Gorilla Safari & Serengeti Tanzania Tours
A gorilla trek in Rwanda is a highlight of all visits done in Volcanoes National Park while Serengeti for wildebeest migration & Big five adventure is the top safari highlights for travelers visiting Tanzania. Rwanda gorilla trekking is done in Volcanoes national park located in the Northern Province and is part of the greater Virunga massif and watching these apes in the wild on a gorilla safari is memorable.
For Rwanda gorilla trek you need to be fairly fit to be able visit the apes, equipped for the humid, muddy conditions of a rain forest hike, and in good health since Mountain gorillas are susceptible to human illnesses but don’t have our immunities, which means a common cold can be deadly to a whole family of gorillas and you won’t be permitted to trek if you are unwell.
This Tanzania Rwanda safari is designed in a way that gorilla trekking comes first and then take a flight to Tanzania for the Serengeti National Park to enjoy wildlife viewing as well as watching the wildebeest migration or vice versa.
The annual Serengeti Migration of the wildebeest in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park is one of the most spectacular wildlife events on the planet.
The unique opportunity to see gorillas in their natural habitat is unforgettable, some even say life changing. Encounters with gorillas as they go about their daily lives are carefully managed, with expert trackers and guides leading small groups of tourists up bamboo-covered slopes to spend a precious and awe-inspiring hour just a few feet away from the gentle creatures.
There are twelve gorilla families living in the Volcanoes National Park, which are fully habituated, with a few others habituated solely for scientific research. The groups, or troops, consist of at least one silver back along with several females and youngsters.
Eight tracking permits are issued per troop per day, meaning the encounter is as intimate and as unobtrusive as possible. With only 96 permits available each day in Rwanda, it is highly recommended to book in advance, either online or via a reputable tour operator.
Visitors gather at the Volcanoes National Park headquarters in Kinigi at 7am, and are allocated a family group on the day according to fitness levels, as well as being briefed on protocols and rules for visiting the gorillas.
Hikes up to their various locations can last anything from 30 minutes to four or more hours, reaching an altitude of between 2,500m and 4,000m. Porters are available to carry backpacks and cameras, as well as to offer a helping hand along the route.
For those interested in tracing the footsteps of Dian Fossey, her tomb is a 30-minute drive from the park headquarters and then two- or three-hours hike through the forest, to above 3,000m altitude.
Serengeti National Park is a World Heritage Site teeming with wildlife: over 2 million ungulates, 4000 lions, 1000 leopard, 550 cheetahs and some 500 bird species inhabit an area close to 15,000 square kilometres in size. Join us on a safari and explore the endless Serengeti plains dotted with trees and kopjes from which majestic lions control their kingdom; gaze upon the great migration in awe or find an elusive leopard in a riverine forest. Or perhaps see everything from a bird’s-eye view and soar over the plains at sunrise during a hot air balloon safari.
A tour in Tanzania without setting your eyes on the beautiful Serengeti national park is not a safari worthwhile. The word Serengeti simply means endless plains in the Maasai language. The diversity and beauty of the park will leave you yearning to visit the park as soon as you can. The park is located north of Tanzania and stretches into the south of Kenya with an area of about 1.5 hectares of Savannah grassland.
One of the most spectacular events that take place in the Serengeti, is that there is an annual migration of vast herds herbivorous animals such as the zebras, wildebeests and gazelles followed by their predators across Grumeti river.
The migration starts to move into the Ndutu region of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in December. The short grass plains here are rich in nutritious grasses, providing the herds with the best conditions to raise their new-born.
Mid-February is calving season when approximately 8,000 wildebeest are born every day for a period of approximately 3 weeks. The area around Lake Ndutu itself is the place to be at this time of year.
The park is teaming with stunning wildlife – it is thought that over 3 million large mammals roam the plains in search of fresh grassland. In May or early June, you can witness the annual migration of millions of zebras and wildebeests in search of water and forage as the seasons change.
Large herds of antelopes of all sorts include: Patterson’s eland, Klipspringer, Dik – dik, impala, gazelles, water-buck, bush-buck and reed-buck, topis, kongoni, cotton’s oribi, grey bush dicker, roan antelope buffalo and wildebeests (the estimate is above one million of these animals). Carnivores include lions, leopards, cheetah, hyena, bat eared fox, hunting dog and jackal.
Smaller mammals: spring hare, porcupine, warthog, Hyraxes, baboon, vervet monkey, Colobus monkey, patas monkey, and mongooses. Larger mammals include herds of giraffes, then rhinos, elephants, hippos. There are recorded about 500 species of bird, including vultures, storks, flamingos, martial and fish eagles and ostriches. Reptiles include crocodiles, a number of species of snakes and lizards.
The park gives its guests the opportunity to go on game drives twice a day, at the break of dawn and in the evening. On this ride, you will be able to spot Elephants, Buffaloes, Wildebeests, Warthogs, Zebras, Antelopes, Lions, Hyenas, Leopards, Cheetahs and many more animals as well as beautiful birds.
Migration takes place once every year and several people from all over the world come with the hope of experiencing this beautiful site. This activity is mind-blowing and mouth gaping because the sight of such large animals causing great waves and splashes in the Water as they move in search for greener pastures is worth the visit.
While at the magnificent and beautiful Serengeti national Park, your comfort, relaxation and enjoyment will be taken care of at the following lodges; Serengeti Sopa lodge, Soroi Serengeti camp, Serians Serengeti camp, Seronera wildlife lodge, Serengeti Mawe tented camp, Serengeti heritage tented camp, Serengeti Halisi camp, Singita Mara river camp, Robanda tented camp, Mapito tented camp, Lobo wildlife lodge and Lake Masek tented camp.