli and transferring to Victoria Falls National Park to witness scenic African wonder, Victoria Falls. This is the trip you’ve been dreaming about, the best of Africa in 12 Days. Are you ready?
Safari Route
- Start: Kigali (Day 1)
- Day 2: Volcanoes NP Gorilla Tracking
- Tanzania
- Day 3-5: Serengeti National Park
- Kenya
- Day 6-7: Amboseli National Park
- Day 8: Masai Mara Reserve
- Zimbabwe
- Day 9-11: Victoria Falls
- End: Victoria Falls National Park (Day 12)
Tour Features
- Mid-range tour—uses budget tented camps.
- Private tour—run exclusively for you and your party.
- Can start any day—depending on permit availability.
- Can be customized—You can request minor changes to the accommodations and destinations of this tour.
- Minimum age of 16 years—age limit for watching mountain gorillas in Rwanda
Activities & Transportation
- Activities: game drives, gorilla trekking, whitewater rafting
- Game drives: normal 4×4 vehicle
- Getting around: normal 4×4 vehicle & air transfer
- A transfer from and back to the airport is included
Includes
- Park fees (For non-residents)
- Gorilla permits (One per person, non-resident)
- All activities (Unless labeled as optional)
- All accommodation (Unless listed as upgrade)
- A professional driver/guide
- All transportation & local flights & transfers (Unless labeled as optional)
- All Taxes/VAT
- Meals (As specified in the day-by-day section)
- Drinks (As specified in the day-by-day section)
- International flights (From/to home)
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- Tips (Tipping guideline US$10.00 pp per day)
- Personal items (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
Detailed Itinerary
Arrival
You’ll be collected from the airport in Kigali, Rwanda.
Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.
Day 1 – Arrival in Kigali
The arrival of your international flight, Met by our representative and transferred to a lodge. Check-in and overnight stay at the lodge near Volcanoes National Park
Accommodation: Gorilla Safari Lodge (Luxury), or Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge (Mid) or Gorilla Valley Lodge(Budget)
Meals: Dinner
Day 2: Gorilla tracking and transfer to Kigali
Early morning breakfast will be served at the Lodge after which you will transfer to the park headquarters for briefing for allocation of your Gorilla tracking groups and meeting the rangers. You will connect to the trailhead and enter the forest on foot in the pursuit of the gigantic primates that have come to be popularly known as the Mountain Gorillas. The Gorilla tracking experience takes anywhere between 2-6 hours depending on the location of the Mountain Gorillas on a particular day. You are allotted a time frame of one hour to stay with the Gorillas in their natural habitat and observe their peculiar habits as the
young ones play about and some feeding on leaves. After your close encounter with the Gorillas, you will return to the Lodge and depart for Lake Bunyonyi where you will relax and can opt for some nature walks at the shores of the Lake.
Main Destination: Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
Accommodation: Mbali Mbali Serengeti Lodge (Luxury), or Iboru Safari Lodge (Mid), or Ndutu Safari Lodge (Budget)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 3: Arusha to Serengeti National Park
Pick up from Arusha and transfer to the park after early morning breakfast, passing through the beautiful high lying farms of karutu and ngorongoro conservation area descending into the central Serengeti Park area “seronera” one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park featuring Serengeti river which attracts wildlife representing most of Serengeti species. Arrive at lunchtime check into the booked lodge for lunch, after enjoy an afternoon game drive in the Serengeti national park viewing animals lie baboons, hippos which come to cool off at the riverbank of Serengeti River. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Main Destination: Serengeti National Park
Accommodation: Taasa Lodge (Luxury) or Angaata Serengeti Camp (Mid) or Ikoma Safari Camp (Budget)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Dinner
Day 4: Serengeti National Park
Everything about Serengeti National Park is epic – its unimaginable stretch of grasslands, it’s millions of wildebeests and it’s massive population of lion believed to be the largest in Africa. You’ll find all the large predators here as well as hyena, wolf, honey badger, baboon, and monkey. The images of the Serengeti are indelible and will perhaps stay with you as the most treasured of your safari memories.
Main Destination: Serengeti National Park
Accommodation: Taasa Lodge (Luxury) or Angaata Serengeti Camp (Mid) or Ikoma Safari Camp (Budget)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Dinner
Day 5 – Serengeti National Park
After morning breakfast, at the lodge, you will enjoy a trip to Ngorongor Crater. As we descend into an extinct volcano at Ngorongoro Crater. This is an immense, extinct caldera known for its protected wildlife ecosystem. Arriving on the crater floor, you’ll find yourself in a vast environment abounding with large
animals including rhino, buffalo, hippo, zebra, eland and of course lion. Adding to this very full experience will be your ascent back up the crater rim to view the stunning sunset.
