Itinerary
Day 1: Nairobi – Samburu National Reserve (320 km, 5 to 6 hours)
Once we collect you from your hotel, residence, or the airport we’ll head up into the highlands of Kenya to get your safari started. Your initial journey will take you from the city and up north past the second-highest peak in Africa, Mount Kenya. As you ascend through the mountainous area you will see different types of agriculture and feel a slight drop in temperature, too.
When you arrive at Samburu you will take a small game drive through the park to arrive at your selected camp or lodge. Lunch will be served and you will have time to settle in and take advantage of the facilities on offer. A late afternoon game drive will take you into the park where all three big cats:
Of Africa roam, along with plenty of other animals that you’d expect of Kenyan safari. You will be able to watch the sun set and the skies light up in shades of orange and purple as the animals head to take rest for the night.
Back at your camp or lodge you will be able to have dinner and take time to rest. There will be lounge or terrace facilities where you can listen to the night and sometimes spot nocturnal activities. Included in your first day of African safari is:
- Accommodation at your camp or lodge
- Overnight stay inside Samburu National Reserve
- Lunch and dinner, no breakfast
- Drinking water, other drinks are extra
Day 2: Full Day in Samburu National Reserve
Breakfast is served and then you will be taken out on a morning game drive. As the early morning sun rushes over the forests of Samburu, you will have the perfect light to capture some stunning photographs. The Ewaso Ng’iro River runs life through these lands, and with luck you will see the life that it sustains along its banks and feeding off the plants and grasses it fertilises.
Duly sated in the morning, it’s back to your chosen accommodation for lunch and a chance to take advantage of the amenities. After a leisurely afternoon, you will once again set out to look out for the animals you’ve travelled so far to see. Allow your expert Kenyan safari guide to help identify the many creatures that you view and take you through the park to look for the ones you want to capture
on camera.
The evening will once again bring you back for dinner and relaxation, offering time to reflect on your first full day on safari in Kenya. Included in the second day of your safari is:
- Accommodation at your camp or lodge
- Overnight stay inside Samburu National Reserve
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Drinking water, other drinks are extra
Day 3: Samburu National Reserve – Lake Nakuru National Park (250 km, 4 to 5
hours)
After breakfast you’ll take a final game drive through Samburu as you depart for Lake Nakuru. You’ll head down from the highlands of Kenya and travel through the Great African Rift Valley, a landscape that has been pushed together and pulled apart by the forces deep inside the Earth for millions of years. You’ll see extinct volcanoes, craggy outcrops, and the lakes that make up this stunning valley.
For lunch, you’ll stop at the town of Nyahururu where you will eat at a restaurant serving traditional Kenyan food. From here, you continue south to finally arrive at Lake Nakuru and the diverse range of birds and mammals that are on offer. Once you arrive at your chosen accommodation, you will be taken out on a game drive to the lake and the lands around. Famed for its flamingo population, you may be lucky enough to see up to one million of the bright pink birds as well as:
- Pelicans
- Starlings
- Harriers
- Cranes
- Eagles
Your afternoon around the lake will be rounded off with sunset and then you return to your camp or lodge for dinner and rest. The third day of your Kenyan safari includes:
- Accommodation at your camp or lodge
- Overnight stay inside Lake Nakuru National Park
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Drinking water, other drinks are extra
- Day 4: Lake Nakuru National Park – Masai Mara National Reserve(300 km, 5 to 6 hours)
Before leaving Lake Nakuru you will have a morning game drive that follows breakfast and will see you on your way to the Masai Mara. As well as the birds on the lake, you may be lucky to spot rhinos and giraffes among other land mammals in the national park. From the lake you will track southwards and have a short stop at Lake Naivasha to take photos and appreciate the scenery.
Upon entering the Masai Mara you will immediately be immersed in the nature that fills the reserve. Even driving to your camp or lodge should give you chance to begin to spot the animals this area is so famous for. Once you arrive at your accommodation you will have some lunch and a chance to rest after a long and eventful drive.
In the late afternoon it’s time for your first proper game drive across the Masai Mara, with the sun heading down towards the horizon and the animals lazing around after their day in the heat of the plains. After the setting sun has illuminated the skies for you, it’s time to return and have dinner and time to relax, for there is plenty more of the Masai Mara on offer the next day. The fourth day on safari in Kenya includes:
- Accommodation at your camp or lodge
- Overnight stay inside Masai Mara National Reserve
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Drinking water, other drinks are extra
Day 5: Full Day in Masai Mara National Reserve
This day will take you on a full-day expedition through the Masai Mara, once you’ve taken in a hearty breakfast to start the day. The Masai Mara has some of the highest concentrations of wildlife of any park in Africa, and is home to the big five of African safari, along with:
- Zebras
- Giraffes
- Baboons
- Hyenas
- Cheetahs
- Wildebeest
All of which you have plenty of chance to see.
