13-Day Safari with the Best of Kenya and Tanzania

Welcome to Kenya and the beginning of an extraordinary journey through East Africa.

Arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, where you will complete immigration and customs formalities before meeting your local representative outside the arrivals hall. From here, transfer into Nairobi and settle in for your first night in Kenya.

Nairobi is one of Africa's most dynamic cities and an exciting gateway to the wildlife reserves, sweeping savannahs, and dramatic landscapes that lie ahead.

Travelers arriving early may choose to add an optional Nairobi experience. Visit the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to learn about its renowned elephant rescue and rehabilitation program. Explore the landscapes and stories made famous by Out of Africa. For a completely different perspective, join a Nai Nami Cultural Walking Tour and experience Nairobi through the eyes of local guides who share personal stories and insights into life in the city.

Meals included: n/a
Mid-Range Accommodations: Eka Hotel
Luxury Accommodations: Nairobi Serena Hotel

After breakfast, depart Nairobi and begin the journey into the heart of Kenya's safari country.

Travel through the fertile Kenyan highlands before descending toward the immense Great Rift Valley, one of the most dramatic geological features on Earth. Along the way, pass the historic chapel constructed by Italian prisoners of war and the Longonot Earth Satellite Station before continuing through Narok and the traditional lands of the Maasai people. By midday, arrive in the legendary Masai Mara National Reserve.

After lunch, set out on your first game drive.

The Masai Mara is one of Africa's greatest wildlife destinations. Its rolling grasslands, acacia dotted plains, and river valleys support an extraordinary concentration of wildlife. Lions rest beneath scattered trees, elephants move across the savannah, giraffes browse above the bush, and herds of zebra, wildebeest, and antelope spread across the plains. During the seasonal Great Migration, enormous herds move between Tanzania's Serengeti and the Masai Mara in one of the world's greatest wildlife spectacles.

Continue exploring until late afternoon, when the light softens and the savannah takes on its distinctive golden glow. Return from your first safari as the sun sets over the Mara.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Zebra Plains Mara Camp
Luxury Accommodations: Mara Serena Safari Lodge

Rise to the sounds of the African bush and set out for another day of wildlife exploration in the Masai Mara. Morning is one of the best times to be on safari. Temperatures are cooler, wildlife is active, and predators may still be hunting after the night. Search the open plains and river valleys for lions, elephants, giraffes, buffalo, cheetahs, and the many antelope species that thrive within this remarkable ecosystem.

Return during the middle of the day for lunch and time to relax before heading back into the reserve for an afternoon game drive.

Today's experience also includes a visit to a local Maasai village. Learn about the traditions, customs, and pastoral lifestyle of the Maasai people, whose communities have lived alongside the wildlife of this region for generations. Finish the day with another sunset over one of Africa's most celebrated wilderness areas.

OPTIONAL Shared Hot Air Balloon Safari (extra price)

Depart before sunrise for the launch site and watch as the balloon is inflated in the cool morning air. As the first light appears over the horizon, lift silently above the savannah. From the air, the scale of the ecosystem becomes extraordinary. Herds move across the plains below while rivers, forests, and grasslands stretch toward the horizon. After approximately 50 minutes in the air, land on the plains and celebrate the experience with a bush breakfast before returning to camp.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Zebra Plains Mara Camp
Luxury Accommodations: Mara Serena Safari Lodge

After breakfast, leave the Masai Mara and travel north through Kenya's agricultural heartland. The journey crosses broad landscapes of wheat and barley before reaching Narok and continuing toward the Great Rift Valley. Arrive at Lake Nakuru National Park around midday and begin wildlife viewing as you travel through the park.

Lake Nakuru is centered around a shallow alkaline lake surrounded by grasslands, woodland, rocky escarpments, and stands of acacia. The varied habitats support an impressive diversity of wildlife within a relatively compact area.

After lunch and time to relax, return to the park for an afternoon game drive.

Lake Nakuru is particularly important for rhinoceros conservation and offers opportunities to see both white and black rhinos. The park is also home to buffalo, lion, leopard, zebra, waterbuck, and the endangered Rothschild giraffe. Birdlife is equally impressive, with more than 400 species recorded in the region. Depending upon water levels and seasonal conditions, flamingos may gather along the shoreline, adding splashes of pink to the lake.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Lake Nakuru Lodge
Luxury Accommodations: Lake Elmenteita Serena Camp

Begin the day with an early breakfast before continuing through the Great Rift Valley to Lake Naivasha. Here, exchange the safari vehicle for a boat and venture onto the freshwater lake. Lake Naivasha supports abundant birdlife and wildlife, and a boat journey offers a completely different way to experience the Rift Valley. Watch for fish eagles, pelicans, cormorants, and other waterbirds while hippos may surface nearby.

After the boat excursion, leave the Rift Valley and travel toward Nairobi for lunch before continuing south toward Amboseli National Park.

As you approach Amboseli, the landscape opens into broad plains dominated by one of Africa's most recognizable landmarks, Mount Kilimanjaro. Lion, cheetah, giraffe, zebra, buffalo, wildebeest, and numerous antelope species can all be found here, along with more than 400 species of birds.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Ol Tukai Lodge (Amboseli)
Luxury Accommodations: Amboseli Serena Lodge

Spend a full day exploring one of Kenya's most photogenic wildlife destinations. Set out early for a morning game drive when the air is cool and Mount Kilimanjaro often emerges clearly from the horizon. The combination of elephants crossing the open plains beneath Africa's highest mountain creates some of the most iconic scenes in East Africa.

Return during the warmer middle portion of the day for lunch and time to relax.

