19 Days/ 18 Nights Best of Kenya & Tanzania Adventure Safari

(19 Days/ 18 Nights Best of Kenya & Tanzania Adventure Safari begins in Nairobi then proceeds to Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara Game Reserve, Lake Victoria, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Tarangire National Park, Amboseli National Park and returns back to Nairobi)

 

InterContinental Nairobi

Mara Serena Safari Lodge

Mbuzi Mawe Tented Camp

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19 Days/ 18 Nights Best of Kenya & Tanzania Adventure Safari

19 Days/ 18 Nights Best of Kenya & Tanzania Adventure Safari

19 Days/ 18 Nights Best of Kenya & Tanzania Adventure Safari explores East Africa which is legendary for its stunning National Parks ... Masai tribesmen herding their cattle ... great game, from Lions, to Hippos, to Rhinos ... the towering, cloud-shrouded peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

 

On this classic safari in Kenya and Tanzania, you'll discover Africa's wild beauty—and you'll do it in a small group of only 10-18 travelers, guaranteed!

 

Visit some of the world's densest collections of wildlife in the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire, and Amboseli. Talk with local residents in a Masai village and school.

 

Tour the home of Karen Blixen, author of Out of Africa. Stay in intimate lodges. Plus, stay six nights in tented camps. Even extend your trip to the 'Spice Island' — Zanzibar Island. It's a safari like no other ... and an adventure not to be missed.

19 Days/ 18 Nights Best of Kenya & Tanzania Adventure Safari Itinerary Summary
Day 1: Home - Fly to Amsterdam or London (Europe)
Day 2: Arrive in Nairobi
Day 3: Nairobi City Excursion, Karen Blixen, Giraffe Centre & Kazuri Bead Centre
Day 4: Nairobi – Drive to Lake Naivasha (Visit Crescent Island)
Day 5: Lake Naivasha (Visit Lake Nakuru National Park)
Day 6: Lake Naivasha – Drive to Masai Mara Game Reserve
Day 7: Masai Mara Game Reserve
Day 8: Masai Mara Game Reserve
Day 9: Masai Mara – Drive to Lake Victoria
Day 10: Lake Victoria – Drive to Serengeti National Park
Day 11: Serengeti National Park
Day 12: Serengeti – Drive to Ngorongoro Crater
Day 13: Ngorongoro Crater
Day 14: Ngorongoro – Drive to Tarangire National Park
Day 15: Tarangire National Park
Day 16: Tarangire – Drive to Amboseli National Park
Day 17: Amboseli National Park
Day 18: Amboseli – Drive to Nairobi – Departure. Nairobi Hotel (Day room)
Day 19: Europe – Home

 

19 Days/ 18 Nights Best of Kenya & Tanzania Adventure Safari Includes:
• Accommodations— only the most deluxe hotels .lodges and selected camps selected for the programme
• 48 meals— 16 breakfasts, 16 lunches, 16 dinners
• 12 days in national parks and reserves— 1 day in Ngorongoro, Lake Nakuru & Lake Manyara, 3 days in Masai Mara , 2 days each Serengeti, Tarangire, and Amboseli National Park

• With exception of transfers within Nairobi, when mini-buses are used, we use four-wheel-drive vehicle- custom built safari land cruiser for the entire safari

• 2 bottles of water per person, per day (1 bottle provided by your Trip Leader and 1 bottle at the lodge)

• Baggage handling included at hotels, camps and airports (for 1 piece of luggage per person, including tips)

• The best of Kenya and Tanzania Safari is limited to 18 travelers or less — guaranteed!
• Complimentary travel to and from airports for all our travelers, at any time

• Detailed daily briefings by our Tour Leaders and Safari directors
• Daily small group exploration and unique cultural activities

• Guaranteed window seat; open top for easy photography
• Pre–tour documentation with extensive travel information
• No surcharge or supplementary cost ever imposed
• Expert African Spice Trip Leader and driver-guides

• Once booked your trip will depart as scheduled
• All park and conservation fees— a $900 value
• Flying Doctor services in Kenya and Tanzania
• Extra game drives gladly provided

