Highlights Africa: Masai Mara, Gorillas and Cape Town

16 Days from $11,290 USD / person

Adventure & Outdoors

Nature & Landscapes

Wildlife & Safaris

Wine & Food

Mighty Lion watching the lionesses who are ready for the hunt in Masai Mara, Kenya

Highlights Africa: Masai Mara, Gorillas and Cape Town

Mountain-gorilla,-Volcano-National-Park-Rwanda-Africa-Enchanting-Travels

Ideal For

Adventure & Outdoors

Nature & Landscapes

Wildlife & Safaris

Wine & Food

Itinerary Summary

Day

Place

Hotel Opts

1 – 2

Nairobi
Highlights: Contemporary African Art & Culture, National Museum, Nairobi National Park

Tamarind Tree Hotel
Fairview Hotel

2 – 5

Masai Mara
Highlights: Large Concentration of Wildlife, Maasai People, Balloon Safaris

Ilkeliani Camp
Entim Camp

5 – 6

Kigali
Highlights: Local Crafts, Kigali Genocide Memorial, Hilly Country

Heaven Restaurant & Boutique Hotel
Kigali Serena Hotel

6 – 8

Volcanoes National Park
Highlights: Gorilla Trekking, Hiking, Walking Trails

Tiloreza Volcanoes Eco Lodge

8 – 9

Johannesburg
Highlights: Urban Bistros, Historical Sites, Beautiful Architecture, Musical Rhythms

City Lodge OR Tambo International Airport

9 – 12

Central Kruger
Highlights: Game drives, Game Walks, Rugged Landscape

Chisomo Safari Camp
Karongwe River Lodge

12 – 16

Cape Town
Highlights: Wine Tasting, Contemporary Cosmopolitan Culture, Winelands and Wine Farms

De Tafelberg Guest House
Cloud 9 Boutique Hotel & Spa

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Highlights Africa: Masai Mara, Gorillas and Cape Town

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Your Vacation. Your Way.

This itinerary can be customized for you. Get in touch with our experts for your personalized vacation plan.

Itinerary Details

Day 1 – 2

1 Night

Nairobi

Spend some downtime! As the largest city of East Africa, you can experience contemporary urban African life in Nairobi with colorful street markets, authentic African cuisine, and a buzzing nightlife. Discover the National Museum or explore Kenya’s historic roots with a visit to the Karen Blixen Museum. Feed giraffes in the Giraffe Center or get very close to baby elephants and cheetah in the David Sheldrick Center and animal orphanage. On Nairobi’s doorstep, enjoy afternoon walks and spectacular sundowners in the Ngong Hills, or head to Nairobi National Park for the the only place in the world to witness wild lions against the backdrop of skyscrapers.

Hotel options

Tamarind Tree Hotel – Opt 1

Room Standard Room

Meals Room Only

Style International

Fairview Hotel – Opt 2

Room Business Room

Meals Breakfast

Style International

Day 2 – 5

3 Nights

Masai Mara

Classic Africa! The Masai Mara will fulfill your dreams with its iconic, endless African landscapes of golden grass dotted with picturesque acacia trees that is home to year-round wildlife viewing: cheetah, leopard, large prides of lions, elephants, giraffe, hyena, huge Nile crocodiles, frolicking hippos and many other species. From mid July to October, enjoy the annual migration as two million wildebeests and zebras seek better pastures. Witness dramatic crossings over the crocodile-infested Mara river for one of the most spectacular wildlife experiences on earth.

Included activities

Ilkeliani Camp: Game drives and Nature walks

Rise and shine early to explore the wild surroundings of the Maasai Mara National Reserve. In tow with your expert Maasai guides and reaching via a suspension bridge, hop on a 4×4 to experience morning game drives. At the Mara river and the Musiara Marsh, see a high concentration of elephants, zebras, buffaloes, hippopotamuses, and the world-famous Marsh Pride of Lions. Listening to wildlife stories of the region, settle down for a leisurely picnic breakfast and watch the herds of game go by. Follow the resident naturalist and set out for nature walks along the Talek River. Spot myriad birdlife and track animals in the vicinity by footprints, as you traverse the native vegetation of these riverine forests. After siestas at camp, embark on late afternoon game drives and enjoy the BIG Five sightings across the scenic Maasai landscapes. You may also witness the wildebeest migration during the season. Back at camp, seated around a bonfire, share your day’s wildlife adventures over a few rounds of drinks.

