rwanda, tanzania & kenya
gorillas, herds and the chyulus
Rwanda's gorillas, the northern Serengeti and Mara plains, then horseback days below Kilimanjaro in the Chyulu Hills.
- Private Safari
- From $24,290 pp
- 2 guests
- 14 nights
trip highlights
- Gorilla treks begin a short drive from Kinigi at the Volcanoes National Park headquarters, with the Virunga volcanoes and the Twin Lakes of Bulera and Ruhondo filling the views.
- The eastern Serengeti was closed to the public for more than a decade, and cheetah numbers here are among the highest recorded in Tanzania.
- Open vehicles work the short grass, the granite kopjes and the Ngare Nanyukie valley for cheetah, lions and leopards.
- The western corridor holds resident lions, leopards and hyenas, with a waterhole below the ridge drawing elephants, buffalo and antelope into view from the veranda.
Scroll for the full itinerary
From the Virungas to the Serengeti
This route runs over 12 nights from Rwanda into Tanzania. It opens in Kigali, the country’s capital and arrival hub, then moves to Kinigi at the foot of the Virunga volcanoes for the gorilla treks that begin at the Volcanoes National Park headquarters. From there it crosses to the eastern plains of Serengeti National Park, cheetah and lion country, before finishing along the high western corridor above the Grumeti country.
You travel with a private driver-guide in Rwanda and by open vehicle on the plains, with drives at sunrise and in the late afternoon. Days hold gorilla tracking, farm mornings, and game drives across short grass, granite kopjes and river valleys. The stays run from a settled five-star city hotel to a working organic farm, a small tented camp on protected plains and a design-led art lodge on a ridge.
Daily Itinerary Breakdown
Arrival in Kigali
You begin in Kigali, Rwanda's capital, spread across ridges and valleys and widely regarded as the cleanest city in Africa. A single night settles you after the flight and prepares you for the road to the volcanoes. If time allows, the Kigali Genocide Memorial at Gisozi, the Inema Arts Center and Kimironko Market are all within an easy drive. Set on Boulevard de la Révolution, the Kigali Serena Hotel is the city's established five-star address, built around a polished granite atrium that displays Rwandese art and craft, roughly twenty minutes from the airport.
- Accommodation at Kigali Serena Hotel
Kinigi and the Virunga Gorillas
Three nights in Kinigi place you at the foot of the Virunga volcanoes, a short drive from the Volcanoes National Park headquarters where the gorilla treks begin. On days not spent in the forest on the day's tracking permit, you join the work of a farm: cow milking, egg collecting, cheese-making, beekeeping and honey harvesting run alongside horseback lessons. Farmhouse Rwanda is a working organic farm with rooms attached, where around 95 percent of what is served is grown, milked or harvested on site, and mornings open with mist lifting off the peaks.
- Accommodation at Farmhouse Rwanda
Eastern Serengeti Cheetah Country
Four nights on the eastern plains of Serengeti National Park, a sector closed to the public for more than a decade so researchers could study big cat behaviour. Open vehicles go out at sunrise and again in the late afternoon, working the short grass, the granite kopjes and the Ngare Nanyukie valley for cheetah, lions and leopards, with far fewer vehicles than the central circuits. Serengeti Plains Camp holds eight tents on raised wooden platforms at the edge of acacia woodland, each with a private veranda and solar-heated water, and lions call close enough to register through canvas.
- Accommodation at Serengeti Plains Camp
Western Serengeti and the Grumeti
Four nights along a high ridge in the western corridor of Serengeti National Park, where the Great Migration passes through and the Grumeti country holds resident lions, leopards and hyenas, with colobus monkeys in the riverine forest. A waterhole below the ridge draws elephants, buffalo and antelope into view from the main veranda. Laba Grumeti Art Lodge has twelve tented suites, each doubling as a gallery, with forty-six museum-grade works woven through the camp and custom Land Rovers that switch between fuel and electric power.
- Accommodation at Laba Grumeti Art Lodge
Ed Charles, BBC Producer
Fitzroy are true specialists in accessing the wilderness. They know where to go and importantly, when to go there. Highly recommended.
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- Private Safari
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- 2 guests
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rwanda
the country’s finest lodges
Eleven nights across Rwanda's three parks, from Akagera's savannah to Nyungwe's rainforest and the Virunga gorillas.
- Private Safari
- From $24,125 pp
- 2 guests
- 11 nights
rated five stars by our clients
our approach
remote, exclusive
& personal
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
Every journey starts with a conversation. We favour a direct, personal approach: understanding your vision before anything else.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape a journey that is both thoughtfully considered and expertly delivered.
Get in touch to start planning yours.