Day 1 Arrive Nairobi
Welcome to Kenya! Upon arrival in Nairobi you will be met and transferred to your city hotel.
Day 2 Nairobi-Masai Mara.
Begin your safari in Kenya’s most famous reserve, Masai Mara. Arrive in time for lunch and then enjoy an afternoon game drive. Have your game-viewing checklist handy, as the Masai Mara has one of the richest varieties of birdlife and wildlife in the world. Buffalo and wildebeest herds are huge in the Mara - and predators like lion and hyena are equally abundant. Overnight at the lodge/ luxury tented camp.
Day 3 Masai Mara .
You might want to start the day with an optional balloon safari, floating over the Mara as the animals begin to stir. Morning and afternoon game drives are always exciting in the Masai Mara, as you never know what you will see! Topi, gazelle and elephant are frequently seen, as are silverbacked jackals, hippo and crocodiles. Overnight at the lodge / luxury tented camp.
Day 4 Masai Mara-Great Rift Valley.
Your journey takes you into the Rift Valley and ecologically diverse Lake Nakuru National Park. Enjoy an afternoon game drive which might reveal rhino, Rothschild giraffe, waterbuck and impala. Watch the treetops for the playful black and white Colobus monkeys. Then, continue to Lake Nakuru or Lake Naivasha for the night. All meals and overnight at the lodge/ luxury tented camp.
Day 5 Great Rift Valley-Amboseli.
Leave early this morning and drive towards Nairobi and then turn south towards stunning Amboseli National Park at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro arriving in time for lunch.Here Cynthia Moss focused much of her research on elephants in Amboseli National Park as herds of these gentle giants dot the plains. Dinner and overnight at the lodge/ luxury tented camp.
Day 6 Amboseli.
Rise early this morning to catch the first views of Mt. Kilimanjaro as its snow-capped summit peaks out from under the clouds. Amboseli boasts five different wildlife habitats and the wide open flat plains make spotting wildlife a little easier. Look for the amusing warthog along with jackal, baboons, lions and cheetahs. All meals and overnight at the lodge/ luxury tented camp.
Day 7 Amboseli-Lake Manyara.
Crossing into Tanzania today, stop for lunch in Arusha before continuing on to Lake Manyara. As you approach Lake Manyara, you are sure to be struck by the dramatic views. The lake lies in a depressed valley with the brown and red cliffs of the escarpment rising strikingly on one side. Springs rise up from the base of the escarpment, providing a welcome water supply. Overnight at the lodge/luxury tented camp.
Day 8 Lake Manyara-Serengeti.
Enjoy an early morning game drive before departing for Tanzania’s most famous park, the Serengeti. The name Serengeti is derived from the Maasai word “siringet”, which means endless plains. Appropriately named, every year the Serengeti plays host to one of the world’s most impressive migration of herbivores. Game-viewing is exciting year-round, as the Serengeti supports large prides of lions as well as a healthy population of leopards. Overnight at the lodge/ luxury tented camp.
Day 9 Serengeti.
The short grass plains of the Serengeti combined with an abundant source of food in large herds of zebra, wildebeest, impala and buffalo, make the Serengeti an ideal place to spot cheetah on the hunt. Cheetahs (unlike lions and leopards) will hunt during the day. Unfortunately, its open hunting technique also makes it easy for lion and leopard to steal the cheetah’s kill. Enjoy morning and afternoon game drives today.All meals and overnight at the lodge / luxury tented camp.
Day 10 Serengeti-Ngorongoro.
After breakfast our drive takes us first to Olduvai Gorge. The Gorge looks like a long, dry trench cut out from the surrounding plains and is a veritable archaeological treasure-trove. Louis and Mary Leakey spent more than 28 years sifting through hundreds of fossils before uncovering the “homo habilis” (Handy Man), dating back more than 1.6 million years. After a picnic lunch, continue to the Ngorongoro Conservation area. At just 100 square miles, Ngorongoro Crater comprises a small portion of the 3200 square mile conservation area. Overnight at the lodge / luxury tented camp.
Day 11 Ngorongoro.
Spend the morning game-viewing on the crater floor. Supporting more than 20,000 mammals, Ngorongoro Crater is home to a wide variety of both herbivores and carnivores. Zebra, wildebeest, buffalo and eland are abundant. With such a rich food supply, carnivores like lion, hyenas and leopard are also at home in the crater. Watch for the kori bustard (the world’s largest flying bird) to see if you can spot its elaborate territorial display during breeding season. All meals and overnight at the lodge/ luxury tented camp.
Day 12 Ngorongoro-Tarangire.
This morning drive to Tarangire National Park. The park derives its name from the Tarangire River and during your afternoon game drive in the park, you might spot lion, bat-eared fox, kudu and the bateleur eagle. Overnight at the lodge/ luxury tented camp.
Day 13 Tarangire-Nairobi .
After a hearty breakfast return to Arusha for lunch and then continue to Nairobi, arriving late this afternoon. Overnight at a city hotel.
Day 14 Nairobi-Depart.
Spend morning at leisure and packing. Lunch at the Carnivore Restaurant. Final transfer back to the airport for your onward flight.
