East African Explorer, Sopa Lodges (Multi country)

Upon arrival in Nairobi, you will be met by a representative and transferred to your hotel. Enjoy an afternoon at your own leisure, perhaps taking advantage of the facilities of the hotel and its landscaped gardens. A visit to Nairobi city centre, which is just a few kilometres away, is also an option. 

Overnight in Nairobi. 

Leaving Nairobi very early in the morning, we will travel towards Kenya's fertile highlands and head down the Rift Escarpment on a road built by Italian prisoners during World War II. Keep an eye out for the charming chapel they built at the foot of the escarpment. As you head across the valley to Narok, pass the futuristic Longonot earth satellite station and then travel through the hypnotising fields of wheat and barley. Reach Maasai Mara and the Mara Sopa Lodge in time for lunch, and perhaps, a siesta. Afterwards, it’s time for the first game drive of the tour. At Mara Sopa Lodge, the accent is on both the indigenous Maasai people and the fabulous wealth of wildlife, birdlife, and natural flora seen in every direction. The lodge is located in the Oloolaimutia valley and built into the surrounding hillside landscape. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. 

Overnight in Maasai Mara.

Have an early, delicious breakfast. Then, enjoy a magnetising morning game drive. The Maasai Mara National Reserve is home to millions of wild animals, including the fabled Big Five of lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and black rhinos. There are also antelopes, gazelles and wildebeest, among many other fascinating species. Return to the lodge for lunch, and perhaps a siesta, before setting off for an afternoon game drive and a visit to the Masai Village. Return to the lodge as the sun sets. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Overnight in Maasai Mara 

Bid farewell to the Maasai Mara after breakfast and travel across the ‘breadbasket’ of Kenya. Wheat and barley plantations dominate the landscape as you head north to Narok, the district headquarters of this part of Maasailand. Cross the vast plains on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, keeping an eye out for herds of giraffes and gazelle as you head up the Mai -Mahiu. Arrive at Lake Nakuru at about midday. The waters often have a shimmering pink colour, from the thousands of flamingos that line its shores. After lunch, depart for an afternoon game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park. Like all the beautiful flamingos, both black and white rhino are being carefully protected and given a new lease of life in this fully fenced 188 square kilometre park. The rhino population numbers more than 50 and continues to grow. The Rothschild’s giraffe is another rarity, and the park has its fair share of buffaloes, leopards, zebras, elands, waterbucks, and lions. Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge is located on a range of hills that form the western limits of Africa’s Great Rift Valley and offers spectacular views over the vastness of Africa. The lodge overlooks Lake Nakur, as well as its surrounding National Park and it is a paradise for bird-watchers and wildlife lovers alike. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Overnight at Lake Nakuru. 

Rise early for breakfast before continuing the adventure with a drive south for a boat ride on Lake Naivasha, which provides a habitat for hundreds of bird species and hippos. The lake is located at one of the highest elevations in the Rift Valley, which we leave behind as the tour proceeds towards Nairobi for a picnic lunch. Head south to Amboseli National Park, arriving at Amboseli Sopa Lodge by late afternoon. The lodge lies at the heart of Amboseli National Park, which is itself at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. This area is considered one of the best spots for viewing elephants at close range. Amboseli Sopa Lodge provides an unequalled base from which to explore the park and to take some great photos of this stunning snow-capped mountain. The lodge is also close to where Ernest Hemingway lived while writing his famous story, ‘The Snows of Kilimanjaro’. Here you can enjoy your own private veranda, as well as several bars, a superb pool framed by Kilimanjaro, a TV lounge and many other small niceties that contribute to making this a stunning location. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Overnight at Amboseli.

Feast on breakfast in preparation of a morning and afternoon spent on game drives in Amboseli National Park. Most of the park consists of a partially dry lake bed of evaporated salts and fragile grassland with patches of acacia woodland. You can see most types of game in the park, including rhinos, giraffes, gazelles, lions, cheetahs and leopards. Birdlife is prolific, too, especially around the swamp areas. This entire experience is carried out under the shadow of the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro, which rises some 5,000 metres above the national park. There is a picnic lunch at the park, before returning to the lodge, later in the afternoon. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Overnight at Amboseli.

After breakfast, make the short journey to the border with Tanzania and then on to the city of Arusha for lunch. In the afternoon, depart Arusha and pass through the Maasai Steppe, a landscape dotted by many picturesque tribal villages as well as maize, coffee and banana plantations. Turn north-west at the town of Makuyuni and continue through a scenic escarpment that brings you to Lake Manyara Kilimamoja Lodge. Perched on the edge of the Rift Valley and boasts magnificent panoramic views over the valley and Lake Manyara in the distance. All suites offer incredible views of the surrounding areas, set in a verdant garden scene. The African-style lodges are grouped around a dramatic infinity pool and boast a beautiful outdoor fireplace and relaxation areas. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Overnight at Lake Manyara.

