11-Day Rwanda & Tanzania Safari | Gorillas, Tarangire, Ngorongoro & Serengeti

Land at Kigali International Airport and meet your Tanzania Safari Trip representative for the short transfer into the city. Check into a comfortable hotel, rest after your flight, and enjoy a light evening briefing on tomorrow’s drive toward Volcanoes National Park. If energy allows, stroll a nearby café street for Rwandan coffee and a first feel of the capital’s tidy hills. Overnight on bed and breakfast in Kigali—an easy first night before the Virunga chapter begins.

After breakfast, drive northwest through Rwanda’s rolling green hills toward Ruhengeri, gateway to Volcanoes National Park. En route stop at the Kigali Genocide Memorial for a respectful, guided understanding of the country’s recent history and resilience. Arrive beneath the Virunga volcanoes in the afternoon, settle into your lodge, and prepare gear for an early gorilla trek. Dinner and overnight near the park with full board as mist gathers on the forested slopes.

Rise early for mountain gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park. After a park briefing, hike with expert trackers through bamboo and montane forest until you reach an assigned gorilla family for a carefully timed hour of observation. Return for lunch, then drive back to Kigali for a quieter evening after the physical and emotional high of the trek. Overnight in Kigali on a lighter meal plan so you rest well before the Tanzania flight.

Transfer to Kigali Airport for your flight into Kilimanjaro International Airport. On arrival in Tanzania you are met and transferred to a peaceful lodge near the airport gateway. Unpack safari clothing, confirm park timing with your driver-guide, refill water bottles, and enjoy an early night after the Rwanda chapter. Overnight on bed and breakfast—bridging gorilla trekking to savannah days ahead without a long road transit on arrival day, so you start Tarangire fresh.

Drive south into Tarangire National Park, known for baobab silhouettes and large elephant herds along the river system. Afternoon game drives explore woodland and open grassland for giraffe, lion, zebra, wildebeest, and prolific birdlife around seasonal water. Picnic or lodge lunch depends on sightings and light. Evening at a camp or lodge near Tarangire with full board, listening to night sounds settle over the dry-country savannah after your first Tanzanian wildlife day.

Start with a morning game drive in Tarangire while predators and elephants are often still active, then continue toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ascend to the crater rim for sweeping highland views and settle into your lodge with time to rest before tomorrow’s descent. Full-board overnight on the rim keeps you positioned for an early crater entry without a rushed pre-dawn transfer from far away.

Descend into Ngorongoro Crater for a concentrated morning of Big Five viewing across grasslands and soda lakes—lions, elephants, buffalo, and sometimes black rhino in one volcanic arena. After a crater-floor picnic, climb to the rim and continue into Serengeti National Park as plains open to the horizon. Arrive at your Serengeti camp for sundowners and the first night inside Tanzania’s most iconic wildlife landscape.

A full day of private game drives across Serengeti plains, kopjes, and riverine corridors. Follow lion prides, scan for cheetah, and watch zebra and wildebeest move with the seasons. Your guide flexes the route around wildlife movement rather than a rigid checklist, balancing morning and afternoon circuits with a camp lunch or bush picnic. Overnight again in the Serengeti so you wake already inside the park.

A second Serengeti day deepens the experience—perhaps Seronera’s predator-rich center, Moru Kopjes, or a seasonal migration sector matched to your travel month. Expect big-sky light, elephant families, hyena clans, and predator–prey drama when luck aligns with patient tracking. Return to camp between drives to rest, review photos, and recharge cameras. Two dedicated Serengeti days are what separate this combo from shorter northern-circuit packages already on the site.

Enjoy a final morning game drive in the Serengeti while plains light is soft, then travel toward Lake Manyara National Park for a change of habitat—groundwater forest, alkaline lake shore, and escarpment views. Afternoon game drives may reveal elephants in forest shade, hippos at water’s edge, and seasonal flamingos or waterbirds when levels cooperate. Overnight near Manyara with full board, easing the pace before departure day.

Choose a short morning game drive in Manyara or a cultural walking visit around Mto wa Mbu markets and farms if timing allows. Continue to Arusha for a day-room freshen-up before transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for evening flights. You leave with both Virunga gorillas and a full northern Tanzania wildlife arc—one private itinerary, two countries, no duplicated standalone routes.