7 Days Kilimanjaro Day Hike, Serengeti & Gorillas Safari

7 Days Kilimanjaro Day Hike, Serengeti & Gorillas Safari

Few trips let you touch Africa’s tallest mountain, drive the Serengeti’s open plains, and sit with mountain gorillas in the space of a week — but that is exactly what this 7 Days Kilimanjaro Day Hike, Serengeti & Gorillas Safari is built to do. It combines a guided day hike on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro, two days of game viewing in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, and a full gorilla trek in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.

One important clarification before you book: the Kilimanjaro portion here is a single-day hike on the mountain’s lower forest trail, not a summit climb. Reaching Uhuru Peak requires five to seven days on its own (see our dedicated Marangu Route and Rongai Route itineraries if summiting is your goal). This trip is designed for travelers who want a genuine taste of Kilimanjaro’s forest zone without committing a week to the ascent.

This itinerary suits travelers with exactly one week who want maximum variety — mountain, plains, and primates — rather than depth in any single destination. It requires a same-day flight connection between Arusha and Kigali on day six, so build in some flexibility around that transfer.

Quick Facts

Highlights

• Day 1: Pick up, Kilimanjaro day hike
• Day 2: Drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area
• Day 3: Drive to Serengeti National Park
• Day 4: Full day in Serengeti National Park
• Day 5: Drive to Arusha
• Day 6: Fly to Kigali, city tour, transfer to Volcanoes National Park
• Day 7: Gorilla trekking, departure

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Pick Up, Kilimanjaro Day Hike

Your guide will meet you in Arusha and transfer you to the foothills of Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world and the highest peak in Africa. You will spend around six hours on a guided round-trip hike along the lower Marangu route trail through the mountain’s forest zone. Afterward, you will be driven to Moshi town for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Bristol Cottages

Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner

Day 2: Drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area

After breakfast at your lodge, your guide will drive you to the Ngorongoro Crater, where you will descend into the world’s largest inactive, intact caldera and take in the views along the way.

During the game drive, look out for cheetahs, wildebeest, zebras, antelopes, leopards, lions, buffaloes, and kudu, along with the rest of Africa’s Big Five. After descending roughly 600 meters into the crater, you will also see flamingos along the shore as you continue the game drive. Afterward, head to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Karatu Tented Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 3: Drive to Serengeti National Park

Enjoy breakfast at your lodge before the drive to Serengeti National Park. Along the way, take part in a game drive across the open savannah, watching for elephants, buffaloes, kudu, impalas, elands, waterbucks, lions, leopards, rhinos, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, and wildebeest. Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Osinon Camps and Lodges

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4: Full Day in Serengeti National Park

Wake early for breakfast ahead of a full day of morning and afternoon game drives across Serengeti National Park. Watch for the Big Five — elephants, lions, leopards, buffaloes, and rhinos — along with wildebeest, zebras, hippos, cheetahs, antelopes, giraffes, impalas, and waterbucks.

Enjoy lunch out in the bush before continuing with an afternoon game drive across the plains in search of further wildlife. Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Osinon Camps and Lodges

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 5: Drive to Arusha

On the final day in Tanzania, enjoy breakfast at your lodge before departing the Serengeti, with a further game drive along the way, for the drive to Arusha. Your guide will drop you at your hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 6: Fly to Kigali, City Tour, Transfer to Volcanoes National Park

You will be picked up from the airport by your guide for a short Kigali city tour, including the Kigali Genocide Memorial to learn about the 1994 genocide, followed by a stop at local markets and the King’s Palace, among other sites. After lunch, begin the two- to three-hour drive to Volcanoes National Park, taking in the green, mountainous countryside that gives Rwanda its nickname — the land of a thousand hills.

Rwanda Gorilla trek

Day 7: Gorilla Trekking at Volcanoes National Park, Departure

Wake very early for a quick breakfast before your guide collects you for the drive to the Kinigi park headquarters, where a 7:00 a.m. briefing covers the rules and requirements for gorilla trekking in Rwanda. You will have the option to hire a porter and will be assigned one of the country’s ten habituated gorilla families to trek.

The trek itself can take anywhere from one to five hours depending on the family’s location. Once you find them, take as many photos as you like, follow your guide’s instructions, and stay calm if a gorilla approaches. After one hour in their presence, trek back to the starting point, where your guide will be waiting to take you to the lodge for lunch and a rest. Later, you will be driven back to Kigali for your flight home or onward journey.

What’s Included

• All day game drives as per the itinerary
• Accommodation for the duration of the safari
• Private 4×4 Land Cruiser safari vehicle
• Professional safari and tour guide-driver
• All national park fees
• All meals on the safari
• Crater fees
• Kilimanjaro day hike fees
• Drinking water in the safari vehicle
• Government taxes

What’s Not Included

• Flights
• Items of a personal nature (laundry, beverages, etc.)
• Hotel accommodation before or after the safari
• Airport pick-up and drop-off
• Entry visas
• Travel insurance
• Tips and gratuities