Main Destination: Serengeti National Park
Accommodation: Taasa Lodge (Luxury) or Angaata Serengeti Camp (Mid) or Ikoma Safari Camp (Budget)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Dinner
Day 6: Serengeti to Amboseli National Park
After breakfast, our driver-guide will transfer to Amboseli National Park, the Park features fabulous views of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. The vegetation is light here so it’s easy to view the lion, Cape buffalo, impala, cheetah, and many more that populate this plain.
Main Destination: Amboseli National Park
Accommodation: Tortilis Camp (Luxury) or Sentrini Amboseli Lodge or Paran Resort (Budget)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7 – Ambosli National Park to Masai Mara Reserve
By far, Kenya’s finest and most outstanding wildlife sanctuary where gentle rolling grassland ensures animals are never out of sight. The climate is gentle, rarely too hot and well-spread rainfall year-round. The sensation of the great wildebeest migration between July and October are unparalleled.
The wildlife is far from being confined within the Reserve boundaries and an even larger area extends beyond the game Reserve. Centuries of close association with the wildlife has resulted in an almost symbiotic relationship where wildlife and Masai people live in peace with one another.
Main Destination: Masai Mara National Reserve
Accommodation: Porini Lion Camp (Luxury), Topi Mara Bush House, Keekok Lodge (Budget)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 8 – Masai Mara Reserve
Partake in a hot air balloon safari experience over the Masai Mara plains – enjoy a bush breakfast upon landing. This morning we drive through the dramatic Great Rift Valley to the Masai Mara Game Reserve. This enormous reserve is part of the vast Serengeti plains famously known for its spectacular great wildebeest’s migration and is home of the Big Five: Lion, Elephant, Leopard, Buffalo, and Rhino.
Lunch at our Lodge and relax before departing for the afternoon ‘Spice” game drive. The Mara Game Reserve is one of the greatest wildernesses in the world.
Large mammals are varied and easy to see. Residents among the Park’s are: Masai Giraffe, Buffalo, Eland and thousands of plain game including Impala, Zebra, Topi, both Thomson’s and grants Gazelles.
Transfer to Nairobi
Early morning tea/ coffee or Hot chocolate then depart for a morning game drive. Here we find the Old Africa of the movies, with rolling grasslands dotted by acacia trees and sweeping plains teeming with wildlife.
No matter how much you have thought about Africa, this is more than you expected—and the ideal backdrop for a hot air balloon expedition. During our stay, we also have an opportunity to visit a village of the Masai people to witness the singing and dancing that are part of their daily lives and sacred rituals. A glimpse into their homes and social structure is a poignant experience.
After a full English breakfast back at the camp/lodge depart for Nairobi by road arriving early afternoon.
Main Destination: Zimbabwe National Park
Accommodation: Ololo Safari Lodge (Luxury) or The Concord Hotel and Suites (Mid) or Ibis styles Hotel Westlands (Budget)
Day 9 – Victoria Falls
Arrive at Victoria Falls International Airport where you will be met and transferred to Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, a sunset-facing lodge with spectacular views over the Zambezi National Park, including a wildlife-rich waterhole offering opportunities to view elephant, buffalo, kudu, and other games, as well as a variety of birds including marabou storks.
Main Destination: Zimbabwe National Park
Accommodation: Victoria Falls Safari Lodge(Luxury), or Pamusha Lodge Victoria Falls National Park (Mid) or Munga Eco Lodge (Budget)
Day 10 – Travel to Victoria Falls
After breakfast depart on a guided tour of Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will be awed by the sheer beauty of the largest curtain of falling water in the world and your driver-guide will enthrall you with the history of the Falls, as well as detailing the flora, fauna and other points of interest.
Main Destination: Victoria Falls NP
Accommodation: Victoria Falls Safari Lodge (Luxury), Pamusha Lodge Victoria Falls National Park (Mid) or Munga Eco Lodge (Budget)
Meals: Breakfast, Luch & Dinner
Day 11 – White Water Rafting
Early morning breakfast meet and greet our driver guide, our driver guide will transfer you to the edge of the gorge, a thorough safety talk is given explaining in detail what you are likely to expect during the day and how to deal with the situation. You will then be issued a life jacket, paddle, and helmet. The mighty Zambezi River offers some of the best one rafting day trips in the world. After rafting you then have to walk out of the gorge which is a very steep climb of about 250m, at the top of the gorge lunch will be served and plenty of soft drinks and beers after which you will transfer to your lodge relax, dinner and overnight stay.
Main Destination: Victoria Falls NP
Accommodation: Victoria Falls Safari Lodge (Luxury), Pamusha Lodge Victoria Falls National Park (Mid) or Munga Eco Lodge (Budget)
Meals: Breakfast, Luch & Dinner
Day 12 – Departure flight from Victoria Falls International Airport
After breakfast transfer to Victoria Falls Airport for your departure flight
End of tour
Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
You’ll be dropped off at the airport.
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