Upon arrival into Kigali International Airport, you’ll be met by your drive guide and transferred to Volcanoes National Park – home to some of the world’s last remaining mountain gorillas and the rare golden monkey. Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, located 3km from the park is your perfect base for unforgettable gorilla treks.

After checking in, relax around the fire as you take in the majestic mountain surroundings. Visit the shimmering twin lakes of Burera and Ruhondu, set at the foot of Muhabura volcano, or browse Ruhengeri’s bustling market to get a glimpse into local life.

Today, you’ll head out for the adventure of a lifetime in the rainforest jungles of Volcanoes National Park to track the majestic mountain gorillas. You’ll be accompanied by expert guides and trackers, put into groups depending on your fitness levels. Gorilla trekking can take from 2 to 6 hours to seek out these intriguing creatures amid towering peaks and emerald rainforest.

Once you find a family, you’ll be allowed a maximum of one hour in their presence, observing them play, munch, groom each other, and slumber. After the trek, you’ll be transferred back to your lodge for lunch and enjoy the rest of the day as you wish.

Golden Monkey in Volcanoes - Rwanda

Today, if you can’t get enough of gorillas, you can embark on another gorilla trekking excursion (you’ll need to purchase another permit) to track a different gorilla family or track the rare golden monkeys in the bamboo slopes of Volcanoes National Park. You may want to follow in the footsteps of the legendary primatologist Dian Fossey on a guided hike to her former research base.

After today’s excursion, head back to Kigali on a scenic road trip through dramatic landscapes and fertile hills laced with tea and banana plantations, and finally arrive at your hotel for a final night in Rwanda.

After a sumptuous breakfast, you’ll be transferred to Kigali International Airport for your flight to Kenya. After touching down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you’ll meet a local representative and be transferred to the comfortable Eka Hotel, ideal for a hassle-free layover en route to the country’s wilder places. You can relax by the pool with an ice-cold drink for the rest of the day.

After a delightful breakfast, you’ll take a scenic flight by light aircraft to Musiara airstrip, followed by a 15-minute transfer to Governors’ Camp, your home for the next three nights. The camp is an exclusive retreat tucked away on the banks of the Mara River in a wildlife-rich corner of Masai Mara. It makes for a perfect base for exploring the Mara, with grazing wildlife often passing through.

The Masai Mara hosts one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in the world, making it a premier year-round wildlife viewing destination (great for incredible big cat sightings). Spend the following days on scintillating game drives with expert guides (two or three per day, depending on your preference) to spot elephants, giraffes, zebras, antelope, impalas, hyenas, and warthogs.

Visit between June and October to witness the famous wildebeest Migration, when millions of wildebeest and zebra thunder across the grassy plains in search of pasture.

You can also visit a local Maasai village on a cultural tour to experience the traditional way of life of the Maasai people or take to the skies on a thrilling hot-air balloon flight to gain a whole new perspective of the Mara landscape and wildlife below, followed by an impressive Champagne breakfast that will be set up as your balloon comes into land (the flight is optional).

The rest of the day is spent on game drives in the heart of the wild. Between the game drives, you can relax at the camp and enjoy excellent meals in the dining tent, or al fresco.

After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to the Musiara airstrip for your flight to Nairobi and departure. Alternatively, you can extend your holiday to include a tropical beach experience on Kenya’s coast, and fly directly from Masai Mara to Mombasa in the afternoon.