12-Nights Mountain Gorilla Safari: Tanzania, Zanzibar & Rwanda from $20,790

Tauck

OFFER ID 1566490

Mountain Gorilla Safari: Tanzania, Zanzibar & Rwanda

Intimate game drives in wildlife-rich national parks promise up-close animal encounters... a private ocean safari and spice tour in Zanzibar reveal cultural treasures... and a gorilla trek in Rwanda is a true bucket list experience! All small group departures, limited to just 24 guests for more intimate exploration; a private lecture at Oldupai Gorge where the remains of early man were found; a hot air balloon ride at dawn over the Serengeti followed by breakfast; ocean safari on a private dhow boat with lunch on a secluded beach; and a one-hour interactive visit with a silverback gorilla family in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park accompanied by an expert guide and a personal porter in small groups of just 8 guests. Experience the following... in Tanzania, visits to a Maasai village and primary school, a picnic in a prehistoric crater, and a private lecture in Oldupai Gorge precede three nights in the heart of Serengeti National Park, with a hot air balloon ride and daily game drives... in Zanzibar, two nights at a beachfront hotel with ocean view rooms in Stone Town include a walking spice tour with a coconut harvester, a cruise aboard a traditional dhow with swimming and snorkeling, and free time for exploration; and in Rwanda, enjoy a Kigali tour, visits to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Museum and Kigali Genocide Memorial, and a trek into Volcanoes National Park with expert guides to spend time with a gorilla family in the wild. Accommodations feature Serena Safari Lodges in Ngorongoro, with views of the crater, and in the Serengeti, where a Maasai-village inspired lodge overlooks the vast grasslands; Kirawira Tented Camp, combining colonial elegance with modern-day amenities - ideally located to overlook the great migration in the Western Serengeti; Park Hyatt Zanzibar, a beachfront setting in the heart of historic Stone Town; and three nights in boutique hotels in Rwanda.

12 nights from $20,790 per person

Itinerary

Tauck World Discovery: Mountain Gorilla Safari: Tanzania, Zanzibar & Rwanda

Day 1 Arusha, Tanzania
Arrive Tanzania

Tour begins: 12:00 PM, Arusha Serena Hotel.A transfer from Kilimanjaro International Airport to Arusha Serena Hotel, is included. Welcome to Tanzania and the start of your African safari; your hotel overlooks Lake Duluti. Although most flights land at Kilimanjaro International Airport after the sun has set, thoughts of Ernest Hemingway's The Snows of Kilimanjaro will come to mind as you journey the short distance from the airport to your hotel.

Meals:

Day 2 Tarangire National Park
Tarangire National Park
Depart Arusha today for Tarangire National Park, where you'll have a game drive prior to arrival at your lodge, Tarangire Kuro Treetops Lodge, which is nestled deep within the heart of the National Park. The Lodge is strategically located atop an elevated Kopje hill, overlooking the Tarangire River and the Silale valley leading to the Silale swamp in the west - which is famous for being visited by different wildlife throughout the year due to the availability of water. We invite you to join us for a welcome reception and dinner.
Meals: B, L, D

Day 3 Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Maasai Village, Lake Manyara & on to Ngorongoro

Depart your hotel in Arusha for a visit to Isoitok, a Maasai boma (village), for an opportunity to learn about the Maasai cultural traditions and have a bush lunch. Enjoy your first game viewing opportunity as you continue on to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, home to Ngorongoro Crater, a wildlife mecca; your lodge is built on the dormant volcano's rim, with stunning views of the "lost world" below. Please join us for a welcome reception followed by dinner at the lodge this evening.

Meals: B, L, D

Day 4 Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Game drives & a picnic in Ngorongoro Crater

Spend today exploring Ngorongoro Crater, long regarded as Africa's "Garden of Eden." Within the crater lie grasslands, forests and a freshwater lake, inspiring a continual migration of animals. Riding in your four-wheel-drive safari vehicle, you'll have a chance to spot Africa's celebrated "Big Five" - buffalo, elephant, leopard, the black-maned lion and the rare black rhinoceros. Dig into a hot lunch as you picnic in the heart of the crater, sure to be a highlight of your African safari. Back at the lodge to enjoy dinner this evening, you'll be able to observe Ngorongoro's wildlife-rich caldera below from the comfort of your private terrace.

