16 Days Wildebeest Migration and Gorilla
From $9,870 pp View →
Kenya · Tanzania · Rwanda
16 Days East Africa Safari: Tanzania & Kenya Migration with Rwanda Gorilla Trekking
- Duration
- 16 Days
- Price
- From $9,780 pp
- Group size
- Max 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Overview
The 16 Days East Africa Safari is the trip people ask us for when they do not want to choose between the migration and the gorillas. It runs west to east across three countries: the Rift Valley lakes and the Maasai Mara in Kenya, the northern and central Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, then a flight to Rwanda for chimpanzees in Nyungwe and gorilla trekking in the Virungas.
Two weeks is what it takes to do this properly. You spend four nights in migration country rather than passing through, which is the difference between hoping to catch a river crossing and giving yourself a real chance at one. Where you see the herds depends on the month, and your planner will tell you honestly whether your dates favor the Mara or the northern Serengeti before you book.
The Rwanda leg is deliberately paced. Chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe comes first, then golden monkeys, then the gorillas, so the hardest walk is the one you are most prepared for. Gorilla permits are limited and dated, and we buy and hold yours before you travel.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
- Day 1
Arrival in Nairobi and transfer to hotel
Upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be warmly welcomed by your professional driver guide who will brief you about your upcoming safari and assist with your luggage. You will then be transferred to your booked hotel in Nairobi for check in. The rest of the evening will be at leisure for relaxation after your flight. Dinner will be served at the hotel, where you can enjoy a comfortable and peaceful evening before the start of your safari. Overnight stay at the hotel in Nairobi.
Accommodation Options
- Luxury Accommodation
- Fair Mont Norfolk or Nairobi Serena Hotel
- High-End Accommodation
- Hemingway’s Nairobi
- Meals:
- Dinner
- Day 2
Transfer Nairobi to Lake Nakuru National Park – travel time 3.5 hrs
Breakfast will be served at your hotel, followed by an introduction to your safari driver guide and a short pre safari briefing. You will then depart for Lake Nakuru National Park at around 08:30 hrs, with a brief stop as you descend into the Great Rift Valley, enjoying scenic views of farmlands and the Rift Valley lakes. You will arrive at your lodge or tented camp in time for lunch and check in. In the afternoon, enjoy a game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park, known for white rhinos, flamingos, and diverse wildlife. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Accommodation Options
- Midrange Accommodation
- Lake Nakuru Lodge
- Luxury Accommodation
- Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge or Cliff Nakuru Lodge
- Meals:
- Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
- Day 3
Lake Nakuru – Maasai Mara National Reserve – travel time 6.5 hrs
Breakfast will be served from 06:30 hrs at the lodge. After breakfast, you will depart Lake Nakuru at 07:15 hrs and begin your scenic drive to the world famous Maasai Mara National Reserve, passing through beautiful landscapes and local villages along the way. Upon arrival at the reserve, you will proceed to your lodge or tented camp for check in followed by lunch and some time to relax. In the afternoon, you will enjoy your first game drive in the Maasai Mara from 15:30 hrs to 18:00 hrs. Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.
Accommodation Options
- Midrange Accommodation
- Base Camp Maasai Mara
- Luxury Accommodation
- Mara Serena Safari Lodge
- High-End Accommodation
- Sand River Maasai Mara
- Meals:
- Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
- Days 4-5
Maasai Mara game drives
You will spend the full day exploring the vast Maasai Mara National Reserve with morning and afternoon game drives across the open savannah. During the day, you will search for the resident big cats and other wildlife including lions, cheetahs, elephants, buffaloes, zebras, giraffes, elands, gazelles, hyenas, hippos, and possibly leopards and rhinos. The Maasai Mara is one of the most famous wildlife reserves in Africa and is home to the Big Five, numerous predators, plains game, and abundant birdlife. Between July and October, the reserve hosts the spectacular wildebeest migration. Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.
Accommodation Options
- Midrange Accommodation
- Base Camp Maasai Mara
- Luxury Accommodation
- Mara Serena Safari Lodge
- High-End Accommodation
- Sand River Maasai Mara
- Meals:
- Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
- Day 6
Transfer Maasai Mara to Northern Serengeti – travel time +8.5 hrs
After breakfast, you will collect your picnic lunch and depart for the endless plains of the Serengeti. You will enjoy a scenic drive of approximately three hours to the Isebania border crossing, where you will complete immigration formalities before proceeding into the northern Serengeti. Along the way, you will enjoy game viewing en route, with opportunities to spot wildlife including the famous big cats such as lions, leopards, and cheetahs that inhabit this region. The landscapes are vast and beautiful, offering excellent wildlife viewing opportunities throughout the journey. Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge or camp.
