7 Days Rwanda Gorillas And Masai Mara
Our 7 days Rwanda gorillas and Masai Mara will give you the best safari experience while in Africa as you will be able to discover some of the rarest animals in the world. Here you will get to see the endangered species of mountain gorillas in their natural habitat in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and an opportunity to see the big five game mammals in the Masai Mara National Park in Kenya.
Masai Mara which can also be referred to as “the mara” is an extension of Serengeti national park situated in Tanzania and it gets its name “Masai” from the Masai nomads who settle in the outskirts of the park. “Mara” refers to scattered and it was used in reference to the trees that are distanced from each other in open savannah in the park.
The park has the highest concentration of lions, cheetah, leopards, wildebeest, and more other wildlife species
Volcanoes national park situated northwestern part of Rwanda is unique in its own way as it harbors mountain gorillas that can not be found in the Masai Mara national park. These highly endangered species can only be found in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. About a thousand individuals of this great ape species are known to be present in the world today and also consist of 98% of human DNA.
Apart from mountain gorillas, volcanoes national park is known to be a great place for hiking with five of the dormant volcanoes found in this place. These mountains include Mount Bisoke, Mount Karisimbi, Mount Gahinga, Muhabura and Sabinyo. A hike in to the peak of these volcanoes that are covered with bamboo and rainforest is very rewarding as you will get to see the incredible and beautiful scenic views, several wildlife species like birds, butterflies and many more others.
Within the 7 days while on this particular safari, you will have experienced a memorable and once in a lifetime opportunity to visit some Africa’s top tourist destinations. At Vizuri Africa Safaris, our team is committed to making sure you get the very best safari experience while in Africa. You can also check out our 7 days Uganda gorillas and wildlife safari.
Highlight of the trip
Arrival in Kigali
Iby’iwacu Cultural Village
Golden monkey tracking
Gorilla trekking
Half and full day game drives in Masai mara game reserve
Airport transfers
Booking you accommodation before and after the safari does come at an extra cost.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Kigali
This will be your first day of the 7 days safari and it’ll begin with you arriving in Rwanda’s capital Kigali. Upon arrival, you will be picked by our guide/driver. And you will be led to your lodge where you will check in, have dinner and then rest.
Accommodation options
Kigali Serena Hotel (luxury)
Kigali diplomat hotel (mid-range)
Lebanon hotel Kigali (budget)
Meal plan
Dinner
Day 2: Kigali city tour – Transfer to volcanoes national park
Wake up early in the morning hours, take breakfast and our guide will be ready to take you through the city of Kigali where you will get to visit the museum, genocide memorial site, the former president’s craft shops where you can purchase a few handmade items to support the locals that make them. From here you will proceed back to your hotel for lunch and right after lunch you will be driven to volcanoes national park which is 2-3hrs away from Kigali.
Upon reaching Volcanoes National Park, you will check in to your lodge and relax abit. Later our driver/guide will take you to the Iby’iwacu Cultural Village where you will be told more about the more about the Rwandan community, their culture, you may also get an opportunity to be entertained by the local traditional dancers. While here, you can also purchase Rwandan local food and have a whole different taste of delicacy.
You will later be driven back to your lodge for dinner and resting.
Accommodation options
Mountain gorillas nest lodge
Best view hotel
Mountain gorilla view lodge
Muhabura hotel
Meal Plan
Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 3: Golden monkey tracking
You will wake up early in the morning, take breakfast and our driver will take you to the park offices for briefing. You will be guided on the dos and don’ts while close to the golden monkeys. You will later be led into the forests for a hike to find these endangered species. Unlike gorilla trekking, golden monkey tracking isn’t challenging as these subspecies of blue monkeys usually occupy the lower slopes of the volcanoes because of the baboo trees.
After spotting them you’re allowed to spend an hour with these endangered species observing and taking as many photos as you can to keep the memories. Golden monkeys are fun and they love flashes from cameras unlike gorillas and chimpanzees.
Once the 1hr has elapsed, you will be led back to the park offices where our guide will pick you up and take you to your lodge for Lunch and then rest. Later in the evening, you will be led to go and explore the twin lakes of Burera and Ruhondo. These lakes are fed by rivers in Uganda and are called twin lakes because of how close they are to each other. Lake Burera and Lake Ruhindo are all formed as a result of volcanicity due to a volcanic eruption which took place in the volcanic region of Rwanda making lava flow volcanoes blocking Nyabarongo River channel leading to formation of these twin lakes.
