10 Day Rwanda Kenya Tanzania Safari: Gorillas, the Mara and the Serengeti
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10 Days
A gorilla trek at Volcanoes National Park and three nights in a Maasai Mara conservancy
Best for: Travellers who want one gorilla trek and the Maasai Mara in a single week, flying only twice
Itinerary ref: MC-030
An 8 day Rwanda Kenya safari pairs one mountain gorilla trek at Volcanoes National Park with three nights in a Maasai Mara conservancy, in a single week and two countries. It needs only two flights, a night in Nairobi on the way in and out, and it runs in every month of the year.
Tell us your dates and group size and we will check permits and flights for your 8 day Rwanda Kenya safari.
Enquire About This SafariThis is the simple version: two countries, one gorilla family and one great wildlife area. You land in Kigali, drive to Volcanoes National Park for two nights and a trek, fly to Nairobi, then take a short flight to a conservancy camp in the Maasai Mara for three nights. A final night in Nairobi puts you beside the airport for your flight home.
It is built for guests who want gorillas and Maasai Mara together but have only a week, and who prefer to stay in one place for three nights rather than move every day. Because the Mara is outside the Tanzanian circuit, there is only one visa to arrange, and it works all year.
If you can add a few days and want the Serengeti too, our 10 day route adding Tanzania follows the herds, and the 14 day route across four countries adds a second gorilla trek in Uganda.
Seven nights, two flights and one drive. Times are the ones we plan with, and are confirmed at booking.
| Night | Where | Where you stay | How you get there |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 and 2 | Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda | Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel, or Amakoro Songa Lodge | Arrive at Kigali, drive about 2.5 hours |
| 3 | Nairobi, Kenya | A boutique hotel in Karen | Drive to Kigali, then an afternoon flight of about 1h40 |
| 4 to 6 | Maasai Mara conservancy | Karen Blixen Camp, or Naboisho Camp | Flight from Wilson Airport, about 45 minutes |
| 7 | Nairobi, Kenya | A hotel or day room near the airport | Flight from the Mara to Wilson Airport |
| 8 | Nairobi airport | Departure | Transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport |
If a lodge is full for your dates, we place you in a comparable lodge in the same area.
Eight days, two countries and one gorilla trek, followed by three nights in the Mara.
Your driver-guide meets you at Kigali International Airport and drives you about 2.5 hours (105 km) north to the volcanoes. You check in to your lodge in the afternoon. The first day of the 8 day Rwanda Kenya safari is a rest day. If you land late in the day, we use a night in Kigali and shorten the next day.
After an early breakfast you report to the Kinigi headquarters at about 07:00, where rangers assign you to a habituated family. You walk with trackers until you find them, then stay for one hour. The walk can be half an hour or several hours. You return to the lodge in the afternoon.
You leave after breakfast, drive 2.5 hours to Kigali, and take an afternoon flight to Nairobi (about 1h40). A boutique hotel in the Karen suburb is your base for the night. Tomorrow's Mara flight leaves from Wilson Airport, which is why you sleep in Nairobi rather than rush a connection.
A morning flight from Wilson Airport takes about 45 minutes to an airstrip in the Mara North area. A guide meets you, and you drive to your camp, about 45 minutes away, for lunch. The afternoon game drive is your first in the conservancy.
A full day of game drives, with an early morning drive, breakfast in the bush and a second drive as the light drops. Conservancy rules mean fewer vehicles at each sighting, and your guide can follow an animal off the main tracks.
Today uses what only a conservancy offers: a guided walk in the morning with a Maasai guide, learning tracks and plants, and a night drive after dinner, which can find leopards, hyenas, genets and bush babies. In the afternoon you have a rest or a second game drive.
After a final morning game drive you fly from the Mara to Wilson Airport and transfer to a hotel or day room near Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. If you would like to see something of Nairobi, the Giraffe Centre and the Karen Blixen Museum are close to the Karen hotels.
