13-Day Magical Kenya & Tanzania Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Nairobi → Masai Mara → Lake Naivasha → Hell's Gate → Lake Nakuru → Amboseli → Namanga / Arusha → Lake Manyara → Ngorongoro → Serengeti → Tarangire → Arusha

1. Day 1

   Nairobi to Masai Mara

   The day opens in Nairobi with a morning departure for Masai Mara, descending the wall of the Great Rift Valley and passing through Narok and Maasai farming country. Once you reach Masai Mara there is time to check in before heading out among open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem. This is good country in which to look for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game. The reserve is best known for its big cat densities, and between roughly July and October the wildebeest migration commonly moves through the ecosystem. This is a joining departure, so the safari vehicle is shared with other guests. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Masai Mara.

2. Day 2

   Full-Day Masai Mara Safari

   The whole day is given to Masai Mara, with an early start to make the most of the cooler morning hours. Much of the day is spent among open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem. Species commonly associated with the area include lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game. A full day allows morning and late-afternoon drives when animals are most active, with the option of a picnic lunch out in the reserve. The reserve is best known for its big cat densities, and between roughly July and October the wildebeest migration commonly moves through the ecosystem. This is a joining departure, so the safari vehicle is shared with other guests. Dinner and overnight are again at your Masai Mara camp or lodge.

3. Day 3

   Masai Mara to Lake Naivasha

   You leave Masai Mara after breakfast and head for Lake Naivasha, following the Rift Valley escarpment road with its long views over the valley floor. Once you reach Lake Naivasha there is time to check in before heading out among a freshwater Rift Valley lake fringed by papyrus, fever trees and flower-farming country. Look for hippo, waterbuck, colobus and an exceptional range of resident and migratory waterbirds as the light softens through the afternoon. Naivasha is one of the few freshwater lakes in the Rift Valley, which is why boat trips and walking safaris are possible here rather than vehicle drives alone. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Lake Naivasha.

4. Day 4

   Hell's Gate to Lake Nakuru

   Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Hell's Gate bound for Lake Nakuru, travelling through the Rift Valley floor and the farming towns of the Nakuru region. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into a Rift Valley soda lake ringed by yellow-barked acacia woodland and steep escarpment viewpoints. Look for black and white rhino, Rothschild's giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck and dense birdlife as the light softens through the afternoon. The park operates as a sanctuary and is one of Kenya's more reliable places to look for rhino; flamingo numbers on the lake rise and fall with water levels. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Lake Nakuru.

5. Day 5

   Lake Nakuru to Amboseli

   After breakfast you leave Lake Nakuru and travel on toward Amboseli, travelling south past Kajiado and through Maasai rangeland toward the Tanzanian border country. Once you reach Amboseli there is time to check in before heading out among open plains, dust flats and spring-fed swamps beneath the bulk of Kilimanjaro. This is good country in which to look for large elephant herds, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and abundant water birds around the swamps. Amboseli is known for its free-ranging elephant families, and on clear mornings Mount Kilimanjaro often rises above the plains, though cloud can hide it. The evening is spent at your Amboseli accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

6. Day 6

   Full-Day Amboseli Safari

   You spend the day in Amboseli, heading out early and returning as the light goes. You travel through open plains, dust flats and spring-fed swamps beneath the bulk of Kilimanjaro, working the areas your guide judges most productive on the day. There is the possibility of seeing large elephant herds, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and abundant water birds around the swamps, though wild sightings are never guaranteed. The swamps stay green through dry months, drawing elephants and plains game into concentrated, highly photographable groups. Amboseli is known for its free-ranging elephant families, and on clear mornings Mount Kilimanjaro often rises above the plains, though cloud can hide it. Dinner and overnight are again at your Amboseli camp or lodge.

7. Day 7

   Amboseli to Arusha via Namanga

   Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Amboseli bound for Arusha via Namanga, continuing through the farmland and Maasai country below Mount Meru. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into northern Tanzania's safari gateway town below the slopes of Mount Meru. The crossing involves border formalities on both sides and an operating-team handover between the Kenyan and Tanzanian crews. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. The evening is spent at your Arusha via Namanga accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

8. Day 8

   Arusha to Lake Manyara

   The morning starts in Arusha, from where you continue overland to Lake Manyara, driving west from Arusha past Maasai settlements and the escarpment wall. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through groundwater forest, open floodplain and an alkaline lake beneath the Rift Valley escarpment. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes elephant, baboon troops, hippo, giraffe and large numbers of waterbirds including flamingo. Manyara is known for its groundwater forest fed by springs at the base of the escarpment, and for lions that are sometimes seen resting in trees. Dinner is served at your Lake Manyara camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

9. Day 9

   Lake Manyara to Ngorongoro

   You leave Lake Manyara after breakfast and head for Ngorongoro, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo and one of the few remaining populations where black rhino may be seen. The crater floor holds a resident concentration of wildlife year-round because the caldera walls create a largely self-contained ecosystem. Dinner is served at your Ngorongoro camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

10. Day 10

    Ngorongoro to Serengeti

    Breakfast is taken before you set out from Ngorongoro for the drive to Serengeti, crossing the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descending onto the open plains. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses. This is good country in which to look for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Serengeti.

11. Day 11

    Serengeti to Tarangire

    The morning starts in Serengeti, from where you continue overland to Tarangire, driving south-west from Arusha through Maasai grazing country. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into rolling country of ancient baobabs, seasonal swamps and the year-round Tarangire River. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes large elephant herds, zebra, wildebeest, eland and a notably rich birdlife. In the dry season the Tarangire River draws wildlife from a wide area, and the park is famous for its baobab-studded landscape. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Tarangire.

12. Day 12

    Full-Day Arusha Safari

    The day is set aside for Arusha, with drives timed around the first and last hours of light. You travel through northern Tanzania's safari gateway town below the slopes of Mount Meru, working the areas your guide judges most productive on the day. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. Dinner and overnight are again at your Arusha camp or lodge.

13. Day 13

    Full-Day Arusha Safari

    A full day in Arusha allows you to explore well beyond the areas reached on a short visit. Much of the day is spent among northern Tanzania's safari gateway town below the slopes of Mount Meru. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. Depending on the plan for the day, lunch is served at camp or packed to eat in the field. The evening returns you to your Arusha accommodation for dinner and overnight.