• Up to 19 game drives

19 Days/ 18 Nights Best of Kenya & Tanzania Adventure Safari Excludes:

* International Airfare

* A visit to a Masai Village
* Cost of obtaining passport and visas

* Gratuity for your professional driver guide
* Sundowner bush cocktails and bush dinner

* Christmas, New Year and Easter Supplement

* Gratuity for Porterage/ waiters at hotels, camps and airports

• Membership in Flying Doctors Society – Emergency air rescue
* Optional Hot Air Ballooning, Night Game drives, Nature walks etc

* Personal expenses such traveling insurance, excess baggage fee, communication charges that include, laundry, emails, faxes and phone calls beverages including luxury champagne, luxury spirits, beer, wines during meals or meals not indicated in the itinerary

 

 

19 Days/ 18 Nights Best of Kenya & Tanzania Adventure Safari Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: United States – Europe

We board our flight and enjoy the anticipation of Africa.

Day 2: Europe – Nairobi

Touching down in Nairobi, our Trip Leader meets you and handles your transfer to the Intercontinental Hotel or the New Stanley Hotel, the legendary starting point for Grand Safaris since the days of the earliest explorers.

 

Overnight at the InterContinental Nairobi or Nairobi Serena or similar

Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner}

 

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Day 3: Nairobi City Excursion

The name alone conjures up images of dashing characters and romantic adventurers, and today we feel the intrigue that has seduced travelers for centuries. Exciting special events are planned. After breakfast, a Safari Briefing answers questions and creates excitement.

 

You have the option of joining us for an orientation walk of the neighborhood around our hotel. Next is lunch at the New Rangers Restaurant, which is located outside of the city and overlooks a scenic bush area. You'll enjoy traditional Kenyan dishes and have the chance to see various game animals wandering in the bush below.

We travel to the nearby town of Karen to visit the museum dedicated to Karen Blixen, who wrote Out of Africa under her pen name Isak Dinesen. The Kikuyu people she wrote about with great affection are still one of Kenya’s major ethnic groups.

 

The Danish writer, as you may know, “had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills.” Here she lived from 1914 to 1931. The Danish government gave the beautiful house to the country of Kenya upon its independence, and today it is a museum furnished with much of her original period furniture and open to visitors. This is a fascinating peek into the lives of early Kenya settlers.

To add a touch of African nature to today’s encounters with African culture, we stop in at the Giraffe Center, where you can get close to these towering animals and photograph them. “Giraffe Manor,” a beautiful Tudor-style manor house, was built in 1932.

 

In 1974, Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville purchased it and relocated five orphaned and rare Rothschild giraffe here. Over the years they have thrived, and now have their own young. We also visit the Kazuri Bead Factory, where ceramic beadwork jewelry made by local craftspeople is on display. Afterwards, we return to our hotel for some time to relax and a leisurely dinner.

Overnight at the InterContinental Nairobi or Nairobi Serena or similar
Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner}

Day 4: Nairobi – Lake Naivasha & Crescent Island Wildlife Sanctuary

Next, we overland to papyrus-fringed Lake Naivasha, a cool and peaceful escape from Nairobi’s big-city bustle. With over 400 species of bird, this freshwater lake is a birding Paradise.

 

Along the lake’s fabled waters, we are bound to see some of the area’s more intriguing species—hippos, giraffes, buffalo and even the arboreal colobus monkey. Lake Naivasha lies in the Great Rift Valley and the name derives from the local Masai name Nai'posha, meaning "rough water" because of the sudden storms which can arise.

After lunch we visit Crescent island — a private sanctuary, where you can walk beneath yellow-barked acacias (yellow fever trees) in search of Giraffes, Wildebeest , Impala , Dikdiks, Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelles, Elands, Waterbucks and countless bird species.

 

Oh, and there are some rather gigantic pythons too! We are allowed to walk with the animals since all were introduced during the filming of Out of Africa. An optional boat ride on the lake reveals many water bird species and schools of Hippos.

