Rwanda Gorilla Trekking and Maasai Mara Safari

Tucked into the far north-west corner of the country, Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park is one of the few remaining havens of the the mountain gorilla, with its landscape’s gentler slopes and more open bush allows for some of the most effortless tracking and observation of these animals than other parks.

Home to five of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga mountains massif and with hills richly blanketed with rainforest, bamboo forests as well as open grassland, swamps, marshes and small lakes – this is also a prolific sanctuary for the likes of the golden monkey, bushbuck, spotted hyena and prolific birdlife. You may also have heard of this park thanks to the famous American primatologist Dian Fossey who based most of her research here, founding a centre to bring worldwide attention to the gorillas endangered status.

Rwanda is one of the few places in the world where you can enjoy close personal encounters with mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. The forested slopes of the Virunga massif – a chain of ancient volcanoes – are home to over half the world’s 880 remaining gorillas. There are, in total, 10 habituated groups available for tracking by tourists in Volcanoes National Park, and each morning eight permit holders are allocated one group.

You will hike to the spot where your gorilla family was last seen the previous day. All tracker guides are experienced in looking for signs of the gorillas’ location, for example, footprints, dung, chewed bamboo and celery stalks, as well as nightly abandoned nests.

Once the gorillas are located, probably smelling them before seeing them, the group will be allowed a maximum of one hour with the family. You are likely to reach their location during their long midday rest and play period. At this time of day, the dominant male (usually a silverback) generally lounges on the ground or against a tree while youngsters roll in the vegetation and climb on trees, vines, and each other. Females nurse and play with their infants. It is entirely possible that you will find the gorillas quite quickly and be back at your hotel for lunch; or you could face a three or four hour hike (sometimes even longer) each way.

The endangered Golden monkey enjoys a territory of highland forests, especially bamboo, living in groups of up to thirty individuals. A handful of troops in Volcanoes National Park have been habituated and can be tracked in a similar way to the gorillas. The monkeys are playful and inquisitive and often spend their time leaping from bamboo branches or frolicking on the forest floor towards the base of the volcanoes and have overcome their initial shyness to accept their daily visit by researchers and tourists.

Between Musanze and the Ugandan border are two scenic lakes usually referred to as the twin lakes; Lake Burera and Lake Ruhondo. They are fed by rivers and a lake in Uganda. The twin lakes area is very scenic, with steep and intensively farmed hills surrounding the pristine dark blue waters. They offer magnificent views over the whole of the Virunga Volcanoes.

Enjoy a night in Kigali, you'll have our list of recommended restaurants and attractions to make sure you make the most of your time here.

Enjoy daily game drives and other activities with your chosen camp and guides in this magnificent national park. Between July and October it is home to the Great Migration, when millions of wildebeest thunder across the plains in search of fresh pasture, an incredible sight which is one of Africa’s premier wildlife experiences.

It must not be forgotten, however, that the Maasai Mara has one of the highest concentrations of wildlife year-round. The big five can all be ticked off your list on a visit here, and you’ll also get to see huge pods of hippos basking in the rivers, cheetahs racing across the savannah and giraffes ambling between the acacia trees.

You might choose to take your wildlife experience to new heights by adding a hot air balloon safari over the Maasai Mara to your stay in this outstanding area. It's a great way to appreciate its scale and gain a unique bird's-eye view of the game below. A champagne bush breakfast awaits you upon landing.

Born from one family’s passion for Kenya and its wilderness, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is today the most successful orphan-elephant rescue and rehabilitation program in the world and one of the pioneering conservation organisations for wildlife and habitat protection in East Africa. Located in a secluded area of the Nairobi National Park, the orphanage is open for visitors between 11am and 12pm when the the orphans arrive for their midday mud bath and feeding.