12 Days Rwanda and Kenya Safari

Arrive at Kigali International Airport where your driver awaits. A short briefing, then transfer to your hotel in Rwanda's immaculate hillside capital. Evening at leisure.

After breakfast, depart for Musanze and Volcanoes National Park. Time permitting, stop at the Kigali Genocide Memorial and enjoy lunch en route. Arrive at your lodge in the shadow of the Virunga volcanoes for dinner and an early rest ahead of tomorrow's trek.

An early breakfast at 6:30 am, then transfer to park headquarters for your ranger briefing before entering the Virunga forest on foot. The trek takes 2 to 6 hours depending on the gorilla family's movement. Your reward: one extraordinary hour in the presence of mountain gorillas, watching silverbacks, mothers and playful juveniles in their natural home.

A relaxed breakfast at the lodge before the drive back to Kigali. Afternoon at leisure in the city. Optional: explore the Kigali Convention Centre area, the vibrant Nyamirambo neighbourhood, or simply rest at the hotel before dinner.

Early breakfast, then transfer to Kigali International Airport for your flight to Nairobi. Your Kenya driver meets you at the arrivals hall and drives you to Lake Nakuru National Park with an en route lunch. Arrive in time for an afternoon game drive across the soda lake shores where flamingos gather in their thousands, Rothschild giraffes stride through yellow fever acacias, and black and white rhino graze the open grassy slopes.

After breakfast, depart south along the floor of the Great Rift Valley for Maasai Mara. Arrive by lunchtime at your camp. Rest and settle in before an afternoon game drive from 4 to 6 pm: the golden light is perfect for photography and predators are beginning to stir.

A full day on the Mara plains. Morning game drive at dawn when cheetahs are active and lions return from the night hunt, followed by a picnic lunch at a scenic spot by the Mara River. Afternoon drive deeper into the reserve or into one of the private conservancies bordering the park. The Mara is one of the world's most reliable places to see all the big cats: lion, leopard and cheetah regularly in the same day.

Another full day exploring the Mara ecosystem. Spend it deep inside the reserve tracking the migration herds if in season (July–October), or venture into the Mara North Conservancy for a more exclusive game-drive experience with fewer vehicles. Optional sunrise hot-air balloon safari over the Mara Triangle.

After breakfast, depart the Mara and drive north to Lake Naivasha, arriving in time for check-in and lunch at your lakeside lodge. In the afternoon, board a wooden boat for a cruise across Lake Naivasha to Crescent Island: a wildlife sanctuary where giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and waterbuck can be observed on foot at eye level without fences or barriers. Dinner back at the lodge.

After breakfast, check out and drive south to Amboseli National Park: Africa's most iconic elephant landscape beneath the snow-capped summit of Kilimanjaro. Arrive for an en route game drive and lunch at your lodge. The afternoon brings your first sighting of Amboseli's legendary elephant matriarchs, some with tusks so large they brush the ground.

A full day in Amboseli with unlimited game drives. Morning light on Kilimanjaro is the finest photography opportunity in all of Africa: snow-capped peak, swirling clouds and elephant silhouettes in the marshes. Walk to the Observation Hill for a panoramic view of the park's open plains. Afternoon drive through the Enkongo Narok swamp where hippos and hundreds of elephants gather.

A final early morning game drive for last sightings before returning to the lodge for breakfast. Depart Amboseli and drive to Nairobi, arriving for lunch at a city restaurant before hotel drop-off or airport transfer for your outbound flight. End of services.