Entim Camp: Game drives

Explore the stunning beauty, diverse landscapes and amazing wildlife of the Masai Mara on fantastic game drives. The best time for this is in the early morning when the animals are particularly active and in the late afternoon when the sun paints incredible colors on the horizon.

Hotel options

Ilkeliani Camp – Opt 1

Room Standard Tent

Meals Full Board and Activities

Style Camp

Entim Camp – Opt 2

Room Classic Tent

Meals Full Board

Style Camp

Day 5 – 6

1 Night

Kigali

As Rwanda’s capital and its geographical heart, Kigali is an important business center and port. Spread across four hills, the city retains a garden feel, with a satisfyingly organic shape dictated by the verdant slopes over which it sprawls. The compact, low-rise center surrounds a busy, colorful market, and is studded with souvenir stalls displaying a wide range of local crafts. The Muslim quarter is well worth a visit, and you can explore the network of leafy avenues that wind into the surrounding residential suburbs.

Hotel options

Heaven Restaurant & Boutique Hotel – Opt 1

Room Deluxe King Rooms

Meals Breakfast

Style Boutique

Kigali Serena Hotel – Opt 2

Room Standard Room

Meals Breakfast

Style International

Day 6 – 8

2 Nights

Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park, part of the Virunga Mountains, is a protected area home to endangered mountain gorilla and golden monkey. Well known for the gorilla treks, picture yourself sitting face to face with a 160kg silverback in the impenetrable rainforest. It is a once in a lifetime experience and is certainly one of the highlights of every animal lover’s trip to East Africa. A group of trackers and a ranger will guide you up the slopes of the volcanoes until you reach your assigned gorilla family. Depending on the movements of the gorillas, this can take anywhere from 1 – 3 hours to reach the family. Once you have navigated your way through the thick rainforest which can be slippery, steep and uneven, you will simply observe the gorilla family in their natural habitat for a full hour. For the golden monkeys, it is a similar program, however it is more of a walk with slippery conditions in some areas and the monkeys are a lot more playful and move around a lot. Both offer wonderful displays within the rainforest.

Included activities

Gorilla Trekking

No other wildlife encounter in Africa matches the astounding experience of spending time face-to-face with some of the few remaining wild mountain gorillas. For a gorilla trek you need to be fairly fit for the humid, muddy conditions of a rainforest with high altitude hike. Even in the dry season, the rainforest is a challenging environment: it is humid, wet and muddy with some steep slopes and thick vegetation. If needed, you can hire a porter who carries luggage and assists you during steep or muddy terrain at a fee. It is absolutely worth the effort to spend time with gorillas in the wild, but be prepared to exert yourself on the trek. Your professional guide and tracker lead you into the forest’s secret paths, looking for a habituated gorilla family. Once found, approach the gorillas quietly and settle down to observe them from between 7 and 10m away. You will spend up to one hour with the gorillas, watching the adults forage and groom each other while the babies tumble and play. You will be under the watchful gaze of the great silverback patriarch whose soft brown eyes constantly sweep over his family protectively. Witnessing gorillas express typically human gestures and emotions is a truly profound experience! (Please carry drinking water, snacks, raincoat, hiking shoes, camera, mosquito repellent and garden/leather gloves).

Visit the Dian Fossey Exhibition / Karisoke Research Center

Explore the state-of-the-art Karisoke Research Center nestled in the heart of mountainous Musanze, your gateway to the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Armed with a naturalist guide, learn about the endangered mountain gorillas and their natural habitat, thanks to the longest-running field study of primates here! Get an insight into the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International that continues facilitating research practices, tracking, and conservation efforts including anti-poaching patrols for gorillas across the region. Browse the excellent showcase spread across seven sections, which celebrates the life and work of Dian Fossey through historic photographs, notes, and original artifacts from her cabin. See nose prints, footprints, handprints, and skulls of gorillas, listen to gorilla vocalizations and watch several videos from the project’s timeline. Also, view the Virtual Virungas – an interactive 3D model that projects satellite imagery of Virunga mountains on a bed of sand. Interacting with the staff, stroll about, and expect to spot several other animals in the center’s forested surroundings.

