Day 1London
You will fly overnight from London Heathrow to Nairobi with Kenya Airways at 20.00, landing at 06.30 the next morning.
Remain in transit and fly on to Kigali in Rwanda at 08.00, landing at 08.25 local time. On arrival, you will be met by a driver-guide from Primate Safaris who will drive you in your own private vehicle to Ruhengeri. It`s a beautiful drive through rolling hills and small farming villages and takes around two hours. You will be taken to the Gorilla Mountain View Lodge where you`ll spend the next three nights as your base for exploring this stunning area. The rest of the day can be spent relaxing at the hotel and enjoying the spectacular views over the Virunga Volcanoes.
Today you will set off early after breakfast for the park headquarters where you will register for the gorilla trekking. Once you`ve been assigned a group and have had a briefing from your guide you will be driven to the trailhead where you will start the walk. Your trek will take anywhere from an hour to five hours to reach the gorillas - depending on which group you`ve been assigned. The terrain changes from farmland to bamboo forests, into stinging nettles and rainforest before you will find the gorillas. Trackers leave before the tourist groups to locate the gorilla groups so your guide should know where to take you, and once you`ve found the group you will have one hour with them. Make sure you take plenty of extra film as you`ll be surprised at how many photos you will want to take!
Day to explore the Volacanoes National Park with your guide. Take a nature walk with your guides.
After breakfast you will head back to Kigali with your driver-guide, a journey of around two hours. There`s time to do a short city tour of Kigali if you wish - the Gisozi Genocide Memorial Museum is well worth visiting if you`re interested in learning more about the history of the genocide and how the country has rebuilt itself since then (leave at least an hour to visit this if you`re interested, as there is a lot to see). You will fly on down to Zanzibar via Nairobi. You will then be picked up and taken to Echo Beach Lodge.
At leisure at Echo Beach - you can spend the day relaxing and unwinding here on the beautiful stretch of beach, or by the pool, reading a book under the shade of a palm tree and swimming in the warm Indian Ocean. If you`re feeling more active, you can easily arrange diving or snorkelling at the new PADI-certified dive centre, or other excursions to explore the island through Sue and Andrew, Echo Beach`s owner-managers. You can also enjoy a massage treatment from the resident masseuse, hire bicycles to explore, or visit the nearby village,
I`d highly recommend heading out on a snorkelling trip at some point during your stay - you will sail in a traditional dhow to one of the reefs, and can spend an hour or two watching the colourful marine life living in the corals off Zanzibar. This is a lovely way to spend a morning or afternoon and a good opportunity to sail on a dhow as well!
One of my favourite things to do in Zanzibar is to visit one of the small-scale spice farms on the island - you get a really hands-on experience tasting and smelling the spices for which the island is famous, and children from nearby villages often run out to greet you. This can be easily arranged either in advance or when you`re at the hotel, so you can see how you feel day by day.
Another good way to spend a morning or afternoon if you`re looking for a change of scene from the beach, is to visit the Jozani Forest in the centre of the island. It`s home to the rare red Kirk`s colobus monkeys which are endemic to the island, which are really entertaining to watch leap and play in the trees!
For something completely different to the beach, you could head into Stone Town one day for a daytrip - the town is located on the west coast, around an hour and a half away, and is a busy and fairly dusty town. However, it`s full of shops and street stalls, so if you`re looking to buy souvenirs this is the best place for it, and the narrow winding streets are reminiscent of Marrakech. There are also dozens of restaurants here where you can eat out - if you need recommendations just let me know!
Today you have the morning and early afternoon at leisure at Echo Beach (you will need to check-out of your room at the normal time but can store your luggage at reception and spend your time relaxing by the pool). In the mid-afternoon you will be picked up and driven to Zanzibar Airport. You will then fly onwards to Nairobi before boarding the overnight flight to London Heathrow, departing at 23.45, landing at 06.45 the next day.
Day 12London
You will arrive early in the morning in London Heathrow.