Masai Mara Wildlife and Rwanda's Mountain Gorillas
This 6-day private safari pairs Kenya’s most famous reserve with Rwanda’s mountain gorillas. You’ll start in Nairobi and drive to the Masai Mara National Reserve for three nights at Masai Mara Sopa Lodge, with a Maasai village visit, a nature walk and two full days of game drives. In the right season, the Great Migration herds are on the Mara’s plains too.
On Day 4, you’ll return to Nairobi and fly to Kigali, then continue to Volcanoes National Park for a gorilla trek and a golden monkey trek before the tour ends in Kigali. Our 15-day East Africa safari covers four countries; this trip keeps to Kenya and Rwanda and fits the Mara and the gorillas into less than a week.
Why You’ll Love This Safari
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Trip Details
Trip Details
Price
Price on request. Tell us your dates and group size, and we’ll send you a quote.
Meeting point
Your hotel in Nairobi, Kenya (the tour ends in Kigali, Rwanda)
Availability
Year-round, 7 days a week
Duration
6 days
Group size
Min. 1 person
Included
- Park fees (for non-residents)
- Rwanda gorilla permit for Volcanoes National Park (one per person, non-resident)
- Golden monkey permit for Volcanoes National Park (one per person, non-resident)
- Game drives in the Masai Mara National Reserve in a 4×4 safari vehicle
- Maasai village visit and guided nature walk
- Flight from Nairobi to Kigali (Day 4)
- All activities (unless labeled as optional)
- All accommodations (unless listed as upgrade)
- A professional driver/guide
- Private safari vehicle: a 4×4 Land Cruiser, Toyota Prado or safari van, depending on group size
- All transportation (unless labeled as optional)
- All taxes/VAT
- Pickup in Nairobi and drop-off at Kigali International Airport
- Meals (as specified in the day-by-day section)
- Non-alcoholic drinks (on all days)
Not included
- International flights (from/to home)
- Additional accommodations before and at the end of the tour (including your Nairobi hotel before Day 1)
- Tips
- Personal items (souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
- Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
- Porter fees
- Optional hot air balloon safari in the Masai Mara
- Some meals (as specified in the day-by-day section)
What to bring
- Waterproof jacket
- Warm jacket (early mornings can be cold)
- Neutral-colored clothing (avoid bright colors)
- Long-sleeved shirt
- Long pants
- Good hiking shoes
- Gaiters (for mud and nettles)
- Hat
- Gloves
- Light backpack
- Sunscreen
- Snacks
- Face mask (worn near the primates)
- Binoculars
- Insect repellent
- Yellow fever vaccination certificate
- Passport (you’ll fly from Kenya to Rwanda)
Participation requirements
Min. age of 15 years old required to participate in this tour. No fitness test is required, but a reasonable level of fitness helps on the gorilla and golden monkey treks.
About your guide
Your safari will be led by an experienced local guide who will share facts about the wildlife, landscapes, and culture. Your guide is dedicated to ensuring your safari is safe, informative, and tailored to your interests.
What You’ll See & Do
Day 1: Nairobi to the Masai Mara
After breakfast at your hotel, your driver/guide will pick you up in Nairobi for the drive to the Masai Mara National Reserve, which takes about five hours. The road leaves the city behind and crosses farmland and open savanna on the way to the reserve.
You’ll have lunch when you arrive at your lodge, just outside the reserve. In the afternoon, you’ll spend about an hour in a Maasai village, where your hosts will show you their homes and some of their customs and traditions, and you can ask about daily life in the community. Then you’ll head back to the lodge for dinner.
Meals Included: Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Masai Mara Sopa Lodge
Day 2: Morning and Afternoon Game Drives in the Masai Mara
Today is all about the Masai Mara. Your first game drive leaves at about 6:15 AM, when the animals are most active, and runs until around 9 AM. Look for lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, buffalo, hippos and hyenas, along with big herds of zebras and wildebeest.
