14 Day Serengeti, Masai Mara & The Best Of East Africa

Welcome to Nairobi! Upon arrival you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. 

Nairobi is a cosmopolitan, lively and interesting city. Its central business district is nicely compact and it’s a great place to tune into modern urban African life. 

While also a thriving modern capital, it’s known as the safari capital of Africa with some of the world’s most exciting national parks right on its doorstep.

The rest of the day is free for you to relax in Kenya’s capital city.

Leaving Nairobi after breakfast, we’ll travel towards Kenya's fertile highlands and head down the rift escarpment on the road built by Italian prisoners of war during World War II. On the way, spot the charming chapel built at the foot of the escarpment and the impressive Longonot Earth Satellite Station. We’ll reach the Masai Mara in time for lunch before setting off on the first of many unforgettable game drives to come. 

This is one of Kenya’s oldest and most loved safari destinations. Here the various habitats are home to a great variety of game including lion, leopard, cheetah, zebra, wildebeest (gnu), giraffe, buffalo, jackal, topi, gazelle, impala and elephant. Hippopotamus and crocodile are also plentiful in the rivers and the bird life is abundant.

The Great Wildebeest Migration here is world famous, with around two million animals – mainly wildebeest, with some zebra and antelopes – arriving here from the Serengeti, from about July through to October.

Today we’ll spend the whole day game viewing in the world-renowned Masai Mara National Reserve. Following an early breakfast, depart on a morning game drive, returning to the camp mid-morning for lunch, and perhaps a siesta, before setting off on another game drive and visiting the Masai Village, returning to the lodge as the sun sets.

Leaving the Masai Mara after breakfast, travel across the ‘breadbasket’ of Kenya, where acres of wheat and barley litter the landscape. Be sure to keep an eye out for herds of giraffes and gazelle as we travel across the vast plains on the floor of the Rift Valley and head up the Mai-Mahiu before arriving at Lake Nakuru around midday. 

Following lunch and a siesta, we’ll embark on an afternoon game drive returning to the lodge at sunset. The national park, known for its birdlife, offers a fantastic chance to view flamingos in their natural habitat. It is also home to both black and white rhinos as well as the endangered Nubian (Rothschild’s) giraffe.

Following an early breakfast, continue to Lake Naivasha for a spectacular boat ride. One of Africa’s most renowned freshwater lakes, chances are good for spotting some of its inhabitants including the protected hippopotamus. 

Then, leaving the Rift Valley behind, proceed to Nairobi for an early lunch and continue south towards Amboseli National Park. We’ll arrive at our lodge by late afternoon. With five main wildlife habitats – open plains, acacia woodland, rocky thorn bush country, swamps and marshland – it’s famous for its big game and scenic beauty. There are over 80 different mammals to be found and more than 400 bird species.

Crowned by Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, the Amboseli National Park is one of Kenya's most popular parks. The name "Amboseli" comes from a Maasai word meaning "salty dust", and it is one of the best places in Africa to view huge elephant bulls. There are over 1000 elephants in the park and visitors can see herds of up to a hundred at a time. With snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro in the background, this makes for the ultimate safari picture!

Today, enjoy morning and afternoon game drives in Amboseli where you can get up close to these amazing beasts in their natural habit before returning to the lodge as the sun sets.

After breakfast, our journey continues to the Tanzania border post and then on to Arusha for lunch. After lunch, we’ll pass through the Maasai Steppe filled with many picturesque African villages as well as maize, coffee and banana plantations. 

We’ll enter Tarangire National Park at the town of Makuyuni after clearing formalities. Keep an eye out for game viewing as we continue to our lodge, arriving in time for a hearty dinner.

This morning, board your safari vehicle for game viewing within Tarangire National Park in search of its large lion prides and elephant herds. We’ll drive through the baobab tree-lined park and explore the Silale swamp. 

After returning to our lodge for lunch, the afternoon kicks off with a drive north through the park and to the town of Makuyuni. We’ll then continue home on a scenic journey through the escarpment that brings you to the lodge, perched on the edge of the Rift Valley with stunning views over the distant Lake Manyara.

After breakfast, enjoy a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park in search of its famous tree climbing lions before returning to the lodge for lunch. Leaving Lake Manyara behind, we’ll travel north-west across the stunning hilly countryside of the highlands into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. From here lie the vast plains of the Serengeti, where you begin spotting wildlife as we approach the entrance gate. Stay alert for the incredible game viewing en route to the lodge as we arrive in time for dinner. 

Today is a full day dedicated to the incredible plains of the Serengeti, with both morning and afternoon games drives. 

The Serengeti is divided into three main areas; Seronera (Central Serengeti) is the most central and accessible region. This is where the park’s main headquarters and visitor centre are located, as well as most of the larger lodges and communal campsites. 

This part of the Serengeti is characterised by its quintessential African scenery – open plains of grassland, packed with animals. The Seronera River is the lifeblood of the Serengeti and this area is renowned for great game viewing year round. Also referred to as the big cat capital of Africa, It’s particularly good for lion and cheetah sightings, as well as the most elusive of all big cats – the leopard.

For those travelling at the end of the rainy season (May - July), you’ll also have the chance to experience the annual ‘migration' of over one million wildebeest and their attendant cast of predators.

After breakfast we’ll depart for Ngorongoro, viewing wildlife across the vast Serengeti plains and stopping en route for a picnic lunch. Our lodge this evening is set high on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest caldera.

Sometimes referred to as the eighth wonder of the world, the Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa's best-known wildlife areas. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it offers a unique biosphere, which has remained virtually unchanged since the dawn of time. Deep within the crater, enclosed by towering walls, some 25,000 large mammals wander the plains, lakes and forests of ‘the land that time forgot', dominated by enormous bull elephants, rhinos and lions.

A highlight awaits you this morning as we depart to explore what is commonly referred to as the world’s largest natural wildlife arena. After an early breakfast, we’ll drive to the crater entry gate and descend 2,000 feet into the crater through the early morning mist.

 Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera. Due to its size and diversity, the crater floor is comprised of several distinct areas, ranging from forest, swamps, lakes and springs, to open grassland and even some sandy dunes. Marvel at this truly unique wildlife experience as you relax with a picnic lunch box, served near a pond populated with hippos before returning to the lodge in the late afternoon. 

We depart Ngorongoro after breakfast and drive back to Arusha. After lunch you are transferred to your hotel where the rest of the day is at leisure to explore Arusha.

Enjoy breakfast before your transfer today to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) where your tour comes to an end. We hope you’ve enjoyed this once-in-a-lifetime safari adventure!