Is This Serengeti Safari and Chimpanzee Encounters for Me?

A remote island in Tanzania’s Lake Victoria, Rubondo offers an incredibly unique adventure experience in a pristine sub-tropical ecosystem where elephants and chimpanzees roam wild. This safari gives you the opportunity to combine a safari in the Serengeti with a chimpanzee encounter.

You can book the trip as is, or combine with a safari extension in Ngorongoro Crater, or a gorilla extension in Rwanda for example.

* Rubondo is closed in April and May

Your 7-Day Itinerary

Arrive at Kilimanjaro airport, pass customs and transit to the domestic terminal on time for the flight to Serengeti Central. Depending on your flight times, you might require a pre-night in Arusha, contact us for options.

Arrive at the airstrip and meet with the camp safari guide for the transfer. Relax at camp before the afternoon game drive and back for dinner and night. You will stay 3 nights at Dunia, including all your meals, selected beverages and the shared scheduled game drives. Chat to your guide to plan your days, you might enjoy an early morning drive and back at camp for lunch and a siesta before the afternoon game viewing; or pack a picnic lunch and enjoy a full day game viewing on the Serengeti Plains.

The camp is ideally placed to explore three excellent game viewing areas: Seronera, the Moru Kopjes and the southern Serengeti plains. The Seronera River is a gathering place for lots of wildlife, providing ample opportunity for spotting predators in action.The Moru Kopjes are a cluster of old granite boulders, favoured by big cats that like to use them as lookout points. You might even spot the rare black rhino.

Twice per year, this area sees millions of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles passing through on their constant migration around the Serengeti and Kenya’s Masai Mara. If you’re lucky, you won’t even need to leave camp to watch the vast herds grazing.

Dunia

Includes & excludes

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

Drinks: Local brands included

Activities: Included

Transport: Included

After breakfast, transfer to the airstrip for the flight to Rubondo.

Arrive at the airstrip, meet by the camp guide and transfer via a meandering drive to the camp. Rubondo is a very remote and special place, your home away from home for the next 3x nights, including all your meals, scheduled daily activities and we have included 2 chimpanzees trekking permits. Your guide will chat with you to plan your days, depending on your preferences and the chimp's movements.

Located in the southwest of the massive Lake Victoria, Rubondo Island is 26 km long and 10 km at its widest point, mostly covered in pristine forest. Rubondo Island Camp is on the beach, overlooking the water. A stay on Rubondo is the experience of a lifetime. Besides a handful of park wardens, researchers and the camp staff, the island is uninhabited by humans and has been set aside as a refuge for endangered chimpanzees and other animals.

One of the most unique offerings of Rubondo Island Camp is the opportunity to experience Professor Bernhard Grzimek's Noah’s Ark Project. In association with Frankfurt Zoological Society, Grzimek brought endangered species to Rubondo over 1966 - 1969 including 16 west African chimpanzee. Experience a guided trek into the pristine tropical forest to track the primates. On average, 92 percent of visitors manage to see chimpanzee during their habituation experience.

Rubondo Island Camp

Includes & excludes

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

Drinks: Local brands included

Activities: Included

Transport: Included

Last morning at Rubondo and transfer to the airstrip after breakfast. Your return flight to Kilimanjaro is included (via Seronera). You can also extend the safari with a visit to the Ngorongoro Crater or a gorilla trekking in neighboring Rwanda.

Every itinerary can be crafted to your needs, from adjusting the length of your stay to including different accommodation and refining the route. Your safari is yours, shaped around your idea of a dream experience.

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Our trip was arranged by Carel Verhoef at discoverafrica.com and was perfectly organised.

We flew into the Masai Mara from Nairobi and all flight connections and transfers were arranged for us and went like clockwork. Carel was also very generous with his advice having lived in East Africa for some years – he is a mine of useful information.

My wife and I have had this trip to see the wildebeest migration on our bucket list for some time and we decided to go this year to coincide with our wedding anniversary. For that reason we were looking for something special yet reasonably priced and Carel helped us find Mara Ngenche. What a spectacularly good choice that was.

We stayed for 5 nights the camp and were extremely well looked after. The staff are fantastic. Our waiter, Steve, learnt what food we liked and didn’t like and was always on hand with a glass of wine and also taught us some Swahili! The Masai guards who escorted us to & from our tent especially Musanga, Karbolo & Lindeni were always on hand, very polite and interesting. Almost everyone speaks excellent English.

The game drive vehicle that we used was completely open at the top and sides and was very comfortable. We had some fabulous sightings with Joseph, our very experienced driver/guide. He was excellent at anticipating the animal’s movements to ensure good photos. In one afternoon we saw the Big 5 and on another occasion 4½, as we could only see the leopard’s tail that time.

The position of the camp on the confluence of two rivers was so relaxing and we often sat on the deck watching the 30 or so hippos all day, even though they didn’t move very much. Breakfasts and lunches were served under the trees beside the river. Dinner, served in the restaurant, was four courses and was beautifully prepared and presented.

Overall, it was a fantastic trip and the staff at Mara Ngenche made it more than special. When it came time to leave, my wife cried because she didn’t want to go. Of all the holidays we’ve had over the years, this has been our most memorable.

"Charmey our guide was amazing. He was knowledgeable about the area and he showed us everything we asked for. It will definitely go back and use this company and ask for Charmey. One of the best trips I have ever..."

Shelley, United States · 18 Sep 2024 ·

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"What a fantastic choice we made! We are from the uk and decided to book our tour with a local African tour operator rather than someone from the uk who has never visited the place. The trip was booked pre-pandemic,..."

Dolly, United Kingdom · 10 Jan 2022 ·

"Joining a safari for one proved to be challenging in 2020. Once I was contacted by Adelle at Discover Africa, she found me safaris I didn’t even know existed from internet searching. I couldn’t have done it without her! It’s..."

Elizabeth Horn, United States · 22 Dec 2020 ·

"We were six of together, and one was our contact person but we were all in the loop of each communication. I observed that Megan and Alice were excellent in prompt communication, and provided us all the necessary information. Our..."

Dev, Canada · 15 Nov 2019 ·

"Our service from Carel at Discover Africa was outstanding. His recommendations on the timing of our trip, the lodges we should book, communication and overall assistance ensured that our trip went off very smoothly and that we were in the..."

Patti Legg, South Africa · 17 Sep 2015 ·

"Our trip was arranged by Carel Verhoef at discoverafrica.com and was perfectly organised. We flew into the Masai Mara from Nairobi and all flight connections and transfers were arranged for us and went like clockwork. Carel was also very generous..."

Geoffrey Burton, South Africa · 18 Jun 2015 ·