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.

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.

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

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

The Nairobi Serena Hotel is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, excelling in quality, service, and comfort beyond expectations. Its vibrant tropical gardens and skyline offer a range of views from its 184 rooms and suites, each decked with pan-African themed influences. Two stylish restaurants, offer both a la carte and/or buffet, and serve an international selection of fine cuisine amidst mesmerizing settings. Take advantage of the local attractions and, following a demanding full day, relax in the hands of an expert masseuse at the Maisha Serena Health Club. Gym, spa & pool at the hotel.

Overnight at Serena.

Day 2 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.

Airport transfer with private vehicle and guide.

Sit back and relax during this flight from Nairobi to Masai Mara today. The flight duration is approximately 45 min.

Your expert guide will pick you up at the airstrip and will be taking you for a game drive on the way back to camp.

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 3 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 4 Masai Mara

Today you'll set out early on your morning game drive with your private guide and vehicle. The Mara is most famous for its exceptional population of game and the annual migration of zebra, Thomson's gazelle and the wildebeest from the Serengeti every year from July to October.

This afternoon you'll meet up with your guide and head out on your game drive. Mara is one of the few places you could spot the rare rhino. Stay alert as you track these elusive lumbering giants.

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.

Today you will switch between your Kenyan and Tanzanian guide, crossing the border and continuing your safari. You will also be switching vehicles.  Visas can be purchased for US cash (no bills older than 2006 due to local counterfeiting safeguards). 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.

Today head out with your guide to explore the wide expanse of the Serengeti. The park is well known for its healthy stock of resident wildlife, particularly the "Big Five", named for the five most prized trophies taken by hunters: lion, leopard, elephant, black rhinoceros, and African buffalo. Though there are now few black rhino in the park, you may still spot them. The Serengeti has the largest population of lion and giraffe in all of Africa and the largest concentration of topi and Coke's hartebeest (kongoni). Enjoy the challenge of spotting other game such as cheetah, Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, eland, waterbuck, hyena, baboon, impala, African wild dog and giraffe. The park also boasts about 500 bird species, including ostrich, secretary bird, Kori bustard, crowned crane and marabou stork.

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.

Seated on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, the Serena Safari Lodge faces this unique biodiversity-rich area head on. There are 74 guest rooms and suites, each decorated with brass lamps and leather headboards & Afro- Arabian artifacts. Dining combines international & Pan-African fare, often served in the bush where barbeque cuisine is a delight. Take part in game drives and hikes around the rich Ngorongoro Crater, full of life and discoveries. Serena Lodge is situated to provide one of the world's most spectacular panoramic views of the Ngorongoro Crater.

Overnight at Serena Safari Lodge Ngorongoro.

Day 8 Ngorongoro

Private transportation and guide in the Ngorongoro national park.

Descend into the Ngorongoro caldera to view the wildlife on the crater floor. 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.

Overnight at Serena Safari Lodge Ngorongoro.

Day 9 Zanzibar

Zanzibar is the ultimate relaxation destination with history, culture, architecture, spice plantations and dazzling sand beaches. Exotic cuisine, diving and snorkelling, sailing dhows. There are so many unique experiences in store. Our favorite place to unwind and the perfect end to a safari.

Your guide will transfer you between the hotel and the Manaya airstrip. This drive takes approx. 45mins to 1hr.

Flight from Manyara to Zanzibar, and takes approximately 1hr and 55mins.

Airport transfer with private vehicle and guide.

Breezes Beach Club and Spa is a tasteful haven situated on a gorgeous beach off the east coast of the most magical island of Zanzibar, in Tanzania. The 70 rooms and suites are fully air conditioned and decorated in earthy, natural tones and finishes, each festooned with authentic Zanzibar carvings from locals. Dining is an experience to look forward to, where ones taste buds are host to a mélange of refreshing flavors. Seafood is fresh, succulent, and incomparable. Activities vary depending on interest, from lounging on the beach to marine activities, spa, and yoga classes.

Overnight at Breezes Beach Club and Spa.

Day 10 Zanzibar

Time permitting, there are many optional activities. If you would like, you can book tours in advance. Half day tours include: Swahili Cultural Tour, Spice Tour, Stone Town Tour, or even Spice Tour and cooking lesson. Full day tours include: Dolphin Sandbank Picnic, Prison Island & Mangapwani Beach, Spice & Stone Town or our Stone Town, Slave Market, Spice Farm and Cultural Village. Ask your travel consultant for more details and pricing.

If you prefer, sign up for activities on the ground through your lodging (not included in tour price). Activities range from deep sea fishing to cultural village visits. Simply speak to your accommodations upon check-in to sign up for boat excursions, scuba diving, day tours and more.

Overnight at Breezes Beach Club and Spa.

Day 11 Zanzibar

Today head out on your private tour of historic Stone Town and spice route. A visit to a spice farm village gives you an insight into local life and the opportunity to try some Swahili dishes, taste the fruits in season and try some spiced tea. Walk through the spice farm with your guide. Touch, smell and taste different spices and tropical fruits. Try to guess which is which, from the crushed leaves, the fruit, shoots and vines and creepers crawling up the trees.

Then follow the trail of the sultans, slaves and explorers in the winding streets of Stone Town. Your guide will tell you about the events that shaped Zanzibar, leading you through the buildings where it all happened, such as the former Slave Market and Anglican Cathedral, the House of Wonders and the Sultans’ Palace Museum, the Old Arab Fort and Dispensary.

This tour is very flexible and can be adapted suit your interest and time frame. If you’re a shopaholic, culture vulture or history buff, just let your guide know and they will adjust the tour for you. If you want to hunt for antiques and souvenir shop, follow David Livingstone’s time in Zanzibar, or walk the path of the slave trade, your guide can recommend and develop routes and itineraries that will optimize your time and get the most out of your trip. (Lunch included)

Please bring:
• Sun hat and sun cream.
• Comfortable closed walking or hiking shoes and pants.
• Please dress conservatively when walking through Stone Town. Women should cover their shoulders and wear long skirts or trousers in respect to local customs.

Tour operates from Stone Town. Transfer time will vary depending on what part of the island you are coming from. Time in transit could be 30min to 1.5hrs each way.

Overnight at Breezes Beach Club and Spa.

Day 12 Nairobi

(Note: an extra departure tax of $30 must be paid on departure).

Airport transfer with private vehicle and guide.

Take your flight from Zanzibar (ZNZ) to Nairobi (NBO) today. The flight duration is approximately 1.5 hr.

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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