After this trip, you will be led back to your lodge for dinner and then rest.
Accommodation options
Mountain gorillas nest lodge
Best view hotel
Mountain gorilla view lodge
Muhabura hotel
Meal plan
Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 4: Gorilla trekking at volcanoes national park – transfer to Nairobi
Wake up early and excited to go be part of this amazing trip and highlight of your 7 days Rwanda gorillas and Masai Mara safari. You will wake up early in the morning, take breakfast and later you will be led to the park offices for briefing on the guidelines to follow while on the trek to search for mans closest relative in the forests. Each group of 8 people is assigned a particular gorilla group to track. After the briefing, you will be led into the jungles by well trained guides and rangers to search for these species.
Along the way you will be able to see other wildlife species like different bird species, insects, butterflies accompanied with beautiful scenery. Upon spotting the primates, you’re given up to an hour to observe, take photos of these species as they feed and interact with each other. Once an hour has elapsed, you will be led back to the park offices where you will be picked by our guide to your lodge for lunch.
After lunch our guide will accompany you to Kigali international airport where you’ll board a flight from Kigali to Nairobi.
Once you arrive in Nairobi, you will be picked from the airport by our driver and then taken to a hotel for dinner and resting.
Accommodation options.
Jacaranda Hotel
Meridian Hotel Kenya
The monarch hotel
Meal plan
Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 5: Transfer from Nairobi to Masai Mara National Park – afternoon game drive
You will have to wake up early in the morning, take breakfast and later check out of your hotel to Masai Mara game reserve. With the help of our driver/guide you will be driven through the beautiful Kenyan countryside where you will be stunned with the scenes like the rift valley. You will also get the opportunity to see the Masai nomads along the way as they graze their animals. From here, you will check in to your lunch.
After lunch, you will be led to Masai mara for an afternoon game drive. Here you will get to discover a lot that the park holds within its boundaries like the five big game mammals that is Buffaloes, Leopards, Lions, elephants and rhinos, zebras and more as they roam through the open savannah grassland
Head back to your lodge for dinner and then rest
Accommodation options
Kilima camp Masai
Mara Serena lodge
Little governor’s camp
Mara Sopa Lodge
Meal plan
Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Day 6: Full day Masai Mara experience – game drives
You will wake up early in the morning, take breakfast provided to you by the lodge and then head out to the car waiting for you to go into the wild for a full day game drive. Masai Mara is richly blessed with a variety of wildlife species that can be seen in its golden savannah grassland. Species you can look forward to seeing include the big five game mammals as we earlier mentioned and others like zebras, giraffes, warthogs, wildebeests, waterbucks, elands, gazelles, antelopes and many others.
You will have your lunch from the wild and later proceed to the section of the park where you will get to see the wildebeests as they migrate. You will be led to the shoes of Mara River where you will see wildlife species like the crocodiles, hippos, several bird species and many others.
You will experience another late evening game drive to your lodge where you will get to see nocturnals and other species as they end their day. Upon reaching your hotel, you will have dinner and rest.
Accommodation options
Kilima camp Masai
Mara Serena lodge
Little governor’s camp
Mara Sopa Lodge
Meal plan
Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 7: Visit the Masai village – transfer to Nairobi
Just like any other day, you will wake up, take breakfast and then check out of your lodge. Our driver will be on standby and will take you through the Masai villages where you will get to learn so much about their culture, interact with them, you will also get the opportunity to have them entertain you by dancing. It’s amazing when you get to learn such a new culture.
You will later be driven to Jomo Kenyatta international airport which marks the end of your 7 days Rwanda gorillas and Masai Mara safari.
7 Days Rwanda gorillas and Masai Mara safari includes
- Ground transport with fuel inclusive
- English-Speaking driver
- Gorilla habituation permit
- Drinking water within the Vehicle
- Accommodation
- All meals
7 Days Rwanda gorillas and Masai Mara exclusions
- Alcoholic drinks
- Laundry
- Personal purchases
- Air fares
- Telephone calls
- Tips
What to pack for this 7 days Rwanda gorillas and Masai Mara
- Drinking water
- Gardening gloves
- Long sleeved shirts
- Waterproof backpack
- water proof hiking shoes
- long trousers and stockings
- waterproof camera