14 DAYS 13 NIGHTS AMBOSELI/NAIVASHA/MASAI MARA/SERENGETI/NGORONGORO/TARANGIRE/ZANZIBAR

tarangire national park On this action-packed two week African safari tour, you explore East Africa’s best and most popular wildlife parks and reserves.

TOUR HIGHLIGHT

The Big 5 – Buffalo, Elephant, Leopard, Lion, Rhino
Ngorongoro crater
Sandy Beaches
Views of the Great Rift Valley Escarpments.
Wildebeest migration depending with season.

TOUR ITINERARY
DAY 1: Nairobi – Amboseli National Park
(250 km, 4 to 5 hours)

We will pick you up from your Nairobi hotel at 7.30am.
We drive to Amboseli National Park to start your Kenyan safari. With ever-present views of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Arrive mid-morning and enjoy the first game viewing drive of your 14 days safari.
We then proceed to the Lodge/Camp for check-in and lunch.
After lunch we spend the whole afternoon in the park for game viewing drive across the savannah scattered with beautiful yellow-barked acacia woodland.
You will see the abundance of herbivores including wildebeest, Burchell’s zebra and Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelle, while large herds of buffalo and elephant roam across the vast dusty plains.
Dinner will be served at your camp/lodge and you can reflect on your first day on African safari.

Accommodation Options at Amboseli
Standard options:

Kibo Safari Camp.
Zebra Plains Amboseli.

Luxury options:

Ol Tukai
Amboseli Serena Lodge

DAY 2:Full Day in Amboseli National Park

Amboseli has the constant backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro, and as the cloud cover breaks at dusk and dawn the dazzling snow-capped peak is spectacularly revealed.
After an early breakfast, we spend the day game-driving through Amboseli’s varied landscapes and hopefully find the big cats like lion and cheetah.
Take a break from the vehicle for lunch at the viewpoint on Observation Hill.
Later explore Amboseli’s marshlands and seasonal lakes fed by the melting snows of Kilimanjaro to see wallowing buffaloes and hippos and extraordinarily rich birdlife.
After a rewarding day, return to your Lodge/Camp for dinner and overnight.

DAY 3:Amboseli National Park – Lake Naivasha
(310 km, 6 to 7 hours)

An easy drive back via Nairobi takes you to picturesque Lake Naivasha—a beautiful freshwater lake fringed by lush acacia woodland and open grassland in the Great Rift Valley.
On the way, stop on the edge of the escarpment for tremendous views over the Rift Valley.
Arrive at Naivasha in time for lunch at your lakeside lodge.
In the afternoon, visit the towering cliffs and water-gouged gorges of Hells Gate National Park where you can go mountain-biking among the grazing herds of antelope or hike in the rocky crevices.
Later take a pleasant boat ride to spot Naivasha’s many hippos and water birds, and alight on Crescent Island for a short walk to view the impressive numbers of pelicans, cormorants and fish eagles, and perhaps have the opportunity to stroll close to antelope, zebra and giraffe.
Return to your lakeside lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation Options at Lake Naivasha
Standard options:

Lake Naivasha Crescent Camp.
Elsamere Lodge.

Luxury options:

Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge.
Lake Naivasha Country Club.

DAY 4: Lake Naivasha – Masai Mara National Reserve
(250 km, 4 to 5 hours)

Depart from Lake Naivasha for the Masai Mara National Reserve, an enormous wildlife haven that is Kenya’s leading safari destination.
It is geographically part of the vast Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, and combined,they stage the spectacular annual wildebeest migration as the massive herds cross back and forwards over the Mara River to follow the new rains and fresh pastures.
It is home to the Big Five, among numerous other interesting species of animals and birds, and your expert Kenyan guide will help you spot them.
Arrive in time for lunch.
After lunch, embark on an afternoon game drive.
At sunset return back to the Lodge/Camp for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation Options at Masai Mara
Standard options:

Basecamp Masai Mara.
Zebra Plains Mara Camp.
Mara Sopa Lodge.

Luxury options:

Ashnil Mara Camp.
Mara Serena Safari Lodge.
Sarova Mara Game Camp.

DAY 5:Full day in Masai Mara National Reserve

You may opt to start your day with an optional hot air balloon safari which can be pre-arranged at a cost of US$425 per person. It’s a wonderful experience to float over the plains and rivers in the dawn light watching the wildlife below.
After an early breakfast and with packed lunches, a full day is spent exploring the reserve in search of the Big Five and other animals including antelope, cheetah, giraffe, hyena, warthog and jackal on the grassy plains and rocky kopjes.
At sunset return to your lodge/camp for dinner and overnight.

DAY 6:Full day in Masai Mara National Reserve

This is a day to relax and enjoy the scenic beauty of the Masai Mara from the comfort of your camp/lodge.
Spa treatments are available at most accommodation options for an extra cost.
Visiting a Maasai village is another optional at an extra cost of US$20 per person. This is a wonderful introduction to the culture of Maasai warriors who have a deep and symbolic relationship with the lands and animals of the Mara.
You’ll be greeted with traditional song and dance and invited to explore a Maasai home to further learn about their culture.

DAY 7: Masai Mara National Reserve – Serengeti National Park
(350 km, 6 to 7 hours)

Our morning drive goes from the Masai Mara to the Isebania border where we swap from Kenyan to Tanzanian guides and vehicles and begin your Tanzanian safari.
Continue to the western gate of the Serengeti National Park—meaning ‘endless plains’ in the Maasai language, it is one of Africa’s largest and most celebrated wilderness areas and home to all the animals people expect to see on safari.
There is the option to stop for a packed lunch on the shores of Lake Victoria and visit a fishing village, or head straight into the park for game-viewing on the way to your camp/lodge.
Dinner is served and you can rest and prepare for the adventures of the next day on your first Tanzania safari.

