Rwanda, Tanzania, Wildlife Tours

Africa’s Natural Diversity in Rwanda And Tanzania

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Tailor-Made Tour
10 Days
From 6610
Big Cat Safari
Country Combo
Primate Watching

Tour Introduction

10 Days from  6610 per adult. All trip details below can be tailored just for you

By offering a combined Rwanda and Tanzania safari, we aim to encapsulate the extraordinary diversity of wildlife found in sub-Saharan African. The fauna of the great plains, the wildebeest migration and the Big Five of northern Tanzania plus the mountain gorillas, monkeys and endemic birds of Rwanda are all likely to be seen in what is a superlative programme of good value which should appeal to all those who relish the variety of Africa’s fauna and flora.

Full Itinerary

Price from  6610 per adult. Based on sharing double / twin rooms
Day 1
Arrive in Kigali

Arrive Kigali. Met on arrival by driver with 4x4 vehicle and drive to your hotel close to the Volcanoes National Park. Free afternoon to relax and explore.

Staying at Gorilla Mountain View Lodge. Includes Dinner.

Day 2
Volcanoes National Park

After breakfast, check in at the park entrance at 0700 for a thrilling morning of mountain gorilla tracking. The length and difficulty of the walk to the gorillas depends on which group you are tracking and its whereabouts that day; but once there, you can spend a full hour watching these amazing creatures. Lunch at the hotel and transfer to Kigali.

Staying at Des Milles Collines Hotel. Includes All Meals.

Day 3
Arusha

Pick-up from hotel and transfer to airport in time for your flight to Arusha (Kilimanjaro). Met and transfer to hotel.

Staying at Dik Dik Hotel. Includes Breakfast.

Day 4
Lake Manyara

Free morning to relax. Pick-up by 4x4 safari vehicle with photo roof and a maximum of seven passengers (guaranteed window seats) and drive to Lake Manyara.

Staying at Lake Manyara Serena Hotel. Includes Breakfast and Dinner.

Day 5
Lake Manyara National Park

Morning game drive in Lake Manyara National Park. Return to the lodge for lunch then continue driving through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to the Serengeti National Park.

Staying at Serena Serengeti Lodge. Includes All Meals.

Day 6
Serengeti National Park

Morning and afternoon game drives in the Serengeti to view wildlife.

Staying at Serena Serengeti Lodge. Includes All Meals.

Day 7
Olduvai Gorge

Morning departure from lodge and drive to Olduvai Gorge, the famous archaeological site in eastern Serengeti where the Leakeys found the earliest human remains. Continue to the Ngorongoro Crater in the afternoon.

Staying at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge. Includes All Meals.

Day 8
Ngorongoro Crater

Early departure for a full day game drive in the crater (with picnic lunch).

Staying at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge. Includes All Meals.

Day 9
Tarangire National Park

Drive to the Tarangire National Park with a game drive in afternoon.

Staying at Tarangire Sopa Lodge. Includes All Meals.

Day 10
Depart Arusha

Return to Arusha (Kilimanjaro) and board flight home.

Includes In-flight Meals.

Tour Accommodation

Rwanda Northern Rwanda

Gorilla Mountain View Lodge

Overview

Gorilla Mountain View Lodge is a new hotel located just 15 minutes from the entrance to Volcanoes National Park. Each of the thirty individual stone cottages comes complete with a log fire and private bathroom with hot water showers. The rooms have basic furnishings but are comfortable and well kept. Each room offers a fireplace, minibar, tea and coffee making facilities and amenities such as hairdryers, umbrellas and bottled water. The electricity and hot water are supplied by generator which usually runs from 6pm.

Gorilla Mountain View Lodge sits in a clearing with impressive views towards the high peaks of the Virunga Mountains and is ideally located for gorilla trekking in the park. The restaurant serves delicious homemade food and there is also a well-stocked bar in the main building where guests can share their day’s experiences.

