Tanzania and Kenya Highlights

After a safari briefing in the morning, you will travel southwest towards the Tarangire National Park. With its interesting landscapes – from swamps to baobab trees – it is considered as one of the most beautiful parks in northern Tanzania. Elephants can be seen in herds of up to 600, along with wildebeests, Masai giraffes, buffaloes, and zebras. You will enjoy an extensive game drive until you leave the park in the late afternoon to travel to the Lake Burunge Tented Camp, where you will overnight. Welcome to your Tanzania and Kenya safari!

After breakfast you will travel from the Tarangire Area to the Lake Manyara National Park. The park is known for its over 400 bird species, primate-filled forests and grassy plains. A large area of the park is covered by the alkaline Lake Manyara, the seasonal breeding grounds for large colonies of flamingos and many more waterfowls. The park is also home to giraffes, hippos, wildebeests, impalas and groups of noisy monkeys and baboons. 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 to learn more about coffee production. You will spend the night at one of the three beautifully located Tanganyika Wilderness Adventure Lodges.

Rise and shine! After breakfast you will drive to the crater rim from where you will take on the steep and adventurous trail into the crater. Here, within a few square kilometres, you can find all the animals that live in the East African savannah. You will see a diversity of wildlife ranging from the “Big Five” – lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard – to wildebeests, Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles and mountain reedbucks in the forests on the slopes. The crater is also one of the best places to see the magnificent but almost extinct black rhino. You will spend the morning on a game drive followed by a picnic lunch. During the early afternoon, you will leave the crater and travel to the Serengeti. The Serengeti National Park is the most famous park in Tanzania, and it is here where the biggest animal migration in the world takes place. Herds of wildebeests and zebras cross the border between Tanzania and Kenya in search of fresh grass and water and predators are never far behind. Tonight, you will stay at the Kati Kati Tented Camp in the central Serengeti.

After sunrise you will leave the camp for an early morning game drive and return in the late morning to a hearty breakfast. Alternatively, adventurous guests can experience the Serengeti from the sky when joining a hot air balloon ride, followed by a champagne breakfast. This activity is optional and needs to be booked in advance. Those interested in seeing the visitor centre are also able to do so. Depending on time there will be another game drive in the afternoon before you return to the Kati Kati Tented Camp to spend another night.

After an early start, you will continue through the Serengeti National Park on your way out. There will be more time to spot animals you may not have seen already, perhaps the rare African wild dog? The Serengeti is also home to the “Big Five” – lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino, and leopard – and today you might be able to tick off all the members of this group. After leaving the park, the journey 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 inhabited region of Tanzania. Here at the ocean-like lake, you will see another side of Tanzania – away from the masses you will experience how the local people live. You can take a walk along the lake shore and watch fishermen at work – an experience unavailable on the usual tourist routes. You will overnight 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. Back on dry land you will depart 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 also live here and can be spotted all year round, as their sightings are not dependent upon the seasons or the great migration. You will overnight in safari tents at Mara West Camp on the outskirts of the 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.