9-Day Maasai Mara · Lake Nakuru · Amboseli · Arusha · Serengeti · Ngorongoro Crater Safari

Day by day

9 days in East Africa.

1. Day 1

   Nairobi – Narok – Maasai Mara

   Pick-up from your hotel between 7:30 and 8am and transfer to our town office to meet the group, 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 and check in to your camp or lodge. After a short siesta, take the first introductory game drive in the 4x4 Land Cruiser, 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 from 8am to 5pm. The landscape is scenic savanna grassland on rolling hills, and the Mara's extensive road and track network allows close-range viewing and photography from the vehicle, 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 in the river. 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 – Lake Nakuru National Park

   A pre-breakfast game drive from 6am to 9:30am tracks the big cats as they hunt in the cool of the morning. Return to camp for a full breakfast, then leave the Mara 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 the late afternoon and check in at Nakuru 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 National Park

   After breakfast, a game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park, known for its prolific birdlife including flamingo, its white rhino sanctuary and the buffalo and waterbuck along the shoreline. Then begin the long drive south via Nairobi to Amboseli National Park, with lunch on the way. Arrive in the late afternoon with game viewing en route to camp, where elephant are often seen near the swamps in the last light. There is time to settle in before dinner and the night.

   Overnight

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

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

5. Day 5

   Amboseli National Park To

   A day of game drives in Amboseli from 8am to 5pm. The park's swamps, fed by water from Kilimanjaro, are where large numbers of elephant and hippo bathe, and the surrounding plains hold zebra, wildebeest, antelope and abundant birdlife. If the weather allows you may see the peak of Kilimanjaro above the park, most often early or late in the day. Picnic lunches are provided. Return in the evening for dinner and a restful night.

   Overnight

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

   Meals

   Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner

6. Day 6

   Amboseli – Namanga Border – Arusha

   Early morning game viewing in Amboseli, then return to camp for a full breakfast and check-out. Drive to the Namanga border post, complete immigration formalities and board the shuttle bus to Arusha, passing Mount Meru on the way in. On arrival you are met and transferred to your hotel, booked on a bed-and-breakfast basis; dinner is on your own account, and an upgraded hotel is available for the price difference if you prefer.

   Overnight

   Charity Hotel, ArushaKibo Palace Hotel ArushaGran Melia Arusha

   Meals

   Breakfast

   

7. Day 7

   Arusha – Serengeti National Park

   Your Tanzania safari begins this morning. Set out from Arusha for the endless open plains and wide skies of the Serengeti, a scenic four-hour drive over the Ngorongoro highlands with a view into the crater from the rim road. A full day of game viewing from the 4x4 Land Cruiser follows, with lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and the plains herds, and a late evening game drive brings you to camp at Seronera for dinner and overnight.

   Overnight

   Seronera Camp, SerengetiSerengeti Serena Safari LodgeFour Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

8. Day 8

   Serengeti – Ngorongoro Crater

   An early morning game drive around Seronera, then back to camp for breakfast and packing before the drive across the plains to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. In the evening take a nature walk along the crater rim with a ranger, looking down into the caldera. Dinner follows, and the night is spent on the rim in tents with beds and bedding provided; it is cool at this altitude, so bring warm layers.

   Overnight

   Simba Campsite, NgorongoroNgorongoro Serena Safari LodgeNeptune Ngorongoro Luxury Lodge

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

   

9. Day 9

   Ngorongoro Crater – Arusha – Nairobi

   After an early breakfast, descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for a morning of game viewing on the floor, where lion, elephant, buffalo, hyena and, with luck, black rhino are found, and return to the rim for an early lunch. Ascend and drive back to Arusha, where you either catch the 2pm shuttle bus to Nairobi or are transferred to Arusha airport for a flight to your next destination. The published price is based on joining a group safari of seven.

   Meals

   Breakfast and lunch

Your questions, answered.