The highlight of a stay at the lodge is to track the habituated groups of mountain gorillas in the park. Spending a maximum of an hour watching these great apes in their natural habitat is an unforgettable experience.

Swimming Pool
No
Air Conditioning
No
Rooms
30
Facilities

Restaurant, bar, communal area, private cottages with bathroom, hot water showers, generator powered electricity, minibar, tea and coffee facilities and hair-dryer.

Local Wildlife

Over 300 rare, endangered mountain gorillas are the undoubted highlight of the reserve, but rare golden monkeys and other unusual primates can also be tracked here. Further species include elephant, buffalo, kob antelope and red forest duiker, and there is also good bird diversity.

Optional Activities

Gorilla tracking, primate watching, birdwatching.

Rwanda Kigali

Des Milles Collines Hotel

Overview

The inspiration for the film Hotel Rwanda, Des Milles Collines Hotel is a high comfort, four-star hotel located in a leafy part of downtown Kigali, ideal for sightseeing in the city or as a comfortable overnight base between flights.

The hotel has 112 rooms including junior and superior suites. All rooms are spacious with en suite bathroom and feature modern amenities such as flat screen TV, direct dial telephone, air-conditioning, complimentary Wi-Fi and tea and coffee facilities. Each room also has a balcony with a great view of the city.

The hotel’s Le Panorama restaurant offers fine dining with a good variety of international, local and French dishes on offer. There is also a cafeteria and pool bar for lighter meals and a cocktail bar.

Swimming Pool
Yes
Air Conditioning
Yes
Rooms
122
Facilities

Restaurant, 2 bars, private bathroom, flat screen TV, direct dial telephone, air-conditioning, complimentary Wi-Fi, tea and coffee facilities.

Optional Activities

City and market tours of Kigali, visits to the genocide museum.

Tanzania Northern Tanzania

Dik Dik Hotel

Overview

The mid-range Dik Dik Hotel nestles within 20 acres of wildlife-filled tropical gardens by the Usa River at the foot of Mount Meru, 20km from Arusha.

The twenty three double and eight twin rooms all have a private veranda and hammock. Each room is simply furnished and features a minibar, telephone, hair dryer and private bathroom with hot showers. For families or groups there is also a further villa with interconnecting rooms, lounge, dining area and secluded garden.

The restaurant serves a variety of African and international cuisine using ingredients from their organic farm, and there is a well-stocked bar to enjoy a relaxing drink. There is free but limited Wi-Fi in the reception and there is a modest sized swimming pool and sun loungers to enjoy in the garden.

The hotel mostly serves as a base for climbing Mounts Kilimanjaro and Meru and visits to Arusha National Park, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara.

Swimming Pool
Yes
Air Conditioning
No
Rooms
32
Facilities

Restaurant, bar, lounge, pool bar, viewing platform, swimming pool, mini-bar, mosquito net and hairdryer, room service, WiFi and safety deposit box at reception.

Local Wildlife

Nearby Arusha National Park is home to large numbers of giraffe, buffalo, zebra, waterbuck, Kirk’s dik dik, blue monkey and black and white colobus. Hippo, elephant, reedbuck and the shy red duiker are occasionally seen.

Optional Activities

Optional Activities Visits to the Cultural Heritage Centre, Old Boma Museum, Arusha town and national park, coffee plantation, orphanage, Meserani Snake Park for a camel ride, Lake Duluti for canoeing or hiking, and climb Mt Kilimanjaro.

Tanzania Northern Tanzania

Lake Manyara Serena Lodge

Overview

Situated on the Mto Wa Mbu escarpment overlooking the Great Rift Valley and Lake Manyara below, Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge is perfect for those seeking comfort combined with easy access to a multitude of activities.

Accommodation is in sixty seven delightful, circular thatched cabins influenced by the Maasai boma style of construction, each complete with private bathroom and verandah and some with views of the lake below. Although fairly simple, the rooms are clean and very comfortable. There is one suite, and ten pairs of rooms (20 in total) are interconnecting and specially designed for families.

