9 Days Amazing Safari in Tanzania and Kenya
The Best Wildlife Safaris in Kenya and Tanzania
Do you want to see the best of Kenya and Tanzania in one safari? Join this trip as this safari will introduce you to the best Kenyan and Tanzanian parks. It is a perfect choice for safari goers between July and October that want to see the great migration along with a chance to see the Big Five. See the abundant wildlife, enjoy the breathtaking landscape of the endless plains, and experience the amazing spectacle of African wildlife!
Itinerary
Day 1: Nairobi
You will depart your Nairobi hotel after breakfast and proceed to Maasai Mara. You will stop at the escarpment viewpoint to have a spectacular view of the Great Rift Valley. You will then drive down to the floor of the Great Rift Valley via Mai Mahiu town and head on to the Maasai town of Narok. You will have a brief stop in Narok town before proceeding to Maasai Mara, the home to the new eighth wonder of the world.
The Maasai Mara Game reserve is actually part of the vast Serengeti plains and is famously known for its spectacular great wildebeest migration and is a true home of the Big Five: lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, and cape buffalo. You will arrive in time for lunch at the lodge followed by a short rest.
At 3:30 p.m., you will explore the reserve on an afternoon game drive where you have a chance to see predators hunt for their evening meal as the Maasai people who co-exist side by side with the wildlife drive the cattle back home. Later, you will drive back to your lodge for dinner and spend the evening at leisure. Overnight at AA Lodge Mara. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinking water are included.
Day 2: Maasai Mara
Maasai Mara is one of the greatest wildernesses of the world and there is always something new to see. You will spend a whole day in the Mara, starting with a very early morning game drive at 6:30 a.m. as big herbivores are grazing. Large mammals are varied, abundant, and easy to see. Residents among the parks mammals are Maasai giraffe, buffalo, impala, zebra, topi, and both the Thomson's and Grant's Gazelles.
You will drive back to camp or lodge for breakfast and rest of mid-morning at leisure. You can also choose the optional activities available, such as doing a guided nature walk or visit the Maasai Village to experience their culture.
After lunch, you will proceed for another afternoon game drive with more action awaiting you in the plains. You could be lucky to capture with your camera as a lion prey on a zebra and make a kill for her cubs. Spend a full day out in the great reserve starting with breakfast in the lodge. Later, you will return to the lodge in the late afternoon. Overnight at AA Lodge Mara. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinking water are included.
Day 3: Maasai Mara - Lake Navaisha
On this day, you shall start the day with a very early breakfast. After breakfast, you shall pack your safari bags and depart Mara. You will have a morning game drive in Maasai Mara en-route to Lake Naivasha. You will pass the Narok town down to Mai Mahiu town and turn left to Lake Naivasha.
You shall arrive at Lake Naivasha in the afternoon where you check into your lodge followed by a late lunch. After lunch, you have a chance to visit the private Crescent Island Game Sanctuary for an amazing walking safari, where you have a chance to walk close to family of giraffes and other select herbivores. There are no big cats in this island. You even have a chance to chase a herd of zebras. It is an unforgettable experience getting close to the wildlife off your safari car!
Later, you will go back to your resort situated on the shores of Lake Naivasha for the evening at leisure. Overnight at Sweet Lake Resort. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinking water are included.
Day 4: Lake Navaisha - Amboseli National Park
You will depart Lake Naivasha after breakfast and drive back to Nairobi, and go to the south across the Athi Plains, home of the Maasai and then go to Amboseli. Set at the bottom of Mount Kilimanjaro, the Africa’s highest peak. The Amboseli National Park is normally referred to as the “Kilimanjaro’s Royal Court”. The ecosystem is mainly savannah grasslands and spreads across the Kenya Tanzania border.
Amboseli is renowned for its large herds of free-ranging African elephants as well as huge herds of wildebeests and many other animals, including giraffes, African lions, monkeys, zebras, hyenas, and antelope, with Mount Kilimanjaro as the beautiful backdrop. You will arrive early midday and freshen up, followed by lunch and a short rest.
