tanzania
hiking the great rift valley
Eleven nights across northern Tanzania, from Lake Manyara to Lake Natron on foot and on to the Serengeti plains.
- Private Safari
- From $10,590 pp
- 2 guests
- 11 nights
trip highlights
- Three nights at Five Volcanoes place you a short drive from the Volcanoes National Park headquarters where gorilla trekking begins.
- Trekkers climb through bamboo and native forest to spend a strictly regulated hour with one of the park's habituated gorilla families.
- Sayari Camp sits in the Kogatende region of the far northern Serengeti, closest to the Mara River crossing points.
- From July to October the northern plains gather wildebeest and zebra before the river, while resident predators remain from November to March.
Scroll for the full itinerary
From the Virunga Forests to the Mara River
This ten-night trip links Rwanda and Tanzania. It opens in Kigali, Rwanda’s hill-spread capital of memorials, markets and arts, then climbs north to Volcanoes National Park for three nights of gorilla trekking in the Virunga chain. A night back in Kigali breaks the road before the flight south to Kogatende, in the far northern Serengeti, where the Mara River curves close to camp.
A private driver-guide shows you Kigali, with road and air transfers between the parks. Days hold early gorilla briefings, all-day walks through bamboo and forest, and long mornings at the river banks in Tanzania. The Kigali Marriott bookends the trip on arrival and return, Five Volcanoes puts you minutes from the trek headquarters, and Sayari Camp sits closest to the crossings.
Daily Itinerary Breakdown
Arrival in Kigali
You land in Rwanda's capital, a clean city spread across ridges and valleys at the country's centre. The first night is for settling in after transit rather than sightseeing, with cars and guides arranged for anything ahead. The Kigali Marriott holds a downtown block in Nyarugenge, minutes from the financial district. Rooms are large and quiet, floor-to-ceiling glass frames the ridges the city is built across, and the beds are deep, which counts after a long flight.
- Accommodation at Kigali Marriott Hotel
Gorilla Trekking in the Virunga
These days are given to gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park. Trekkers leave before sunrise and climb through bamboo and native forest to reach one of the park's habituated gorilla families, granted a strictly regulated hour in their company before the descent. The routes can run steep and muddy. Five Volcanoes sits on the Kinigi road outside Musanze, a short drive from the trek headquarters, which hands the morning back to you. Return brings a hot shower, a sauna or massage, and the pool terrace, with the Virunga peaks sometimes visible past the gardens.
- Accommodation at Five Volcanoes
Return to Kigali
You come back down from the Northern Province to Kigali for a night that breaks the road before the flight to Tanzania. With one evening in the city, we can arrange a private driver-guide for the Genocide Memorial at Gisozi, the Inema Arts Center or Kimironko Market. The Kigali Marriott again holds its downtown block, with the heated pool, marble bathrooms and dinner at the Soko buffet or wood-fired pizza and pasta at Cucina.
- Accommodation at Kigali Marriott Hotel
The Mara River and Northern Serengeti
You fly south to Kogatende in the far northern Serengeti, where the Mara River curves close enough that guides can reach several crossing points in a single morning. From July to October the plains gather wildebeest and zebra before the water; from November to March resident lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant and a small population of black rhino remain as vehicle numbers drop. Long mornings at the river are broken by packed picnics. Sayari Camp has fifteen tented suites split across two wings, with a rim-flow pool looking toward the Maasai Mara on the horizon.
- Accommodation at Sayari Camp
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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tanzania
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- Private Safari
- From $15,635 pp
- 2 guests
- 10 nights
tanzania
mobile camping with the migration
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- Private Safari
- From $8,200 pp
- 2 guests
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& 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.