Hotel options

Tiloreza Volcanoes Eco Lodge – Opt 1

Room Deluxe Room

Meals Full Board

Style Boutique

Day 8 – 9

1 Night

Johannesburg

Discover South Africa’s beating heart! Johannesburg, or Jo’burg’ is a dynamic, cosmopolitan city with great places to eat and interesting sites to visit. The city has played a Jekyll and Hyde role in global consciousness, highlighting both ups and downs of 21st century South Africa. A guided tour of Soweto (the Southwest Townships) offers a glimpse of history and daily life, whilst the Apartheid Museum pays tribute to South Africa’s recent poignant past. Powerful monuments, a musical variety from sophisticated jazz to urban kwaito, and a fusion of flavors in the shebeens of Soweto to the upmarket bistros of Rosebank and Sandton all await you.

Hotel options

City Lodge OR Tambo International Airport – Opt 1

Room Standard Room

Style International

Day 9 – 12

3 Nights

Central Kruger

Walk on the wild side! One of the oldest, largest, and most diverse parks in Africa, Kruger National Park is one of Africa’s top safari destinations, rich with its lion prides, elephant herds and thousands of other animals, against shifting backdrops of savannah, forest, river and mountains. Various private game reserves bordering or close to Kruger National Park offer excellent wildlife sightings and are ideal for those seeking exclusive, luxurious and diverse safari experiences as in addition to daily game drives, you can enjoy night game drives and exciting bush walks to discover the small wonders of nature. Our favorite among these private reserves include Kapama, Thornybush, Klaserie, Ngala and Timbavati which shares a long, unfenced border with Kruger and is home to the Big Five as well as a wide array of other game including cheetah and occasional wild dogs.

Included activities

Chisomo Safari Camp: Game Drives

Experience breath-taking sightings of the ‘Big Five’ (lions, leopards, buffalos, rhinos and elephants) and other wildlife across the sprawling African bushveld at the Karongwe Reserve on open vehicle game drives. Marvel at spectacular views of the Lowveld from a “kopje”. Bird lovers will have over 365 different feathered species to track. In addition, enjoy exhilarating bush walks with Shangaan trackers, local experts with vast experience of the African bush. You may even spot a Cheetah on foot! Sip on a bush sundowner to refresh yourself at the end of a long day, as the sun sets over the Drakensberg Mountains in a riot of colors.

Activities at Karongwe River Lodge

Hotel options

Chisomo Safari Camp – Opt 1

Room Safari Suites

Meals Fullboard & Activities

Style Camp

Karongwe River Lodge – Opt 2

Room Luxury Suite

Meals Fullboard & Activities

Day 12 – 16

4 Nights

Cape Town

Your African metropolis awaits! With Table Mountain as a breathtaking backdrop, Cape Town is considered one of the world’s most beautiful cities. With its friendly people and rich history, Cape Town will enchant you, from the brightly colored facades of Bo-Kaap streets and colorful beach cottage in Muizenberg to the contemporary, African-inspired decor of the many excellent guesthouses, restaurants and bars. Discover pure wilderness on the west coast: whale watching in Hermanus, the Cape of Good Hope, penguins in Simon’s Town, and the indulgent wine region. From October to March, enjoy the wild, beautiful beaches where a hot day is not too different from Copacabana or Ipanema in Brazil!

Included activities

Discover Cape Town at Your own Pace

Enjoy a tailor-made tour of Cape Town specifically designed for your interests. With a chauffeured car at your disposal for the entire day, you are at liberty to discover the cosmopolitan city at your own leisure and pace. Whether your interests lie in exploring Cape Town’s natural landscapes, its cultural history and art, or even in its gastronomic scene, the city has it all. Visit the Castle of Good Hope, the Company Gardens, and the Green Market Square. Or ride right up to the iconic Table Mountain with its panoramic view of the city and the coastline spread out beneath. The choice is yours, as are the hours of your bespoke city tour. (Full Day; Private Activity & Transfer; Fitness Level: Easy; Please bring comfortable shoes, sunglasses & sun hats. Don’t forget your camera or binoculars). Price includes car and your driver-guide. All other expenses to be paid directly on site).

Hotel options

De Tafelberg Guest House – Opt 1

Room Luxury Room

Meals Full Board

Style Boutique

Cloud 9 Boutique Hotel & Spa – Opt 2

Meals Bed & Breakfast

Be enchanted by some of the most awe-inspiring spectacles on earth on this bespoke Africa safari vacation. Three iconic destinations await you on this trip: the Masai Mara, a vast golden savannah that has inspired classic African safari dreams, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda where you can come face to face with endangered mountain gorillas, and Cape Town, the quintessential African megapolis offering outstanding cultural and culinary experiences. Customize this itinerary to match your routing preferences, pick an accommodation of your choice or choose from a whole host of other activities offered in Africa. Our destination experts are happy to assist you anytime – just get in touch!

