Safari + Gorilla Trek
Discover Kenya's Masai Mara and Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and Tanzania's iconic Serengeti National Park on an exciting safari through three distinct regions. Venture into the foothills of the Virunga mountains to track the mighty Mountain Gorilla in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park.
At Travel Beyond, we believe your trip should be designed just for you, not for the masses. Our travel consultants create a custom itinerary for each client, offering recommendations for places and experiences that best fit your style. The itinerary below was planned for a past client, but we’re sharing it for travel inspiration and as an example of what a trip to East Africa might look like. To further paint the picture, take a look at the accompanying video! Let us know when we can design a trip just for you!
Upon arrival in Nairobi, you will be met by a Travel Beyond representative for your private transfer to the House of Waine, where you will spend two nights. Enjoy the remainder of your day at leisure. Dinner will be served at the hotel.
House of Waine Meals: Dinner
This morning after breakfast, you will be met by a local private Travel Beyond guide for a day of exploring Nairobi. You will have a chance to visit the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and the Giraffe Center for an amazing introduction to the animals of Africa. After grabbing lunch in town, you can stop at Utamaduni, the best craft market in Nairobi, and Kobe Tough, where handmade jewelry and other items are crafted by local women, before returning to your hotel.
House of Waine Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
This morning, you will be met for your private transfer to the Nairobi Wilson Airport for your light aircraft flight to Lewa. Upon arrival in Lewa, you will be met by a camp representative for your road transfer to Lewa Wilderness Lodge, where you will spend three nights. This afternoon, you will meet your guide and other guests for a game drive into the evening, where you will search for nocturnal creatures, catching their eyes in the spotlight and watching them stir in the dark. Enjoy dinner at camp, chatting with other guests about the day’s sightings!
Lewa Wilderness Lodge Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
On Safari! The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy offers spectacular scenery and superb game viewing, in a vast area with very few vehicles. One of Lewa’s objectives is to conserve the threatened Black Rhino, and this Conservancy holds around 10% of Kenya’s black rhino population, along with White Rhino. There is also a large population of the endangered Grevy’s zebras plus plenty of other game including elephant, lion, reticulated giraffe, Burchell’s zebra and Cape buffalo. In addition to both day and night game drives, guests are welcome to go for a walk with one of the trained Maasai guides to enjoy the environment from a different perspective. You might also choose to experience the rich wildlife in Lewa from the top of a horse. For those interested in the local traditional culture, there is an authentic Maasai village in the area.
Lewa Wilderness Lodge Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
This morning after an early game drive, you will be transferred to the airstrip for your shared light aircraft flight to the Masai Mara. Upon arrival, you will be met by a camp representative for your road transfer to Richard’s River Camp where you will spend two nights. This afternoon after a short siesta, meet your guide for an afternoon/evening game drive, followed by an incredible dinner back at camp.
Richard’s River Camp Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
On safari! Enjoy your morning and afternoon game drives. Large numbers of animals are drawn into camp by the permanent water provided by the Ngoyanai Springs, resulting in excellent game viewing.
Richard’s River Camp Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
This morning, after breakfast, you will be transferred to the airstrip for your light aircraft flights to Serengeti National Park. Upon arrival in the Serengeti, you will be transferred by road to Serengeti Bushtops where you will spend three nights. This afternoon, meet your guide for an afternoon/evening game drive.
Serengeti Bushtops Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
On safari! Enjoy your morning and afternoon game drives, exploring the natural drama of the Serengeti as the day unfolds. Your morning game drive will begin before sunrise, when the birds are chirping and larger animals are more likely to hunt before the midday sun calls for a nap. Await the arrival of nighttime predators on your evening game drive, and stop for a sunset cocktail before heading back to camp for dinner.
Serengeti Bushtops Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Today after a game drive, you will be transferred to the airstrip for your shared light aircraft transfers to Kigali, Rwanda. On arrival into Kigali, you will be met for your private transfer to The Retreat by Heaven, where you will spend one night. Enjoy the remainder of your day at leisure.
The Retreat by Heaven Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Today you will embark on a city tour and genocide memorial visit. The Kigali Genocide Memorial honors over a million Rwandans who lost their lives and is the final resting place of over 250,000 victims of the genocide against the Tutsi.
After lunch in Kigali, you will be transferred to Bisate Lodge, where you will spend two nights.
Bisate Lodge Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
This morning you will be transferred to the Volcanoes National Park Headquarters for your gorilla trek. Here you will meet your National Park guides and be assigned to one of the habituated gorilla families in the park. Each family is different, with varying numbers of gorillas. You will be trekking with others in a group and the trek to find gorillas can be short or long, but on most days an hour or two of rough hiking each way is necessary.
Your climb begins through the lush terraced farmland of the lower volcanic slopes. As the slopes become steeper and rockier, the vegetation becomes thick and the guides must use their machetes to help clear a path. Huge trees, clinging vines and undergrowth add to the challenge.
Usually at around 8,000 ft., signs of the huge animals become apparent. Damage to the bamboo trees is an obvious sign as the gorillas relish the young tender shoots and break older stems to suck the sap. The smell of gorilla may waft by in the stray breeze, and as you near, you will hear their sounds, which can be loud crashes or dull reverberating thuds. Once you find the gorillas visitors are strictly limited to a one hour visit before your trek back to the park headquarters. After, you will be transferred back to the lodge.
Bisate Lodge Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Early this morning you will be transferred by road to the Volcanoes National Park Headquarters for your second gorilla trek.
This afternoon you will be privately transferred by road back to The Retreat by Heaven, with a visit to Iby’lwacu Cultural Center en-route. The center provides conservation incentives to improve the lives of reformed poachers and communities in need. Enjoy the remainder of your evening at leisure at the hotel.
The Retreat by Heaven Meals: Breakfast / Dinner
Today you will be met by a Travel Beyond representative for your shared road transfer to the Kigali Airport for your commercial flight home.
N/A Meals: Breakfast
