From the Mara’s open grasslands to Rwanda’s mountain forest, in eight to ten nights.
8–10 nightsSafari & trekMaasai Mara · Kigali · Volcanoes
The journey
Begin where the horizon runs wide. In the Maasai Mara, mornings follow tracks through open grassland and evenings settle around camp as the plains cool.
Then the scale closes around you: a flight through Nairobi to Kigali, a road north through cultivated hills, and a trek from Kinigi into bamboo and mountain forest. If trackers locate your assigned family, the visit lasts up to one hour.
Gorillas & the Mara suits travellers who want contrasting wildlife encounters and can manage steep, muddy ground. It asks for several flight sectors, an early briefing and flexibility on trek day. Choose the Mara alone if the border advice or permit cost outweighs the contrast.
Wide plains, close forest and a deliberate change of pace, shaped around your dates and comfort.
Moments along the way
Two landscapes, one clear arc.
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First light on grass
Set out as the plains brighten, reading tracks while the air stays cool.
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A full Mara day
Carry breakfast and let wildlife, weather and distance decide where the drive leads.
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Crossing through Nairobi
Leave the bush by air, connect in the city, then fly west to Kigali.
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Road through the hills
Terraces and villages pass as the road climbs from Kigali towards the Virunga slopes.
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Briefing at Kinigi
Meet rangers at 07:00, hear the rules and receive your family assignment.
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One forest hour
If the family is found, watch quietly for one hour without flash photography.
Where you’ll stay
Each stay adds to the story.
From an Essential tented camp near the plains to a Private Collection forest retreat below the volcanoes, each stay supports the next day’s pace. Kigali gives the route a practical pause between the two wildlife chapters.
Select an idea to carry into your brief. Nothing is added to a booking or priced automatically.
BEFORE YOU ENQUIRE
A route with room to breathe
Here’s how it comes together.
Nairobi → Mara → Wilson → Jomo Kenyatta → Kigali → Volcanoes → Kigali. You change Nairobi airports by road, and any Nairobi night adds to the 8–10.
Preparing the route map…
A sense of the days
The rhythm of the journey.
Connect in Nairobi, land near camp and take an introductory drive across the plains before the evening cools.
Three full days leave room for distant wildlife movement, quiet sightings and a slower lunch back at camp.
Leave the Mara by light aircraft and reach Kigali the same day when flights connect, or sleep in Nairobi first.
After a 07:00 briefing, walk with rangers towards your assigned family; distance and trail conditions vary each day.
Rest, track golden monkeys or use a second separately priced permit for another gorilla trek.
Drive south for your flight home, or keep a city night for a less compressed departure.
Four Mara, one Kigali, three or four forest and up to one final Kigali night make 8–10; any Nairobi buffer nights extend the total.
Clear from the beginning
What’s included.
Typically included
Safari park and conservation fees
Expert driver-guides
4x4 safari vehicle
Stays at your chosen level
Meals as each stay specifies
Flights and transfers as routed
Not included
Rwanda gorilla permits, quoted separately
Flights to start and from finish
Visas and travel insurance
Premium drinks
Gratuities
Optional forest and balloon activities
Every journey is quoted in full, with no surprises.
Good to know
The Mara and Volcanoes, in context.
This safari and gorilla trekking route connects Kenya’s open Maasai Mara with Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. RDB refunds nothing for a late arrival or delayed flight, so a Kigali night and a forest night come before trek day. The Rwanda permit is US$1,500 for a foreign adult, separately quoted and booked by Nobu. Briefing starts at 07:00; the minimum age is 15. Once contact is made, keep seven metres back and spend at most one hour with the family.
The route puts two very different wildlife settings into one trip: vehicle-based days on open plains, then a ranger-led walk in mountain forest. It suits travellers who value contrast enough to accept extra flights and a separately priced permit.
No. Mara wildlife moves freely, and river crossings follow no timetable. In Rwanda, trackers search for a habituated family; if contact is made, your visit lasts up to one hour. RDB has refund rules for a full day without contact.
June to August is the clearest overlap for drier forest walking and the Mara’s busy season. January can also suit. Treat February and September as transitions, and check the current forecast: neither firm trails nor river crossings are promised.
Allow eight to ten nights: four in the Mara, one in Kigali and three or four near Volcanoes, with another Kigali night if flights require it. Less time creates risky connections or cuts the wildlife chapters too sharply.
No. The permit is extra, quoted separately and booked by Nobu once dates and availability are agreed. RDB lists US$1,500 for a foreign adult, with full visitor details needed at payment and no general booking lead time published.
Choose another route if steep, muddy walking is unsuitable or anyone travelling is under 15. If the US border advice decides it, Into the Wild Mara removes Rwanda; Rwanda Gorillas shares the same advice, and Uganda is US Level 4 countrywide.
Government advice, checked October 2026. Kenya is US Level 2 (28 July 2026); the UK’s warned areas are outside this route. Rwanda is US Level 3 (4 June 2026), and the US summary says do not travel within 10 km of the DRC border. Kinigi, where treks start, and most lodges near it are inside that distance. The UK warns only about parts of Rusizi District. The UK records cross-border shelling near Kinigi in 2022. Read both full advisories, and ask us about your lodge and road, before you decide.
Gorilla trekking is physically demanding, and Rwanda may refuse park access if you have a cold, flu or another infectious illness. Rwanda requires a yellow fever certificate from travellers arriving from Kenya; malaria and other vaccine advice depends on your medical history. This is general information, not medical advice — consult a travel clinic.
This is planning guidance for two climates. The trek runs year-round, while your Mara priorities and tolerance for rain shape the final month.
Typically drierLonger rainsMore variable
Jul / Main dry window
Firmer trails, busier plains.
June to August is the core drier walking window in Rwanda, overlapping part of the Mara’s busy season. Herd movement and river crossings remain uncertain; September needs a rainfall check.
Broad seasonal guidance — not a forecast, availability calendar or migration promise. Picking a month sets it in your plan.
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