Mountain Gorilla Safari: Kenya, Tanzania & Rwanda 2019

16 days
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USTOA

Small Group Tour
Earth Journeys... created by Tauck and BBC Earth. From the Big Five to silverbacked Mountain Gorillas, wildlife is the draw on this 16-day safari in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda where game drives and mountain treks reward with once-in-a-lifetime encounters with animals, both endemic and endangered. All departures are small groups, limited to 24 guests.

Overview

Trip type
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Highlights

    • Earth Journeys
    • crafted by Tauck and BBC Earth... Intimate safari drives in 6-passenger vehicles for amazing wildlife viewing
    • hot air balloon ride over Masai Mara
    • stays in safari lodges in Serengeti
    • Amboseli
    • Mount Kenya Safari Club and Mara Safari Club; private Gorilla Trek in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park; visits to Ol Pejeta Conservancy
    • Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary
    • the William Holden Wildlife Education Center
    • the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Museum
    • and Kigali's Genocide Memorial Museum

What's this trip about?

    Earth Journeys... created by Tauck and BBC Earth. From the Big Five to silverbacked Mountain Gorillas, wildlife is the draw on this 16-day safari in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda where game drives and mountain treks reward with once-in-a-lifetime encounters with animals, both endemic and endangered. All departures are small groups, limited to 24 guests.

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Details

Itinerary focusClassic Highlights
Group sizeSmall Group - 24 max
Age rangeNo age restrictions
Flights and transportN/A
Start CityArusha, Tanzania
End CityOperator does not provide

Travel Themes

  • 50 plus
  • Cultural

Destinations

  • Africa
  • Kenya

Attractions

  • Amboseli National Park
  • Arusha
  • Lake Manyara National Park
  • Nairobi
  • Ngorongoro Crater
  • Serengeti National Park

Activities

  • Culture

Trip includes

    • All small group departures On-tour film vignettes custom-made for Tauck by BBC Earth natural history experts and other select BBC Earth touches Intimate safari groups limited to just 24 Tauck guests; game drives in 6-passenger, open-top vehicles with window seats for everyone, led by expert guides A rigorous, challenging private Gorilla Trek in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park to interact with endangered Mountain Gorillas in their natural habitat more than 7,000 ft. (2,130 m.) above sea level; see Pricing & Availability for more details Multiple-night stays in the legendary Serengeti National Park, Masai Mara game reserve, and Amboseli National Park, with daily game drives Hot air balloon ride at dawn over the Masai Mara game reserve, followed by a champagne breakfast in the bush Private lecture by an elephant researcher in Amboseli National Park Visits to Ol Pejeta Conservancy; Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary; the William Holden Wildlife Education Center; the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Museum; and Kigali's Genocide Memorial Museum Overnight in a lodge built into the rim of Ngorongoro Crater, called Africa's "Garden of Eden," for its great views of the wildlife-rich wilderness and one of the oldest sites of habitation by our human predecessors Private barbecue dinner under the stars at Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club Weaving demonstration in a Kenyan village A two-night stay at the Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club within view of Mount Kenya On-Tour Air (5 flights) Airport transfers upon arrival and departure as noted 44 meals (15 breakfasts, 15 lunches, 14 dinners); gratuities to local guides, service charges, admissions fees, taxes & porterage

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Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive Arusha, Tanzania
Tour begins: Arusha Serena Hotel. Transfers are included from Kilimanjaro International Airport to Arusha Serena Hotel, for an overnight stay. LODGING : Arusha Serena Hotel PORTOFCALL : Arusha, Tanzania