After breakfast in Lake Manyara National Park, indulge in a thrilling game drive. This park is famous for its varied birdlife – notably flamingos – in the wet season and large mammal viewings in the dry season. Tree-climbing lions, large-tusked elephants, and one-and-a-half-tonne hippos are counted among the denizens of this fascinating park. Return to the lodge for lunch and then head to the north of Ngorongoro Conservation Area, driving across the hilly countryside of the highlands. From here stretch the vast plains of the Serengeti, where you’ll hopefully start spotting game well before you enter the park. Accommodation is at the Serengeti Sopa Lodge, which is in the Nyarboro Hills, the only development for tourists in this section of the park. The area’s year-round water and the acacia woodland create an ideal environment for the wide variety of wildlife seen in the immediate vicinity of the lodge. Looking out over the seemingly endless Serengeti plains, this hillside lodge is a tranquil oasis of 79 suites, each with a private veranda offering wonderful views over the plains. As the sun sets, you may enjoy sundowner cocktails by the pool, and in the evening, after a four-course dinner, traditional dancers entertain guests. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Overnight in Serengeti.

The Serengeti is famed for being home to millions of animals and the annual Great Migration of wildebeests, zebras and gazelles but the dramatic landscapes in which the wildlife prowls are themselves worthy of admiration. Riverine forests and woodlands, rocky outcrops called kopjes and a volcano are just some of the backdrops in which the animals can be spotted during the morning and afternoon game drives. With some luck, here you will see the Big Five and, with great luck, the harder-to-spot species grouped as the Little Five: the ant lion, the rhino beetle, the elephant shrew; the buffalo weaver; and the leopard tortoise. Birds and reptiles are also plentiful in Serengeti National Park. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Overnight in Serengeti. 

Take to the road after breakfast for a breathtaking drive to Ngorongoro Crater. There will be a pause along the way for a picnic lunch while viewing game in the Serengeti plains. Continue with a short visit of a Masai Village, on your war to the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, which is located at Lemala Hill, the highest point on the crater’s rim at the eastern end thus enjoying the kaleidoscope of colours of the sunset to the west every evening. You can enjoy the sunshine during most of the year, even when it gets nippy (June-July), and must take care when sunbathing by the pool due to the altitude. Meals feature international and Tanzanian dishes. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Overnight in Ngorongoro.

A spellbinding experience awaits you this morning as you explore what is considered to be the world’s largest wildlife zoo. After breakfast, descend through the early morning mists to the basin of the crater, some 600 metres below the rim, for a picnic lunch. The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera and due to its size – it has a diameter of 19km – and diversity, the crater floor features distinct areas that range from forests, swamps, lakes and springs to open grasslands and sandy dunes. The crater has traditionally been inhabited by the Maasai people, who share it with more than 25,000 wild animals, including black rhinos, wildebeest, zebras, eland, gazelles, lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, hyenas, jackals and cheetahs and more. It’s an awesome wildlife experience. Return to the lodge in the late afternoon. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Overnight in Ngorongoro. 

Depart the Ngorongoro Crater after breakfast and head southeast towards Lake Manyara, Mto Wa Mbu village and Tarangire National Park. Through the highlands and the Karatu district, pass scenic wheat plains and coffee plantations, journeying down a spectacular escarpment before arriving at the park and on to Tarangire Sopa Lodge. Enjoying a game drive en-route. After lunch, and perhaps a swim, the remainder of the afternoon is spent on a game drive in the park, which is home to one of the greatest concentration of elephants in Africa and other game, including the elusive leopard, zebras and tree-climbing lions. More than 550 bird species can be spotted here as well. Surrounded by ancient baobab trees, Tarangire Sopa Lodge is almost hidden among the kopjes of the national park. The pretty gardens feature a large, circular pool with a central island, a pool bar and elegant wooden loungers. A broad veranda wraps itself around the lodge and offers prime viewing over a waterhole below, which is filled during the dry season and becomes a magnet to wildlife. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Overnight in Tarangire.

Say goodbye to Tarangire after breakfast and drive to Arusha, arriving in time for lunch. Continue to Nairobi in the afternoon and onto a central Nairobi restaurant for dinner, before transfer and drop-off at Nairobi Airport. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Flights to be booked from 11:00 pm onwards.