This active and luxury fly-in itinerary combines the best of northern Tanzania with a direct connection to Rwanda for the opportunity to trek for mountain gorillas. Throughout this adventure, you’ll stay at exclusive bushcamps with professional naturalist guides leading the way on game drives and walks in some of the wildest places in Africa.
Starting in Tarangire National Park, you’ll be based out of Oliver’s Camp, a prime location to explore the far southern reaches of the park on foot and by 4×4 safari vehicle. Set on the remote northern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, you’ll use a private access road into this wildlife-filled caldera, arriving on the crater floor hours ahead of the bulk of visitors using the main entrance. With three nights in the geodesic domes of The Highlands, there’s plenty of time for hiking the nearby Olmoti or Empakai craters with your guide or visiting an authentic Maasai village.
The vast plains of the Serengeti beckon next, one of the largest intact ecosystems in the world, teeming with big game. You’ll be in the best position to witness the Great Migration, an annual pilgrimage of millions of wildebeests and hundreds of thousands of zebra in addition to the resident predators like lion, leopard, and cheetah. Flying directly from the Serengeti to Rwanda, you’ll spend two days trekking in Volcanoes National Park for the highly endangered silverback mountain gorillas. We plan two hikes to put you in the best position for dramatic photos and up-close videos of these amazing creatures, one of the rarest great apes in the world. Return each night to your exclusive luxury lodge.
On arrival, you’ll be warmly welcomed to Tanzania and transferred to your accommodation on the lower slopes of Mt. Meru. This working coffee plantation is the perfect place to shake off the jet lag and get ready for your adventures ahead.
Departing Arusha, a short flight lands you on the quieter southern fringe of Tarangire National Park. This park is home to huge herds of elephant and buffalo. Plains game like kudu, eland, and impala are also abundant. Enjoy an afternoon game drive before heading out on a night drive, where spotlights illuminate eyes in the night.
Greet the day from Oliver’s famous breakfast bar overlooking the acacia studded-grasslands in front of camp. Walking with your professional guide, you learn to interpret the bush while keeping an eye out for big game. Leaving the vehicle behind heightens your senses and allows you the opportunity to slow down and learn about the nuance of the ecosystem here. The exact length and route are determined by group interest and wildlife locations and can range from a short morning jaunt to a full day out with a picnic lunch.
A morning game drive takes you to the airstrip for a short flight to Manyara, the gateway to the highlands of Tanzania. The drive from the airstrip takes you through the verdant farm and rangeland of the Maasai. Passing small villages, you’ll head to the remote, northern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater where the domes of the award-winning Highlands Camp are your home for the next three nights.
At dawn, you’ll head to the much quieter, northeast entrance road to the Ngorongoro Crater and descend more than 2,000 feet to the crater floor. This UNESCO World Heritage site is home to a stunning array of wildlife like rhino, elephant, lion, wildebeest, impala, gazelle, and even baboons. There seems to be wildlife in every direction and your guide will know just where to go so you can see and photograph as much as possible. Spend the full day in the crater or head back to camp in the afternoon, stopping at a Maasai village along the way to learn about their way of life.
Today is yours to explore nearby to camp. There are several possible hikes to choose from including hiking a Maasai cattle trail to the lookout on the Olmoti Crater at nearly 12,000 feet. It’s also possible to explore the Empakaai crater with a local guide and check out the flamingoes that congregate at the soda lake on its crater floor.
Activities these next days will vary depending on which camp you’re staying at and where in the Serengeti you are. Leaving the crater behind, a scheduled flight takes you deep into the Serengeti National Park. Your camp is well-positioned to see the Great Migration of huge numbers of wildebeest and zebra.
Wildlife abounds throughout the Serengeti – lion, cheetah, and hyena are prevalent. Plains game like Thomson’s gazelles, elands, and impalas are always on alert for these predators. Spend each day ranging from your exclusive safari camp looking for herds of elephants and the numerous species of predators and plains game that live in the area.
After a final game drive to the airstrip, board your light aircraft for a direct flight to Kigali, Rwanda. On arrival, you’ll be met at the airport and transferred to your accommodation.
Today begins with a tour of the vibrant city of Kigali. You will visit the Genocide Memorial and Museum, where you’ll have a private lecturer explain how the country has been able to rise from its dark history, when in 1994 800,000 people were killed in just a few weeks.
This afternoon depart Kigali for a two-hour drive to Kinigi and the entrance to Volcanoes National Park, home of the silverback mountain gorilla. Spend the next few nights at Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, just 15 minutes away from the entrance to the national park.
The Volcanoes Park of Rwanda is home to a small population of mountain gorillas. Some of the local gorilla families have been habituated to human presence over the past 20 years and it is possible to spend a short amount of time with them in their natural habitat.
This morning you’ll meet with your local guides, who will educate you about the family you’ll be visiting and the proper way to respectfully interact. It is critical that under no circumstances are the gorillas to be touched by humans or visited by anyone with a cold or illness. This is to protect these endangered animals from diseases. Your trek may take up to eight hours but your guide will lead the way to where the trackers have located the animals. Often, your trek will take you to elevations over 7,500 feet without a trail, which means rough and slippery terrain. The hike will be physically demanding, but getting to see these magnificent creatures is very much worth every step. Be prepared for rain at all times, have your camera at the ready, and try to savor the time you get to spend with these amazing animals.
You have the option for a second gorilla trek or you can opt for Golden Monkey trekking instead. This afternoon return by road approximately two hours to Kigali in time for your evening departure.
Gorilla tracking permits are an additional $1,500 per person per day; minimum age is 15 years old. Golden monkey tracking permits are $100 per person per day.
