ITINERARY 1: Kenyan Safari and Zanzibar Escape
Day 1 Arrive in Nairobi two days before the wedding, hang out at the hotel and just get the lay of the land. Hit up an art gallery and have a nice dinner in town.
Day 2 Join the wedding activities and head to Giraffe Center where you can hang out with and feed giraffes up close and personal. Following the giraffe experience, head over to Karen Gables where we will be having a welcome bbq.
Day 3 Everyone heads to Wilson airport to catch the plane to the Maasai Mara, for our first day of safari! Experience the Mara in all its grandeur.
Day 4 Wedding day!
Day 5 After a morning game drive and a leisurely brunch, we all head back to Nairobi and check back into hotels. Relax and reminisce over your experience.
Day 6 Wake up early and head to the airport and catch a flight to Zanzibar, arriving in Stone Town by lunch. Grab a bite to eat in Stone Town (see the “Zanzibar, Tanzania” section for loads of recommendations in the “On The Road” section of this website). After a leisurely lunch, check in to your hotel of choice (Emerson Spice or Park Hyatt are tops!) and settle in. Be sure to eat out at one of the recommended hotels for dinner and take a stroll along the Forodhani Gardens that evening to see the night stalls.
Day 7 Wake and book transport to your hotel outside of Stone Town (Baraza Resort and Spa is amazing, or White Sands Luxury Villas is an amazing option) and spend the day on the beach enjoying snorkeling and napping. Dine on delicious fresh seafood and take in stunning sunset over the ocean.
Day 8 Book a diving or snorkeling trip to Mnemba Atoll of one of the hotel recommended swimming spots, and spend the day in the water enjoying some of the best coral reefs and aquamarine life in the world. Eats loads of seafood and then enjoy a hearty wine fueled meal back at the hotel.
Day 9 Spend another glorious day on the beach, try your hand at diving, or sail a boat to Pemba island for some snorkeling and fresh fish picnic.
Day 10 Reluctantly head back to the airport and catch a flight home.
Looking for more inspiration for your trip to Zanzibar? Check out our favorite things to do and see here!
ITINERARY 2: Kenyan Safari and Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda
Day 1 Arrive in Nairobi two days before the wedding, hang out at the hotel and just get the lay of the land. Hit up an art gallery and have a nice dinner in town.
Day 2 Join the wedding activities and head to Giraffe Center where you can hang out with and feed giraffes up close and personal. Following the giraffe experience, head over to Karen Gables where we will be having a welcome bbq.
Day 3 Everyone heads to Wilson airport to catch the plane to the Maasai Mara, for our first day of safari! Experience the Mara in all its grandeur.
Day 4 Wedding day!
Day 5 After a morning game drive and a leisurely brunch, we all head back to Nairobi and check back into hotels. Relax and reminisce over your experience.
Day 6 Catch a flight in the morning to Kigali, Rwanda and check in at the Serena Hotel, Radisson Blu, or Hotel Des Mille Collines – the “Hotel Rwanda” – and then explore the city on foot. Check out the Genocide museum for an intense but fulfilling day of learning about Rwandan history. Finish the day with dinner at Heaven restaurant for a tasty meal.
Day 7 Wake up early and drive with tour company to Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel in the Volcanoes National Park. Ranging in altitude from 2400km to 4,507 the Volcanoes National Park is dominated by volcanoes. Best known to the outside world as the place where for almost 20yrs the American primatologist Dian Fossey under took her pioneering studies of mountain gorilla behavior.
Day 8 Have breakfast and go to ORTPN offices for briefing, then set off for Gorilla trekking. A thrilling trek through the refined foothills of the Virungas provides inspiring views in all directions. Then, suddenly, the trail enters the national park, engrossing trekkers in the strange closeness of the rainforest, alive with the calls of colorful birds and chattering of the rare golden monkey, and besieged with fresh spoor of the mountains' elusive populations of buffalo and elephant. Gorilla trekking is quite strenuous but a once in a life time experience.
Day 9 Wake up and after breakfast drive to Lake Kivu (1.5-hour drive) and settle in at the beautiful Lake Kivu Serena Hotel for a late lunch and relax by the pool.
Day 10 Drive back to Kigali and catch a flight back home.
