Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Nairobi
Upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be met by our representative and transferred to the historic 5-star Sarova Stanley Hotel. One of Nairobi's oldest and best renowned city hotels, it stands in the city centre within easy reach of both shops and tourist attractions, and offering a health club, roof-top swimming pool and a wide selection of restaurants and bars. Optional dinner at the hotel.  Overnight Sarova Stanley Hotel.

Day 2: Nairobi to Lake Nakuru (Distance/drive time: 185 km / 2.5 hours)
After breakfast, drive to Lake Nakuru National Park in time for lunch at Lake Nakuru Lodge. After lunch, enjoy a game drive in the park arriving back to the lodge in time for a swim, cocktails and dinner.  Overnight Lake Nakuru Lodge.  (BLD)

About Lake Nakuru
Entitled ‘the greatest bird spectacle on earth' thanks to the millions of fuchsia-pink flamingo that flock to feed on the teeming algae of its alkaline waters, the pink-frosted shores and sky-mirrored waters of Lake Nakuru yield some of the most evocatively beautiful photo-images in Africa. As Kenya's first and largest rhino sanctuary, sightings of both black and white rhino are almost guaranteed, while plentiful waterbuck, warthog, zebra, gazelle and buffalo graze the shoreline. Echoing to the haunting cries of the numerous fish eagles, this is also the park in which you have the best chance of seeing a leopard.

Day 3: Lake Nakuru to the Mara (Distance/drive time: 320 km / 4 hours)
Leaving the lodge after an early breakfast, continue up the floor of Rift Valley to arrive in time for lunch at the famous Masai Mara National Reserve. Spend the afternoon game-viewing across its rolling savannah plains returning in time for a swim and cocktails before dinner.  Overnight Mara Sopa Lodge.  (BLD)

About the Masai Mara National Reserve
Offering an abundance of herbivores, the Mara makes the ideal hunting ground for Kenya's famous ‘big cats' and hosts her largest population of lions. It also offers the best chance of spotting a leopard in the wild. Other predators include cheetah and spotted hyena. Historically teaming with wildlife, the Mara is famous for the large herds of elephant and buffalo that meander its plains; also for the fat pods of hippo that wallow in its mud-brown rivers. Other stars include the distinctive Masai giraffe, plum-coloured topi, Coke's hartebeest, Grant's and Thomson's gazelle, zebra, impala, Kirk's dik-dik, bushbuck, waterbuck and red duiker. The Reserve also boasts plentiful Nile crocodile, monitor lizard, baboon, vervet; blue and red-tailed monkeys, nocturnal bush babies, and tree hyrax. There are over 550 resident and migratory species of birds.

Day 4: On Safari in the Mara
Spend the day on safari in the Masai Mara with morning and afternoon game drives, breakfast, lunch and dinner at the lodge.  Overnight Mara Sopa Lodge.  (BLD)

Day 5: The Mara to Lake Victoria (Distance/drive time: 305km / 4.5 hours)

After breakfast cross the border between Kenya and Tanzania at Isabenia and drive to the shores of Lake Victoria with a picnic lunch on the way. Check into the Speke Bay Lodge, which is on the lake shore, and spend a restful afternoon on the largest inland lake in the world. The white‐painted lodge, which offers a series of traditional round or ‘rondavel’ thatched buildings, has been styled to resemble a small village of the local Sukuma people and offers guided walks, biking, fishing, canoeing and more (some or all of which may be charged additionally).  Overnight Speke Bay Lodge. (BLD)

About Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is the source of the Nile and the largest body of fresh water in Africa. Only 5% of the lake belongs to Kenya, with its neighbours Uganda and Tanzania owning the rest. The Kenyan section of the lake in the far north-eastern corner, contains a few islands with simple fishing villages along the shores of the larger ones. Whether fishing, bird watching, boating or resting, these islands induce extreme relaxation and the light breeze keeps most mosquitoes away.  Lake Victoria's birdlife is staggering. Tiny islets contain huge nesting colonies of egrets, cormorants and gannets and territorial fish eagles patrol every 100 yards. Some of the fish eagles have become habituated to being thrown fish from the boat and swoop down to claim an easy prey, just feet away from you and your camera lens. There are of course hippos and crocodiles in Lake Victoria and the locals will tell you if they frequent the area where you are staying.

Day 6: Lake Victoria
Today you get to spend the day exploring the peaceful shores of Lake Victoria.  You will enjoy a 1.5 hour boat ride on the Lake and a cultural visit to a local village.  Overnight Speke Bay Lodge. (BLD)

Day 7: Lake Victoria to the Serengeti (Distance/drive time: 250km / 3.5 hours)

After breakfast drive to the Serengeti National Park and to Serengeti Serena Lodge, which is ideally located for safari game drives as well as optional activities such as balloon safaris, guided walks etc. Lunch and afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.  Overnight Serengeti Serena Lodge. (BLD)

About the Serengeti National Park
With 14,500 sq kms., the Serengeti plain is undoubtedly the most famous wildlife sanctuary in the world, unequalled for its natural beauty and the greatest concentration of plains game anywhere. It lies between the shores of Lake Victoria in the east and the Maasai Mara to the northwest. Serengeti is renown for its black-maned lion and other predators including wild dog, spotted hyena, jackal, cheetah and leopard. The wealth of birdlife is of a special interest including colourful rollers, bee-eaters, kingfishers and sunbirds and a large number of birds of prey. During May and June, Lake Ndutu at the foot of the Ngorongoro highlands, is the starting point for one of the great natural wonders of nature - the famous annual migration. Nearly 2 million wildebeests and a quarter of a million zebra move in winding columns several miles in length towards the Maasai Mara.