Later in the afternoon, venture back into the park as wildlife becomes active again. Explore wetlands alive with birdlife, dusty plains dotted with animals, and viewpoints overlooking the vast Amboseli basin. Return after sunset with a full day of classic East African safari experiences behind you.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Ol Tukai Lodge (Amboseli)
Luxury Accommodations: Amboseli Serena Lodge

Travel south to the Namanga border and cross from Kenya into Tanzania. Here, say farewell to your Kenyan driver guide and meet your Tanzanian safari team for the next stage of the journey.

Continue toward Arusha, Tanzania's safari capital, set beneath the slopes of Mount Meru. Stop for lunch before traveling west toward Tarangire National Park.

Tarangire offers a distinctly different safari environment from the grasslands of the Masai Mara and Amboseli. Ancient baobab trees rise above the savannah, their enormous trunks and twisting branches creating one of Tanzania's most memorable landscapes. Large herds of elephants gather along the river and surrounding wetlands, sometimes numbering in the hundreds. The park also supports lion, leopard, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, and numerous antelope species.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Luxury Accommodations: Tarangire Sopa Lodge

Wake surrounded by the wild landscapes of Tarangire and head out for a morning game drive. Early morning provides another opportunity to search for elephants, lions, giraffes, zebra, and other wildlife while enjoying the softer light and cooler temperatures.

Return for lunch before leaving Tarangire and continuing toward Lake Manyara and the Great Rift Valley escarpment.

Lake Manyara National Park occupies a spectacular setting between the towering escarpment and the alkaline waters of Lake Manyara. Although smaller than many of Tanzania's better known reserves, it contains an extraordinary variety of habitats. More than 400 bird species have been recorded around Lake Manyara. Flamingos, pelicans, storks, raptors, and numerous waterbirds can be found depending upon seasonal conditions.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range/Luxury Accommodations: Lake Manyara Serena Lodge

Begin the morning with a game drive through Lake Manyara National Park. Explore its remarkably varied ecosystems while searching for elephants beneath the forest canopy, troops of baboons, giraffes, buffalo, antelope, and the many birds that inhabit the lake and surrounding wetlands.

After the morning safari, return for lunch before beginning one of the great overland journeys in Tanzania.

Travel toward the Serengeti, passing through increasingly remote landscapes and the traditional lands of the Maasai. The Serengeti stretches across approximately 14,750 square kilometers of grassland, woodland, rocky kopjes, and river systems. Its name comes from the Maasai word meaning endless plains, an appropriate description for a landscape that seems to stretch without interruption toward the horizon.

The Serengeti supports an extraordinary concentration of wildlife including lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, hyena, and vast numbers of grazing animals. It is also the setting for the Great Migration, when more than a million wildebeest accompanied by hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle move through the greater Serengeti ecosystem following seasonal rains and fresh grazing.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range/Luxury Accommodations: Serengeti Serena Lodge

Today is dedicated entirely to exploring the Serengeti. The Serengeti experience changes throughout the year as rainfall patterns influence the movement of wildlife. Depending upon the season and location, you may encounter enormous herds of wildebeest and zebra or quieter landscapes where resident wildlife dominates.

Return for lunch and a midday break before heading back into the park for another afternoon game drive.

For an extraordinary perspective, an optional hot air balloon safari may be arranged. Depart before dawn for the launch site and watch as the balloon fills against the dark sky. At sunrise, rise silently above the Serengeti.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range/Luxury Accommodations: Serengeti Serena Lodge

Enjoy another morning in the Serengeti before beginning the journey toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Continue searching for wildlife as you travel through the Serengeti, with opportunities for unexpected encounters along the way. Enjoy a picnic lunch en route while surrounded by the vast landscapes of northern Tanzania.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is one of Africa's most extraordinary landscapes and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unlike a traditional national park, the conservation area protects wildlife while also allowing Maasai communities to continue living and grazing livestock within portions of the region. At its heart lies Ngorongoro Crater, the immense remains of an ancient volcano that collapsed millions of years ago.

The crater measures roughly 20 kilometers across and its steep walls create a natural enclosure for one of the greatest concentrations of wildlife in Africa. Approximately 30,000 animals inhabit the crater ecosystem, including lion, elephant, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, hippo, hyena, and endangered black rhino.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range/Luxury Accommodations: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge

Depart early for an unforgettable descent into Ngorongoro Crater. Covering approximately 102 square miles, the crater contains an extraordinary diversity of habitats within a relatively small area. Open grasslands, acacia woodland, freshwater springs, marshes, and alkaline lakes support an estimated 30,000 mammals.

Spend the morning exploring the crater floor in search of lion, elephant, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, hippo, hyena, and numerous antelope species. Ngorongoro is also one of the best places in East Africa to search for the critically endangered black rhino.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range/Luxury Accommodations: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge

Watch the changing light illuminate the highlands and crater below before enjoying breakfast and beginning the journey back toward Arusha. Travel through the fertile highlands of northern Tanzania, passing rural communities, farmland, and sweeping views of the Rift Valley region.

Arrive in Arusha around midday for lunch.

For travelers ending their safari in Tanzania, arrangements can be made for onward travel from Arusha or nearby Kilimanjaro International Airport. Travelers continuing to Zanzibar can connect with a flight to the island, exchanging the savannah for the white sand beaches and warm waters of the Indian Ocean.

Those returning to Kenya continue overland toward the border and onward to Nairobi, arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for their international departure.

As the journey comes to an end, you will have crossed two countries and experienced some of the most celebrated wilderness areas in Africa.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch