12-Day Kenya & Tanzania - Maasai Mara · Lake Nakuru · Lake Naivasha · Amboseli · Lake Manyara · Serengeti · Ngorongoro Crater & Arusha

Day by day

12 days in East Africa.

1. Day 1

   Nairobi City – Maasai Mara National Reserve

   Pick-up from your hotel and transfer to our office, then depart for the Maasai Mara National Reserve via the Great Rift Valley viewpoint and Narok town for final shopping. On arrival, check in at the camp and settle in before the 4x4 Land Cruiser heads out for a first game drive with your driver-guide, tracking the animals and birds of the reserve as the afternoon cools and the herds move onto the open grass. Return after the afternoon game drive for dinner and the night.

   Overnight

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

   Meals

   Dinner

2. Day 2

   Maasai Mara Game Viewing

   After breakfast, a full day of game viewing within 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 considered Kenya's best park for game. Break for a picnic lunch at the Mara River, looking out for hippo and crocodile, then continue to the Tanzania boundary and keep game viewing until the sun sets. Head back at dusk for dinner and the night.

   Overnight

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

   Meals

   Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner

3. Day 3

   Maasai Mara National Reserve – Lake Nakuru

   Breakfast at leisure, then visit a Maasai village to experience the community's culture: listen to the songs, watch the dances and walk around the homestead to see how it is organised. Later depart the Mara region for Nakuru with lunch en route, with scenic views of Mount Longonot and Lake Naivasha in the distance from the main highway. Dinner follows, and the night is spent in Nakuru.

   Overnight

   Buraha Zenoni, Lake NakuruLake Nakuru Sopa LodgeThe Cliff Nakuru

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

   

4. Day 4

   Lake Nakuru National Park – Lake Naivasha

   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 common near the shoreline and the wooded slopes hold leopard and Rothschild's giraffe. Then drive back to Naivasha with lunch on the way. The evening is at leisure, with an optional boat ride on the lake to see hippo and fish eagle. Dinner follows, with the night spent by the lake.

   Overnight

   Leisure Apex, Lake NaivashaLake Naivasha Sopa ResortEnashipai Resort & Spa, Lake Naivasha

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

5. Day 5

   Lake Naivasha – Amboseli National Park

   After breakfast, choose between a nature walk in Hell's Gate National Park, the only park in Kenya where a walking safari is possible because there are no large predators, or a game drive through the park in the 4x4 Land Cruiser among zebra, buffalo, giraffe and eland beneath the cliffs. Have lunch, then make the long drive south past Nairobi to Amboseli National Park, arriving in the evening. Dinner follows, with the night spent in Amboseli.

   Overnight

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

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

6. Day 6

   Amboseli Game Viewing

   A day of game drives in Amboseli National Park, where the swamp grounds draw elephant and hippo in abundance and the drier plains around them hold zebra, wildebeest, antelope and many birds. You might also see Mount Kilimanjaro's peak if the weather permits, most often in the early morning before cloud builds. Picnic lunches are provided so the day can be spent in the park. Return after the day's game viewing for dinner and your overnight stay.

   Overnight

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

   Meals

   Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner

7. Day 7

   Amboseli – Namanga Border – Arusha

   An early breakfast, then a final game drive in Amboseli to close the Kenyan half of the safari. Continue to the Namanga border post, complete immigration formalities and board the shuttle bus to Arusha, where you are met and transferred to your hotel, booked on a bed-and-breakfast basis with dinner on your own account. The rest of the day is free to relax and prepare for the Tanzanian side of the adventure.

   Overnight

   Charity Hotel, ArushaKibo Palace Hotel ArushaGran Melia Arusha

   Meals

   Breakfast

   

8. Day 8

   Arusha – Lake Manyara National Park

   After breakfast, pick-up in Arusha at 8am to join the group for the drive to Lake Manyara National Park, arriving in time for lunch. The afternoon game drive tracks the animals that live in the park's groundwater forest and along the soda lake: elephant, hippo, giraffe, buffalo, baboon troops and flamingo, with a chance of the tree-climbing lions it is known for. Dinner and overnight at camp, with beds and bedding provided.

   Overnight

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

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

9. Day 9

   Lake Manyara – Serengeti National Park

   After breakfast, depart for Serengeti National Park by way of the Olduvai Gorge museum, the site where the Leakey family discovered fossils of human and animal ancestors dating back almost two million years. Arrive at your camp in time for lunch, then take an afternoon game drive on the Serengeti plains in the 4x4 Land Cruiser, looking for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and the great herds. Meals and overnight at camp, in tents with beds and bedding.

   Overnight

   Seronera Camp, SerengetiSerengeti Serena Safari LodgeFour Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

10. Day 10

    Serengeti National Park – Ngorongoro Crater

    After breakfast and a final game drive in the Serengeti, pack up and drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area with picnic lunches en route. The road crosses the short-grass plains and climbs into the highlands to the rim of the crater, which is counted among the seven natural wonders of Africa. Dinner follows, and the night is spent on the rim in tents with beds and bedding, where it is cool at over 2,000 metres.

    Overnight

    Simba Campsite, NgorongoroNgorongoro Serena Safari LodgeNeptune Ngorongoro Luxury Lodge

    Meals

    Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner

    

11. Day 11

    Ngorongoro Crater – Arusha

    After breakfast the 4x4 Land Cruiser takes you 2,000 feet down into the Ngorongoro Crater, viewing animals from the descent road and then across the floor, where lion, elephant, buffalo, hyena, zebra, wildebeest and, with luck, black rhino are resident. Picnic lunch is taken in the crater before ascending to the rim and driving back to Arusha, arriving at about 5:30pm. Overnight on a bed-and-breakfast basis; dinner is on your own account.

    Overnight

    Charity Hotel, ArushaKibo Palace Hotel ArushaGran Melia Arusha

    Meals

    Breakfast and picnic lunch

12. Day 12

    Arusha – Nairobi / Kilimanjaro Airport / Arusha 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. Let us know your flight details when booking so the right transfer is in place.

    Meals

    Breakfast

Your questions, answered.