Accommodation

We begin and end this East African adventure in hotels, spending one night in the centre of Nairobi and three nights relaxing in Zanzibar. We also spend nine nights camping, allowing us to fully immerse ourselves in the wild. Hotels Nairobi: Heron Hotel (night 1) We ease into the adventure with a stay at the Heron Hotel in the centre of Nairobi (unless you’re joining us tomorrow morning). If you’re itching to explore, tourist attractions such as Uhuru Park, Central Park and the Kenyatta Mausoleum are a short taxi-ride away. If not, the hotel has a heated pool, sauna and gym. What’s more, the Bashasha restaurant offers all-day dining with light meals and snacks, while the Mdalasini restaurant features a sunny patio and balcony and serves international dishes. Stone Town, Zanzibar: Shangani Hotel (night 11) Centrally located in Stone Town, this 24-room hotel is only a five-minute walk from the 17th-century Old Fort of Zanzibar. When you’re not out exploring, the hotel has a rooftop restaurant with views over the town and towards the Indian Ocean. Nungwi, Zanzibar: Crystal Beach Resort (nights 12-13) Just a few sandy-footed steps from Nungwi Beach, the Crystal Beach Resort is our spot to flop at the end of our adventure. The location is an obvious plus, but the property also has a garden, restaurant and bar, where you can relax and gather with the group and reminisce about the trip. Camping Camping on this trip is full-service, which means the tents are put up for you. All camping equipment (including mattresses) is provided except sleeping bags. Campsites in East Africa usually only have basic facilities – bring your adventurous spirit! – and there are no swimming pools at the campsites we use. At some sites, you can upgrade to a room, which can only be arranged locally. Below are the campsites we typically use on this trip and a rundown of their facilities: Kembu: Kembu Farm (night 2) Fire pit Neighbouring restaurant and cafe Shared long-drop toilets Hot showers Upgrades available Lake Nakuru National Park: Nderit Campsite (night 3) Kitchen facilities Shared toilets Hot showers Masai Mara: Mara Springs Camp (nights 4-5) Hot showers Restaurant Bar Tembo Beach: Campsite (night 6) Hot showers Restaurant Bar Serengeti: Public Campsite (nights 7-8) Shared toilets and bathrooms Cold showers Ngorongoro: Ngiri Campsite (night 9) Shared toilets and bathrooms Cold showers Arusha: Meserani Snake Park (night 10) Shared toilets and bathrooms Cold showers

Guide

There is a local leader, driver and cook and local guides where needed.

Others

All listed activities

Transport

Transport is in a specialist overland vehicle. These are ideal vehicles for seeing Africa, being robust enough to cope with some of the inevitably bad and bumby roads and having good visibility for the excellent scenery and game parks. The seats are bucket seats and have some padding. They have seat belts. There is no air-con, but the windows open. The luggage is kept in lockers at the back of the truck and there are overhead racks. The truck carries all the necessary camping equipment and is equipped with a large drinking-water tank. We travel in 4x4 vehicles in Ngorongoro Crater. During the rainy season, a 4x4 may be used in the Masai Mara. The driving distances and times are as follows: Nairobi to Kembu Farm: 113mi (182km), 5hr 30min Nakuru to Masai Mara: 141mi (227km), nine hours Masai Mara to Lake Victoria: 192mi (310km), 10 hours or more, depending on the border crossing Lake Victoria to Serengeti: 118mi (190km), nine hours Serengeti to Ngorongoro: 84mi (135km), eight hours Ngorongoro to Arusha: 99mi (159km), eight hours

Meals

All meals are included except lunch and dinner on Zanzibar; you should allow a further US$200 for these. All included meals are prepared for you by our chef and crew. They are adept at catering for large groups of hungry travellers! Breakfasts usually include cereal, toast and hot food, such as porridge or eggs. Lunches tend to feature a range of sandwich options plus a selection of fruit. Dinners usually feature soup, a main (a mix of local and international cuisine) and dessert. All cooking equipment is loaded onto the overland vehicle and so our crew are ready to prepare food wherever we stop – don’t worry about going hungry on this trip! You have time to stock up on snacks and drinks along the journey.

