Tanzania and Kenya Highlights

After a short briefing in the morning, your safari will set off towards the Tarangire National Park. This park with its savannah, seasonal swamps and the life-giving Tarangire River is home to huge elephant herds – literally hundreds of animals. Animals gather at the river and besides elephants you should see mongoose, giraffes, bushbucks, hartebeests, dik-diks, waterbucks, warthogs and reedbucks all year round. After an extensive game drive, you will leave the park in the late afternoon and head to the Lake Burunge Baobab Tented Lodge where you will spend the night.

After a delicious breakfast, you return to Tarangire National Park for another game drive. Since the park is so rich in wildlife, you are sure to spot animals you didn’t see yesterday. Your guide will share his in-depth knowledge about flora and fauna of the region with you and you may be surprised how much you have seen and learned on only your second day of safari. The Baobab trees scattered across the park make Tarangire one of the most scenic regions on the Northern Circuit. After an extensive game drive, you will travel to Karatu in the Ngorongoro highlands. After your arrival, there might be time for an optional walk in the coffee plantations. You will spend the night at one of the three beautifully located Tanganyika Wilderness Adventure Lodges.

You will have breakfast at dawn before the 4×4 safari vehicle takes you to the crater rim from where you descend into the crater on an adventurous and steep trail. Down here in the crater you have the possibility of seeing all the animals that can be found in the East African savannah including the Big Five – lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard. The Ngorongoro Crater is also one of the best places to see the magnificent but almost extinct black rhino. After an extensive game drive, you will exit the crater in the early afternoon. The journey then continues to the plains of the Serengeti National Park – the most famous park in Tanzania and where the biggest animal migration in the world takes place. Hundred thousands of wildebeests and zebras cross the border from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara in Kenya in search of fresh grass and water, with hungry predators following close behind. You will spend the night at the Kati Kati Tented Camp in the central Serengeti.

Rise and shine! Up at the crack of dawn, you will be able to see the sunrise over the Serengeti before you join an early morning game drive. Upon your return to the camp, a hearty breakfast awaits. Adventurous guests may choose to experience the Serengeti from the sky and join a hot-air balloon ride followed by a champagne breakfast in the bush. This activity is not included in the tour price and needs to be booked in advance. Guests interested in visiting the visitor centre, are also able to do so. In the afternoon you will enjoy another game drive before returning to the Kati Kati Tented Camp for dinner and overnight.

After an early start, you will travel through the Serengeti National Park and on your way out of the park you might spot animals you haven’t seen yet. After leaving the park, the safari continues to Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa and the second largest in the world. The area around Lake Victoria is the most fertile and densely populated region in Tanzania. Here at Lake Victoria, you will have the chance to see another side of Tanzania. Away from the tourists and the masses, you will experience the lives of the local people. You can take a walk along the lake shore and watch fishermen at work – an experience unavailable on the usual tourist routes. The night will be spent at the Speke Bay Lodge.

After breakfast you will join the local fishermen and a guide on a canoe trip on Lake Victoria. You will see how the locals catch fish the traditional way and admire the previous night’s catch. After your fishing excursion you will set off on the longest journey of your safari – the trip to the Masai Mara. The road towards the Kenyan border is a long and adventurous one, but it should be worth it as the “Mara” is reputed to have the highest lion population of all reserves in Africa. Other large cats like leopards and cheetahs also live here and can be spotted all year round, as their sightings are not dependent upon the seasons or the migration. You will overnight in luxury tents at the Mara West Camp on the outskirts of the Masai Mara Game Reserve.

You can look forward to a day dedicated to safari and game viewing. On extensive game drives in your 4×4 safari vehicle you will explore the Mara Triangle, located in the north-western part of the Masai Mara. Far stretching grassland plains, dotted by acacia forests, dominate the landscape. You will take a trip to the Mara River, the greatest hurdle for the wildebeests and zebras on their yearly trek. At the end of October and the beginning of November, an incredible scene is set when the river swells to almost bursting levels and tens of thousands of animals prepare to cross it, knowing that possible death awaits them – as crocodiles are hiding just below the water’s surface. It can be a gruesome sight. At other times of the year, hippos, hungry crocodiles, and other animals can also be seen near the river. In the late afternoon, as the shadows start to grow longer, you return to your accommodation and spend another night at the Mara West Camp.

The following two days will be spent on game drives in the Masai Mara Game Reserve. Together with your guide you can search for the Big Five. You are in no rush, so you have enough time to enjoy all the wonderful moments which can make your safari a magical experience. The Mara is home to many other interesting animals too, such as Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, elands, and Coke’s hartebeests. Not often seen outside Kenya are the Masai giraffe, roan antelope and the nocturnal bat-eared fox. The reserve also has over 470 bird species including about 60 raptor species. You will spend two nights at the Mara Legends Camp inside the Masai Mara Game Reserve.

After breakfast you will leave the bush for Nairobi, Kenya’s bustling and often chaotic capital. You will arrive in the late afternoon and depending on the rest of your travel plans, you will be taken to your hotel in the city centre or directly to the airport.