You’ll return to the lodge for breakfast and a rest in the heat of the day, then go out again after lunch from about 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM. If you’d rather stay out longer, you can spend the full day in the reserve with a packed lunch instead. An early-morning hot air balloon flight is available as an optional extra.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Masai Mara Sopa Lodge
Day 3: Game Drives and a Nature Walk
You’ll have another day in the reserve with the same rhythm: an early game drive from about 6:15 AM, breakfast and a rest at the lodge, and a second drive from mid-afternoon until dusk. Between the drives, you’ll go on a guided nature walk. A full-day game drive with a packed lunch is also possible.
If you’re traveling while the Great Migration herds are in the Mara, your guide will plan the day around them. Where the herds are, and whether they cross the Mara River, depends on the season, so no crossing can be promised. Leopards are seen now and then, and black rhinos only rarely.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Masai Mara Sopa Lodge
Day 4: Masai Mara to Nairobi and Flight to Kigali
Breakfast is at about 8 AM, and then you’ll leave the Mara for the drive back to Nairobi, which takes around four hours, arriving at about 1 PM. From Nairobi, you’ll fly to Kigali, where your Rwanda driver/guide will meet you.
From Kigali, it’s about two and a half hours by road to Volcanoes National Park, through green, terraced hills with the Virunga volcanoes rising ahead. You’ll check in at your lodge in the foothills, less than an hour’s drive from the park, and settle in ready for an early start tomorrow.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Day 5: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park
After an early breakfast, you’ll check in at park headquarters, where the rangers’ briefing starts at 7:30 AM and each group is assigned a habituated gorilla family. Then you’ll follow them up through the forest on the slopes of the volcanoes. The trek can take two to five hours, depending on where the family is. Once you find them, you’ll have one hour to watch the gorillas feed, rest and play.
After the trek, you’ll stop at the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund’s Ellen DeGeneres Campus, where exhibits explain gorilla research and conservation in the Virungas. Then you’ll return to the lodge for dinner.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Day 6: Golden Monkey Trek and Return to Kigali
Your last morning starts with an early breakfast and a golden monkey trek in the bamboo forest of Volcanoes National Park. Park guides will lead you to a troop of these endangered monkeys, known for their orange-gold coats, as they feed and jump between the bamboo stems.
Back at the lodge, you’ll have lunch and then drive to Kigali. If there’s time before your flight, your guide can take you on a short city tour that includes the Kigali Genocide Memorial. Your guide then drops you at Kigali International Airport for your flight home.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Frequently Asked Questions
Our 15-day East Africa safari covers Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, and our 8-day Great Migration safari pairs Tanzania’s parks with a gorilla trek in Uganda. This 6-day tour keeps to two countries: three nights in Kenya’s Masai Mara, then a gorilla trek and golden monkeys in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. It suits travelers who want a classic savanna safari and the gorillas in less than a week.
Possibly, depending on when you travel. The wildebeest and zebra herds move between the Serengeti and the Masai Mara with the seasons, so whether they are in the Mara during your stay, and whether you see a Mara River crossing, depends on the season and can never be guaranteed. Lions, elephants, giraffes, buffalo and hippos live in the Mara all year. Tell us your dates and we’ll tell you what to expect.
No fitness test is needed, but the gorilla trek can be steep and muddy, and a reasonable level of fitness helps. Most treks take two to five hours, but they can be longer or shorter depending on where the family is and the conditions. The golden monkey trek stays in the bamboo forest. Rain can make trails slippery, so bring waterproof gear. Wear a face mask near the primates to protect them from coughs and flu. Porter fees are not included.
We quote the price for your dates and group size. It includes your Rwanda gorilla permit, a golden monkey permit, park fees, game drives in the Masai Mara, five nights’ accommodation, meals and drinks as listed, your driver/guide, transport and airport transfers. Rwanda’s gorilla permit is $1,500 per person, and permits are limited, so book about six months ahead for July and August. A 50% deposit confirms your booking.
For how gorilla permits are priced and booked, see our gorilla trekking permit cost guide and our guide to the full cost of a gorilla trek.
You’ll need entry papers for both Kenya and Rwanda. Kenya uses an online electronic travel authorization (eTA) for most visitors, so apply before you fly. Rwanda issues visas on arrival, or you can apply online in advance. Because you’ll fly into Rwanda from Kenya, bring your yellow fever vaccination certificate, which Rwanda asks for from travelers arriving from Kenya. Visa fees are not included in the tour.