Whilst in the lands of the Masai, you are also invited to learn about the culture of the local people. An optional activity; you can visit a village of a Masai tribe, where you’ll be greeted with a traditional song and dance before being shown around the area and even invited into one of the homes. This is a perfect chance to connect with the humans of this landscape after spending so much time with the animals, and there is just a small additional fee of $20 per person.
For lunch you will take a picnic next to the Mara river, maintaining your immersion in the heart of the grasslands that are iconic across the world. Your guide will help you find and photograph more animals in the afternoon and return you for dinner at your camp or lodge to round off the day. Day five of your African safari adventure includes:
- Accommodation at your camp or lodge
- Overnight stay inside Masai Mara National Reserve
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Drinking water, other drinks are extra
Day 6: Full Day in Masai Mara National Reserve
True adventure shows you fresh ways to understand the world, and taking a hot air balloon ride over the Masai Mara at dawn will give you a new understanding of nature. Your ride will start before dawn and you will witness the light start to splash over the lands as a new day arrives on the Masai Mara. The dawn chorus will rise from the animals as they awake and you will be able to see their movements more clearly than from the ground. Once you come back down to land, you will have a champagne breakfast overlooking the plains. This optional extra activity has a fee of $425 per person.
Whether you choose to fly over the plains, or stick to solid ground, this day is another chance to explore everything the Masai Mara has to offer. Your guide will work with you to plan your day and help you choose areas to visit and landscapes to pass through. Weaving your way through the acacia dotted grasslands, you will stop for lunch as a picnic, right in the heart of the park.
Your long, and hopefully fruitful second day inside the Masai Mara will end with dinner at your camp or lodge. Don’t forget to seek out viewing terraces and picture windows, where you can oftentimes see animals moving through the reserve in the dead of night.
Included in the sixth day of your Kenyan safari is:
- Accommodation at your camp or lodge
- Overnight stay inside Masai Mara National Reserve
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Drinking water, other drinks are extra
Day 7: Masai Mara National Reserve – Serengeti National Park (285 km, 5 to 6 hours)
Awake inside the Masai Mara one final time, have breakfast, and make your way to the border. Although the lands of the Masai Mara and Serengeti connect for the animals, as humans you need to head west to the Isebania border crossing to move from Kenya to Tanzania. Once across into Tanzania, you will be met by a new guide, expert in Tanzanian wildlife and the parks that you will visit.
To begin your Tanzanian safari, you will head to the Serengeti and take a stop for lunch on the way. Have your first taste of the new country in a local town and begin your discovery on this side of the border. Then you arrive at the park, with a game drive that will take you to your chosen camp or lodge. Passing through the park will give you chance to see some of the animals you’re already so familiar with, in a different setting:
- Giraffes
- Zebras
- Elephants
- Lions
- Gazelles
The drive will bring you to your camp or lodge where you can rest up and have dinner following your day crossing countries and traversing different terrains. You round off your first week on safari in Africa with a day that includes:
- Accommodation at your camp or lodge
- Overnight stay inside Serengeti National Park
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Drinking water, other drinks are extra
Day 8: Full Day in Serengeti National Park
Since your safari is private and dedicated to you and your group, you can take control of your itinerary. For this day you have the option of taking two game drives with a return to your accommodation for lunch and time to enjoy the facilities before going on an evening safari, or you can take a full day out on the plains.
Whichever option you choose will start after breakfast and have you taken to explore one of the most famous national parks in the world. If you’re lucky enough to be here during the migration, between July and October, you should have chance to see one of the largest mass-movements of animals in the world, as the herbivores of the park move across the vast landscape in search of fresh
grasses.
After a day appreciating the magic of the Serengeti at a pace of your choosing, you’ll return to your accommodation to take dinner and have a chance to relax. This eighth day on your safari, now in Tanzania, includes:
- Accommodation at your camp or lodge
- Overnight stay inside Serengeti National Park
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Drinking water, other drinks are extra
Day 9: Serengeti National Park – Ngorongoro Conservation Area (215 km, 4 to 5
hours)
Within the same grand ecosystem of the Serengeti, you will find the Ngorongoro Conservation Area; your destination after an early breakfast. The crater is the impact site of an imploded volcano from many millions of years ago, a reminder that this part of the world has been pushed and pulled by the plates of the Earth for centuries. The importance of this land to humans as well as nature can’t be overstated, and if you want to learn more you can pay an optional visit to Dr Leakey’s archaeology museum where you can see some of the earliest proto-human bones and tools. There is an additional fee of $45 for this activity.
To continue your discovery of this ancient landscape you will descend to the bottom of the crater to explore nature’s amphitheatre. Roaming here you will hopefully find:
- Rhinos
- Elephants
- Lions
- Elands
- Zebras
- Gazelles
And plenty more in this massive, yet enclosed space. Time on the crater floor will show you green pastures as well as lakes and rivers with a diversity of flora and fauna you’d expect from different habitats.