There is a good restaurant, bar and communal TV room and lounge to relax in. One of the attractions of this lodge is its stunning central swimming pool overlooking the lake.

Lake Manyara comprises around 230sq km of the total park size of 330 sq km and is often home to flamingos, pelicans and a wealth of other waterbirds. Hippo can easily be found in the Simba River and there are large numbers of elephant and a resident herd of buffalo on the open plains at Mahali Pa Nyati, meaning, ‘the place of the buffalo’ in Swahili. For the fortunate the famous tree- climbing lions could also be seen. In addition to the mammals approximately 400 species of bird have been recorded in the park.

Swimming Pool
Yes
Air Conditioning
No
Rooms
67
Facilities

Restaurant, bar, lounge, TV room, swimming pool, private bathroom, telephone, mosquito spray, pool table, massage service, gift shop,

Local Wildlife

Hippo, elephant, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, waterbuck, olive baboon, blue and vervet monkeys and specially adapted tree-climbing lions are frequently sightings. Over 400 bird species include large numbers of lesser flamingos, great white pelican, yellow-billed stork, southern ground hornbill and many raptors.

Optional Activities

Optional activities include mountain biking, 4x4 game drives, night spotlighting drives and canoe and boat trips across the great lake, each offering a different aspect of the region’s wildlife. Cultural options include guided tours of the local villages and dance performances are given by the local Iraqw and Sukuma people.

Tanzania Northern Tanzania

Serengeti Serena Lodge

Overview

From its breathtaking position on a ridge overlooking sweeping savannah near the central Seronera area of the park, Serengeti Serena Lodge offers superb, year-round big game viewing, even directly in front of the lodge. Taking inspiration from local village architecture, the sixty-six traditional African rondavel chalets are spacious with luxury bedrooms and views of the vast Serengeti plains. All are furnished with African rugs and various decorations and feature en suite bathroom, dressing room, luggage rack and built-in cupboard.

For such a large game lodge, the service is very good. Facilities include a large infinity pool, bar and restaurant. The focal point of the restaurant is the buffet where chefs freshly prepare delicious, hearty meals in front of you. All the meals are buffet style and feature a mixture of both local specialties and international dishes, all of high quality.

Swimming Pool
Yes
Air Conditioning
No
Rooms
66
Facilities

Restaurant, bar, swimming pool and private bathroom.

Local Wildlife

The plains here support an exceptional diversity of large game throughout the year with elephant, hippo, black rhino, giraffe, buffalo, eland, Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelles, Burchell’s zebra, lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyena and many more. During the annual wildebeest migration, the nearby Grumeti River offers one of the more spectacular crossing points where the massing animals run the gauntlet of waiting crocodiles and lions.

Optional Activities

Game drives included.

Tanzania Northern Tanzania

Ngorongoro Serena Lodge

Overview

Perched on the rim and affording spectacular views of the world famous Ngorongoro crater floor below, the ivy-clad Ngorongoro Serena Lodge offers good rooms, friendly service, well run facilities and delicious food.

Ngorongoro Serena Lodge is actually built into the rim of the crater itself, with the foliage-covered native stone of the lodge blending into the surrounding hillside. The views of the crater will certainly take your breath away: the 75 rooms, bar and restaurant all overlook the picturesque valley below. The rooms have attractive wooden floors and are decorated with ancient cave art. Each features modern en suite bathrooms, patios and heating as the temperatures can significantly drop here at night.

The main building contains a large restaurant, bar, gift shop, TV area and an attractive outside decking area, perfect for relaxing while admiring the view. There are buffets for breakfast and lunch but an a la carte menu is available for dinner.

Beside the exciting safaris within the crater, there are numerous walks and activities one can do from the lodge including visits to local tribal villages.