Accommodation Options
- Midrange Accommodation
- Mara Kati Kat Tented Camp
- Luxury Accommodation
- Mara River Camp
- High-End Accommodation
- Lemala Kuria Hill Lodge
- Meals:
- Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
- Day 7
full game drive in Northern Serengeti
You will spend the full day exploring the northern Serengeti, an area well known for major wildlife sightings and the Great Migration. Between June and October, large herds of wildebeest and zebras gather in this region and often cross the Mara River, where dramatic river crossings can sometimes be witnessed. After the calving season in the southern Serengeti between February and March, the migration moves through Central Serengeti before reaching the north around June. Predators such as lions, cheetahs, and leopards, as well as hyenas and vultures, are often seen following the migration. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Accommodation Options
- Midrange Accommodation
- Mara Kati Kat Tented Camp
- Luxury Accommodation
- Mara River Camp
- High-End Accommodation
- Lemala Kuria Hill Lodge
- Meals:
- Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
- Day 8
North to Central Serengeti
You will enjoy breakfast at the lodge, followed by a morning game drive in the northern Serengeti. Later, you will depart for Central Serengeti with game viewing en route, giving you more opportunities to spot wildlife across the vast plains. In the afternoon, you will explore the famous Seronera area, the most popular wildlife region in the Serengeti, known for its high concentration of predators and prey. As you explore different habitats and landscapes, you may see lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, and many other animals. Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge or camp.
Accommodation Options
- Midrange Accommodation
- Serengeti Kati Kati Tented Camp
- Luxury Accommodation
- Itika Wilderness Camp
- High-End Accommodation
- Melia Serengeti
- Meals:
- Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
- Day 9
Serengeti – Ngorongoro Crater
After breakfast, you will depart for the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, one of the most remarkable wildlife destinations in Africa. In the afternoon, you will descend the steep walls of the Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive on the crater floor, where wildlife viewing is excellent due to the high concentration of animals. You may see lions, elephants, cheetahs, spotted hyenas, black rhinos, wildebeest, jackals, baboons, buffaloes, flamingos on the crater lakes, hippos, and possibly the rare caracal. After the game drive, you will proceed to Karatu in the Ngorongoro highlands for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation Options
- Midrange Accommodation
- Ngorongoro Tortilis Camp
- Luxury Accommodation
- Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
- High-End Accommodation
- Ngorongoro Lodge by Melia
- Meals:
- Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
- Day 10
Ngorongoro– Arusha – Kilimanjaro Airport – Rwanda
Breakfast will be served at your lodge, followed by check out at 08:30 hrs. You will then drive to Arusha city and continue to Kilimanjaro International Airport in time for your afternoon flight to Kigali departing at 14:00 hrs. Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will go through customs and immigration procedures. After exiting the arrivals area, you will be warmly welcomed by our company driver guide, who will brief you about your stay in Rwanda, known as the Land of a Thousand Hills. You will then be transferred to your booked hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation Options
- Midrange Accommodation
- Hotel Des Mille Collines
- Luxury Accommodation
- Kigali Marriott Hotel
- High-End Accommodation
- The Retreat by Hemingways
- Meals:
- Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
- Day 11
Transfer to Nyungwe National Park – travel time +5 hrs
Early morning enjoy your buffer breakfast and checkout of the hotel and drive heading to the western province, on your way visit the Ethnographic Museum in Southern Province, this will give you a great history of traditional ways of living among Rwandans and their past way of leadership of Kingship with an en route lunch. You will reach in the afternoon at Nyungwe National Park heading for a canopy walk. This 70 meters suspended metallic bridge will give you a great overview of Nyungwe forest and on a luck day spot one or two more primates in the forest as you take a walk on this bridge and later return in the afternoon for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation Options
- Midrange Accommodation
- Mantis Kivu Marina Bay
- Luxury Accommodation
- Munazi Eco Lodge
- High-End Accommodation
- One & Only Nyungwe House
- Meals:
- Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
- Day 12
Chimpanzee tracking and tea plantation visit
Today, after an early morning cup of African coffee, you will depart your hotel and head to Nyungwe Forest National Park, a pristine rainforest known for its rich biodiversity and 13 species of primates. Upon arrival at the park headquarters, you will receive a briefing before starting your chimpanzee trekking experience. Once the chimpanzees are located, you will spend one hour observing them in their natural habitat. During the trek, you may also see other primates such as the Congo colobus monkeys. After the trek, you will have lunch followed by a visit to a nearby tea plantation. Dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation Options
- Midrange Accommodation
- Mantis Kivu Marina Bay
- Luxury Accommodation
- Munazi Eco Lodge
- High-End Accommodation
- One & Only Nyungwe House
- Meals:
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Day 13
Transfer to Musanze – travel time +5 hrs
You will make up ready to catch up with the beautiful sun rise over the Lake Kivu after just getting done with your morning breakfast. You will take a boat ride to explore the beautiful attractions within this great lake. You have a nature walk at one of the islands within this lake which is known for harboring thousands of the bats. This lake is also known as a birding paradise as it host a number of bird species like the comrand, pied king fishers, weaver birds, heron to mention but a few. You will later return for and drive off to Musanze which is roughly a 3 hours’ drive. Musanze is a tourism area near Volcanoes National Park, where most of the lodges are located since there are no lodges inside of the park. Dinner and overnight.
