DAYS 1/2/3 ~ WASHINGTON, DC/ADDIS ABABA/KIGALI

Board your overnight flight, arriving Rwanda the next afternoon. Upon arrival in Kigali, transfer to your luxury hotel located in the center of Kigali’s heart. Enjoy the comfort of your luxurious room, take a dip in the pool and rest from your long journey to Rwanda. KIGALI SERENA HOTEL. (Meals Aloft, D)

DAY 3 ~ KIGALI/KINIGI

Visit the Genocide Memorial Centre this morning to learn about this country’s recent bloody history and the lessons learned so this tragedy never happens again. As an outsider, it is almost impossible to understand the true scope of what really happened here in 1994, but your visit to the centre will help bring some of the tragedy to light. You will be able to learn of individual stories of losing family and friends while at the same time focus on the efforts to heal and carry on as one people. Afterwards, drive to the Volcano National Park, the site of Dian Fossey’s celebrated gorilla habituation and anti-poaching project, and the location for the film Gorillas in the Mist. In the free-standing volcanic mountains swathed in giant bamboo clumps and montane forest is your comfortable lodge with spectacular views. GORILLA MOUNTAIN VIEW LODGE. (B,L,D)

DAY 4/5 ~ KINIGI

Get set for your gorilla viewing adventure. Local guides and porters will carry your personal items and assist you on your trek up the slopes of these ancient volcanoes to see the mountain gorillas. Your group will have the opportunity for one trek per person to view these gentle giants. A second trek is possible at additional cost, based on availability of permits. Trek through fairyland forest to encounter the gorillas. Once sighted, you will spend an hour with they, and they will capture your heart with their acrobatic antics and beauty. GORILLA MOUNTAIN VIEW LODGE. (B,L,D)

DAY 5 KINIGI/KIGALI

Those who wish to trek twice will do so this morning.Take a short drive back to the Park Headquarters and meet with local guides and trackers. Later, drive back to Kigali. KIGALI SERENA HOTEL (B)

DAYS 6/7 ~ KIGALI/SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK/WESTERN CORRIDOR

Transfer to the airport for your flight to the Western Corridor of the Serengeti National Park. The Serengeti has come to symbolize paradise to all, including the local Maasai, who have grazed their cattle on the vast grassy plains for generations. Today, the Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and the Maasai Mara Reserve across the border in Kenya, protect the greatest and most varied collection of terrestrial wildlife on earth, and one of the last great migratory systems still intact. You’ll be in the Grumeti River area of the Western Corridor, famous for huge crocodile and hippo pools. This is the Africa of Hemingway’s books and travels. Look for lion sunbathing atop prehistoric rock outcroppings framed by the bluest of skies, or a solitary leopard watching your every move from a tree branch. Feel like one of the first explorers as you settle into your camp – an elegant Victorian-era tented outpost set upon a hill with spectacular views. Here, slowly savor every minute of Africa’s splendor from vibrant sunrises to seemingly endless starlit night skies. KIRAWIRA CAMP. (B,L,D Daily)

DAYS 8/9~ CENTRAL SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

Further explore the Serengeti, the crown jewel of Tanzania’s protected areas and host to the annual centuries-old migration of over one million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebra. Watch as cheetah, leopard and hyena keep a keen eye on the herds. Explore the open plains for giraffe, topi, buffalo, and Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle. Elephant herds find shade in palm thickets and sausage trees of the Seronera Valley. Look for lion stalking its prey along rivers and hippo pools inhabited with scores of water birds. Prehistoric rock outcroppings host hyrax and dwarf mongoose. Soar through the skies on a balloon safari for exhilarating views (at additional cost). Also a World Biosphere Reserve, visit the Serengeti Wildlife Research Centre to learn more about the Park’s diverse ecosystems. The architecture of your stunning lodge is inspired by a traditional African village. SERENGETI SERENA SAFARI LODGE. (B,L,D Daily)

DAYS 10/11 ~ OLDUVAI GORGE/NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA

Discover Olduvai Gorge, the ‘Cradle of Mankind’ where Louis and Mary Leaky uncovered the early origins of modern man. Tour the museum to learn about their archeological methods and remarkable finds. Resume your drive, stopping at a Maasai village before crossing into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, home to the Crater – an extinct volcano and World Heritage Site. Next morning, descend almost 2,000 feet through misty clouds to the crater’s floor for a treasure trove of wildlife and scenery. Swaggering prides of black-mane lion roam the grasslands, home to large herds of wildebeest, buffalo, hartebeest, eland and zebra, with hyena close behind. Protected around the clock, this is the best area to see the rare black rhino. Colorful flamingo inhabit the shores of the soda lakes, and Hildebrandt’s Francolin lurks in the forest while Verreaux’s Eagle soars high above. Bull elephant with massive tusks charge the plains while their female counterparts, and the solitary leopard, meander through the forests. As if in a land before time, your stunning lodge is built into the rim of the crater and co-exists in perfect harmony with the natural environment and the wildlife that inhabits it. NGORONGORO SERENA SAFARI LODGE. (B,L,D Daily)

DAYS 12/13 ~ ARUSHA/ADDIS ABABA/WASHINGTON, DC

Drive to Arusha where you have some time to shop before your transfer to the airport for your flights home. (B; Meals Aloft).

OPTIONAL POST - EXTENSION TO ZANZIBAR

Spend four days on the exotic spice island of Zanzibar beginning in Stonetown – a place of winding alleys, bustling bazaars and unique wooden doors. Stay at the ZANZIBAR SERENA INN on the Indian Ocean – a haven of tranquility and old-world opulence. Dazzle your senses at a spice plantation and watch rare, red colobus monkeys frolic overhead in Jozani Forest. Then, travel to MATEMWE BUNGALOWS for a refreshing stay in spacious villas set on top of a small cliff overlooking the ocean, and next to a beach with sand as fine as powder. Enjoy some of the best snorkeling and diving on the continent in the turquoise waters and return home rejuvenated.

YOUR JOURNEY INCLUDES

• Flights from Washington, DC to Kigali, returning from Arusha (quoted separately). Extension returns from Zanzibar.
• Superior accommodations throughout as indicated or similar.
• All meals while on safari in Rwanda & Tanzania. Other meals as specified.
• Wildlife viewing in specially-designed 4-wheel drive safari vehicles, with open roof viewing hatches for wildlife viewing and photography. A window seat is guaranteed. Gorilla trekking will be made on foot.
• Complimentary bottled water in vehicles and during meals.
• Professional naturalist on main tour with 6 travelers.
• One permit each to see the mountain gorillas. Second permit can be purchased.
• Gratuities for baggage handling, hotel tips and all applicable hotel and lodge taxes.
• National Park and Reserves entry fees.
• Complimentary backpack, baggage tags and passport wallets.