A relaxed morning, then the transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your flight home. We can help you add days in Kenya, on the coast or in other parks, if you wish to extend your stay.
You spend two nights near Volcanoes National Park. The first is a rest night after your flight and the drive from Kigali, and the second follows the trek. Permits are limited to one visit per gorilla family per day, for a group of eight, so we secure yours before anything else.
As checked on 10 October 2026, a Rwanda gorilla permit is USD 1,500 per person, and the minimum age is 15. You report to the Kinigi headquarters at about 07:00, walk for anything from half an hour to several hours, and spend one hour with the family. A golden monkey trek can sometimes be added on the arrival day, subject to a separate permit. If gorillas are your priority, our Rwanda safari packages spend more days in Rwanda.
A conservancy is private land next to the national reserve, leased from Maasai landowners and shared by a limited number of camps. That means fewer vehicles at each sighting, and activities the national reserve does not allow, such as walking safaris and night drives. The wildlife is the same as the reserve, since animals cross the boundary freely, and our Maasai Mara guide explains the difference.
The Mara is among the best places in Africa to see lions, leopards, elephants and buffalo, and black rhino are present but rarely seen, so we say Big Five with a note rather than a promise. Herds of wildebeest and zebra are in the Mara from roughly August to October, and river crossings usually peak in August and September, though never to a timetable. In a conservancy you are away from the river itself, so for crossings we would add a drive to the reserve.
Kigali to Nairobi is a flight of about 1h30 to 1h50 on RwandAir or Kenya Airways, with several non-stop flights a day. The Mara flights leave from Wilson Airport, a different airport from the main international one, and a transfer between them takes over an hour. From Volcanoes it is not possible to make a same-day connection, because the drive to Kigali alone takes 2.5 hours.
So we plan an afternoon flight, a night in Nairobi and a morning flight to the Mara. It looks like a lost evening but it makes the next day reliable. The same logic applies on the way home: you fly from the Mara to Wilson Airport on day 7, sleep near the airport and leave on day 8. Our safari flight logistics guide covers every flight in more detail.
You can run this route in every month. June to October is the strongest window, when the Volcanoes trails are drier, Kenya is in its dry season and the herds are in the Mara from about August. January and February are also dry and clear, with fewer visitors.
March to May are the long rains, when the forest is muddier and the Mara is green and quiet; November brings the short rains. Gorillas can be trekked in any month. See our guide to the best time to visit Kenya and our guide to how the Great Migration works if the herds matter to you.
On the 8 day Rwanda Kenya safari we use classic comfort and premium lodges, chosen for their position: close to the trailhead and, in the Mara, inside a conservancy with few other vehicles.
If a lodge is full for your dates we use a comparable lodge in the same area and tell you before you pay.
We keep dated changes on our entry alerts list, and the rules for each country are in our visa requirements guide. Travel insurance with medical evacuation is advised; see our insurance guide. These are checked facts, not promises, so please confirm on the official portals.
We quote the 8 day Rwanda Kenya safari per person for your dates and group size, so the price is on request. The quote itemises the lines below.
| Cost line | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Gorilla permit | Rwanda USD 1,500 per person, as checked on 10 October 2026 |
| Flights | Kigali to Nairobi, Wilson Airport to the Mara and the Mara back to Wilson Airport, with a 15 kg soft-bag limit on the bush flights |
| Lodges and camps | Seven nights at classic comfort and premium level, with meals as listed in your quote |
| Park and conservancy fees | Daily fees for Volcanoes and the Mara conservancy, itemised |
| Vehicles and guides | A private vehicle with a driver-guide in Rwanda, and guided game drives in the Mara |
| Visas | Paid by you to the government portals; we guide you through the order |
Our guide to what an East Africa safari costs explains how each line changes with the season.
Everything below is included in your quote for the 8 day Rwanda Kenya safari unless it appears under not included.
The guides and routes we suggest reading before you decide.
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