12 Days Rwanda – Tanzania Safari with Zanzibar : Our 12-day safari to Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zanzibar brings you the most interesting wildlife sightings and relaxation in East Africa. While in Rwanda, you will trek the chimpanzees and have a canopy walk experience in Nyungwe National Park, Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park and sightseeing, in Tanzania, you will engage in a game drive in the famous Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater where you have high chances of encountering the big 5 and other wildlife species.
In Zanzibar, you will explore the historical stone town, and enjoy beach life experience. It is a road trip with lots of surprises from your expert driver guide who will ensure your safety and satisfaction from the first hour of your vacation to the very last hour. Transfers, accommodation and all that must be inclusive in this safari is set. Pick-up is from Kigali airport, Rwanda and drop-off is in Arusha, Tanzania.
Detailed Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Nyungwe National Park
Today, our driver guide will welcome you to the land of “a thousand hills” for a memorable primate trekking experience. You will have a briefing about the whole program, and thereafter hit the road to Nyungwe National Park as you enjoy views of the breathtaking landscapes, rolling hills and lush plantations. Enroute stopover for lunch, and later proceed to the lodge for refreshment, dinner and overnight. Have a good rest for the activities next day.
Day 2: Chimpanzee Trekking and Canopy walk
Brighten your morning in the Jungles with coffee and tasty accompaniments. On this day, you will get on an exciting adventure expecting to have an encounter with the Chimpanzees. These unique creatures are believed to be our close relatives. If you have ever questioned how man is connected to the ape family, you will see it through the chimps. Scientists reveal that man, and the chimps have a common ancestry. This might be true as you will notice through their fingers, body structure, social life and eating habits.
After the briefing session, the trekking takes about 1-4 hours, plus an additional hour of spending time with them. You will also spot other primates that co-exist in this territory, notably, the white and black Colobus monkeys, the vervet monkeys, the red-tailed monkeys and more. You will be allowed one hour to be with these interesting creatures, taking photos, asking questions, and thereafter, return to the lodge for a lunch break.
In the evening, you will enjoy a canopy walk on the freely suspended canopies at the treetops. Here you will encounter the eye-catching landscape, lush forest cover, homesteads, some birds and more as time goes on. When all is done, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
After breakfast, you will check out of the lodge and transfer to Volcanoes National Park. From Chimpanzees to Gorillas for the love of your cousins. This is a 6-7 hours’ scenic road drive, through a smooth route marked by rolling hills, lush vegetation, busy towns and dotted homesteads. You will have surprise stopovers by our driver guide in specific places with unique attractions. A stopover at the Nyanza King’s palace is to uncover the Rwandese culture and have lunch. Proceed with the drive to the lodge in or around the park for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 4: Gorilla trekking
Start this day with an enriching breakfast meal, as the next activity is quite tedious, and can be lengthy depending on how far the Gorillas have moved. At 07:00hrs, you will be at the park headquarters for a pre-trekking briefing about these interesting creatures which takes about 30 minutes. The ranger guides will explain the trekking dos and don’ts, regarding the gentle giants, their social setup, and will assign a family to trek. But why trek in the first hours of the day? This is the time when the Gorillas have woken up and are very active out of their nests. Gorilla trekking lasts for approximately 2-8 hours, plus an additional hour for photography, lectures from the guide, and general interaction.
You will pay attention to the interesting young stars playing, the mothers nursing, and the silverback protecting its family in their natural habitat. As you walk through the jungle, you will get to learn about the different plant species, the birds, and some more primates. Have your lunch in the jungle and later return to the lodge after a wonderful experience with the unique endangered Gorillas who are presumed to be our closest relatives. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Fly to Arusha, Tanzania
After the last sip of coffee, you will depart Volcanoes National Park and be transferred back to Kigali Airport for an evening flight to Kilimanjaro Airport. When you land at the airport, our Tanzanian safari guide will happily welcome you to the land of “Kilimanjaro, Serengeti and Zanzibar”. You will be briefed on what to expect in this destination, after which transfer to your hotel in Arusha town for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 6: Arusha to Serengeti National Park
Start this day with a heavy breakfast at the lodge. Later, hit the road on a 6–7-hour scenic drive to Serengeti National Park, with the clear views of the rolling hills, busy towns, lush vegetation and African-style homesteads. There will be an enroute stopover for refreshments and lunch, before ending the day at the lodge with dinner, and overnight.