Day 8: On Safari in the Serengeti 

With a full day's game-driving in the park, your options are wide. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served at the camp, where guided nature walks can also be taken. Game drives can be taken morning and afternoon. Whilst the annual migration is the Serengeti's most famous attraction, the Park is also renowned for its lion, many of which have been fitted with radio-transmitter collars so that their movements may be tracked, and additionally for its wealth of cheetah, zebra, giraffe, Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, eland, impala, klipspringer, hippo and warthog.  Overnight Serengeti Serena Lodge. (BLD)

Day 9: The Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater (Distance/drive time: 195 km / 3 ½ hours)

After breakfast and a morning game drive, drive through the Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area, stopping en route for a picnic lunch and a visit to the world-famous Olduvai Gorge Palaeolithic site and reputed ‘Cradle of Mankind'. Scale the side of the crater, circle the rim and descend to the Ngorongoro crater for afternoon half‐day guided tour of the crater. Picnic lunch will be taken at the crater floor. Ascend to your lodge for the evening and dinner at the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge, which offers the finest location of all the crater rim lodges, lying on the southern rim of the crater, directly above the yellow fever trees of the Lerai Forest.  Overnight Ngorongoro Serena Lodge. (BLD)

About the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area

Often referred to as ‘the eighth wonder of the world' the Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa's best-known wildlife arenas. A World Heritage Site, it is also one of the largest volcanic craters in the world (almost 20 kilometres wide, 610-760 metres deep and covering a total area of 264 square kilometres). An utterly unique biosphere, the Crater harbours grasslands, swamps, forests, saltpans, a fresh water lake and a glorious variety of birdlife, all enclosed within its towering walls. Due to its high concentration of wildlife, close-range viewing opportunities and striking scenery it is also Tanzania's most visited destination.

Day 10: Ngorongoro to Tarangire (Distance/drive time: 200 km / 3 hours)
After breakfast drive to Tarangire National Park, an arid haven, peppered with ancient baobab trees, towering termite mounts, and home to huge herds of elephant. Enjoy a picnic lunch and a game drive before arriving at Maramboi Tented Camp. Situated on a 25,000 hectare Maasai communal ranch, the camp offers just 20 spacious tents, all surrounded by timber decks, while activities include guided walks, ornithology and cultural interaction with the Datoga and Maasai people, whose communities lie adjacent to the camp. The camp also offers its own swimming pool.  Overnight Maramboi Tented Camp.  (BLD)

About the Tarangire National Park

Named after the Tarangire River which runs through it, is an arid haven, peppered with ancient baobab trees, towering termite mounts, and home to huge herds of elephant.  The park covers 2600 sq km of grassland and floodplains, and a large proportion of tall acacia woodland just south of the large open grass plains of southern Maasailand. Tarangire is beautifully unspoilt, and safari drives through the park enjoy wide views to distant variously purpled formations of volcanic mountain ranges.  Tarangire National Park is a relatively small park, but has some superb game-viewing.

Day 11: Arusha to Zanzibar (Distance/drive time: 150 km / 2.5 hours)
After breakfast, drive to Arusha where lunch will be served in a local restaurant. Transfer to Arusha Airport for your flight (cost not included in this package) to Zanzibar. Upon arrival you will be met by our representative and transferred to the Ocean Paradise Resort, which offers crystal blue waters, a wide selection of dining experiences (breakfast and dinner are provided in your package), extensive sports, and a wide range of cultural entertainment (some or all of which may be charged additionally). Overnight Ocean Paradise.  (BLD)

Day 12, 13 & 14 On the ‘spice isle' of Zanzibar
Three days of leisure in Zanzibar, where the activities at the hotel include swimming, snorkelling, sea kayaking, diving, water sports, dhow trips and nature trails plus visits to a dhow workshop and the brooding caverns of the Mangapwani Slave Caves where slaves were hidden after the abolishment of slavery made their shipment illegal. Other places of interest in Stone Town and around are: the Portuguese Fort, the Sultan's Palace, the old Dhow Port, the Old Slave Market, the House of Wonders, the Old Dispensary, the home of the slaver, Tippu-Tip, the Livingstone House, The Hamamni Bath, The National Museum, The Chukwani Palace, The Jozani Forest - the last red colobus monkey sanctuary, The Mtoni Palace ruins, The Maruhubi Palace ruins and the Persian Baths of Kidichi.  Overnight Ocean Paradise.  (BD)

Day 15: Depart
After breakfast, depart to Zanzibar airport to connect to your onward flight. (B)

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