Standard options:

Acacia Central Camp.
Kati Kati Tented Camp.

Luxury options:

Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge.
Serengeti Wilderness Camp.

DAY 8:Full Day in Serengeti National Park

Today go on morning/afternoon or full-day game-drives to explore the park’s varied and scenic landscapes from flat short grasslands to forested valleys following the river courses.
The annual migration is the Serengeti’s most famous attraction, when an estimated two million hooved animals—mostly wildebeest and zebra—move in and out of Kenya’s Masai Mara following the rains.
It’s also an excellent park to spot the big cats, especially families of cheetah that can be often seen around the granite outcrops known as kopjes, and many prides of lions, some of which have been fitted with radio-collars so that their movements may be tracked.
Other predators include spotted hyena, jackal and bat-eared fox, while plains game is abundant.
Return to your Lodge/Camp for dinner and overnight

DAY 9:Serengeti National Park – Ngorongoro Conservation Area
(160 kms 3 to 4 hours)

Depart the Serengeti with a picnic lunch.
Drive into the neighboring Ngorongoro Conservation Area—Tanzania’s highland region of plains, woodlands and forests that protects the 600-metre-deep Ngorongoro Crater, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is the world’s largest caldera and was formed when a volcano erupted and collapsed on itself approximately two and a half million years ago. The well-fertilized volcanic soils create some of the most fertile and richest grazing grounds in Africa and it is often referred to as ‘the Garden of Eden’.
From the crater rim we descend to the crater floor, which is a natural wildlife sanctuary attracting an array of wildlife from lion and leopard to elephant and rhino.
Your expert Tanzania guide will show you every corner of the dramatic landscape where you will easily see all the major safari animals
Later, we ascend back to the crater rim, where you may catch a glimpse of a magnificent sunset.
Return to the Camp/Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Standard options:

Ngorongoro Farm House
The Castle at Ngorongoro

Luxury options:

Acacia Farm Lodge.
Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge.

DAY 10: Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Tarangire National Park
(175 km, 3 to 4 hours)

This morning proceed to the Tarangire National Park arriving in time for lunch at your safari lodge.
Then on an afternoon game drive spot numerous species of wildlife which inhabit this small but beautiful park including large families of elephant, while lion and other predators are frequently seen. Zebra, giraffe, buffalo and wildebeest congregate at the Tarangire River—‘river of warthogs’—which is the primary source of fresh water for the animals.
It boasts over 500 species of birds, including eagles, falcons and owls, and species endemic to Tanzania like the ashy starling and rufous-tailed weaver.
.The last dinner on your safari part of the tour will be on an open deck overlooking the African bush.

Accommodation Options at Tarangire National Park

Standard Option:

Lake Burunge Tented Lodge

Luxury options:

Acacia Tarangire Luxury Camp
Tarangire Sopa Lodge.

DAY 11: Tarangire National Park – Arusha- Zanzibar by Plane
(139 kms, 3 to 4 hours)

After an amazing wildlife-watching experience, on the last three days of this tour, you unwind and relax on the beautiful white sandy beaches and azure Indian Ocean on the intoxicating island
The day starts with a morning game drive in Tarangire.
Then drive to Arusha town for lunch and then transfer to the airport for your afternoon flight to Zanzibar.
Located in the Indian Ocean and with an all-year-round hot, sunny climate, this beautiful island is conducive to a beach holiday and is the perfect way to relax at the end of a wildlife safari.
Upon arrival, you will be met by our local representative and transferred to your resort.
You will meet the exceptionally friendly Swahili people, and at dinner, enjoy the delicious coastal cuisine which could be seafood combined with Zanzibar’s famous aromatic spices.

Accommodation Options in Zanzibar
Standard options:

Kikoi Boutique Hotel
The Loop Beach Resort.

Luxury options:

The Z hotel Zanzibar.
Passion Boutique Hotel

DAY 12:Zanzibar at your Leisure

Enjoy Zanzibar’s palm-fringed white sandy beaches, crystal-clear turquoise warm sea, and coral reefs teeming with colorful marine life.
Not forgetting the delicious Swahili cuisine and friendly people.
The island’s dramatic history includes Arab sultans, Portuguese seafarers, European explorers and the slave trade; all of which have left their mark in the capital Stone Town, one of Africa’s best-preserved historical cities and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Admire the beautiful Arabic architecture and sultans’ palaces, and discover eclectic shops and markets in the labyrinth of narrow alleyways.

DAY 13:Zanzibar at your Leisure

Enjoy another day relaxing on the beach, or explore Zanzibar on optional excursions.
Half day trips include: a Swahili Cultural Tour, Spice Tour, Stone Town Tour, or a Spice Tour combined with a Swahili cooking lesson.
Full day tours include: Dolphin Sandbank Picnic, Prison Island & Mangapwani Beach, Spice & Stone Town, Slave Market, or Spice Farm & Cultural Village.
We can book tours in advance or arrange at reception at your accommodation upon check-in.

DAY 14:Zanzibar – Nairobi by Plane
(1 hour 30 minutes)

Enjoy a leisurely last breakfast in the Zanzibar sun shine and reflect on your exciting two week East African holiday before transferring to Zanzibar Airport for your flight back to Nairobi.
On arrival you will be shown to the terminal for your departure flight back home.

What's Included