Meals: B, L, D

Day 5 Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Visit Oldupai Gorge en route to the Serengeti

Set off this morning to explore Oldupai Gorge, where archaeologists Louis and Mary Leakey discovered the fossilized remains of some of the earliest known human species, an estimated 1.8 million years old; learn more about the site's significance on a docent-led tour. Continue wildlife viewing while driving the rough dirt roads across the plains and grasslands of the Serengeti. Arrive at your safari lodge in the Central Serengeti, which was inspired by Maasai tribal dwellings. A briefing for tomorrow's hot air balloon ride precedes dinner at your lodge. Enjoy some local entertainment in the lounge this evening.

Meals: B, L, D

Day 6 Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Ballooning over the Serengeti & game viewing

Lift off on an exciting hot air balloon flight* as dawn breaks over the vast Serengeti grasslands; from aloft, observe wildlife in the first light of day, an African safari thrill - and enjoy another thrill upon your return where a champagne breakfast in the bush waits for you. A morning game drive on the Serengeti plains may yield sightings of wildebeest, zebras, giraffes, hyenas, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, rhinoceros, hippos, buffalo, jackals, and gazelles. This is also one of the best places on the African Continent to see prides of lions. Return to the lodge for lunch, then enjoy an afternoon at leisure (or a lecture by an expert), followed by a special sundowner this evening before dinner at the lodge.

Meals: B, L, D

Day 7 Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
On to the western Serengeti

Spot more wildlife as you travel to the Serengeti's remote Western Corridor, known for huge masses of migrating game animals thundering across the terrain; animals you might see on an afternoon game drive across the treeless plains of the Serengeti include wildebeest, lion, buffalo, cheetah, warthogs, giraffes and zebra. Join us for a sundowner this evening and say farewell to Tanzania.

Meals: B, L, D

Day 8 Stone Town, Zanzibar
To Zanzibar & a Stone Town tour

Rise early for your final Serengeti game drive this morning, then fly late this morning to intriguing Zanzibar, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean that was once a wealthy trading center for spices. Upon arrival, set off with your local guide on a walking and driving tour of Stone Town, in the main port of Zanzibar City. Your home for the next two nights is a fabulous hotel overlooking the turquoise sea and white sand beaches.

Meals: B, L

Day 9 Stone Town, Zanzibar
Cruise aboard a dhow on an "Indian Ocean"safari" in Zanzibar

Traditional Arabian sailboats called dhows have plied the Indian Ocean waters of the Swahili Coast for millennia, trading and fishing from oneisland port to the next. Sail out to sea from Stone Town aboard a traditional dhow for an "Indian Ocean safari" off the coast of Zanzibar this morning, as the captain and crew help you spot dolphins frolicking in the ocean blue; cast anchor on a sandy beach for swimming and perhaps some snorkeling near beautiful coral reefs. After returning to shore, the afternoon is yours to check out more of fascinating Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on your own. Dinner at your hotel offers an array of fresh seafood for your last evening in Zanzibar.

Meals: B, L, D

Day 10 Kigali, Rwanda
Fly to Kigali, Rwanda

Early this morning, enjoy a "spice" tour of Stone Town, in the main port of Zanzibar City. Learn where some of your favorite spices come from as our guides reveal aromatic secrets hidden in nuts, roots and bark. Then fly to Kigali airport in Rwanda, home to Volcanoes National Park and the forested habitat of endangered mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. A late evening arrival at your Serena Hotel is followed by dinner at leisure.

Meals: B, L, D

Day 11 Virunga Rwanda
Volcanoes National Park

Embark this morning on a drive through the countryside to the city of Musanze at the base of Volcanoes National Park, where eight ancient volcanoes watch over the wildlife that thrives here. Check into your grass-thatched traditional Rwandan lodge, nestled under the eucalyptus trees at the foothills of the Virunga Volcano range, and have lunch before visiting the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Museum. Learn insights and observations about gorilla behavior in preparation for tomorrow's trek, as well as hear the fascinating story of Dian Fossey's unforgettable quest to save the mountain gorilla.

Meals: B, L, D

Day 12 Virunga Rwanda
Gorilla Trek in Volcanoes National Park

Rise early for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity you'll not soon forget. Drive to the headquarters of Volcanoes National Park where a briefing by your expert mountain guides answers any questions you may have about your trek into the wilderness and a dance performance as you eat your boxed breakfast whets your appetite for today's gorilla adventure. Climb aboard a safari vehicle as you make your way to the trailhead where your gorilla trek begins. You will be assigned a porter who will help carry your provisions and cameras and lead you to the gorilla family you are here to meet. Once the gorillas are located, you will have the rare opportunity to watch them interact with each other, and you if they choose! When your hour-long visit is up, head back to the lodge for lunch and an afternoon at leisure. A local expert presents an informative lecture this afternoon about the endangered mountain gorillas you were privileged to see. Join us tonight for a farewell reception and dinner at the lodge.

