Itinerary

Day 1 Nairobi

Nairobiis the least expensive arrival city for flights with a full range of hotels and local attractions. Dubbed the “Safari Capital of the World,” cool, clear and cosmopolitanNairobiis the natural departure point for most safari itineraries. A city of contrasts, it is simultaneously the largest, the youngest, the most modern, the highest (1700m) and the fastest growing city inEast Africa. High-altitudeNairobienjoys a pleasant tropical climate all year round. There are ATMs and banks to stock up on cash, great restaurants, and malls where you can purchase any forgotten items.

Kensington Tours donates a portion of proceeds to our charitable initiative www.kensingtoncares.com which supports education-based initiatives in disadvantaged communities.

In the event of serious illness, all travellers are covered by Flying Doctors Insurance. This covers the cost of emergency air evacuation service needed to fly back to Nairobi for treatment. This insurance does not cover the cost of medical treatment.

You will receive a private airport transfer to/from the airport.

Owned and operated by Fairview Hotel, Country Lodge offers modern accommodations at reasonable prices. Located in quite Upperhill, relax in the gardens or take advantage of gym facilities and local restaurants. Rest in comfort and security at this lovely location.

Overnight at Country Lodge.

Day 2 Naivasha

Naivasha is one of our favorite places to pause on safari. Lush, cool and relaxing, it is a beautiful freshwater lake, fringed by thick papyrus. The lake is almost 13 km across but its waters are shallow and thick with hippo. Hell'sGateNational Park,LongonotNational ParkandMountLongonotare nearby attractions. Boat tours on the lake are popular to observe birdlife and hippopotamus behavior, or exploreCrescentIslandon foot.

Your guide will drive you to Lake Naivasha, through Nairobi and rural Kenya. The drive will be about an hour and a half.

Includes a boat trip to visit Crescent island in Lake Naivasha. A short boat trip from the mainland out into the lake gives you access to the unique Crescent Island Wildlife Sanctuary. Crescent Island is a peninsula or island, depending on the lake level, joined to the mainland by a causeway. A wide variety of wildlife, birdlife and flora lives quite freely without the threat of predators. You will have the opportunity to spend some time walking around at your own pace, enjoying this peaceful Island.

 

Among the resident birds are fish eagles, ospreys, lily-trotters, black crakes and a variety of herons. Hippos also live in the lake. A number of mammals can be seen grazing in the surrounding lake environs, such as zebra, impala, buffalo, giraffe, Kongoni and, at night, hippos.

The Simba Lodge is situated not far from Nairobi, surrounded by gardens on the serene Lake Naivasha. Its 70 rooms are spacious and pleasantly decorated to fit in with the light, earthy and calm surroundings. Dining is an all around pleasant experience, where one may choose their favorites and make new discoveries at the wide buffet. Traditional and international cuisine is offered, as well as curries, which are popular with the locals. Hell’s Gate is not far, and there are plenty of activities such as cycling and rock climbing there. Otherwise, take a boat ride or nature walk.

Overnight at Simba.

Day 3 Masai Mara

Masai Mara is the northernmost portion of the larger Serengeti ecosystem and features the best game viewing in the region. The small size funnels animals into a tight space, and park rules allow for off-road driving which means that guests can venture into plains covered with hundreds or even thousands of animals. Take an optional hot air balloon ride over the plains, with the opportunity for amazing pictures of the animal herds below.

Your guide will drive you from Naivasha to Masai Mara. This drive will take about 5 to 6 hours. Drive times may be longer in the rainy season (April to early May and November). Stop for refreshments and souvenir shopping at roadside stands along the way or head straight to the park. Enjoy game viewing as you enter Masai Mara and drive to your camp.

Enjoy a box lunch while you travel (included in tour price).

This afternoon's game viewing will be exciting as you are searching for game with your private guide and driver. The leopard is difficult to see as it moves fast and is very shy. If you're lucky there is a good chance to spot them around water holes or up in a tree after a long, hot day.

Kensington Mara West Camp has been revamped and relocated to what is surely one of the best views in East Africa. Perched elegantly on the Ololoolo escarpment, forming the western boundary of the Masai Mara Reserve itself. This is the authentic Out of Africa experience where much of the original film itself was filmed & produced. The camp borders the remote and beautiful western edge of Masai Mara National Reserve. Kensington Mara West provides nature lovers with deluxe accommodations while experiencing the sights and sounds of an unforgettable African safari. Tents offer rustic charm surrounded by grassy fields. Chalets are perched in secluded spots on an escarpment edge overlooking the vast plains of the Masai Mara Game Reserve, giving tremendous views and a sense of private exclusion.

