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Tour

Incredible Rwanda & Tanzania (11 days)

Tour Operator
Abercrombie & Kent Tanzania Ltd.

Kigali, Rwanda to Ruaha National Park, Tanzania

Valid for Departures Now Through: 19 Aug 2025
Virtuoso Benefits
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A safari through Tanzania's best parks and most luxurious safari properties that culminates in a gorilla tracking adventure in Rwanda while staying at the country's best lodge.

Itinerary

Day 1
Kigali, Rwanda

Hotel: The Retreat
Meals: None

Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be met by our representative and transferred to The Retreat for the night.

The Retreat is a five-star hotel located in a relaxed residential area only a short walk from Kigali’s city centre. The creation of American owners and Italian architects, this boutique hotel combines first-class comfort and stunning accommodation with environmental sustainability. It is the first hotel in Kigali to be fully solar-powered, and achieves its elegant style using locally-sourced resources and craftsmanship. Each room has a front and rear patio, indoor and outdoor showers, and handmade English mattresses designed for an exceptionally good night’s sleep. The hotel provides a pool, sauna and spa and it restaurant – Fusion - is one of the most popular places to eat in the city, concocting delightful dishes sourced from local farms. The Retreat has intertwined the best of local and international styles to create a gorgeous base for guests wishing to experience Rwanda’s fascinating capital

Day 2
Kigali, Rwanda

Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

Hotel: Bisate Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast you will be taken on a City Tour of Kigali including the Memorial Centre and Crafts Centres. This tour is a fantastic way to start your trip in Rwanda as it showcases the clean capital city, gives you an insight into the history of the county and also allows you to do a little bit of shopping along the way.

After lunch, you drive north to Ruhengeri at the foothills of the Virungas arriving at Bisate Lodge late in the afternoon in time for dinner and overnight.

Hidden away amongst the thick rainforest of Volcanoes National Park in the northwest of Rwanda lives one of the planet’s most endangered species: the gorilla. The park, which contains five out of the eight volcanos of the Virunga Mountains, is the most accessible gorilla national park in the world and is home to 10 habituated groups of this glorious creature. Volcanoes National Park offers other incredible lifetime experiences, including tracking the rare golden monkey, trekking to the top of Mount Bisoke - where lies a magnificent crater lake - and enjoying a guided walk through local communities to learn about their livelihoods and culture. Another popular activity is hiking to the tomb of American primatologist Dian Fossey who spent nearly 20 years studying gorillas in the park. This breath-taking place is the oldest national park in Africa, and offers experiences that cannot be missed by any individual visiting Rwanda.

Day 3
Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

Hotel: Bisate Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After an early breakfast, drive to Volcanoes National Park HQs to be allocated a gorilla tracking group. After a briefing by your trackers you will drive to the trail head for the start of an amazing adventure.

The Mountain Gorillas in the Parc National des Volcanes are part of a worldwide population of just about 1000 individuals. The gorillas you are allowed to track belong to either one of four habituated family groups. For up to five years each, these groups have undergone an extremely delicate process that has gradually brought them to tolerate the presence of humans for a brief period every day and allowed a few privileged visitors to interact with them in the wild.

The gorillas are by no means tame, and are completely wild animals. However, experienced guides will accompany you on your tracking, many of who have been involved in the habituation process themselves. The guides will use their knowledge of the gorillas’ habits and information from the previous day to locate the group’s whereabouts.

Once the gorillas are located, you will be allowed a maximum of one hour with them. This is one of the world’s truly memorable experiences – a look into one of these magnificent creatures’ eyes brings home the bond that exists between them and us. It also brings home the poignant fact that they are on the edge of extinction, and that our presence here contributes to ensuring their continued survival.

Afterwards, you trek back to base where your driver will be waiting to take you back to the lodge for a well-deserved shower and lunch.

In the afternoon, you have the option to visit Ibyiwacu Cultural Center. This center is a non-profit organisation that aims to improve the lives of reformed poachers. Whilst here you will see a replica of the Kings house, have a taste of the local banana beer and meet and interact with the local people.

Day 4
Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

Kigali, Rwanda

Hotel: The Retreat
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After your breakfast at your hotel, you will be picked by your driver guide from your lodge, and drive to the park headquarters where you will be briefed and escorted to track the Golden Monkeys.