Within Ngorongoro crater is a diverse ecosystem representing nearly every habitat found in East Africa. Open grasslands are inhabited by wildebeest, zebra, lion, cheetah and black rhino; acacia woodland provides cover for leopards; swamps supply the food for elephants and buffalos; freshwater pools harbour hippos; and a small soda lake is a feeding ground for flocks of flamingos. In addition there are small outcrops of rocks which give shade for lions and even an highly arid area of shifting sand dunes.

Swimming Pool
No
Air Conditioning
No
Rooms
75
Facilities

Restaurant, bar, lounge, TV room, gift shop, heating and private bathrooms.

Local Wildlife

Large game is abundant and includes elephant, black rhino, buffalo, zebra, gazelle, impala, eland, waterbuck, lion, leopard, cheetah and spotted hyena. Smaller species often seen in the crater include serval, black-backed jackal, bat-eared fox, dwarf and slender mongooses and olive baboons. The crater is regarded as one of the best places in all Africa to see the highly endangered black rhinoceros.

Optional Activities

Game drives within the crater and guided walks along the rim. Cultural activities are also available including visits to local tribal villages.

Tanzania Northern Tanzania

Tarangire Sopa Lodge

Overview

Located on the eastern side of the Tarangire River and nestled within wildlife rich woodland, Tarangire Sopa Lodge offers good midrange accommodation for the park.

Tarangire Sopa Lodge has seventy five suites offering scenic views and is well placed in the heart of a good wildlife viewing area. Each suite has a small lounge area, minibar, en suite bathroom, two queen size beds and a balcony from which to view passing wildlife. There are four interconnecting rooms for families and an additional four for those with disabilities.

Facilities at the lodge include an excellent restaurant offering a combination of European, African and Asian dishes. There is ample seating in the large lounge area which includes a pool table and board games plus a good bar. The most striking feature of the lodge is its large central swimming pool with surrounding sun loungers, perfect for cooling off after an exciting game drive. Free Wi-Fi is available in the public areas and some evenings there are Maasai dance performances. There are no fences around the lodge allowing free movement of wildlife through the camp, so armed guards are on hand to safely accompany guests outside. The lodge can accommodate large numbers of guests so has less intimacy than some of the other options in Tarangire.

Less visited Tarangire National Park is a marvellous and somewhat underrated National Park. The 2,600sq km park has a large density of game and is known for its numerous wide-boughed baobab trees which give it a unique landscape. The park is outstanding for elephants and large herds numbering 100 or so animals are not uncommon.

Swimming Pool
Yes
Air Conditioning
No
Rooms
75
Facilities

Restaurant, bar, lounge, swimming pool, private bathroom, minibar, mosquito nets, free Wi-Fi in public areas, hot water showers (morning and evening only).

Local Wildlife

The park is known for its large numbers of elephant, particularly in the dry season. Buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, greater kudu and eland can also be easily seen here. There is a small population of tree-climbing lion and African wild dog. Leopards are widespread throughout the park. The very rare fringe-eared oryx can be seen on occasion. The normally rarely seen African rock python is often found resting in acacia trees close to wetlands near Silale and other reptiles include puff adders, Speke’s hinged and pancake tortoises. Birdlife is also impressive at 550 species including secretary bird, martial and crested eagles and the endemic yellow-collared lovebird. You can also see Africa’s heaviest flying bird, the Kori bustard, and the world’s largest bird, the stocking-thighed ostrich.

Optional Activities

Game drives and nature walks.

Route Map

Departure Dates

This tour has no set departure date and can be tailored to suit your travel requirements. Contact us for more details.

Travel Information

Are International Flights Included?

No. Please contact us for a quote if required.

Flight Info:

Flight between Kigali and Arusha included in price.

Best Visited:

May to October

Are you ATOL Registered?

Yes. This means we are legally able to book your international flights in conjunction with your ground arrangements so you can book with us with complete confidence. Read more about our ATOL license here.

Jonathan Morris

Area Specialist

If you have any questions regarding this Tour, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965

It was a great experience. Very friendly and wildlife stupendous. We had a great time and remember it fondly.

Drs A & J E - Surrey