7 Days Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari

Your Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari begins with a warm welcome at Kigali International Airport, where your expert guide meets you for the scenic 90-minute (116 km) drive northwest to Musanze, the gateway to gorilla country. During this Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari transfer, you'll witness Rwanda's breathtaking terraced hillsides and volcanic peaks, known locally as "Pays des Mille Collines" (Land of a Thousand Hills). Your Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari adventure continues with an optional afternoon visit to the Twin Lakes of Bulera and Ruhondo or the Iby Iwacu Cultural Village, where you can experience traditional Rwandan culture before settling into your comfortable accommodation near Volcanoes National Park.

The highlight of your Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari unfolds today as you rise early for a 6:00 AM breakfast before the short 20-minute drive to Kinigi, the headquarters of Volcanoes National Park (Parc National des Volcans). Your Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari experience continues with a comprehensive briefing from park rangers before embarking on a trek through the ancient Virunga forests, which can take anywhere from 1-6 hours depending on the gorilla family's location. The emotional pinnacle of your Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari occurs when you spend a precious hour with a habituated gorilla family, observing these gentle giants feeding, playing, and interacting in their natural habitat – an encounter that typically leaves visitors profoundly moved.

This transitional day of your Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari begins with a leisurely breakfast, followed by the return drive to Kigali (116 km, approximately 2 hours). Your Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari continues with a comprehensive city tour of Rwanda's clean and vibrant capital, including visits to the sobering Genocide Memorial, the former Presidential Palace Museum, and colorful craft markets. The afternoon portion of your Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari features a flight from Kigali International Airport to Kilimanjaro International Airport (flight time approximately 1 hour 20 minutes), followed by a 45-minute transfer to Arusha, the safari capital of northern Tanzania, where you'll overnight in preparation for the wildlife adventures ahead.

Today, your Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari ventures into Tanzania's northern wildlife circuit, beginning with an early breakfast followed by a 2–3-hour drive (130-160 km) to either Lake Manyara or Tarangire National Park. Your Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari guide will recommend the best option based on seasonal wildlife movements, with Tarangire famous for its massive elephant herds and ancient baobab trees along the Tarangire River. Alternatively, your Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari may explore Lake Manyara, known locally as "Ziwa la Manyara," renowned for its tree-climbing lions, vast flamingo flocks, and diverse habitats packed into a compact area against the dramatic backdrop of the Great Rift Valley escarpment.

The safari portion of your Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari intensifies as you journey from your overnight location to the world-famous Serengeti National Park, a drive of approximately 4-5 hours (220 km) through the highlands of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. During this Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari Day, you'll witness dramatic changes in the landscape from lush forests to vast golden plains known to the Maasai as "Siringet" (endless plains). Your afternoon Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari activity includes game driving across the Serengeti's iconic landscapes, where millions of wildebeest and zebra migrate annually, and predators including lions, cheetahs, and leopards pursue them across the savannah, before settling into your selected accommodation in the heart of this legendary park.

Your Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari adventure continues with morning game drives in the Serengeti's central regions, maximizing opportunities to witness predator-prey interactions in the golden light photographers dream about. This segment of your Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari includes a different return route through the park, covering approximately 145 km over 3-4 hours while searching for wildlife that may have eluded you previously. The final evening of your Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari features accommodation either on the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater rim at 2,300 meters elevation or in nearby Karatu town, known locally as "Getamock," with both locations offering breathtaking views and comfortable facilities to prepare you for tomorrow's crater exploration.

The culmination of your Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari features an early morning descent into the Ngorongoro Crater, referred to by locals as "Ngorongoro Enkitara" (The Great Caldera), a 600-meter-deep natural amphitheater covering 260 square kilometers. This final day of your Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari offers unprecedented wildlife viewing opportunities, as you spend approximately 6 hours exploring the crater floor's diverse habitats, including acacia forests, seasonal lakes, and vast grasslands. Your Gorilla Tracking Rwanda and Tanzania Safari concludes with an afternoon drive back to Arusha (190 km, approximately 3-4 hours), arriving in time for evening departures or overnight extensions, bringing your epic dual-country wildlife adventure to a close.