Your lunch on this day will come as a picnic whilst moving across the crater floor, and you’ll head to your accommodation on the rim, or just outside of the crater. Here, you’ll have dinner and a chance to enjoy the facilities and tranquillity of your time in the Tanzanian plains. Day nine of your African safari includes:
- Accommodation at your camp or lodge
- Overnight stay inside Ngorongoro Conservation Area
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Drinking water, other drinks are extra
Day 10: Ngorongoro Conservation Area – to Lake Manyara National Park,
to Arusha and Plane to Zanzibar(191 km, 3 to 4 hours)
Start this action-packed day with an early breakfast and a drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation area as you head Lake Manyara. This may be one of the smallest parks you can visit on safari in Tanzania, but it packs a punch in terms of the birds and mammals that you can see there.
The shallow, alkaline lake is host to a plethora of avian species, including:
- Yellow-billed storks
- Great white pelicans
- Chestnut-banded plovers
- Marsh sandpipers
And plenty of others that are sure to keep ornithologists happy. There are plenty of animals that roam the grasses of the park too, including hippos, zebras, and monkeys. Lunch will also be taken around the lake before you set out to the regional centre of Arusha. From the city you will go directly to the airport and take a flight to the coast.
Zanzibar, an island off the coast Tanzania, is your final stop on this busy day crossing the country. You will be collected from the local airport and taken you your city hotel or resort where you will have dinner and chance to rest up, ready for days of beautiful beaches. This tenth day of your Tanzanian safari includes:
- Accommodation at your hotel or resort
- Overnight stay on Zanzibar
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Drinking water, other drinks are extra
Day 11: Zanzibar City, East Coast
Morning in the small yet active city of Zanzibar will be plenty different from your experiences out on the savanna for the preceding ten days. To begin your exploration of this ancient city, inextricably linked with trade across the Indian Ocean and with Arabia and Europe you will take the Spice Tour.
For over four hundred years Zanzibar has been associated with the exotic spice trade and even to this day may herbs and spices are cultivated on the island. Included in your day is a visit to a spice farm where you will be able to learn about the processes for growing such spices as:
- Cloves
- Lemongrass
- Nutmeg
- Cinnamon
- Turmeric
- Vanilla
- Chilli
- Black pepper
And a range of local fruits too.
After your introduction to the trade on the island, it’s time to head to your chosen hotel or resort on the idyllic east coast of the island. Here, you’ll have lunch and have time to appreciate the pools, facilities and views that you’ll have access to over the coming days. Your first full day on Zanzibar includes:
- Accommodation at your hotel or resort
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Drinking water, other drinks are extra
Day 12: Full Day in Zanzibar East Coast
After days on the road with packed itineraries and activities galore, now is your chance to rest and unwind. Your only commitment whilst spending time at the beach is to be at your hotel or resort for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Zanzibar is an island surrounded by the perfectly blue waters of the Indian ocean, lapping against the white sand beaches, lined with palm trees and perfect resorts. Here, drinking coconuts and appreciating the peace is considered a full-day activity. Indulge in the serenity and glorious views and appreciate the break from being so active for the so long.
Your hotel or resort will have a range of facilities, with swimming pools and spas available at most locations. Additional services will attract extra fees, but you deserve some papering after bouncing around in a safari vehicle for days. Your first full day at the beach includes:
- Accommodation at your hotel or resort
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Drinking water, other drinks are extra
Day 13: Full Day in Zanzibar East Coast
Cool ocean breezes replace dry savanna air when you’re at the beach, a different morning indeed from your time on the plains of Tanzania and Kenya. Just because there are no lions and elephants to spot doesn’t mean you have to put a stop to the action. If lazy beach days aren’t for you, there are plenty of activities that you can arrange locally to keep the adrenalin pumping.
A trip to other islands of this small archipelago can be arranged locally. Other islands are less developed than Zanzibar and offer great photographic moments, as well as wonderful snorkelling opportunities with a vast array of tropical reef fish for you to swim with. For even more action, water sports such as windsurfing are available from local vendors, allowing you to seek thrills on top of, as well as in the water.
Your last day at the beach is completely down to you; whether you want to be on the go or not move from your sun lounger for anything but your meal times. The final full day of your two-week safari in Kenya and Tanzania includes:
- Accommodation at your hotel or resort
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Drinking water, other drinks are extra
Day 14: Zanzibar – to Nairobi by Plane (1 hour 30 minutes)
Soak up the last of the sunshine after your breakfast and spend the morning beachside one last time. Take one last stroll down the powered sand, paddle a final time in the azure-blue waters, breathe in the salty sea air just once more as you prepare to end your African safari adventure.
You will be collected from your hotel or resort to be transferred to the airport in Zanzibar. Be sure to discuss your flight plans with us to allow us to get you to the airport on time, whether your intention is to fly to Nairobi, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, or any other regional airport to continue your travel plans.
Included in the last day of your African safari is:
- No accommodation, this is the final day
- Breakfast and lunch, no dinner
- Drinking water, other drinks are extra
