12 Days Great Migration & Gorilla Jungle Safari

Main Destination: Nairobi (Kenya)
Accommodation: Hemingways Nairobi (Luxury)
Meals & Drinks: Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included), drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 2-4: Nairobi and Transfer to Masai Mara

If you’ve seen the film ‘Out of Africa’, a safari to the golden-hued savanna of the Masai Mara is probably near the top of your bucket list. And where better to go than the infamous spot where Meryl Streep gazed longingly at a rugged Robert Redford?

This is Angama Mara, Kenya’s hottest new lodge and sited on that very kopje, high in the hills of the Oloololo Escarpment with a view so everlasting it’s startling. Designed by Silvio Rech, a man who just ‘gets it’ when it comes to lodge design and run by Nicky Fitzgerald of &Beyond fame, this is the stuff of your  wildest, most romantic and evocatively perfect Great Migration & Gorilla Jungle Safari dreams.

Main Destination: Masai Mara National Reserve (Kenya)
Best Time to Visit: June to October and September to October
Accommodation: Angama Mara (Luxury tented camp)
Meals & Drinks: All meals included, all drinks (Premium wines & liquors might be excluded)

Day 5-7: Enjoy iconic African luxury beneath Mount Kilimanjaro

Ol Donyo Lodge lies in an extraordinary setting between two of Kenya’s national parks, Tsavo East and Amboseli, in the heart of the Chyulu Hills. Presided over by Mount Kilimanjaro, this is a place of wild beauty and Masai spiritual life, and has inspired artists, photographers and writers.

The lodge itself lies on a vast group ranch that is leased from its Masai owners. Set in thick woodland on a hillside with views across the plains, the lodge is so luxurious you’ll find it hard to leave, and the wildlife is even better.

Take a Great Migration & Gorilla Jungle Safari game drive, go horse- or bike riding, visit the fascinating lava tubes, set off on a walking safari, sleep under the stars and have breakfast and dinner in the bush. Watch the animals from an open-air hide or book a fly-camping adventure. Great Plains works with the local community to protect endangered species and reduce poaching.

The lodge may be expensive, but it’s good to know that a percentage of each visitor’s conservancy fee goes to the community.

Main Destination: Amboseli National Park (Kenya)
Accommodation: Ol Donyo Lodge (Luxury)
Meals & Drinks: All meals included, all drinks (Premium wines & liquors might be excluded)

Day 8: Fly Over into Kigali – Indulge in some five-star pampering

This large, modern hotel in central Kigali lies just 10 kilometres from Kigali International Airport, so it’s the perfect stopover before returning home. It’s a large hotel, popular for weddings and conferences (held fortunately in a large stand-alone conference and events centre).

The rooms are quiet though, so take some down time, enjoy the variety. If you’re simply travelling overnight, you’ll probably only have time to enjoy the food, the pool and maybe a treatment at the spa. For families with young children, there’s also a baby pool. Staying a little longer? Explore Kigali (ask for advice at reception), visit the sobering Kigali Genocide Memorial and admire the bright artworks at the Inema Gallery.

Enjoy the Great Migration & Gorilla Jungle Safari cuisine at restaurants, wander around the lush gardens and laze around the pool. And do visit the blissful spa.

Main Destination: Kigali (Rwanda)
Accommodation: Kigali Serena Hotel (Luxury)
Meals & Drinks: Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included), drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 9-11: Get into The Misty Jungle and Encounter The Mighty Gorilla

As wildlife encounters go, there’s not many more exhilarating, more spelling binding and more utterly mesmerising than coming face to face with a mighty mountain gorilla.

And what better place to do it than in Rwanda’s gorilla hotspot, Volcanoes National Park, and from undoubtedly the hottest lodge in the area, Virunga. The location is, to put it bluntly, phenomenal, with the 10 bandas, orbited by panoramic vistas of shimmering lakes Ruhondo and Burera and the spiky crests of the Virunga volcanoes.

With the ever-present layer of iridescent, swirling mist, the lodge is every bit as magical as the wildlife. The focus at the lodge is to see the mountain gorillas, which adds a sense of shared purpose to dinner at the candle-lit, communal table.

You are typically woken at 5am; Great Migration & Gorilla Jungle Safari breakfast is served at 5.30; by 7am you will leave the lodge for the Volcanoes National Park headquarters at the base of the Virunga mountains, where everyone with a gorilla trekking permit gathers for a briefing.

Main Destination: Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda)
Best Time to Visit: Jun to Sep (It is drier and trails are easier to hike)
Accommodation: Virunga Lodge (Luxury)
Meals & Drinks: All meals included, all drinks (Premium wines & liquors might be excluded)

Day 12: Finish in Kigali

You will be chartered from Virunga Lodge to the airport for your onward journey.

Main Destination: Kigali International Airport (Rwanda)
Accommodation: No accommodation (End of tour)
Meals & Drinks: Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included). Drinks not included

End of tour

End of the 12 Day Great Migration & Gorilla Jungle Safari. Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost. You’ll be dropped off at the airport.