Overnight at Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge or Lake Naivasha Simba or similar
Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner}

Day 5: Day trip to Lake Nakuru National Park

After a delicious breakfast, we travel overland to Lake Nakuru National Park for a full day game viewing experience. The spectacular alkaline Lake is famously known as the feeding ground of both lesser and greater flamingos.

 

This National park, which is fenced all round is a sanctuary for birds, Rothschild giraffes and both black and white-rhinos. Other mammals in abundance include Waterbucks, Buffalos, Gazelles, Lions, Baboons and the elusive Leopards sometimes seen sleeping on the horizontal branches of the “Fever trees”.

 

Lunch will be served at one of the lodges located in the game park, offering its own local specialties, served with fresh produce from the region.

 

Overnight at Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge or Lake Naivasha Simba or similar
Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner}

Day 6: Lake Naivasha – Masai Mara Game Reserve

After a leisure breakfast at Naivasha Sopa Lodge, depart overland to the Masai Mara Game Reserve-jewel of Kenya's Game Park. The Masai Mara is Kenya's finest and most outstanding wildlife sanctuary where gentle rolling grassland ensures animals are never out of sight.

 

The climate is gentle, rarely too hot and well spread rainfall year round. The sensation of the great wildebeest migration between July and October is unparalleled. The wildlife is far from being confined within the Reserve boundaries and an even larger area extends beyond the game Reserve.

 

Centuries of close association with the wildlife has resulted in an almost symbiotic relationship where wildlife and Masai people live in peace with one another.

 

After lunch, explore the Reserve on a late evening 'Spice' game drive. No matter how much you have thought about Africa, this is more than you expected—the big five-Lion, Elephant, Leopard, Rhino and Cape buffalo are in abundance.

 

Overnight at Mara Sopa Lodge or Mara Serena or similar

Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner}

Today we will be spending in the vast eco-system of the Mara searching for the big five and much more. You also have an optional balloon safari — Many call it a once in a life time experience, once you are up, you won’t want to come down, and once you land, champagne breakfast awaits you.

 

Game viewing is great from the air with the opportunity for beautiful pictures. The annual wildebeest migration is expected in the Masai Mara between July and early November. Millions of animals migrate to the Mara from Serengeti in search for fresh green pastures and water.

 

It’s worth noting that every game drive is different from the other, and missing one is missing out on the fun.

Overnight at Mara Sopa Lodge or Mara Serena or similar
Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner}

Day 8 : Explore the Masai Mara

We rise early for breakfast and then depart for a full-day game drive. Wildlife in the Masai Mara is so abundant and so varied that you will find the early hours bring game sighting quite different from the drives later in the day.

 

In particular, be alert for many of the bird species that inhabit this wilderness. We enjoy a picnic lunch out in the African bush and then resume our game drive. Dinner is at the lodge this evening.

Overnight at Mara Sopa Lodge or Mara Serena or similar
Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner}

Day 9: Masai Mara – Lake Victoria Spekes Bay Lodge

Today after breakfast we depart Masai Mara and drive to the Kenya – Tanzania border at Isebania, where we clear customs formalities. We continue to Speke Bay Lodge. Located on the south-eastern shore of Lake Victoria in Tanzania and is part of Speke Gulf, named after the famous explorer John Hanning Speke, who, in 1858, discovered Lake Victoria to be the source of the Nile.

 

Lake Victoria is the largest fresh water lake in Africa and the second largest in the world. It covers an area of 70,000 sq. km and 100 meters at its deepest. The lake is the legendary source of River Nile and is home to fascinating culture, surrounded by quiet fishing villages, lush green stunning landscape, and Islands that offer bird watching spots.

 

It is an ideal place for exploration by boat and is regarded as Africa’s finest fishing grounds. We arrive at the Speke Bay Lodge for another superb dinner and dream-laden evening’s sleep.

