Kenya & Tanzania Adventure

Kenya and Tanzania are home to some of the most prolific game-viewing locations not just in Africa, but the world. This itinerary takes in a number of the national parks in and around the Great Rift Valley, giving the opportunity to observe some of the best wildlife and scenery Africa has to offer and finishing on the spice island of Zanzibar, a tropical paradise with white sand beaches. This trip includes a few of our Citizen Science Departures. These special departures offer you the opportunity to be involved in the collection of freshwater samples during the trip. The environmental DNA information derived from this sample will contribute directly to the eBioAtlas; the world’s largest repository of flora and fauna species data, contributing to the conservation and restoration of biodiversity both locally and globally. 

KEY INFORMATION 

9 nights full-service camping with shared facilities and 4 nights comfortable hotels all en suite. (Land Only clients have an extra night in a hotel in Nairobi)

Travel in specialist overland vehicle and flight to Zanzibar

Some drives on rough roads

Countries visited: Kenya, Tanzania

Location start: Nairobi

Location end: Zanzibar

HIGHLIGHTS ❇️

❇️ Enjoy game drives in Lake Nakuru National Park and the famous Masai Mara

❇️ See wildlife in the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater

❇️ Visit the exotic spice island of Zanzibar

❇️ Citizen Science departures available on this trip

Included ✅

✅ Accommodation

✅ All breakfasts, 9 lunches and 9 dinners

✅ All transport and listed activities

✅ Arrival and departure transfers

✅ Guide - Tour leader

✅ Detailed Itinerary (upon booking confirmation)

Not Included ❌

❌ Flights (optional item)

❌ Travel Insurance (optional item)

❌ Single accommodation (available on request)

❌ Solo traveller supplement (Where only one person is travelling on a departure date)

❌ Visas or vaccinations

⚠️ Optional items can be added to your travel upon your request

Onsite / Nearby ➡️

➡️ Exotic Wildlife

➡️ Country/Lakes

➡️ Rural/Coastal

➡️ Beach

Itinerary

Day 1 Start Nairobi

There are no activities planned today so you are free to arrive Nairobi at any time.

Accommodation: Heron Court Hotel or similar

Day 2 To Kembu Farm

After the arrival of the group flights in the early morning, we travel west into the Great African Rift Valley to Kembu, stopping in Nakuru en route to do some shopping and look around this typical African town. We stay on a farm tonight and have an opportunity to do a farm walk this afternoon.

Accommodation: Kembu Farm or similar

Full-service Camping

Meals Included: Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 Full day of game drives in Lake Nakuru N.P

This morning we drive to Lake Nakuru National Park where we enjoy a superb game drive. Although this is a small park it is home to an amazing variety of animals and birdlife. The park contains a soda lake, which is sometimes home to thousands of flamingos. We hope to see the endangered White and Black rhinos, lion and if we are very lucky the elusive leopard. There is a stunning view from baboon cliffs above the lake, and here we may see the small furry Rock hyrax, which is related to the elephant! Tonight we camp just outside the park in a campsite with good showers and flush toilets.

Accommodation: Nderit Campsite or similar

Full-service Camping

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4 To Masai Mara; late afternoon game drive

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, topi, zebra and buffalo abound in the rolling savannah, and never far away lay the predators: cheetah, lion and hyena. Between mid-August to late October one of the greatest spectacles on Earth takes place in the Mara - the annual migration of thousands of wildebeest, gazelle and zebra trampling their way across the long grass. Nothing is guaranteed on safari, but with the help of our brilliant guides you should see and learn a huge amount about the Masai Mara's resident wildlife as we game drive through the park this afternoon. Stay in a campsite just outside the reserve for the next two nights.

Accommodation: Mara Springs Camp or similar

Full-service Camping

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5 Full day of game drives in the Masai Mara

A full day game drive in the Masai Mara to increase our chances of encountering many of the wildlife species found in the reserve. We'll find a quiet spot inside the park to enjoy lunch by our vehicle, looking out across the plains. There are also several optional excursions that 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 Masaai village to meet the locals.

Accommodation: Mara Springs Camp or similar

Full-service Camping

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6 To Lake Victoria

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 behind 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 or similar

Full-service Camping

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7 - 8 Two days of game drives in Serengeti N.P.

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 130km of the Western Corridor, usually full of plains game, is open. If it is wet, however, this road, which is built on black cotton soil, is impassible, and we have to enter the park from the north, at Ikoma gate. We spend two nights in the park so we 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 of them 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

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9 Morning game drive; to Ngorongoro Crater

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 up in front of us, a huge, natural caldera, one of the great sights of Africa. The Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest unbroken caldera, formed when its volcano top erupted leaving fertile plains in its place. Before this happened, it was actually the highest mountain in Africa, towering over nearby Kilimanjaro. The crater is essentially made up of grassy plains, lush forest and a soda lake which houses flamingos and an array of birdlife. From the rim, at an altitude of 2400m, the cliff plunges down some 600m to the crater floor with a whole host of extinct volcanoes ringing the valley. Our campsite here is very basic indeed and can be very cold at night so please come prepared.

Accommodation: Ngorongoro Ngiri Campsite or similar

Full-service Camping

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10 Explore the Ngorongoro Crater; drive along the Rift Valley to Arusha

We descend to the crater floor in 4WD vehicles and spend the morning watching large numbers of plains game, and the ever-present predators around them. We'll 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 on to Arusha.

Accommodation: Meserani Snake Park or similar

Full-service Camping

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11 Flight to Zanzibar; afternoon in Stone Town

Take a morning flight over to the island of Zanzibar, 35km from the mainland. First visited by Arab traders in the 8th century, and countless travellers in the following centuries, the island is most famous for its spices, and infamous for being the centre of the East African slave trade. We spend our first night in Stone Town and then three nights by the beach. Stone Town is a myriad of small alleys and markets. We recommend a spice tour, around the island's plantations, with chances to taste and buy.

Accommodation: Abuso Inn or similar

Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 12 - 13 Free days for optional activities

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 visit Prison Island, where difficult slaves were kept, or 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 jeep 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: Cristal Resort or similar

Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 14 End Zanzibar

Our adventure ends after breakfast. Those on the group flights will be transferred back to Stone Town for their flight.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Transfer Details

Free arrival and departure transfers for all customers to and from the end hotel.