On your arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport you will be met by your guide. Having passed immigration and luggage collection please exit the arrival hall and look out for your guide who will be holding up a signboard with your name. Transfer to the Ololo Safari Lodge for your overnight stay.
After breakfast, transfer to Wilson Airport and catch the scheduled flight to the Masai Mara. Met on arrival, transfer to Rekero Camp, with game-viewing en route.
Deep within the Kenya Masai Mara National Reserve, Rekero offers a spectacular location from which to watch the Great Migration as the wildebeest thunder across the river just outside camp.
Game drives
Full day in the Masai Mara.
Game drives
After breakfast or lunch, leave the Masai Mara and game drive to Mara Naboisho Camp, situated in the Naboisho Conservancy.
Set in the 210km² private Mara Naboisho Conservancy, Naboisho Camp offers spectacular game viewing. The real magic of Naboisho is its sheer exclusivity – you’ll experience a level of safari solitude and serenity simply unheard of in the busy Serengeti and Masai Mara reserves.
Game drives
Full day in Naboisho Conservancy.
Game drives
Another full day in Naboisho Conservancy.
Game drives
After breakfast, transfer to the airstrip and fly out to Wilson Airport. Connect with the flight to Kigali. Met at Kigali ariport and transfer to Heven Boutique Hotel, a 20 minutes’ drive, depending on traffic.
Please have the following ready;
PASSPORT (with 6 months validity),
YELLOW FEVER VACCINATION CERTIFICATE (with name and validity date),
$30 for the RWANDAN VISA ENTRY FEE
*Please have these ready at the airport on arrival, to avoid any inconvenience
•Restaurants we recommend in Kigali include:
Heaven Restaurant is located on the side of the Kiyovu Hill, peacefully removed from the busy city beneath. Great ambiance, incredible food and quality customer service. This restaurant also has an art gallery & lovely curio shop which is open until the restaurant closes. OPEN: daily 12h00 – 15h00, 18h00 – 22h30. $$$
Brachetto is a classy, sophisticated, upscale restaurant in Kigali offering a Mediterranean style cuisine with an impressive selection of wines. Famous for their quiet candlelit Italian dinners and well-stocked wine cellar, Brachetto is undoubtedly one of Kigali’s finest dining establishments. The atmosphere is intimate and luxurious. OPEN: daily 11h30 – 14h30, 18h00 – 22h00. Closed on Sundays. $$$
Poivre Noir is a comfy bistro with sophisticated menu items. Their varied mix of Belgian and French cuisine, inspired by local Rwandan ingredients, is considered to be some of the best in the city. Known for creative burgers, steaks, and their indulgent desserts. OPEN: daily 12h00 – 14h00, 18h00 – 22h00. Closed on Sundays. $$$
L’Epicurien with some of the best French Cuisine in Kigali. With rich, elegant dishes, bursting with flavor, it's apparent that not only hard work, but love goes into their dishes. Perfectly located in central Kimihurura. OPEN: daily 11h30 – 14h30, 18h30 – 22h30. $$$
Sole luna offers some of the best Italian cuisine with a beautiful restaurant to suit it. OPEN: daily 12h00 – 22h00. Closed on Mondays. $$
Khana Khazana is one of the most well-known Indian restaurants in Kigali, with a great ambiance. The extensive menu is varied, offering most of the classics from the Indian cuisine, as well as a small selection of Chinese dishes. OPEN: daily 12h00 – 15h00, 18h00 – 22h30. $$
Sakae is the place to go for Korean or Japanese style dishes. A great dining vibe with a casual atmosphere. OPEN: daily 11h30 – 15h00, 18h00 – 23h00 Closed on Sundays. $$
Zen has an Oriental fusion menu with influences from Japan, China and Thailand. Zen is the first restaurant to introduce sushi and dim sum to Rwanda. OPEN: daily 12h00 – 15h00, 18h00 – 23h00 $$
Repub Lounge offers Rwandan cuisine, some of the best dishes around. Try the delectable Liboke chicken or fish, a banana-leaf cooked meal that is one of their trademark offerings. Repub Lounge is also a great place to sample brochettes (grilled meat or fish on a stick), misuzu (sweet plantains), and general grilled meat offerings. OPEN: daily 12h00 – 23h00. $$
Pili-Pili is a great place to pass a weekend afternoon. Stunning views with both inside and outside dining, as well as a full bar. The menu includes a variety of barbeque as well as pizza, salads and pastas. A large pool with plenty of lounge place makes this a lovely place to relax and unwind. Great atmosphere. OPEN: daily 11h00 – 23h00. $$
After breakfast drive through the winding lush green hillsides that Rwanda is famous for and the reason it is known as the land of thousand hills. Cross the border into Uganda (Gatuna border) and continue onto Buhoma Lodge in Buhoma - total transfer time 5-6 hours. After a few hours in the vehicle, you may enjoy (optional) an afternoon walk around the village of Buhoma (your home for three nights) and a chance to visit one of the handicraft shops or to meet the Batwa, the ancient forest-dwelling tribe. Evening to relax and prepare for your gorilla trek.
Please have the following ready for crossing to the border into Uganda
- Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate
- A print out of your visa approval
- Your passport
Passport requires 6 months validity from return to home country and 2 pages available for each country you are visiting - including your return
After breakfast you will report for registration at the Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger station at 07h45. After a briefing by the rangers, your gorilla trek will start. The trek usually takes between three and six hours so a reasonable degree of fitness is required, as well as a strong pair of walking boots or shoes.
The rangers will guide you through the village gardens and into the jungle-like forest. They will escort you through the sometimes thick bush, occasionally hacking the dense undergrowth with a machete as you search to locate the gorillas. The mountain gorillas are under 24 hour monitoring for their own safety, so you’re almost guaranteed to see them. The rangers monitor each gorilla family by keeping in close radio contact.
In part due to gorilla tourism, the population of gorillas is slowly increasing but the species remains critically endangered. Gorillas and humans share almost identical genetic material and their health must not be compromised by coming into contact with human diseases (via our food, for example). To reduce transmission of disease from humans to gorillas, you will also be advised to keep a distance of 7 metres from the gorillas.
Once you have located the gorilla family, you will be asked to leave all your belongings to one side, and approach the gentle giants, just with your camera. The guides will interpret the animals’ behaviour and advise on what you are watching. Females and their young, young males and even a dominant Silverback may be seen: feeding, playing, interacting with each other, or just sleeping! You will never forget your encounter with the gorillas. They will be quite curious to see you! You are allowed exactly one hour with the gorillas before returning to base.
A reasonable degree of fitness is required as well as a sturdy pair of walking shoes
Today go on your second gorilla trek. Mountaing gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), live in colder climates than the other gorilla species, with their longer and thicker fur providing additional warmth. They are usually smaller than their close cousins the Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri). To the untrained eye, all gorillas may appear very similar in appearance, but they have unique nose prints that help to identify individuals.
Today after breakfast transfer back to Rwanda, Upon arrival, head for Kigali city tour visiting interesting spots which may include; the craft market, Kigali Genocide Memorial, National History museum. Have lunch in the city before being transferred to Kigali International Airport for your outbound flight.
Please have the following ready:
- Passport
With 6 months validity from return to home country and 2 pages available for each country you are visiting - including your return
- Yellow Fever Vaccination Cerificate
This must have your full name and a validity date,
- East African Multiple Entry Visa
For your departure flight; officially you need to check in for your international flight 2 hours before departure.