 

Overnight at Spekes Bay Lodge
Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner}

Day 10 : Lake Victoria – Serengeti National Park

The Serengeti National Park is our destination today. Arriving at our lodge in time for lunch, we find ourselves deep in the heart of this famous migration corridor. With its wide-open spaces, bright blue skies and creature-filled landscape, over the next two days we will discover why the fabled Serengeti typifies the dream of “Old Africa.”

 

Large prides of lions laze in the long grasses; plentiful families of elephants feed on acacia bark and trumpet to each other across the plains, while giraffes, gazelles, monkeys, eland and the whole range of African wildlife present themselves in awe-inspiring numbers.

 

Overnight at Serengeti Sopa Lodge or Serengeti Serena or Mbuzi Mawe Camp or similar
Meal Plan {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner}

Day 11 : Serengeti National Park

A Serengeti game viewing day. After breakfast this morning, enjoy a game drive. The great diversity of Serengeti wildlife is also evident here—look for buffalo, hippopotamus, elephant, giraffe, antelope, Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelle, lions, and in season the spectacular migration of the wildebeest.

 

In late afternoon we venture out in another game drive. Everywhere there are animals, monkeys and, yes, birds…but look closely and you will thrill to the huge jungle cats—lion, leopard and cheetah—just watching the world go by.

 

And go by it does. Rhino, gazelle, antelope and massive elephants by the hundreds. Animals in the trees, on the wing, camouflaged in the bush, in rivers and in streams. The adventure of a lifetime.

 

Overnight at Serengeti Sopa Lodge or Serengeti Serena or Mbuzi Mawe Camp or similar
Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner}

Day 12: Serengeti – Ngorongoro Crater

A lovely drive takes us to Ngorongoro Crater, where our lodge sits dramatically on the rim of the crater, revealing an awesome panorama of the world’s largest, unflooded and unbroken caldera. Be prepared for some remarkable views down into the crater.

 

The caldera of Ngorongoro marks the ancient walls of a collapsed volcano, which was probably once the size of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Today the completely enclosed circular crater is some twelve miles across, with steep walls of over 2,000 feet.

 

We are at an altitude of approximately 7,500 feet above sea level, the highest point on our trip. After our time on the lower plains, the cooler air here is refreshing. This afternoon enjoy a short nature walk to learn more about the local fauna, or just stay at the lodge and admire the view.

 

Overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge or Ngorongoro Serena or similar
Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner}

Day 13: Explore Ngorongoro Crater

Early this morning we descend 2,000 feet to the crater floor to explore this natural zoological park, and observe an extraordinary variety of wildlife: elephant, rhinoceros, lion, hyena, zebra, wildebeest, Thomson's gazelle, reedbuck, and buffalo.

 

The lovely crested crane (similar to a peacock) can be found in great profusion here and maybe you'll spot a bat-eared fox. The balance of predator and prey in this extraordinary ecosystem is so precise that animals seldom leave.

 

Our exact route is decided on the spot by our expert safari guides, depending on where the animals are. An insider's tip: bring plenty of film-you may never take better wildlife photos anywhere else.

 

Ngorongoro Crater is said to be one of the natural wonders of the world. A spectacular game haunt, the 102-square-mile crater is a perfect caldera, one of the largest on earth. Millions of years ago a smoldering volcano collapsed, creating the crater and a home for thousands of animals amidst its many types of vegetation grown and nourished over the centuries.

 

Over 30,000 animals live here: prides of lion, elephant, leopard, cheetah and giraffe, gazelle by the thousands and multitudes of wildebeest. Uniquely beautiful, we will never see its likes again. We spend a memorable morning ensconced in the crater, exploring its breadth and depth returning to the lodge for a late lunch.

 

Enjoy the afternoon at leisure. The views from our lodge are outstanding and there are various outlooks from which you can survey the crater. And tonight, as we delight in another luscious meal at this exceptional lodge, we are once again stunned by the beauty of the orange sunset that hovers in the wild African sky, signaling the end to yet another unforgettable day on safari.

Overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge or Ngorongoro Serena or similar

Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner}

Day 14: Ngorongoro – Tarangire National Park

As sunrise streaks the early sky, we head to Lake Manyara National Park. The morning drive brings a change of ecosystems as we overland the spectacular descent from the escarpment to the ancient soda lake of Manyara. The game in this petite park is plentiful and the magnificent bird watching will make a devotee out of even the most reluctant.

 

It is also one of the very few places in Africa to see tree-climbing lions, which we may declare our day’s quest, being so thoroughly sated with the big herds of preceding parks. Manyara’s great shock of pink flamingoes will also delight. We enjoy a picnic lunch in this scenic park, and then descend as we drive to Tarangire national Park.

 

Overnight at Tarangire Sopa Lodge or Tarangire Safari Lodge or similar
Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner}

Day 15: Tarangire National Park

Today we will enjoy a full day game-viewing drive in Tarangire National Park. We'll pack a picnic lunch. With nine distinct vegetation zones ranging from grassland to woodland, from deep gully vegetation to scattered rocky hilltops, Tarangire offers a diverse geological landscape as well as diverse wildlife, including an extraordinary concentration of bird life.

 

Bulbous baobab trees dot the landscape and the valley of the Tarangire River dominates the entire scene. Tarangire is teeming with an amazing diversity of exotic flora and fauna including elephant, lion, leopard, and buffalo. Each of our driver-guides has extensive knowledge of the behavior of the great animals.

 

Elephants are plentiful here, traveling in larger herds than are normally seen elsewhere in East Africa. At lunchtime, we'll pause at a scenic spot for a leisurely picnic meal, the great African wilderness as our backdrop.

Overnight at Tarangire Sopa Lodge or Tarangire Safari Lodge or similar

Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner}

Day 16: Tarangire – Amboseli National Park

After breakfast, we drive to the town of Arusha for lunch and continue to the Kenya -Tanzania border at Namanga, where we clear customs formalities.

 

We arrive into the bush country of Amboseli National Park, home to the legendary Masai tribesmen and famous for huge herds of Elephant later in the evening. Amboseli is big game country: Lion, Cheetah antelope, Zebra, Wildebeest, buffalo and giraffe.

 

The afternoon game run en-route is planned to introduce you to intense beauty and drama that fill each day here. Africa's highest mountain, Kilimanjaro – can be seen from our lodge.

 

Overnight at Amboseli Sopa Lodge or Amboseli Serena or Oltukai Lodge
Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner}

Day 17: Amboseli National Park

Rising early for good views of Mount Kilimanjaro before clouds build up over the summit, we set off for another stimulating ‘Spice’ game drive. Amboseli is an excellent place to view a multitude of wildlife, including everything from Wildebeest to Giraffes to Baboons.

 

The great diversity of Amboseli wildlife is also evident here—look for buffalo, hippopotamus, elephant, giraffe, antelope, Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelle, lions, and in season the spectacular migration of the wildebeest and Zebra. In late afternoon we venture out in another game drive.

 

Overnight at Amboseli Sopa Lodge or Amboseli Serena or Oltukai Lodge
Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner}

Day 18 : Amboseli National Park – Nairobi

We enjoy an early breakfast and then we drive to Nairobi. We have lunch at the InterContinental Hotel. The rest of your afternoon is at leisure. You might take this opportunity to visit Collectors Den or any store of your choice.

 

Most stores displays items pertaining to Kenya and Tanzania's cultural heritage, and offers unique carvings, artifacts, clothing and gem stones to augment and expand the experiences you've had on your visit.

If you are returning home, you have a day room available for the afternoon and dinner at the Hotel is included. Early in the evening, you fly from Nairobi to Amsterdam or London. As we leave Africa we know that the old adage is true: you may leave Africa, but Africa will never leave you.

 

Dayrooms at the InterContinental Nairobi or Nairobi Serena or similar
Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner}

Day 19: Europe – Home

Your flight arrives in Amsterdam early in the morning, where you have a few hours between flights at the airport. Your next flight leaves later in the morning, arriving in the U.S. around midday.

 

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Booking & Reservations for 19 Days/ 18 Nights Best of Kenya & Tanzania Adventure Safari - Kenya

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