13-Day Group Joining - Maasai Mara · Lake Nakuru · Amboseli · Arusha · Tarangire · Ngorongoro Crater · Serengeti & Lake Manyara

Day by day

13 days in East Africa.

1. Day 1

   Nairobi – Maasai Mara

   Pick-up from your hotel between 7:30 and 8am, then depart for the Maasai Mara National Reserve via the Great Rift Valley viewpoint and Narok town for refuelling and lunch. Continue to the reserve, arriving at camp between 2 and 3pm. After a short siesta, the 4x4 Land Cruiser heads out for the first introductory game drive in the reserve, returning to camp for dinner and overnight.

   Overnight

   Miti Mingi Camp, Maasai MaraZebra Plains Mara CampGovernors' Camp, Maasai Mara

   Meals

   Lunch and dinner

2. Day 2

   Maasai Mara National Reserve

   After breakfast, a full day of game viewing in the reserve. The landscape is scenic savanna grassland on rolling hills, and the Mara's extensive road and track network allows close-range viewing and photography, which is why it is regarded as Kenya's best park for game. Break for a picnic lunch at the hippo pool, watching for hippo and crocodile, then continue game viewing through the afternoon. Come back for dinner and a quiet evening.

   Overnight

   Miti Mingi Camp, Maasai MaraZebra Plains Mara CampGovernors' Camp, Maasai Mara

   Meals

   Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner

3. Day 3

   Maasai Mara – Nakuru

   An early pre-breakfast game drive catches the predators while they are still on the move. After breakfast, leave the Mara region for Nakuru with lunch en route; the main highway gives distant views of Mount Longonot and Lake Naivasha as it climbs through the Rift Valley. Arrive in Nakuru in the afternoon for dinner and the night.

   Overnight

   Buraha Zenoni, Lake NakuruLake Nakuru Sopa LodgeThe Cliff Nakuru

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

   

4. Day 4

   Lake Nakuru – Amboseli

   After breakfast, a game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park, known for its prolific birdlife including flamingo and for its white rhino sanctuary; buffalo and waterbuck are seen near the shoreline. Then drive south via Nairobi to Amboseli National Park, arriving in the late evening with game viewing en route to camp as elephant move back towards the swamps. Dinner follows your arrival, and the night is yours to rest.

   Overnight

   Nyati Safari Camp, AmboseliKibo Safari Camp, AmboseliElewana Tortilis Camp, Amboseli

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

5. Day 5

   Amboseli Full Day

   A day of game drives in Amboseli National Park, whose swamp grounds are where elephant and hippo bathe in abundance. Plains game, antelope and birds are seen on the drier ground around the wetlands, and Mount Kilimanjaro's peak appears above the park when the weather permits. Picnic lunches are provided so the whole day can be spent in the park. Return as the light goes for your overnight stay.

   Overnight

   Nyati Safari Camp, AmboseliKibo Safari Camp, AmboseliElewana Tortilis Camp, Amboseli

   Meals

   Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner

6. Day 6

   Amboseli – Arusha

   Early morning game viewing, then back to camp for a full breakfast and check-out. Drive to the Namanga border, complete immigration formalities and board the shuttle bus to Arusha. On arrival you are met and transferred to your hotel, booked on a bed-and-breakfast basis, with dinner on your own account and the evening free to rest before the Tanzanian parks.

   Overnight

   Charity Hotel, ArushaKibo Palace Hotel ArushaGran Melia Arusha

   Meals

   Breakfast

   

7. Day 7

   Arusha – Tarangire National Park

   After breakfast, depart for Tarangire National Park, arriving in time for lunch and an afternoon of game viewing. Lesser kudu, eland, lion and gerenuk can be found in this beautiful park, which is noted for its multitude of baobab trees and its tree-climbing lions, and the Tarangire River draws large elephant herds in the dry season. Return for dinner and settle in for the evening.

   Overnight

   Fanaka Campsite, TarangireTarangire Simba LodgeChem Chem Lodge, Tarangire

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

8. Day 8

   Tarangire – Ngorongoro

   After breakfast, drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This afternoon the 4x4 Land Cruiser descends 2,000 feet (over 600 metres) to the crater floor for a crater tour with picnic lunches. Explore the forest areas inhabited by monkeys and elephant, the lake where flamingo may be feeding, and the open savanna where the lions hunt among herds of zebra and wildebeest. Return in the evening for dinner and a restful night.

   Overnight

   Simba Campsite, NgorongoroNgorongoro Serena Safari LodgeNeptune Ngorongoro Luxury Lodge

   Meals

   Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner

9. Day 9

   Ngorongoro – Serengeti

   Drive to Serengeti National Park via Olduvai Gorge, the site of Louis and Mary Leakey's archaeological discoveries; a museum visit, at extra cost, shows findings that include some of the earliest known ancestral human remains. Lunch at Seronera camp, then an afternoon game drive on the endless plains for a chance of the great herds of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle, or a pride of lions lounging in the shade. Dinner and overnight at camp.

   Overnight

   Seronera Camp, SerengetiSerengeti Serena Safari LodgeFour Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

10. Day 10

    Serengeti National Park

    After breakfast at camp, leave with picnic lunches for a full day in the Serengeti, tracking the many species that inhabit this savanna grassland park from the 4x4 Land Cruiser. The Seronera valley is a stronghold for leopard and lion, cheetah hunt the open plains, and the herds of wildebeest and zebra move with the seasons. Break for the picnic lunch and continue the game drive until evening. Head back as the light goes for dinner and the night.

    Overnight

    Seronera Camp, SerengetiSerengeti Serena Safari LodgeFour Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti

    Meals

    Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner

11. Day 11

    Serengeti – Lake Manyara

    Enjoy an early morning game drive before breakfast, then return to camp for a late breakfast and a relaxed mid-morning. Depart for Lake Manyara with lunch en route, crossing the Ngorongoro highlands and descending the Rift Valley escarpment. On arrival, take an evening game drive in the park until sunset, looking for elephant and hippo along the shore. Dinner and overnight at camp.

    Overnight

    Fanaka Campsite, Lake ManyaraLake Manyara Serena Safari LodgeEscarpment Luxury Lodge Manyara

    Meals

    Breakfast, lunch and dinner

    

12. Day 12

    Lake Manyara – Arusha

    After breakfast, a morning game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, whose inhabitants include hippo, monkeys, tree-climbing lions, flamingo and a wide variety of other birdlife, set between the groundwater forest and the soda lake below the Rift Valley wall. Lunch at camp, then drive back to Arusha for drop-off at your hotel, with the evening free.

    Overnight

    Charity Hotel, ArushaKibo Palace Hotel ArushaGran Melia Arusha

    Meals

    Breakfast and lunch

    

13. Day 13

    Arusha – Nairobi / Airport

    After breakfast in Arusha, our partner takes you to the shuttle bus for Nairobi, where you are met and transferred to the airport or your Nairobi hotel. If you are flying from Kilimanjaro or Arusha airport instead, you are transferred directly from the hotel to catch your flight home or onward to another destination. Confirm your flight details when booking so the correct transfer is arranged.

    Meals

    Breakfast

Your questions, answered.