11 Days Burundi, Rwanda and Kenya Safari Holiday

Burundi is a small East African country with beautiful tourist attractions ranging from the landscapes, mountains, tropical forests, huge lakes, plateau, rich African culture, wildlife, and primates viewing that you shouldn’t miss out and this is just made interesting by encountering Mountain gorillas in Rwanda’s volcanoes national park and wildlife viewing in the famous Masai Mara national reserve in Kenya.

Safari highlights

Boat cruise and waterfall hikes in Burundi
Chimpanzee and gorilla trekking in Rwanda
Wildlife viewing in Masai Mara

Detailed safari itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Bujumbura international airport

On arrival at Bujumbura international airport, you will be received by a representative from Wilderness Explorers Africa and transferred to your hotel in the city for relaxation and overnight.

Day 2: Boat cruise on Rusizi River

After morning breakfast you will drive to Rusizi national park where you will do a boat cruise where you expect to encounter wildlife like hippopotamus, antelopes, and monkeys along with numerous species of beautiful birds and later you will also visit Lake Tanganyika for lunch on the beach and later return to the lodge for overnight.

Day 3: Primate trekking in Kibira national park and transfer Nyungwe forest national park

After early morning breakfast, you will depart Bujumbura for Kibira national park for your ultimate primate walk, the park is a habitat to 98 mammal species, a dozen primates (numerous families of chimpanzees, baboons, red-tailed monkeys, black colobus, and some 200 species of birdlife and after you will be transferred to the border of Rwanda where you will cross over and meet our guide from Rwanda and transfer to Nyungwe forest national park for an overnight.

Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking experience in Nyungwe forest

With a lot of excitement, you will start the day early with a packed breakfast and drive to the Gisekura park office to meet the rangers, After meeting the rangers you will then drive to Cyamudongo where you will trek the chimpanzees on foot in the dense forest cover, after locating the chimpanzees you will spend 1 hour with them and later return to the lodge for relaxation.

Day 5: Drive from Nyungwe forest to Volcanoes national park

After morning breakfast you will depart Nyungwe forest for volcanoes national park, this is Rwanda’s most popular safari destination home to the endangered Mountain gorillas, upon arrival, you will check-in for relaxation, and later in the afternoon, you will drive to the twin lakes of Bulera and Ruhondo for canoeing experience and later return to the lodge for overnight.

Day 6: Gorilla trekking experience in volcanoes national park

After morning breakfast full dressed in your trekking gear, you will transfer to Park headquarters in Kinigi where you will have a full gorilla briefing by the park guides in your respective gorilla family group and after you will drive to the park boundary to start your trek on foot, depending on the location of the gorilla family you will spend 1 hour with the mountain gorillas in the rainforest and later return to the lodge for relaxation and overnight, gorilla trekking experience can take anything from 2 hours to 8 hours.

Day 7: Flight from Kigali to Nairobi

Depending on the time of your connecting flight you will be transferred to Kigali for your connecting flight to Nairobi, on arrival you will be received by our guide and transferred to your lodge for relaxation and overnight.

Day 8: Drive from Nairobi to Masai Mara

After morning breakfast you will embark on a journey where you will make the first stop for magnificent views and photography at the Great Rift Valley which spreads from the Northern to the southern part of Kenya. At this very point, you may also choose to visit the art and craft market to purchase some African gifts and then proceed on a drive to Masai Mara. The drive to the park will welcome you with thrills of wildlife views such as zebras, Warthogs, Wildebeests, Monkeys, Baboons, and Giraffes. On arrival, you will check-in at your lodge, have lunch, and thereafter, proceed to the park for your first game drive where you will enjoy views of Elephants, Lions, Giraffes, Zebras, Leopards, Buffaloes, Antelopes, and many more. Thereafter, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 9-10: Full day game drives in Masai Mara national reserve

Over the next three days, you will enjoy early morning and late afternoon game drives in Mara’s riverine woodlands and on the open plains.

In addition to game drives, there are many other exciting activities that you can enjoy during your time in the Masai Mara. These include horse riding, black rhino tracking experiences, cultural visits to Maasai villages and markets, and guided walking safaris (Note: walking safaris are only allowed in the private conservancies that border the Masai Mara National Reserve).

There is also the option to experience a magical early morning hot air balloon flight over the plains and forests of the Masai Mara followed by a champagne breakfast at your landing point.

Note: The range of activities mentioned is optional.

Day 11: Depart Masai Mara for your onward journey

On this day in the morning, you will have time to enjoy one final game drive in the Masai Mara, before returning to your lodge or camp for lunch. Thereafter in the afternoon, you be transferred back to the airstrip for your light aircraft flight to Nairobi.

It is important to note that most international flights depart from Nairobi in the evening/night. To ensure that you don’t waste the final day of your holiday waiting at the airport we can arrange for you to have a car and driver for the afternoon. This way, you can visit places of interest in Nairobi.

We recommend visiting the Giraffe Centre in Lang’ata or the Karen Blixen Museum. If you want to buy some souvenirs you could head to Utamaduni, the Maasai market at Galleria Mall. In the evening, your driver will transfer you to Nairobi International Airport just in time to check-in for your departure flight home.

Trip includes

Activities in Burundi
Accommodation
Vehicle, guide and Fuel
Gorilla permits for volcanoes NP
Chimpanzee permits for Nyungwe forest NP
All game drives and park entrance fees for Masai Mara
All transfers

Trip excludes

International flights
Burundi, Rwanda, and Kenya Tourist Visa
Travel insurance
Tips for guides and hotels

When to book this safari itinerary

We recommend booking 1 year in advance.

Best time to trek gorillas in Rwanda and view wildlife in Kenya

The best time to visit Rwanda is between June and September, which is during the Dry season when wildlife viewing is at its prime. Primate walks in the forest are a big part of any safari in Rwanda and this applies to Kenya for the great migration.