Overnight at Kensington Mara West.

Day 4 Masai Mara

Today as you set on the early morning game drive with your expert guide. The Masai Mara Park will offer you a diverse range of animals. The park is home to the Big Five (Lion, Rhino, Elephant, Buffalo and Leopard) and numerous other antelopes including Thomson's and Grant's Gazelles, Impalas, Topics, Hartebeest, Zebra and Masai Giraffe. It's also home to over 450 species of birdlife among these are vultures, marabou storks, secretary birds, hornbills, crowned cranes, ostriches, long-crested eagles and African pygmy-falcons.

On today’s afternoon game drive the choice is up to you: search for the Big 5 or expand your horizons to discover something different. Masai Mara not only has a rich mix of animals – it also has an incredible array of bird life with almost 450 different species.

Overnight at Kensington Mara West.

Day 5 Serengeti

Tanzania's oldest and most popular national park, the Serengeti is massive in size, 14,763 sq km (5,700 sq miles). Famed for its annual migration, when some six million hooves pound the open plains, as more than 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle join the wildebeest’s trek for fresh grazing. Yet even when the migration is quiet, the Serengeti offers the most diverse game-viewing in Africa.

Your guide will drive you from Masai Mara to Serengeti. This full day commute includes some game drives through the park. This excursion will include a multi-hour drive across highway and bumpy patches of road to the border.  You will enter Tanzania today. A box lunch near Lake Victoria will be provided, with an option to visit a local fishing village, or simply drive straight to the border.

NOTE: Be aware that for portions of this LONG drive, the road will be rough and unfinished, though most is now newly paved. This total drive to Serengeti will take approximately 6-9 hours depending on game drives and any breaks taken.

At the border, switch between your Kenyan and Tanzanian guide, crossing the border and continuing your safari. You will also be switching vehicles.

Visas can be purchased at the border: Kenya $50pp US cash, Tanzania $100pp for Americans, $50pp for other nationalities. Note: Visas are paid for using US cash (no bills older than 2006 due to local counterfeiting safeguards). Single entry visa is valid for 3 months and can be used for multiple entries between Kenya and Tanzania. Please be sure to have your Yellow Fever certificate handy.

Kenya/Tanzania border crossing. Continue on to Serengeti with your private guide. Once you have entered the park, enjoy game viewing on your way to your lodge.

A tented wilderness camp in the Serengeti, this is an intimate connection to nature in this world famous park. Look forward to attentive service with fine bush cuisine of the pan-African and traditional sort. Three main meals are served each day in the large canvas dining tent overlooking the plains. The tents, appropriately furnished with Masai inspired style, feature campaign furniture and canvas wardrobe. The Masai theme is showcased with evocative headboards, lamps and fixtures. Located in the Grumeti area, the camp sits right in the Serengeti plains inside the park. This is a rare opportunity to experience a classic tented camp experience. Fall asleep to the sound of animals outside; enjoy drinks by the fire as you watch the sun set over the plains.

Overnight at Kensington Serengeti.

Day 6 Serengeti

Head out into the park early in the morning as animals are more active in the early morning and afternoon. Tanzania's oldest and most renowned national park, the Serengeti offers the most expansive game-viewing in Africa: great herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephant and giraffe, and thousands upon thousands of eland, topi, kongoni, impala and Grant’s gazelle. Explore this amazing park with the help of your expert guide.

Spend today searching out Impala, one of Africa's most beautiful and graceful animals. Previously thought to be part of the gazelle tribe, Impalas have been found to be so different that they are now classified as their own sub-family status. When frightened or startled the whole impala herd starts randomly leaping to confuse their predator. They can jump distances more than 10 meters (33 ft) and 3 meters (9 ft) high. Leopards, cheetah, lions and wild dogs prey on impala. Impala can reach running speeds of approximately 50 to 55 mph (80 to 90 km/h) to escape its predators. See if you can track these incredible animals!

Overnight at Kensington Serengeti.

Day 7 Ngorongoro

"The Ngorongoro Crater is often called ‘Africa’s Eden’ and the ‘8th Natural Wonder of the World’. A massive extinct volcano, the sheet walls drop thousands of feet to a "Noah's Ark" of animals on the verdant floor below. Large herds of zebra, buffalo, antelope and wildebeest graze nearby while sleeping lions laze in the sun. At dawn, the endangered black rhino returns to the thick cover of the crater forests after grazing on dew-laden grass in the morning mist.

