Itinerary

Day 1: Nairobi

Upon arrival into Nairobi, you will be met and transferred to the Safari Park Hotel. Overnight at the Safari Park Hotel.

Safari Park Hotel
Situated only 10 km from the city centre and 20 km from the international airport, the lively Safari Park Hotel is an African themed resort providing deluxe accommodation in 64 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens and indigenous forest. All of the 204 distinctively designed and decorated rooms are airy and contain television, private bathroom facilities and private balconies. The six restaurants are excellent and cater to all tastes, including Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Italian, English and African. There is also a casino, several bars, health club, tennis and squash courts.
Day 2: Maasai Mara National Reserve

Following breakfast you depart for the Maasai Mara, arriving at your lodge in time for lunch. Following lunch and a siesta, there is an afternoon game drive returning to the lodge as the sun sets. Overnight at Mara Sopa Lodge. All meals.

Mara Sopa Lodge
marasopa-lodge The lodge is set in the Oloolaimutia Valley and built into the surrounding hillside landscape. The accent around the lodge is on the indigenous Maasai people and the fabulous wealth of wildlife, birdlife and natural flora seen in every direction. The lodge is luxuriously appointed with all the modern conveniences one would expect from a Sopa style of lodge in the bush. The bedrooms are spacious; the large pool has wonderful views and there are evening wildlife films and CNN to enjoy during the down time. All this ensures that your stay will be blissfully comfortable.

Day 3: Maasai Mara National Reserve

Early morning and afternoon game drives. Overnight at Mara Sopa Lodge. All meals.
Day 4: Lake Nakuru

After breakfast you drive across the Great Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru National Park. Once in the park, there will be a game drive en route to the lodge. Following lunch and a siesta, there is an afternoon game drive returning to the lodge as the sun sets. Overnight at Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge. All meals.

Lake Nakuru Lodge
Lake Nakuru Lodge is situated in the heart of one of Kenya's most densely populated wetland National Parks, only two leisurely hours' drive from Nairobi, through beautiful forested uplands and passing a series of lakes. On the outskirts of the bustling market town of Nakuru lies a truly remarkable national park which has achieved international fame. Both black and white rhino are being given a new lease on life in this 188 sq km, fully-fenced park and they are carefully protected. The present rhino population is over 50 and they are continuing to multiply. The Rothschild's giraffe is another rarity and the park has its share of buffalo, leopard, zebra, eland, waterbuck and lion. Lake Nakuru Lodge is in the south-east ecological niche of the park, with commanding views of the lake and the flamingos for which it is justly famous. Lush gardens surround the lodge and cottages.
Day 5: Amboseli National Park

After an early breakfast, you will depart with a picnic lunch on your way to Amboseli National Park. The afternoon game drive will occur in the park en route to the lodge. Overnight at Amboseli Sopa Lodge. All meals.

Amboseli Sopa Lodge
At the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro, is the Amboseli Sopa Lodge, set on 200 acres of land not far from where Ernest Hemingway lived whilst writing his novel, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro." The Lodge consists of 18 deluxe rooms, 20 double rooms and 9 single rooms. Each room has its own private verandah and full bathroom. The restaurant serves a multi-ethnic combination of European, African and Asian dishes, all made with fresh produce. Breakfast and lunch are served buffet style. Dinner is a four-course meal and picnic lunch boxes are available for guests traveling or on safari during the day.
Day 6: Amboseli National Park

Early morning and afternoon game drives in Amboseli, returning to the lodge as the sun sets. Overnight at Amboseli Sopa Lodge. All meals.
Day 7: Lake Manyara National Park

After breakfast, you continue the journey to the Tanzania border post and then on to Arusha for lunch. After lunch, drive across the Maasai Steppe to the Great Rift Valley. Your hotel is perched high on the rim overlooking the park below. Overnight at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge. All meals.

Lake Manyara Serena Lodge
It would be difficult to find a more dramatic setting than the Lake Manyara Serena Lodge. Situated at the edge of an escarpment, this deluxe lodge overlooks both the Great Rift Valley, which formed millions of years ago, and the beautiful soda lake of Manyara with is lavish supply of bird life. The birds themselves have provided the inspiration for the lodge's architecture. Graceful, curving and free flowing, it is built in the local circular style and exudes an atmosphere of peacefulness where man and nature co-exist. Sumptuous menus, buffets and barbecues are served to guests alongside authentic African dishes.
Day 8: Serengeti

After breakfast enter your safari vehicle and spend the morning exploring Lake Manyara National Park. Midday you will return to the lodge for lunch and then depart past Ngorongoro Crater and stop at Olduvai Gorge for a short excursion around the museum. The Gorge acquired its name from the Sansevieria bush that grows profusely in the area, named Olduvai by the Maasai. You will have time to walk through the simple small museum at the gorge, where you can view copy displays of some of the finds as well as pictures of what life was like for the gorge's earliest inhabitants. You then continue into the Serengeti National Park with some game viewing, arriving at the lodge as the sun begins to set. Overnight at Serengeti Sopa Lodge. All meals.