Meals: B, L, D

Day 13 Kigali, Rwanda
Journey home

Tour ends: Kigali. Depart your hotel after breakfast for your journey back to Kigali, stopping en route to visit the Genocide Memorial Museum. Pay tribute to the 800,000 Rwandans who lost their lives during the atrocities of 1994 and discover how Rwanda was able to come together, heal and move forward into the future with hope and resilience. Continue to the Kigali Serena Hotel where Tauck has reserved day rooms for you until your flight home this evening. Airport transfers are included from Kigali Serena Hotel to Kigali International Airport. Allow a minimum of three hours for flight check in at the airport.

Meals: B, L

Featured Destinations

Virunga National Park

When conditions are stable, this is a marvelous area with thermal/volcanic attractions and wild game. Right now, we don't recommend a visit. Located on the eastern border with Uganda, the park covers 4,633 sq mi/12,000 sq km and stretches from Lake Kivu to Lake Edward. It's one of the oldest parks on the continent, home to lions, elephants (locally it's claimed they're the biggest in the world), antelope, baboons and hippos (more than 25,000—it's the best place to see them out of water). Keep looking at the air as well: African fish eagles, cranes and a multitude of butterflies can also be seen.

The Mount Ruwenzori "Mountain of the Moons" area provides a beautiful backdrop—or you can see the mountains up close on a five-day trip guided by park rangers (some speak English). Van operators can get you to Beni, where you'll have to arrange a ride to Mutwanga to start the trek. It's primitive and strenuous, but well worth it, especially if the major peaks (Ruwenzori is the third-highest in Africa) peek out from their cloud shroud.

The park also offers gorgeous lakeside scenery, and boiling thermal "paint pots" line some roads. Visit Vitshumbi village, a great place with lots of activity and delicious fresh and smoked capitaine (Nile perch).

Near the park is Mount Nyragongo, a volcano that erupted most recently in January 2002. Check locally about climbing conditions, and consider it only if you're in good physical condition. The trail begins at 4,000 ft/1,200 m and rises to 11,400 ft/3,070 m. No special equipment is needed, but the going gets tougher as you climb—not only is the air thinner in the higher reaches, but the trail becomes steeper, the footing worsens and there's less vegetation to grab to help you along.

The view from the top, however, is tremendous. In one direction, you're looking down on clouds, lesser volcanoes and the dramatic countryside of Virunga. In the other direction, you can look into the cauldron itself. When the volcano is active, you can see steam shooting through crevices and even pools of lava (should molten lava be present when you climb it, you may want to camp at the shelter near the top to watch the lava glow at night). Check conditions with local authorities, and be aware that anyone wishing to make the ascent must hire a local guide. 75 mi/120 km north of Bukavu.

Stone Town

Kigali

Serengeti

Ngorongoro

Tarangire

Arusha

Vacation Details

Valid Date Ranges

06/18/2025 - 06/30/2025

from $20,790 per person

* This departure has been designated a guaranteed departure by the operator, meaning that the minimum number of guests has been met, although still subject to weather and other conditions.

Prices Start At

from $20,790 per person

Length

12 Nights

Air City

Call for airfares from your city.

Vacation Rating

Deluxe
Fine dining, on-site bars or lounges and room service with extended hours are characteristic of deluxe establishments. Guest services usually include valet parking, concierge services, baggage assistance and laundry services. Other on-site facilities often include shops and boutiques, full service spas, full fitness facilities with pools and tennis courts. Business amenities may include available up-to-date technology and support staffs available for services. Attention to detail is apparent in the guestrooms which typically have stylish furnishings, quality bedding and bath products and often provide an evening turn down service.

Remarks

Prices are per person, based on double occupancy, and subject to availability and change without notice. Prices reflect land only accommodations, airfare is additional. Blackout dates/seasonal supplements may apply. Itinerary and map subject to change. Offer subject to availability and change without notice. Some restrictions may apply.

All fares are quoted in US Dollars.

OFFER ID

1566490

Reference this number when contacting our agency so we may better serve you. Also keeping this number handy will allow you to locate this document again quickly.

Rio Grande Travel Centers, Inc.

6500 Holly Ave. NE Suite A-2
Albuquerque, NM 87113
USA

(505) 292-7044
(877) 768-7913