The Mara savannah and Rwanda’s gorillas

Nairobi National Park, on the capital’s southern edge, and the Sheldrick elephant nursery; three days in the Masai Mara, with a whole day by the Mara River, where the wildebeest cross in migration season; and, in Rwanda, the Kigali Genocide Memorial and the trek to the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park.

Day by day Open the itinerary in the app

Nairobi → Maasai Mara → Kigali · 8–11 days

The route on the map, in the itinerary’s order.

KenyaNairobi
Days
2–3
When
January and February; part of June to September
Per person/day
Average 8,700 KESMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.
KenyaMaasai Mara
Days
3–4
When
Jul–Oct
Per person/day
Average 17,200 KESMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.
RwandaKigali
Days
3–4
When
Jan · Jun–Aug
Per person/day
Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

Who it is for

For travellers who want, on one trip, the migration in Kenya and the gorilla encounter in Rwanda, and who can plan months ahead.

Not for anyone who decides at the last minute: from July to October the Mara camps fill up, and gorilla permits sell out months ahead from June to September.

The strategy

Nairobi gets two days: the national park, with the Sheldrick if your booking is confirmed, and the museums and the centre. Flights to the Mara leave from Wilson Airport, 11 km from the centre, not from the international JKIA: Airkenya and Safarilink fly daily to the reserve’s dirt airstrips, with the first landing about 40 minutes after take-off, and the camp collects guests at the strip. The planes are small, so check the weight limit and bag type. The Mara gets three days, with three nights in the same camp: arrival with the afternoon drive, a full day at the river with a picnic in the vehicle, and the balloon or Musiara Marsh. Fly back to Nairobi and on to Kigali, whose airport is about 5 km from the centre. Rwanda gets three or four days: the memorial and Nyamirambo; Kimironko and the road north, sleeping in Musanze or Kinigi, about two hours by bus; the gorillas, with a 7:00 meeting at park headquarters; and, with a fourth day, Dian Fossey or the golden monkeys. Arrange a 4x4 with driver in advance to get from headquarters to the trailhead. Do not schedule transfers or flights on the last Saturday of the month between 8:00 and 11:00, when Umuganda almost stops traffic. The way home leaves from Kigali, served by RwandAir, Brussels Airlines, KLM, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines and Ethiopian. July and August suit all three stops: the migration is usually in the Mara, and they are dry months in Nairobi and Kigali.

What you will see

Nairobi National Park, Nairobi. Nairobi National Park’s savanna begins at the capital’s southern edge: 117 km² protected since 1946, with rhinos, lions, giraffes and other species.
Mara River, Maasai Mara. The river that rises on the Mau escarpment and cuts across the reserve to Tanzania is the stage for the crossings: when the migration is in the Mara, columns of wildebeest and zebra gather on the bank, hesitate and cross in front of crocodiles, sometimes in both directions on the same day.
Kigali Genocide Memorial, Kigali. In Gisozi, the memorial was inaugurated in April 2004, on the tenth anniversary of the genocide, over the mass graves where more than 250,000 people brought from across the capital are buried.