Accommodation Options
- Midrange Accommodation
- Tiloreza Volcano Eco Lodge
- Luxury Accommodation
- Virunga Inn Resort and Spa
- High-End Accommodation
- Wilderness Bisate Lodge
- Meals:
- Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Day 14
Gorilla trekking experience
Early morning cup of coffee, then prepare for the gorilla trekking briefing from the park headquarters and thereafter, you will enter the jungle with your packed lunch to search the shy mountain gorillas and enjoy their life style in their real home. After meeting the gorillas, you can sit around these great apes for a whole hour watching their social life as you take pictures. On a gorilla trekking safari, a reasonable degree of fitness is required as well as walking shoes, packed food and mineral water, insect repellent, sun screen and hut. The gorilla tracking experience takes half or whole day depending on the movements of these primates. After this gorilla tracking experience you will return and to your lodge for lunch. You will spend the evening relaxing and going through your great shots during your trekking.
Accommodation Options
- Midrange Accommodation
- Tiloreza Volcano Eco Lodge
- Luxury Accommodation
- Virunga Inn Resort and Spa
- High-End Accommodation
- Wilderness Bisate Lodge
- Meals:
- Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
- Day 15
Golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes NP
After an early morning breakfast, you will be picked up by your safari driver guide and transferred to the park headquarters for a briefing before starting your golden monkey trekking experience. Similar to gorilla trekking, the activity takes place in the forest with park guides and rangers, though it is generally less strenuous and shorter in duration. You will spend time observing the playful golden monkeys in their natural habitat and taking photographs. After the trek, you will return to the lodge for lunch, then transfer back to Kigali in the afternoon for dinner and overnight stay at your hotel.
Accommodation Options
- Midrange Accommodation
- Hotel Des Mille Collines
- Luxury Accommodation
- Kigali Marriott Hotel
- High-End Accommodation
- The Retreat by Hemingways
- Meals:
- Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
- Day 16
Transfer to Kigali and fly to Nairobi – Kenya
After your morning breakfast, you will head out for a brief Kigali city tour, which may include visits to the Kigali Genocide Memorial, local markets, and craft centers depending on the available time. This short tour offers insight into Rwanda’s history, culture, and daily life. After the city visit, and depending on your flight time, you will be transferred to Kigali International Airport for your departure flight back home. This marks the end of your memorable 16 Days Wildebeest Migration and Gorilla Trekking Safari, filled with unique wildlife, landscapes, and cultural experiences across East Africa. Meals: Breakfast and lunch
What Is Included
Included
- Pick up and drop off from International Airports;
- 1 nights’ accommodation in Nairobi on bed and breakfast basis
- Land cruiser Jeep 4×4 Safari Vehicle with pop-up roof for game view;
- Experience English-Speaking Safari Guide;
- 1 Gorilla ($ 1500) permit per person
- All park entry, transit and crater fees;
- Golden monkey permits ($ 100) permit per person
- Chimpanzee permits
- Kigali city tour
- Canoe ride as listed
- Visit to a Masai Village bordering Maasai Mara (pay a donation of USD 25 per person locally),
- Regional flights around East Africa (JRO – KGL & KGL – NBO)
- All activities under the program;
- All accommodation under the program on full board basis;
- Three meals per day on the safari;
- Bottled water throughout the safari;
- Applicable government taxes on tour services, concession fees etc.
- Flying Doctor Emergency Evacuation Cover (Must have valid travel insurance).
- All activities specified in the program inclusive of applicable entrance fees
Not Included
- Drinks and beverages while at the tented camps & lodges;
- Laundry at the tented camps & lodges and all other costs incurred at the hotels;
- International Flights(to and fro, your home country to Kenya), Entry authorization (Kenya electronic travel authorization, Tanzania visa, and Rwanda visa);
- All things of personal nature;
- Tipping for hotel and safari staff (highly recommended especially for your safari guides and drivers,
- Medical / travel insurance (recommended)
- All other items not listed in the inclusions list above.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much does the 16 Days East Africa Safari: Tanzania & Kenya Migration with Rwanda Gorilla Trekking cost?
- This safari starts from $9,780 per person. The final price depends on your travel dates, lodge tier, and group size, and every quote is itemized before you commit.
- How long is this safari?
- It runs 16 days. Because every trip is private, we can lengthen, shorten, or add a Zanzibar or gorilla extension to fit your plans.
- Can I customize this itinerary?
- Yes. This itinerary is a starting point. Swap lodges, change the pace, adjust the route, or combine countries, and your planner reshapes it with you before you book.
- When is the best time for this trip?
- It depends on which part of the migration you want. The southern plains around Ndutu hold the calving season from roughly January to March. The Mara River crossings in the north usually run July to October. June through October is the reliable dry-season window for general game viewing anywhere in the park.
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