Serengeti Sopa Lodge
The Serengeti Sopa lodge is located in the Nyarboro Hills in the south-west of the Serengeti National Park and is the only tourism development in this section of the park. Year round water and the acacia woodland in this area create an ideal environment for the wide variety of wildlife seen in the immediate vicinity of the lodge. Looking out over the seemingly endless Serengeti plains, this hillside lodge is a tranquil oasis set in thousands of square kilometers of Serengeti National Park. The lodge can accommodate around 170 guests in 79 suites, each enjoying wall-to-wall carpeting, a private lounge with a mini bar, a bedroom with two queen size beds and ample room for a third guest. Each has a private veranda which offers stunning views over the plains. As the sun sets, you may enjoy sundowner cocktails by the pool, and in the evening, after a 4-course dinner, traditional dancers entertain guests. Slide presentations are also held daily by resident naturalists.
Day 9: Serengeti National Park

Morning and afternoon game drives in the Serengeti National Park. Overnight at Serengeti Sopa Lodge. All meals.
Day 10: Ngorongoro Crater

After breakfast you depart for Ngorongoro viewing game across the vast Serengeti plains, stopping off at Olduvai Gorge en route. The Gorge acquired its name from the Sansevieria bush that grows profusely in the area, named Olduvai by the Maasai. The Gorge is about 50km long and in some places around 90m deep and is found between the Crater and the Serengeti. It was first discovered by a German entomologist named Professor Kattwinkel, who instigated an expedition just before the First World War. Later, the exploration was continued by Dr Louis Leakey and his wife, who in 1959 found humanoid remains of Zinjanthropus, later renamed Australapithicus Boisei, an early form of man. You will have time to walk through the simple small museum at the gorge, where you can view copy displays of some of the finds as well as pictures of what life was like for the gorge's earliest inhabitants. After a picnic lunch you continue to your lodge, set high on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater. Overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. All meals.

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge
The lodge is located on Lemala Hill on the uppermost eastern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, making this the only tourist development on the eastern rim of the crater. The views into the crater floor from here are spectacular and sunsets magnificent. Another major advantage here is that guests can enjoy a safari that begins within five minutes of leaving the lodge, as the park gate is very close. The lodge is tastefully decorated, spacious and all the bedrooms are modern, comfortable and equipped with everything one would expect from a hotel of this class. With an altitude of 2,375 meters, the lodge experiences cool and even cold weather, especially during the winter months of June and July when temperatures can get as low as 10' C. However, guests enjoy sunshine during most of the year and must take care when sunbathing by the pool due to the altitude.
Day 11: Ngorongoro Crater

After breakfast, you'll descend through the early morning mists and 2,000 feet into the crater. Ngorongoro Crater is the World's largest intact volcanic caldera and is also one of the World's seven natural wonders. Due to its size and diversity, the crater floor is comprised of several distinct areas, ranging from forest, swamps, lakes and springs, to open grassland and some sandy dunes. It's an awesome wildlife experience. You return to the lodge for lunch followed by an afternoon excursion of a Masaai Village and return back to the lodge in the late afternoon. Overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. All meals.

Tarangire Sopa Lodge
Tarangire is recognized as one of the best parks on the northern circuit for elephant viewing during the dry season and Tarangire Sopa is ideally placed to experience this. The lodge welcomes guests to its vast marble-floored reception area with cold flannels and iced juice. In the pretty gardens a large circular pool with a central island, a pool bar and elegant wooden loungers demonstrates the lodge's commitment to comfort. Delicious barbecue lunches are often served here. A broad veranda wraps itself around the lodge and gives prime viewing for the waterhole below, which is filled during the dry season and becomes a magnet to wildlife. The rooms at the lodge are simple, comfortable and spacious and arranged in groups of four, in African-style buildings. Large sliding doors open to a private balcony.
Day 12: Tarangire National Park

Departing Ngorongoro Crater after breakfast and head south east en route to Lake Manyara, Mto wa Mbu village and Tarangire beyond. Through the highlands and the Karatu district, you'll view the scenic wheat plains and coffee plantations here before journeying down the spectacular escarpment where you turn south on to the main Arusha - Dodoma road and into the park. From here to the lodge, you'll enjoy a game drive en route to your lodge. After lunch and perhaps a swim, the remainder of the afternoon will be spent on a game drive.
Day 13: Depart

Depart Tarangire after breakfast and drive back to Arusha arriving in time for lunch. After lunch you continue the journey by road to Nairobi and for dinner in Nairobi city center before drop off at Nairobi International Airport.

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