Best of Kenya and Tanzania
Day 1: Nairobi
On arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel for overnight.
Accommodation: Eka Hotel or similar – click here for more info about your hotel Meal Plan: Breakfast only
Day 2: Lake Nakuru National Park
After breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel and then drive to Lake Nakuru National Park, across the equator, where lies the rift valley’s most famous lake. Known all over the world for its flamingoes, it’s alkaline and is recognized as being one of the natural wonders of the world. Lake Nakuru is now a rhino sanctuary, harboring a population of over 40 black and over 60 white rhinos, but the flamingos, of course, have always been the main attraction. At times there may be almost 2 million flamingos in residence, forming a stunningly beautiful deep pink band around the edge of the lake shore. Arrival in time for lunch then afternoon game drive
Accommodation: Sarova Lionhill Lodge – click here for more info about the lodge
Meal Plan: Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast
Day 3: Maasai Mara Game Reserve
An early morning drive to Maasai Mara Game Reserve. It holds on as one of the few places left on earth where wildlife still lives comparatively undisturbed, in the numbers that once roamed the plains and forests of Africa. As the northern tip of the vast Serengeti ecosystem, the Mara hosts the spectacular seasonal migration of many thousands of Wildebeest, Zebras and attendant predators. Arrive in time for lunch followed by an afternoon game drive.
Accommodation: Zebra Plains Tented Camp – click here for more info about the camp
Meal Plan: Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast
Between July and October, one night in Serengeti will be substituted by one night in Mara in order to maximize the opportunities to witness the Great Migration in Mara
Day 4: Maasai Mara National Reserve
One full day in the Maasai Mara with flexible schedule and unlimited mileage. After breakfast, we have a full day game drive with packed lunch provided. The reserve is well known for its black-manned lions as well as its abundant resident wildlife and it’s one of the few places where it’s possible to see the Big Five during a morning’s game drive. Many of the cheetahs are so tame they seek shelter from the hot sun under one’s vehicle and several even climb onto the roof to get better view of prospective prey. For the bird enthusiast, almost 500 species have been recorded: among these, 16 species of eagle, plus many hawks and falcons, 6 species of vultures, 8 species of storks, 4 of bustard (including the Kori bustard, the world’s heaviest flying bird), and 9 species of sun birds.
Accommodation: Zebra Plains Tented Camp – click here for more info about the camp
Meal Plan: Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast
Day 5: Maasai Mara – Serengeti National Park
We will initiate the day with an early morning game drive in Maasai Mara en-route while driving out of the National reserve. After border formalities, drive to the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. It will be a long day of driving but the game drives in and out of the parks can be surprisingly incredible. Picnic lunch at Isebania Kenya Tanzania border.
Accommodation: Serengeti Sopa Lodge – click here for more info about the lodge
Meal Plan: Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast
Day 6 – 7: Serengeti National Park
Extra tour recommended: The wonderful balloon flight over the Serengeti plains.
Two full days in the Serengeti with flexible schedule and unlimited mileage. As you crest the hillside, spread out before you, as far as the eyes can see, is the vast Serengeti. Serengeti mean ‘endless plains’ in Kiswahili and this 6,900 sq. mile (18,000 sq. km) park is inhabited by more than 2 million large animals including more than a million wildebeest, hundreds of thousands of plains zebras, and Thomsons gazelles. Large predators including lions, cheetahs, and hyenas are drawn to the area by this abundance of prey which migrate throughout the park. Many smaller animals like rock hyrax, bat eared foxes, mongoose, honey badger, jackals, monkeys, baboons and African hares also inhabit the area along with nearly 500 species of birds. On the way into the Serengeti, option to stop at the famous Olduvai Gorge, where Dr. Louis and Mary Leakey made their discovery of the first man that walked the earth. After attending a short lecture describing the archeological digs and geology of the gorge, you’ll have time to visit the small museum.
Accommodation: Serengeti Sopa Lodge – click here for more info about the lodge
Meal Plan: Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast
Day 8: Ngorongoro Conservation Area
In the morning, transfer to Ngorongoro, the 8th natural wonder of the world. Stop for a picnic lunch, afternoon descent down to the crater floor for a day of wildlife viewing in one of the most incredible places on Earth. With walls 2,000 ft high and a crater floor that spreads for 102 sq. miles, the crater is a virtual Noah’s Ark, inhabited by almost every species of wildlife indigenous to East Africa including the rare black rhino. In fact, the crater has the greatest concentration of wild life in the planet. It contains a river, several swamps, a soda lake that, from the top, looks like steam, full of flamingoes, a forest and open plains. Drive up the steep road out of the crater and transfer to your accommodation for overnight.
Accommodation: Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge – click here for more info about the lodge
Meal Plan: Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast
Day 9: Ngorongoro Crater – Lake Manyara National Park
Depart after breakfast and drive across the Great Rift Valley to Lake Manyara National Park for a full day game drive. Although only 205 sq. miles in size this enchanting park is noted for its beauty and incredibly lush acacia forest of giant fig and mahogany trees, which are home to troops of baboons and blue monkeys. The park is also home to a large numbers of buffalos, giraffes, elephants, impalas and a Hippo lake, where large numbers of hippos usually gather. Well known for its birds (over 400 different species), Lake Manyara is one of the few places where you’ll be able to see the Ground Hornbill and the Crested Eagle. This park has become famous for the the climbing lions and the flamingos in the lake shore. The landscapes of these park are absolutely stunning, very different from the Serengeti for example. The game drives are done along the shore of the lake, providing incredible views of giraffes and buffalos in the foreground with the lake, flamingos and flat plains in the horizon.
Accommodation: Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge – click here for more info about the lodge
Meal Plan: Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast
Day 10: Lake Manyara National Park – Amboseli National Park
Early morning start and drive to Amboseli National Park, check in at your accommodation and afternoon rest or game drive, as you prefer. Amboseli National Park is situated South of Nairobi, most of the park consisting of a dry ,ancient lake bed and fragile grassland with patches of acacia woodland, while in the southern area there is a number of small rocky volcanic hills. Around the swamp s Ol Okenya, Ol Tukai and Enkongo Narok, the vegetation is lush with yellow barked acacias and phoenix palms.
Accommodation: Ol Tukai Lodge – click here for more info about the lodge
Meal Plan: Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast
Day 11: Amboseli National Park
Early rise for good views of Mount Kilimanjaro before clouds build up over the summit with packed lunch provided. Despite its changing habitat, Amboseli National Park is possibly the best wildlife area in the whole Africa to experience elephants at close range. Left unharassed by poachers, elephants feeding and bathing in the swamps must form the highlights of any Safari. Dinner and overnight at campsite or lodge.
Accommodation: Ol Tukai Lodge – click here for more info about the lodge
Meal Plan: Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast
Day 12: Amboseli National Park – Nairobi
Morning game drive in Amboseli. An optional visit to a Maasai village can be planned also. A visit reveals the singing and dancing that are part of their daily lives and sacred rituals. A glimpse into their homes and social structure is a poignant experience. Early afternoon drive to Nairobi. Transfer to your hotel or the airport.
Itinerary includes:
- Transport as per above in either a safari minivan or 4 x 4 (cost varies with type of vehicle)
- Full board accommodation
- Park fees
- Game drives
- Services of a professional English speaking guide
- 1 litre mineral water per day per person
Itinerary excludes
- Drinks in the lodges, camps and hotels
- Item of personal nature
- Tips
- Travel insurance