This morning you will depart from the Serengeti on your way to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. For the first part of the drive you'll be doing some game viewing as you leave the Serengeti. This drive usually takes between 5 and 6 hours but can take longer during the rainy season.

The Olduvai Gorge or Oldupai Gorge is commonly referred to as "The Cradle of Mankind." It is a steep-sided ravine in the Great Rift Valley, which stretches along eastern Africa. Olduvai is in the eastern Serengeti Plains in northern Tanzania and is about 30 miles (48 km) long. The gorge is named after the Maasai word for the wild sisal plant Sansevieria ehrenbergii, commonly called Oldupai.

Enjoy a picnic lunch (included in tour price).

The Plantation Lodge is located a short drive from the Ngorongoro Crater. It is a haven of shades and hues, as green, violet, ivory and rust mingle to frame the tranquil setting. With 16 delicately arranged rooms and suites, one will be thoroughly delighted by the magical aura of the Plantation Lodge. Relax at dinner, where you will be served the most succulent of fruits and vegetables, produced right there in the garden. Keeping with the times, dining is a more elegant scenario, where one is served in courses. Step into the swimming pool, go for a walk, or head out to one of the nearby farms for a window into this wonderful region.

Overnight at Plantation Lodge.

Day 8 Ngorongoro

Private transportation and guide in the Ngorongoro national park.

You'll be up early this morning as you drive approximately 20 minutes from your camp or lodge to the main gates of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. There are only three roads that connect the crater rim with the crater floor, one for driving down, one for driving up and another that goes both ways. The crater is roughly 20 km/12 mi wide and 600 m/2,000 ft deep, once you've reached the top of the caldera it takes about 45 minutes to descend to the crater floor. The floor is home to a rich and highly concentrated wildlife. Some 20,000 mammals of size live there, including about 20 black rhinoceros, making the crater the best place in Tanzania to see the rhino. The crater floor also has one of the highest carnivore densities in the world. Lions, cheetahs, hyenas and jackals are commonly seen, while leopards, servals and bat-eared foxes may be seen with some good luck. You'll spend most of the day in the crater.

Enjoy a picnic lunch (included in tour price).

Overnight at Plantation Lodge.

Day 9 Amboseli

Amboseli National Park, is 260 km (160 mi) south of Nairobi, on the Kenya and Tanzania border. It is most famous for its spectacular views of Kilimanjaro. A system of swamps makes this low-rainfall area one of the best wildlife-viewing experiences in the world. The park protects two of the five main swamps, and includes a dried-up Pleistocene lake and semi-arid vegetation. Noted in particular for its large elephant herds, Amboseli is the third most visited game area in Kenya after Masai Mara and Nakuru.

On this journey, you will make a brief stop-over in Arusha for some shopping and refreshments. You will pass over the Namanga border crossing when leaving Tanzania to enter Kenya. Be aware that portions of the road on this drive are unfinished and bumpy. At the Namanga border where you will meet your Kenyan guide.

Once you're through customs you will switch vehicles and meet up with your Kenyan guide who will take you to Amboseli.

Enjoy a picnic lunch (included in tour price).

This afternoon you'll meet up with your guide and head out into Amboseli National Park. The park is famous for being the best place in Africa to get close to free-ranging elephants. On a clear day, you'll also have spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world.

In the heart of Amboseli National Park, touching the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, the Amboseli Serena Lodge lays its home. The 92 rooms are all equipped with en suite bathrooms and stunning views. Dining offers local cuisine and a choice of continental dishes, while specialty meals allow guests to get in touch with the environment. Take advantage of the game drives, where incredible beasts such as lions, buffalo, cheetah, giraffe, baboons, gazelle hippos and wildebeest spend their day in front of your eyes.

Overnight at Serena Amboseli.

Day 10 Nairobi

Take time for an early game drive or head directly to Nairobi before your international flight. The drive will take approximately 4hrs

Includes opportunity to visit local handicraft markets to shop for souvenirs.

Before leaving that night, stop by the Kensington office for free use of Internet, lounge, showers and drinks. If you like, we can make reservations for dinner at a local restaurant as well. Please let us know in advance and if you are vegetarian.

You will receive a private airport transfer to/from the airport.

Depart from Nairobi international airport - end of itinerary.

Overnight at Depart.

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