12 Days Signature Explorations

Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you’ll be met by a Luxury Africa representative who will assist you for connecting a local flight direct to Serengeti National Park. Arrival at Serengeti National Park our Guide will be waiting for you at Kogatende Airstrip. Our guide will brief you about the Safari and The Serengeti ecosystem in general followed by short game drive as you drive to the lodge.

After breakfast at the Camp, depart for a game drive for view the great migration. Proceed to the Bologonja and Kogatende areas where we will eventually meet the Mara River itself. Home to large numbers of hippos and Nile crocodiles, the Mara River is the last major obstacle standing between the Wildebeest Migration and the relative safety of the Masai Mara. River crossings at Kogatende start to occur every day in August as the mega herd settles into the area.

Please take note: To actually find a crossing is very difficult and is sometimes a matter of luck but If you’re patient and a little lucky, you may even get to witness the death-defying crossing itself where wildebeest and zebras brave the river’s currents and crocodiles in an attempt to reach safety on the opposite bank.

Since movements of the Wildebeest Migration can be unpredictable, stay more two days in north to increase your chances of witnessing the famous river crossing. The game viewing up here is superb with river crossings pretty much guaranteed every day.  There is no distinct movement as the herds tend to cross back and forth over the river, following the rains and subsequent fresh grasses.

After breakfast at the Lodge, you will drive to the central. The sheer volume of animals here is extraordinary. The Seronera River weaves its way through the Serengeti, providing waters for all species of wildlife. You will also see the distinctive rocky outcrops, the famous kopjes which characterize the Serengeti landscape. Kopjes are very hard and often granite. They have been aged at maybe 600 million years old and created even before the earth’s surface was pushed up from the ocean. Lions and other cats frequent these stony places and they are also home to snakes and hyraxes. Slowly weathering in wind and rain, they are peeling off in layers, which you may see on close inspection. Dinner and overnights at Four Season Safari Lodge.

Wake up early for an hour-long, sunrise, hot-air balloon. The balloon crew will assist as you clamber into your balloon basket for take-off just before sunrise. As you raise the Maasai Mara plains opens up before your eyes feast on the golden sunrise, enchanting sceneries, and plains-game below as the winds gently blows the basket deeper into the reserve. The pilot is at hand pointing out at the wildlife below with plenty of photographic opportunities unfolding. Soar silently with 360 degrees of spectacular savannah, followed by a Champagne breakfast in the bush. Afterwards, drive to Ngorongoro National Reserve.

The Ngorongoro Crater is often called ‘Africa’s Eden’ and the ‘8th Natural Wonder of the World. The stunning crater of Ngorongoro is a unique home for many, many species of Tanzania’s wildlife. This morning, after breakfast, you will head south-east towards Ngorongoro, a distance of 145km which will take around 3 ½-hours. The Adventurous from the Great Serengeti National Park to Ngorongoro Conservation Area is filled with great game viewing of deferent animals.  En-route you will visit Olduvai Gorge Museum. Olduvai Gorge is one of the most important archaeological sites on earth. The geological strata exposed in the gorge reveal a remarkable record of animal and human evolution from about two million until fifteen thousand years ago. Among the significant finds from Olduvai is the range of stone tool types, the thousands of animal fossils – both extinct and extant species – and the fossil bones of hominids (pre-Homo Sapiens) and early Homo sapiens. From here you proceed to the lodge for lunch and relaxation .

After breakfast, you will be taken 2000ft down the crater.  At one side there’s the Lerai Forest, classic mountain forest landscape with almost tropical characteristics. This is good elephant country, so keep your eyes peeled. By the side of the nearby swampland is what is sometimes called the ‘elephant graveyard’ as the mighty male tuskers at the end of their lives come to chew on the soft, swampland grasses once their teeth have failed them. Afterward ascending and drive to your Lodge set on a crater rim.

After breakfast, you will drive to Lake manyara airstrip for your flight to Kilimanjaro Airport to connect with your flight to Rwanda. You will be greeted at the airport and transferred to The Retreat, the finest luxury stay in the city that offers the perfect combination of leafy tranquility, Rwandan flair, and contemporary buzz. Go for a massage and rejuvenate in the salt pool .

Over the last two decades, Rwanda’s lush, hilly capital has developed into a vibrant cosmopolitan destination, teeming with art, culture, and cuisine. Plus, the attractive urban center is one of the cleanest and safest cities in all of Africa. Sip bold, sustainable java at Question Coffee Café and venture to where the first modern building (Kandt house Museum) was built, which laid the foundations for Rwanda’s capital city; Kigali. Pay an emotional visit to the Genocide Memorial Site and learn how the country has dealt with its past and recovered to stand today as a testament to humankind’s resilience. The memorial serves as the final resting place for more than 250,000 victims of the genocide. Next, journey through bustling neighborhoods for an authentic taste of Kigali life and go for a lunch buffet.  Later, drive to the north, weaving through beautiful terraced hillsides, culminates at the base of the awe-inspiring Virunga volcanoes. Check in at Singita Kwitonda Lodge.  In the evening, visit the Conservation Room, where a lodge manager and Singita conservationist will explain various aspects of the trekking experience. This includes more details about the area and general outline of the trekking day.

After an early breakfast, drive from the lodge to Kinigi Headquarters where you will register for the gorilla trekking. Once you’ve been divided into parties of 8, assigned gorilla family. You’ll have a briefing from your park guide, you’ll be driven to the trailhead where you will start the walk to reach your mountain gorilla group. Your experienced trackers use their knowledge of the gorillas’ habits to locate their whereabouts. Upon sighting the gorillas, you stay with them for a magical hour, admire the behavior of the gorillas as they go about their daily lives feeding, youngster playing and picking open fruit and throwing it through the air, resting and raising their young. Occasionally one, often a playful youngster, will approach you with curiosity, sometimes coming so close that you’ll have to move away. After you lifetime changing experience , you will head to the lodge for relaxation

Psychologists say that experiencing an activity more than once is more memorable than a single event. With packed lunch, set off from the same trailhead this morning, but walk towards a different habituated mountain gorilla troop.  Remember each gorilla group has different behaviors so expect something unique from this group, from the number and makeup of individuals to their behavior and social structure. After doubling the fun , you will be driven to the lodge for a sumptuous lunch and relaxation .

You will have a leisurely breakfast and Relax. Later, you will then carry on with your journey to Kigali where you will have a stop for lunch and then transfer at the airport for your flight back home.