Rwanda and Tanzania Safari

Touch down in serene Kigali, a city arrayed across terraced hills, to begin your Rwanda and Tanzania safari. A driver transfers you to Hemingway's Retreat Kigali, a boutique hotel that welcomes you into its lush sanctuary. Ease into Rwanda’s gentle rhythm with a cocktail next to the saltwater pool or during a Jetlag Eraser massage. After a dinner of global fusion plates, drift off for a restful sleep. 

Immaculate, sophisticated, and future-focused, Kigali demands more than a layover. First, visit the Rwandan Genocide Memorial for a painful examination of the 1994 tragedy that lays crucial context for your time in Rwanda. Pause for lunch, then lighten the mood. Alongside a guide, order made-to-measure fashions, shop for handwoven home goods, and admire original Rwandan artworks. At your hotel, blend cocktails imbued with regional botanicals with a mixologist.

After breakfast, drive east to Akagera National Park, a mosaic of savannah, swamps, lakes, and woodland. We’ve tucked you away in Wilderness Magashi, situated within the park’s only private concession. Sleep under canvas in one of eight tents dotting Lake Rwanyakazinga’s glassy shores.

As the sun burns off the morning mist, follow dirt tracks on a morning safari. Game drives in Akagera have a hide-and-seek thrill; rhinos standing in shoulder-high grasses and gnarled trees camouflaging blonde lionesses. That they even exist here is the result of visionary rewilding efforts, post-genocide. Spend some time with the African Parks team to learn how Akagera’s rebirth became one of Africa’s greatest conservation success stories. 

Park the Land Cruiser and enjoy a boating safari. Lake Ihema holds the promise of Nile crocodiles sunbathing on the shore, snorting hippos, and generous birdlife—and with luck, elephants. Back at camp, cast a line or enjoy armchair safaris right from the deck. Later, consider a night game drive. As a spotlight cuts through the dark, the bush blinks back—a riddle written in glowing retinas.

Depart Akagera, driving through rural Rwanda (Land of a Thousand Hills) to reach a string of volcanic peaks blanketed in misty forest. At this elevation, the air is cooler and crackling fireplaces emote a tropical kind of hygge. You’ll stay at Wilderness Sabyinyo, Rwanda's first community-owned lodge, conveniently located minutes from Volcanoes National Park headquarters. Enjoy dinner in the presence of volcanoes, steeped in the anticipation of tomorrow’s trek. 

Lace up your hiking boots for one of the most poignant wildlife experiences on the planet. At park headquarters you’re assigned a gorilla family and guide. Drive to the trailhead and then hike uphill through a tangled forest. Once you locate the magnificent primates, spend a quiet hour in their spellbinding presence. Imagine standing mere feet from a mother cradling her precious infant or locking eyes with a commanding silverback.

Reserve a second day for a golden monkey trek, following yesterday's familiar schedule. Optional: A second gorilla trek. Afterward, pay a special visit to the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. A behind-the-scenes tour illuminates the plight of mountain gorillas and the legacy of the famed conservationist. 

A helicopter whisks you from Volcanoes to One&Only Nyungwe House, nestled within a tranquil tea plantation at the forest’s hem. One of Africa's oldest rainforests, Nyungwe’s thick-knit wilderness teems with biodiversity. Chorused with birdsong, chimpanzees rule their empires while colobus monkeys parkour the canopy. Sip estate-harvested tea, walk forest trails, and savor haute farm-to-table dining with sweeping jungle views.

Today is another very special wildlife day: chimpanzee trekking. You’ll follow your guide into the tightly woven closed canopy of ancient Nyungwe. Locate one of two habituated chimpanzee troops for an entertaining hour in their company. They’re a lively bunch, expressive and noisy, scrambling raucously between the forest floor and treetops. Return to the lodge for a private picnic in the tea leaves.

Though Nyungwe is prized for its primate populations, this wild forest echoes with rivers and waterways. Follow a naturalist guide on a hike through tea fields that yield to humidity-hugged rainforest. Sun beams filter through the mossy branches, butterflies flit amid orchids, and the trail ends at a waterfall—all lending to the enchanted forest feeling. Later, taste and tour Gisakura Tea Estate—Rwanda's most beautiful plantation.

Drive to Kigali for your flight into Serengeti National Park. Stay at Roving Bushtops, a mobile safari camp that changes location twice each year. Following the seasonal rhythms of wildlife, eight canvas tents assemble like origami, placing you within striking distance of Great Migration masses. Cradled within open plains and outfitted with just enough luxury comforts, it’s the promise of an intimate, old-school Serengeti safari adventure. This evening, take your first unscripted game drive.

Allocated an exclusive-use vehicle, enjoy private game drives where wildlife dramas are witnessed in real time. In the morning, grazers rouse and fresh remains point to a busy night for the lionesses. Take a pause midday. In the late afternoon, your guide stops at Mustafa Rock where pillows, lanterns, and a pop-up bar have been conjured for a romantic sundowner. If Great Migration masses are present, stay out all day.

Rise early to float whimsically above iconic plains for a hot air balloon safari. Spot wildlife in miniature then land for a Champagne bush breakfast. (Optional.) Or, set out on foot with your guide on a walking safari. This immersive, slow safari experience lets you inspect animal tracks, spoor, and other clues to decipher. A final evening of wild dining under the stars unfolds at a private table set for two.

After two incredible weeks, your Rwanda and Tanzania Safari draws to a close. A small plane transfers you to Kilimanjaro International Airport. Board your international flight, bound for home with safari memories never far from mind.