10 Days Kenya and Tanzania Safari

After an early morning pick-up, you will drive to Lake Nakuru National Park. Lake Nakuru lies across the equator and southward of Bogoria in the Great Rift Valley. It is known all over the world for its flamingos and is recognized as being one of the natural wonders of the world.

Lake Nakuru is also a rhino sanctuary, harboring a population of over 40 black and over 60 white rhinos. It is the flamingos, of course, that have always been the main attraction. There may be almost two million flamingos in residence at any given time, forming a stunningly beautiful deep pink band around the edge of the lakeshore. You will arrive in time for lunch and an afternoon game drive. Dinner and your overnight stay will be at a campsite or lodge.

Start the day with a morning drive to Masai Mara National Reserve. This is one of the few places left on earth where wildlife still lives comparatively undisturbed in the numbers that were once common across all the plains and forests of Africa. As the northern tip of the vast Serengeti ecosystem, the Mara hosts the spectacular seasonal migration of many thousands of wildebeest, zebras, and attendant predators. You will arrive in time for lunch followed by an afternoon game drive

After breakfast, we have a full day game drive in the Masai Mara (lunch will be a picnic). The reserve is well known for its black-maned lions and abundant wildlife. This is one of the few places where it’s possible to see the big five during a morning game drive. Many of the cheetahs are so tame they seek shelter from the hot sun under vehicles. Several even climb onto the roof to get a better view of prospective prey!

For the bird enthusiasts – almost 500 species have been recorded here. Among these include 16 species of eagle, many hawks and falcons, six species of vultures, eight species of storks, four species of bustard (including the Kori bustard, the world’s heaviest flying bird), and nine species of sunbirds.

Today you will transfer from the Masai Mara to Serengeti National Park via the Isebania border crossing. This transfer will take the majority of the day, but you will get to enjoy a game drive for most of it.

In the afternoon you will game drive en-route to your tented camp. Evening game drives are also available.

As you crest the hillside, the vast Serengeti spreads out before you as far as the eyes can see. Serengeti means “endless plains” in Kiswahili. This 6,900 sq. mile (18,000 sq. km) park is inhabited by more than two million large animals, including more than a million wildebeest, hundreds of thousands of plains zebras, and Thomson’s gazelles. Large predators, including lions, cheetahs, and hyenas, are drawn to the area by the abundance of prey that migrates throughout the park. Many smaller animals such as rock hyrax, bat-eared foxes, mongoose, honey badger, jackals, monkeys, baboons, and African hares also inhabit the area, along with nearly 500 species of birds.

You will spend the second day on morning and afternoon game drives in the Serengeti.

You have the option to add-on a visit to Olduvai Gorge or a hot air balloon flight. Accommodations can be upgraded to higher level options or downgraded to more economic ones (price reduction).

Today you will wake up very early for a pre-breakfast safari. The animals are more active at this time – and you get to witness a fantastic sunrise! The sunrise on the African savannah is one of the most beautiful experiences one can have. After the game drive you will return to the camp for brunch.

In the afternoon we will transfer to Ngorongoro, the eighth natural wonder of the world. With walls 2,000 ft high and a crater floor that spreads for 102 sq. miles, the crater is a virtual Noah’s Ark. It is inhabited by almost every species of wildlife indigenous to East Africa, including the rare black rhino. The crater has the greatest concentration of wildlife on the planet. The large bull elephants that reside here have extremely large tusks due to the rich mineral content of the volcanic soil and its grasses.

We will start the day very early and descend onto the crater floor for an incredible morning of wildlife viewing in one of the most stunning places on Earth. After the game drive, there will be time for a picnic lunch near the beautiful hippo Lake. We will then have time for a short game drive before we ascend the crater and exit the Ngorongoro Conservation Area for Lake Manyara.

After breakfast, enjoy a full-day game drive in the park. Although only 205 sq. miles, it is noted for its beauty and incredibly lush acacia forest of giant figs and mahogany trees, which are home to troops of baboons and blue monkeys. The park is also home to a large number of buffalos, giraffes, elephants, impalas and a Hippo lake, where large numbers of hippos usually gather. Well known for its birds (over 400 different species), Lake Manyara is one of the few places where you’ll be able to see the ground hornbill and the crested eagle. This park has become famous for the climbing lions and the flamingos on the lakeshore. The landscapes of this park are absolutely stunning, very different from the Serengeti for example. The game drives are done along the shore of the lake, providing incredible views of giraffes and buffalos in the foreground with the lake, flamingos and flat plains on the horizon.

In the afternoon, you’ll transfer to Arusha or the airport.