Not included:

Others

— Travel Insurance — Single accommodation (available on request) — Visas or vaccinations

Optional

Other activities and services are not included

Flights

International flights not included Flight to Zanzibar

Insurance

Insurance not included

Start planning your experience

Day 1 Day 1: Start Nairobi
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Start Nairobi

If you have booked your flights, arrive at the start hotel at any time today. Those on the group flights from London, UK, will arrive tomorrow afternoon. There are no activities planned, so relax and settle into Nairobi life. To make things easy, there are free transfers available from the airport, see the Joining Instructions in the Trip Notes for more information. Accommodation: Heron Hotel (or similar)
Day 2 Day 2: To Kembu Farm (Lunch,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: To Kembu Farm (Lunch,Dinner)

After the arrival of the group flights, we travel west into the Great Rift Valley to Kembu. We stay on the farm tonight and can go on a farm walk this afternoon. Accommodation: Kembu Farm or similar (full-service camping)
Day 3 Day 3: Full Day Of Game Drives In Lake Nakuru National Park (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Full Day Of Game Drives In Lake Nakuru National Park (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

This morning, we drive to Lake Nakuru National Park, where we enjoy a superb game drive. Although small, the park is home to an amazing variety of animals and birdlife. It also has a soda lake, which is sometimes home to thousands of flamingos. We hope to see endangered white and black rhinos, lions and, if we are very lucky, the elusive leopard. There is a stunning view above the lake from Baboon Cliffs and here we may see a rock hyrax, a small, furry relative of the elephant. Tonight, we stay just outside the park in a campsite with good showers and flush toilets. Accommodation: Nderit Campsite or similar (full-service camping)
Day 4 Day 4: To Masai Mara; Late Afternoon Game Drive (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: To Masai Mara; Late Afternoon Game Drive (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

Today we travel into the Masai Mara, one of the most famous ecosystems in the world. This vast grassland is teeming with life; plains game including wildebeest, gazelle, topis, zebras and buffalos, and never far away are the predators: cheetahs, lions and hyenas. Between mid-August and late October, one of the greatest spectacles on Earth takes place in the Mara – the annual migration of thousands of wildebeest, gazelles and zebras. Nothing is guaranteed on safari but, with the help of our brilliant guides, you should see and learn a huge amount about the resident wildlife as we game drive through the park this afternoon. We stay in a campsite just outside the reserve for the next two nights. Accommodation: Mara Springs Camp or similar (full-service camping) Upgrades available
Day 5 Day 5: Full Day Of Game Drives In The Masai Mara (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: Full Day Of Game Drives In The Masai Mara (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

We have a full-day game drive in the Masai Mara to increase our chances of encountering many of the wildlife species in the reserve. We find a quiet spot inside the park to enjoy lunch by our vehicle, looking across the plains. There are also several optional excursions you can enjoy today in addition to the game drive. Get up early for a sunrise hot-air balloon safari (including champagne and breakfast) or visit a traditional Maasai village to meet the local people. Accommodation: Mara Springs Camp or similar (full-service camping) Upgrades available
Day 6 Day 6: To Lake Victoria (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: To Lake Victoria (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

Our long drive today is up through the Western Highlands and allows plenty of time to appreciate the superb scenery. The road begins to descend and we leave the neatly ordered rows of tea bushes as we cross the border into Tanzania at Isebania. We camp in a pleasant spot at Musoma on the shore of Lake Victoria. Accommodation: Tembo Beach / Matvilla beach or similar (full-service camping) Upgrades and wi-fi available
Day 7 Day 7-8: Two Days Of Game Drives In Serengeti National Park (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 7-8: Two Days Of Game Drives In Serengeti National Park (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

Today, we turn east and enter the vast Serengeti Plain, one of the largest parks in Africa. There is a choice of routes into the Serengeti, depending on the weather: if it is dry, the 80mi (130km) Western Corridor is open and usually full of plains game. If it is wet, however, this road, which is built on black cotton soil, is impassible and we must enter the park from the north at Ndabaka gate. We spend two nights in the park so we have plenty of time to enjoy the vast open spaces and the variety of game. We camp at Seronera, where there are various camping areas, all in open bush with no fences to prevent the animals from visiting during the night. A real taste of wild Africa! Accommodation: Serengeti Public Campsite or similar (full-service camping)
Day 8 Day 9: Morning Game Drive; To Ngorongoro Crater (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 9: Morning Game Drive; To Ngorongoro Crater (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