You will later explore the Amboseli plains in an evening game drive at 4:00 p.m. Overnight at Kibo Safari Camp. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinking water are included.
Day 5: Amboseli National Park - Namanga Border
You will have breakfast and then depart with your safari bags from the lodge. You will have a game drive in the park en-route to Namanga Border. This early morning is one of the best times to see Mount Kilimanjaro. An early morning light that reveals the Mountain Kilimanjaro turns the dark hue of purple and its snow into an ethereal pink and the sight of the mountain high above herds of elephants crossing the Amboseli plains is a timeless African image.
Enjoy your game drive and head on to the Namanga Border for immigration formalities. You will be handed over to the Tanzania driver for onward safari to Arusha arriving in time for lunch. Overnight at Mc Ellys Hotel Arusha Tanzania. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinking water are included.
Day 6: Arusha - Tarangire National Park
The staff will meet you at the hotel and together you will have short briefing to finalize details and answer any additional questions regarding your upcoming Tanzania portion of your safari. You will depart from Arusha at 8:00 a.m. and drive to Tarangire National Park. You will begin the game viewing at the richest vista of an endless golden savannah.
You will see the Tarangire River with Baobab trees all along the riverbanks. This is a well-established viewpoint, where game can be viewed ambling to and from the river throughout the day. Thousands of animals migrate from Maasai steppe to Tarangire River looking for water. You might be able to see three rare species of animals, the Greater Kadu, the fringe-eared Oryx as well as a few Ashy Starlings.
Picnic lunches will be set on some of the picnic sites in the proximity of wildlife. Overnight at Crater Rim View budget lodge. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinking water are included.
Day 7: Karatu - Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, you will start your drive passing the unique and gorgeous Ngorongoro Conservation Area via the famous Oldupai Gorge, which is also known as “The Cradle of Mankind” to the Serengeti National Park.
The gorge lies on the same spot where once lay an ancient lake, which was covered by thick layers of volcanic ash, which carefully preserved the world's earliest records of mankind. This extremely important prehistoric site was discovered by Louis and Mary Leakey and the exhibitions from different periods in its history are on display in the Oldupai Gorge Museum, located on the gorge’s rim.
Your visit will also include the famous Maasai Bomas, where you will be able to meet the Maasai people and get to know their culture and habits. Upon entering the Serengeti National Park for your game drive, you will see the most intriguing and yet amazing African landscape rolls before your eyes. Here you will experience African wildlife in all its glory. Overnight in a budget camping inside Serengeti National Park. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinking water are included.
Day 8: Serengeti National Park - Ngorongoro Conservation Area
After breakfast, you will start with a morning game drive through the Serengeti National Park and then head towards Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The highlight of the expedition will be a game drive in the Serengeti. As far as the eye can see, thousands upon thousands of animals in herds, wildebeests and zebras migrating together, tall and graceful giraffes, jumping antelopes and gazelles, the powerful African elephant, and the most respected group of animals, the predators.
You will be able to spot cheetahs and shy leopards, foraging hyenas, and last but not least, the king himself, the lion. Overnight in a budget camping inside Ngorongoro Highlands. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinking water are included.
Day 9: Ngorongoro Crater - Arusha
After breakfast, you will proceed into the Ngorongoro crater for a half-day game drive, which is the eighth natural wonder of the world and the unique, world famous caldera with the most abundant wildlife. You will descend into the Ngorongoro crater floor. From the comfort of your open-top vehicle, descending down the crater, you will enjoy amazing panoramic views and if you are lucky, you will see the Big Five. The caldera is exhibiting more than 120 species of mammals.
You will see pools full of hippos, the endangered black rhinos, a wide variety of birds, such as secretary bird, white stork arriving from Europe during the wet season, Kori bustards, crowned cranes, and ostriches. It is for sure a landscape of sheer beauty.
Another big draw card to this picturesque park is its dense population of predators, which include lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, and the ever-elusive leopard, which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot. Today is the end of the tour. Breakfast, lunch, and drinking water are included.