11 days (not including air travel)
Kenya and Tanzania are understandably great wildlife safari destinations. Our journey across both countries begins in the Great Rift Valley as we explore Lake Nakuru, the birdwatcher’s paradise. Our Kenyan experience is incomplete without an extensive tour of the Masai Mara, one of the wonders of the world that teems with wildlife. We’ll then cross the Kenya-Tanzania border near Lake Victoria and head to the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara and Tarangire national parks for more wildlife viewing.
Day 1: Nairobi-Amboseli
From Nairobi, drive for 4-5 hours to Amboseli National Park, arriving in time for lunch. Early afternoon free-time relaxation, then leave for a game drive at 4pm. Amboseli is a top safari and sight-seeing location. This is where you can see large herds of elephants and plains game, giraffes, gazelles, lions, leopards among others. Although Mount Kilimanjaro lies in Tanzania, the most impressive views of its snow-capped peak are to be found in Amboseli, where it serves as a stunning safari backdrop.
Accommodation: Camp or lodge
Meals: Breakfastm lunch and dinner
Day 2: Amboseli
Whole day of game drives in Amboseli park-also known as “the land of giants” for the large elephants and the majestic Mt Kilimanjaro. Spotting large herds of elephants and game, giraffes, gazelles, lions, leopards roaming the plains is common.
Accommodation: Camp or lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Day 3: Lake Naivasha
Breakfast and then drive for 5-6 hours to Lake Naivasha, the only freshwater lake in the Great Rift Valley, famed for its birdlife. Covering over 140 square kilometres, Lake Naivasha which derives its name from the local Maasai word Nai’posha meaning ‘receding waters’ is a Ramsar world heritage site and home to some of the world’s rare birds, other wildlife and plants. Over 300 species of birds live around the Lake. The African fish eagle — one of the continent’s most loved birds, known for its graceful aerial skills and distinctive plumage — is among the birds that not only nest in the woodlands around the lake, but are major tourist attractions. Others include Pelicans, Herons, Storks, Kingfishers, Hammerkop, Egrets, Cormorants, Ibis, Red knobbed Coots, etc. There are also hippos in the lake. We take an evening boat trip to watch the birds and hippos.
Accommodation: Camp or lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Day 4: Lake Nakuru/Lake Naivasha
Drive to Lake Nakuru National Park for a whole day of game drives. Lake Nakuru is a world famous bird and rhino sanctuary where thousands of flamingos congregate to feed on Spirulina platensis, a blue-green alga that grows naturally in the lake. Found here as well are plenty of other interesting wildlife and birds such as rhino, leopard, lion, waterbuck, buffalo, impala, warthog, pelicans and a plethora of other birds. Return to Lake Naivasha in the evening.
Accommodation: Camp or lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Day 5: Masai Mara
Leave after breakfast for a 4-5 hour drive to the Masai Mara. We drive through the Great Rift Valley’s floor and western escarpments, created over the centuries due to the natural shifting of the earth’s tectonic plates. We will head to the Masai Mara National Reserve and will arrive in time for lunch. After an early afternoon at leisure, we proceed to the reserve for our much-anticipated date with the gem of African wilderness.
Accommodation: Camp or Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Day 6: Masai Mara
Full day devoted to game drives in the reserve, with time to explore more of Masai Mara’s scenery and to catch a glimpse the “The Big Five” animals of Kenya: lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and rhino. In addition to these, Masai Mara teems with other fascinating wild animal species: giraffes, zebras, hippos, baboons, wildebeests, warthogs, gazelles, crocodiles and numerous bird species. The annual migration of millions of wildebeests, zebras and gazelles between July to September is a spectacle not to be missed by any visitor to the Mara. The wildebeest travel in herds for more than 900 km crossing from the Serengeti plains north to the Maasai Mara before they encounter their final obstacle at the Mara River. The Masai Mara is drained majorly by the famous River Mara, and the Mara River crossing is one of the most astonishing and absorbing spectacles, especially with the hungry crocodiles ready to pounce. After a full day of taking in nature’s sights, we return to the camp in the mid-afternoon.
Accommodation: Camp or lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Day 7: Isebania border/Serengeti
Transfer to Isebania border with game drive en route. Meet up with our Tanzanian crew and onwards to central Serengeti for overnight.
Accommodation: Camp or lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Day 8: Serengeti
Full day of game drives in Serengeti. Explore the sprawling plains that host large herbivores like buffalo, elephant, giraffe and predators including lion, cheetah, leopard and hyaena. The great Serengeti plains extend into Kenya to form the Masai Mara and both parks are famous for the annual great wildebeest migration.
Accommodation: Camp or lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Day 9: Ngorongoro Crater
Morning game drive in the Serengeti Park. Then depart and a 3 hour drive to Ngorongoro Crater. We pass through Olduvai Gorge, the famous archaeological site where the remains of early man are on display.
Accommodation: Camp or lodge on crater rim
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 10: Ngorongoro Crater/Lake Manyara
Descend into the Crater floor for game driving and exploration. Ngorongoro is a large caldera, about 2,000 feet deep and the crater floor teems with lions, leopards, rhino, elephants, buffalo, and many more animals. Leave the park in the afternoon and drive to Lake Manyara for overnight.
Accommodation: Camp or lodge
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 11: Lake Manyara
Drive into Lake Manyara National Park for game drives. This park is famous for tree climbing lions.
Accommodation: Camp or lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and dinne
Day 12: Tarangire/Namanga border/Nairobi
Transfer to Tarangire National Park for morning game drive and later on drive to Namanga border and onwards to Nairobi.
Meals: Breakfast