We leave early and it is often possible to watch elephants and other animals browsing close to the campsite. The morning is spent game driving in the eastern part of the park, where it is unusual not to spot a pride of lions in their favourite place: under a big, shady tree. After crossing the vast grasslands, we come to the Ngorongoro entry gate at Naabi Hill. We travel up towards the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater, the wide-open plains below stretching as far as the eye can see. Finally reaching the top, the crater opens in front of us: a huge, natural caldera, one of the great sights of Africa. The Ngorongoro Crater is the largest unbroken caldera in the world, formed when a volcano top erupts, leaving fertile plains in its place. Before this happened, it was the highest mountain in Africa, towering over nearby Kilimanjaro. The crater is essentially made of grassy plains, lush forest and a soda lake, which houses flamingos and an array of birdlife. From the rim, at an altitude of 7,875ft (2,400m), the cliff plunges down some 1,970ft (600m) to the crater floor with a whole host of extinct volcanoes ringing the valley. Our campsite here is very basic and can be very cold at night, so please come prepared. Accommodation: Ngorongoro Ngiri Campsite or similar (full-service camping)
Day 9 Day 10: Explore The Ngorongoro Crater; Drive Along The Rift Valley To Arusha (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 10: Explore The Ngorongoro Crater; Drive Along The Rift Valley To Arusha (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

We descend to the crater floor in 4x4 vehicles and spend the morning watching large numbers of plains game, and the ever-present predators around them. We search for hippos in the murky pools and try to protect our food at lunchtime from the fearless brown kites, as they swoop and snatch anything that appears to be edible. After a fantastic morning, we continue our journey to the edge of the Rift Valley, where there is a great view over Lake Manyara (often tinted pink around the edges from large numbers of flamingos) and to Arusha. Accommodation: Meserani Snake Park or similar (full-service camping)
Day 10 Day 11: Flight To Zanzibar; Afternoon In Stone Town (Breakfast)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 11: Flight To Zanzibar; Afternoon In Stone Town (Breakfast)

We take a morning flight to Zanzibar, an island 22mi (35km) from the mainland. First visited by Arab traders in the eighth century, and countless travellers in the following centuries, it is most famous for its spices and was once the centre of the East African slave trade. We spend our first night in Stone Town and then two nights by the beach. Stone Town is a myriad of small alleys and markets. We recommend a spice tour around the island plantations with chances to taste and buy. Accommodation: Shangani Hotel (or similar)
Day 11 Day 12-13: Free Days For Optional Activities (Breakfast)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 12-13: Free Days For Optional Activities (Breakfast)

After a free morning in Stone Town, we transfer to our hotel by the beach. There is plenty to occupy your days here. You can relax on the eastern and northern beaches, with excellent snorkelling, sailing in a dhow and plenty of fresh seafood. The local buses are efficient and enable you to travel all over the island, although hiring a 4x4 for a day or two is a more exciting way of getting about and not expensive. It’s a fascinating mixture of culture, history and wonderful beaches. Accommodation: Mnarani Beach Cottages / Sunset bungalows (or similar)
Day 12 Day 14: End Zanzibar (Breakfast)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 14: End Zanzibar (Breakfast)

Our adventure ends after breakfast and we begin our return journeys home. If you’d like more time to explore, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay.

14 days tour

Kenya & Tanzania Adventure

This tour includes:

Not included:

Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip Kenya & Tanzania Adventure

Day 1: Start Nairobi

Day 2: To Kembu Farm (Lunch,Dinner)

Day 3: Full Day Of Game Drives In Lake Nakuru National Park (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

Day 4: To Masai Mara; Late Afternoon Game Drive (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

Day 5: Full Day Of Game Drives In The Masai Mara (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

Day 6: To Lake Victoria (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

Day 7-8: Two Days Of Game Drives In Serengeti National Park (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

Day 9: Morning Game Drive; To Ngorongoro Crater (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

Day 10: Explore The Ngorongoro Crater; Drive Along The Rift Valley To Arusha (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

Day 11: Flight To Zanzibar; Afternoon In Stone Town (Breakfast)

Day 12-13: Free Days For Optional Activities (Breakfast)

Day 14: End Zanzibar (Breakfast)

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