Day 2 Birds of Lake Manyara National Park
Set out for a four-night safari to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti plains, traveling through Lake Manyara National Park. Along with abundant giraffes, baboons and elephants, Lake Manyara is home to a multitude of birds, including great birds of prey. Continue on to N...
Day 3 A Garden of Eden in Ngorongoro Crater
Experience the Africa of bygone days when you explore the "lost world" of Ngorongoro Crater, believed by many to have been Africa's original "Garden of Eden." Within this dormant volcano's walls lie short grasslands, swamps, forests, fresh and saltwater lakes, inspiring ...
Day 4 Ancient Man in Oldupai Gorge
Your day begins with a visit to Oldupai Gorge, the world-famous paleoanthropological site studied by anthropologists Louis and Mary Leakey for more than 40 years, finding exceptional stone tools, animal bones and fossilized evidence of some of the earliest known human sp...
Day 5 Endless Plains in Serengeti Nat'l Park
Morning and afternoon game drives take you into the golden Serengeti savanna today, one of the oldest ecosystems on Earth able to sustain an abundance of flora and fauna. You may spot numerous prides of lions, zebras, hyenas, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, black rhinocer...
Day 6 Kenya's Amboseli National Park
Leave the Serengeti behind as you fly to Arusha, Tanzania en route to Kenya. Dominating the skyline, majestic Mt. Kilimanjaro peaks over surrounding landscapes from more than 15,000 feet up. Have lunch at the Cultural Heritage Center in Arusha prior to continuing into Ke...
Day 7 Private Game Drives in Amboseli
Tauck's private safari game drives in Amboseli National Park offer ample opportunity to view the elephants, hippos and buffaloes that seek out the park's natural watering holes and the graceful antelopes that graze in the flat grasslands. An early morning visit to a Maas...
Day 8 Mt. Kenya's Animal Orphanage
A morning flight brings you to the world-famous Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, straddling the Equator and your luxurious home for the next two nights. The former retreat of actor William Holden, the Safari Club, founded in 1959, was once the playground of such illustr...
Day 9 Ol Pejeta & Village Weavers
An exciting day begins at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, home to the largest resident black rhino population in East Africa and other members of the Big Five. It is also home to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, founded by Jane Goodall, which gives lifelong homes to orph...
Day 10 Welcome to the Masai Mara
pack your Tauck duffle bag and fly to the Masai Mara National Reserve in southern Kenya, where you'll be welcomed by Maasai warriors. Have lunch upon your arrival at the luxurious Fairmont Mara Safari Club, where an elegant tented camp is your home for the next three nig...
Day 11 Ballooning over the plains of the Masai Mara
Today will be one that you'll always remember as you arise before dawn to board a hot air balloon* and float over the Masai Mara's awakening plains below as the sun rises. When you land, a special champagne breakfast will be awaiting you right there in the bush! Spectacu...
Day 12 More Game Drives in the Masai Mara
Unparalleled wildlife viewing is the watchword on your final day in the spectacular Masai Marai - and the last full day of your safari adventure - as you set out on a morning game drive... return to your tented camp for lunch, and perhaps a bit of swimming and down time....
Day 13 Fly to Kigali, Rwanda
Fly this morning to Kigali airport in Rwanda, home to Volcanoes National Park and the forested habitat of endangered mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. A late afternoon arrival at your Serena Hotel is followed by dinner at leisure. MEALS : B, L, D LODGING : Kigali Serena Hotel PORTOFCALL : Nairobi, Kenya

Day 14 Kigali coffee & Volcanoes National Park
Wake up and smell the coffee at a local cooperative that empowers Rwandan women to become coffee growers. Learn all about making coffee, from planting and harvesting to roasting and brewing with an opportunity to have a cup or two. Continue on a drive through the country...
Day 15 Gorilla Trek in Volcanoes National Park
Rise early for a once in a lifetime opportunity you'll not soon forget. Drive to the headquarters of Volcanoes National Park where a briefing by your expert mountain guides answers any questions you may have about your trek into the wilderness and a dance performance as ...
Day 16 Journey Home
Tour ends: Kigali. Depart your hotel after breakfast for your journey back to Kigali, stopping en route to visit the Genocide Memorial Museum. Pay tribute to the 800,000 Rwandans who lost their lives during the atrocities of 1994 and discover how Rwanda was able to come ...

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Dates & Availability

Price From $17,590
Price per day$1,099
Last Updated: 0/8/2019

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Tauck.

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

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It's easy to see the world's sights. To stand in long lines, push through the crowds, and generally have the same standard-issue vacation as everyone else. But that's not good enough for us, and it's not good enough for you. We believe that travel should be easy. It should be fun. It should be worth your time and the price you paid. It should re-energize and transform. And above all else, it should be beyond the ordinary. Because how you see the world matters.

In 1882, Herman Tauck arrived in New York City from Germany in search of the American dream. His determination and values were passed on to his son, Arthur Tauck, who would realize that dream. With ingenuity and an innovative spirit, Arthur started Tauck Motor Tours, a travel company that would give birth to a new industry. The first tour, through the back roads of New England, was created by this 27-year-old in 1925. It embodied the same successful formula used by Tauck today: do the right thing. Craft a life-enriching travel experience; provide it at a single all-inclusive price; ensure there is great value for money; and rely on recommendations of satisfied customers to build a following and grow the business.

Two elements that did change over the next 90+ years – and three generations of Taucks – were the scope of destinations served and the variety of modes of travel used. Today Tauck delivers life-enriching travel experiences to every corner of the globe, incorporating small cruise ships, premium riverboats, trains, helicopters and more. What started as a New England motor coach tour company has truly evolved into an extraordinary global travel company. The fourth generation of Taucks is now involved in the company. While remarkable in any business, this seamless continuity across generations speaks to shared vision and values.

Throughout its history, the concept of “family” at Tauck has gone far beyond those sharing the surname to include hundreds of valued employees, and hundreds of thousands of loyal guests. The story of Tauck is the story of a unique American family company celebrating a passion for travel – a story that will continue to inspire generations to come.

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Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance alongside your travel package to safeguard against unforeseen circumstances such as medical expenses, trip cancellations, and other contingencies. It offers you peace of mind and ensures you are prepared for unexpected events that may occur before or during your journey
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Age Requirements
No age restrictions
Trip ID
tauck-GZK2019

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