Premium Kenya & Tanzania (12 destinations)

Nairobi

You'll get picked up from the airport and taken to your Nairobi hotel. There's a 6pm welcome meeting with your leader and the rest of the group. If you land early, check out the Nairobi Gallery or hang by the pool. After the meeting, head to a local restaurant for dinner with everyone.

Lake Naivasha

After breakfast, head to the Great Rift Valley. You'll stop at Eden Reforestation Projects to see their tree-planting work and learn about community efforts. Then move on to Elsamere, the former home of Joy Adamson (who wrote 'Born Free'), now a museum. Later you'll take a boat on Lake Naivasha and have high tea lunch on the grounds. By evening you'll reach your Lake Nakuru lodge with views of the lake.

Lake Nakuru

This morning, get up early for a 4x4 drive through Lake Nakuru National Park. The soda lake has great birdlife, and you might see waterbuck, gazelle, or leopards (though flamingo numbers are lower now due to flooding). Back at the lodge after lunch, you'll head out for another game drive in the afternoon. Keep watch for black rhinos if you're lucky.

Lake Nakuru National Park

You'll drive southwest toward the Masai Mara, crossing the Great Rift Valley and passing through the Loita Hills. At Tepesua Village, Maasai warriors will greet you with traditional song and dance. Spend time in the community village learning about their culture and visiting a traditional home. Then continue to Zebra Plains Mara Camp, where you'll stay for three nights with views across the plains.

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Spend the full day driving through the Masai Mara by 4x4. You'll leave early with a packed lunch and explore the furthest parts of the park. Watch for wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, lions, leopards, and cheetahs throughout the day. In the late afternoon, enjoy a sundowner drink while watching the sunset, then head back to camp for dinner.

Arusha

The morning is yours to relax on your private deck or sleep in. You can also choose an optional early game drive or walking safari if you prefer. A sunrise hot air balloon ride is available if booked in advance. In the afternoon, join another 4x4 game drive through the park.

Tarangire National Park

After saying goodbye to the Masai Mara, you'll drive back to Nairobi, arriving in the late afternoon. Settle into your hotel and relax for the evening on your own.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Start early with breakfast, then drive to Arusha to begin the Tanzania portion of your trip. Your hotel is on the woodland slopes of Mount Meru in a traditional coffee farm with views of Lake Duliti. There's a 6pm welcome meeting for new travelers joining this leg, followed by a welcome dinner with your leader.

Serengeti National Park

After breakfast, drive to Tarangire National Park, known for its large baobab trees and diverse wildlife. The park has its own seasonal migration as animals search for water and grass. You'll stay at a permanent tented camp overlooking the Tarangire River. In the afternoon, set out for a 4x4 game drive.

Wake early for a 4x4 game drive in Tarangire. Look for elephants, cape buffalo, gazelles, zebras, giraffes, warthogs, lions, cheetahs, leopards, and many bird species. Return to camp for breakfast, then travel to the Ngorongoro Highlands. You'll stop at a local farmers' market to see traders bargaining over produce, and your leader will pick seasonal fruits to try. Optional activities available in the afternoon.

Travel through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, skirting the volcanic Ngorongoro Crater on your way to the Serengeti. The 'Endless Plains' cover around 14,700 square kilometres and hold roughly 3 million animals. Expect wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, lions, cheetahs, warthogs, hippos, and ostriches. Your camp is a permanent tented camp with no fences, so you're connected to the wild around you.

Spend the full day driving through the Serengeti. You'll see the landscape change from open central plains to scrub and forest in the north. Start at sunrise with a morning game drive, return during midday heat, then head out again after lunch. As the sun sets, enjoy a traditional sundowner with drinks and snacks before dinner back at camp.

Leave the Serengeti and drive to Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area. You'll descend nearly 600 metres down to the crater floor, one of Africa's most beautiful nature reserves. Within its 300 square kilometres, look for the big five and the endangered black rhino. Watch Maasai herders water their cattle at the permanent lake. You'll have a bush picnic lunch on the crater floor before continuing your drive back to the highlands.

The morning is yours to relax. In the afternoon, take a hands-on coffee tour that covers the whole process from seed to bean to cup. Later you can hang by the pool or ask your leader about other activities in the area.

Leave the lodge early and drive back to Arusha, arriving by lunchtime. Your trip ends here. If you want to extend your time in Arusha, additional accommodation can be booked in advance if available.