Day 7: Full-day Game Drive in Serengeti National Park
At sunrise, you will enjoy a hefty breakfast meal. Thereafter, embark on a game drive in the open savannah grassland, looking out for the hunters and the hunted, the eye-catching landscape, birds, and more while identifying the different plant species such as the sausage tree.
Proceed with the morning game drive up until about midday, thereafter, have a lunch break followed by a sunset game drive. The game drive checklist features abundant wildlife including ostriches, flamingos, lions, leopard (on a lucky day), wildebeests, Thomson gazelles, black Rhinos, the African cape Buffaloes, zebras, hippos, warthogs, giraffes, and more. End this with a mouthwatering dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Visit Ngorongoro Crater – Nature walks at the crater rim
After breakfast, you will check out of the lodge for a transfer to one of the world’s largest land calderas-the ancient Ngorongoro crater. The journey time is approximately 4-5 hours with surprise enroute stopovers for sightseeing.
When you get to the park in the afternoon, refresh, have lunch and relax. In the evening depart for a walk at the crater rim, this is a great platform for photography as you watch the animal hideouts at close range and more with the expert ranger guide. Later return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Sunrise game drive and fly to Zanzibar
After breakfast, you will depart for a morning game drive around the ancient caldera. This drive takes 3-4 hours, through the lush highland forest and animal hideouts. At the crater floor, you may encounter herbivores and predators engage. The Crater is home to the big 5 – African cats namely; lions, leopards, buffalos, elephants and Rhinos.
Other animals include warthogs, gazelles, jackal, and cheetah, bat eared foxes, zebras, hippos, hyenas, oribis, giraffes, and more. Your ranger guide will help you identify and name the different animals, plants, birds, and other attractions around the park. Afterward, you will return to the lodge for an early lunch. Later drive to Arusha and proceed to the airport for your evening flight to Zanzibar Island where our company representative will welcome and usher you to your accommodation for check-in.
Day 10: Stone Town and Spice Tour
Wake up to a lip-smacking breakfast at the lodge. Thereafter, head out for a tour around the former renowned slave trade hub in the African continent. You will encounter the display of cultural diversity, the ancient historical buildings of the Arabs, Asians, the British, and other sites. Stone town streets get busy with each passing hour and as you walk, you will learn about how the natives trade and interact.
Among the places to visit is the Mangapwani slave chamber for the slave trade facts; do some shopping and visit to old Fort. You will have lunch around town and spend the evening at the Spice Gardens that once gave the island the name “Spice Island”. Tour guides who will take you around the spice plantations will identify the different spices and make a mention of their name and use. After the long day tour, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 11: Full-day beach experience
Wake up to a bright sunny day at the beach. Start your day with an early breakfast meal at the lodge, and thereafter spend the rest of the day at leisure at the beach. Activities include swimming, boat rides, beach spots, and meditation. You may also spend time on music and meditation while refreshing from the activities from day one. Lunch and dinner will be served at the beach, and a late drive back to the lodge for a night’s stay.
A dolphin tour is another interesting activity which can be arranged for you. It takes place in the southern part of the island at the Kizimkazi village, where you are welcomed and briefed on the facts about dolphins. Thereafter, head out to see the different dolphin species at close range, while taking photos, or videos. Afterward, you return to Stone Town for dinner and overnight.
Day 12: Departure
After breakfast, we call it a successful safari trip. You will check out of the lodge for your departure flight back home or any other preferred destination with beautiful memories and great stories to tell.
End of safari