On Safari in Kenya & Tanzania with Nairobi - 2022

Welcome to Africa! Arrive this evening, check in to your hotel, and prepare for your safari adventure!

Start your private sightseeing with a visit to the elephant orphanage at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, founded by Dame Daphne Sheldrick. Here, you will learn about elephant conservation and meet elephant calves, orphaned by poachers, before they are re-introduced to the wild. Next, visit the Karen Blixen Museum, dedicated to the author of Out of Africa. Lastly, stop at the Giraffe Center, a nonprofit organization focused on saving the Rothschild’s giraffe, where you will learn about this sub-species and have the opportunity to feed them.

This morning, depart for Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya’s most famous game area. After lunch at your lodge, set out on your first game drive in search of the “Big 5”—lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and Cape buffalo.

Today, enjoy morning and afternoon game drives in the “Mara,” as it is called by locals. Part of the Serengeti ecosystem, the reserve boasts a strong permanent population of game. When the Great Migration of wildebeest and zebra arrives the population enlarges by almost 2 million. This provides a great food source for predators such as lion, cheetah, leopard, and hyena.

Today, board a plane for the quick flight to Nairobi. After a short break, drive to Amboseli National Park, best known for spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa at some 19,341 feet. Embark on an afternoon game drive before settling in at your lodge.

Morning and afternoon game drives offer you a great opportunity to get close to the mighty elephant. You might also spot Cape buffalo, zebra, wild dog, and more. During the heat of the day, relax at your lodge.

This morning, cross the border into Tanzania. After lunch in Arusha, proceed to your camp overlooking Lake Manyara.

Lake Manyara National Park is a small, ecologically diverse park with groundwater forests, grassy plains, and alkaline Lake Manyara itself. The park is also home to the world’s largest concentration of baboon. Watch for these mischievous primates, giraffe, hippo, and more on your morning game drive. Then, journey to your lodge and enjoy some time at leisure this afternoon.

Descend into the crater for a full-day game drive. Ngorongoro Crater is technically a caldera—the world’s largest unflooded one, in fact, at more than 2,000 feet deep with a floor covering over 102 square miles. Game viewing here is fantastic, as most of the animals stay in this area year round. You can see lion, Cape buffalo, hippo, elephant, and flamingo. This is also your best chance to see the rare black rhinoceros. A picnic lunch will be served in the crater.

Today, drive to Serengeti National Park, Tanzania’s largest and most famous park. Home to the annual Great Migration of wildebeest and zebra, it attracts visitors from around the world and is great for game viewing year round. Enjoy lunch at your lodge before an afternoon game drive.

The Serengeti covers an area of roughly 5,700 square miles, so it is no surprise that the name comes from the Maasai word siringit, meaning “endless plains.” Continue your exploration during morning and afternoon game drives. You have the chance to see the big cats—lion, leopard, and cheetah—as well as an abundance of other animals, including the Nile crocodile, giraffe, gazelle, and eland.

Fly back to Arusha and transfer to the Mount Meru Hotel, where a day room has been reserved for your use. Schedule departing flights after 5 pm.