Price & Inclusions

Option 1

From $11,290 USD / person

Option 2

From $13,090 USD / person

Prices are in USD and exclude international flights. This trip price is based on low season rates for accommodation and other applicable services, and may change depending on availability, currency fluctuations and number of people traveling together. For high season prices, please contact us with your exact travel dates and preferences.

Price Includes

Accommodation and meals, as specified in the itinerary
Activities and excursions, as specified in the itinerary
Transportation services, as specified in the itinerary
Your Trip Coordination Team: Dedicated support throughout your journey, with a primary, personal point of contact. Plus, in case of emergencies while you’re traveling, our trip coordination team are available 24/7 by phone

Not Included

Entrance fees and meals, unless mentioned in the itinerary description
Tips and personal expenses
Visa and tourism fees
Travel, health, and cancellation insurance
International airfare

What Our Guests Say

From the advice we got from Peter when we booked our trip to the excellent execution of the details that Cyprian did, there was not a hitch. We were met by professionals who ushered us through customs and checked us into our flights. The itinerary was packed with memorable experiences of seeing animals, getting to know the people at the tent camps who were more attentive than we could have imagined. The tents were exceptionally clean, beds comfortable, the food outstanding and our overall experience was beyond our expectations. We could not have imagined going on this trip without Enchanting Travels and consider ourselves fortunate that we chose you.

Rating 5/5

Joan McCumby

USA

A memorable trip to South Africa and Zimbabwe. A lot to see and a lot of history, a very memorable vacation. The safari drives are amazing and the food in all locations were delicious, you got to be open to trying different cuisine. Overall trip was the best I#ve experienced.

Rating 5/5

Rosemarie Wright

USA

The trip was planned perfectly from beginning to the end. We were notified of any changes to the schedule based on delayed flights etc. It is a real advantage to have Enchanting Travels make the arrangements that allowed us to speed through customs and visa checks. Our drivers were always there waiting for our arrival so no time wasted waiting. Just the ease of the logistics that comes with traveling with Enchanting Travels keeps up going back to them when we are planning a trip. The experiences were beyond words. Our game drive guides were exceptional in getting us to where the animals were so we could enjoy seeing cheetah cubs at play while mom watched, lion cubs playing while a group of lioness’s napped in the sun and two male lions did the same. The most incredible sight was watching a group of 6 lioness’s separate a female buffalo and her calf and going on to taking them both down. It was like watching a Nat Geo film but we were there within 30 yards to watch. Our accommodations were top notch, staff everywhere we were were exceptional, and the settings were all different but wonderful. Our trip coordinator was in constant contact just to check in and see if there was anything we needed her to do. The Trip Agent App, our first time using it, was a very nice feature and was so much easier to use rather than pulling out a hard copy of the trip to find the answer to our questions. I wasn’t sure if I would use it or not but became dependent on it. Traveling doesn’t get any better if you travel with Enchanting Travels. We will be back!

Rating 5/5

Carol Brzeczek

USA

Enchanting Travels was amazing! Their level of service was outstanding, both from the prospective of immediately responding to questions as well as proactively reaching out with updates/recommendations. The trip was exactly what we were looking for. Would highly recommend and will definitely use again. Safe travels.

Rating 5/5

Robert James Grant

Canada

Enchanting exceeded our expectations by a wide margin. They built the itinerary that was perfect for us and were with us throughout the entire trip checking in on us and handling any issues that could possibly arise (like a delayed flight that had a trickle effect). The staff were all over and above attentive and caring. The app they have you use is surprisingly excellent and helpful. Can’t say enough about this travel company. It’s the way to go.

Rating 5/5

George Kyriakis

Canada

We have travelled to three different countries with the assistance of Enchanting Travels, most recently to Namibia. Each experience has been positive. Namibia was wonderful to visit and our trip was enhanced with the help and coordination of Danielle and Meghan (and undoubtedly so many others who are behind the scene). Our itinerary was individualized and catered to what we value and request. Our trip coordinator, Meghan, is so professional, prompt, and very invested in us having a wonderful experience. The in country guides and excursion companies Enchanting Travels has connected us with have been top notch. The new Trip Agent app which details the trip itinerary is fabulous! We highly recommend Enchanting Travels and are already working with Danielle to plan a trip to Egypt!

Rating 5/5

Rachael Linnea Coady

USA

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