The Golden Monkeys are also an endangered species and the park is currently home to two habituated golden monkey troops which consist of approximately 40 members each. The troops live in the bamboo forests at the base of the volcanoes and the tracking experience is very similar to the gorilla tracking experience. There will be no more than eight guests tracking and the departure time is 07:00.

The golden moneys are very active creatures and spend a lot of time up in the bamboo jumping between them which can make them difficult to photograph. However this is a rare and delightful experience and one not to be missed whilst in Rwanda.

After lunch you will drive back to Kigali and depending on the weather and the time your driver may be able to show you the beautiful twin lakes in the region (Lake Bulera & Ruhondo).

Day 5
Kigali, Rwanda

Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Hotel: Roving Bushtop
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

It will be an early departure from the hotel and you will be transferred to the airport in time for your departure flight to Serengeti which departs Kigali at 06:00.

From Kigali fly to Kogatende in the Serengeti via Musoma on a flight that will take 3 hours 40 minutes.

Arrive in the Serengeti and enjoy a game drive en route to your lodge.

One of the world's last great wildlife refuges, the Serengeti, stretches between the Ngorongoro Highlands and Lake Victoria. The name comes from the Maasai word siringet, meaning "endless plains". The Serengeti's 14,763 square kms contains about three million large animals, many of them taking part in seasonal migrations, unparalleled in nature.

Every year, triggered by the rains, 1.3 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle gather to undertake the long trek to new grazing lands. The migration of the herbivores roughly defines the boundaries of Serengeti National Park, which is the central zone of the Serengeti ecosystem, an area that also takes in Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Maswa Game Reserve in the west.

Day 6
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Hotel: Roving Bushtops
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

You will have breakfast at the lodge.

Spend your day exploring the extensive plains of the Serengeti in search of the ‘Big 5’. If you would like to maximize your time game viewing you can take a picnic lunch out into the park and enjoy a meal out in the vast savannah before returning to your lodge later in the day.

Day 7
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Hotel: Roving Bushtops
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Another day to explore the Serengeti.

Day 8
Ruaha National Park, Tanzania

Hotel: Jabali Ridge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning catch your flight to Ruaha National Park. On arrival you will be met by the driver guide and vehicle from the camp and head out on a game drive before reaching the property in time for lunch.

In the afternoon you have some time to relax before setting out to explore Ruaha on a game drive. The park is famed for having the largest herds of buffalo in Tanzania as well as some of the largest elephant herds. Ruaha is best visited in the dry season, from July through to October and from mid-December through to March, when the grass is short, and water is scarce making wildlife spotting that much easier. It also attracts some of Tanzania’s top guides as it is one of the last true wildernesses in the country.

Day 9
Ruaha National Park, Tanzania

Hotel: Jabali Ridge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

You have the day to explore this wonderful part of Tanzania. The park receives just 5% of the visitors that the Serengeti receives in a year ensuring that its pristine wilderness is maintained. You are unlikely to see another car during your game drives in the arid landscape; often you will have close-up sightings of elephant, lions, hyenas and leopards and be the only vehicle there – a true delight.

Day 10
Ruaha National Park, Tanzania

Hotel: Jabali Ridge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

You can also explore Ruaha on a walking safari which is a wonderful way to immerse yourself in the landscape and take notice of the smaller, but no less important creatures, in the eco system. On you walking safari your guide will show you how to track animals, which plants have medicinal valuel, and which are harmful as well as a variety of other interesting and exciting bush facts.

Day 11
Ruaha National Park, Tanzania

Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Hotel: None
Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast you will fly to Dar es Salaam and connect onto your international flight home.

Virtuoso Benefits

An exclusive gift from Abercrombie & Kent in Tanzania and Rwanda on arrival that is true to the heritage of the country.

At Ngorongoro Crater Lodge:

  • Full breakfast, for up to two in room guests
  • An exclusive private dining experience
  • Personalized Leather Travel Wallet, two leather luggage tags, andBeyond pen, guests summarized itinerary and supporting documents (provided per couple)
  • Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
Product Terms & Conditions
A non refundable deposit of 25% of the total value of the booking is required at time of booking. Final balance is due 60 days prior to departure. Cancellations received 60 days prior to departure will result in loss of deposit. Bookings cancelled 59-30 days prior to departure is subject to 50% cancellation pentality and cancellations recieved 29 days prior to departure will be subject to 100% cancellation penalty.

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