Tanzania & Kenya Wildlife Safari

Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport, you will be met and transferred to the hotel for your overnight.

Today you head to Tarangire National Park, the classic Africa of lore – shimmering acacia stands, old baobab trees, and herds of elephants. In the dry season of July-October, Tarangire National Park surpasses the Serengeti in terms of animal concentration, as big herds begin to congregate around the permanent waters of the Tarangire River. It is not uncommon to see herds of 50+ elephants, as well as many other mammal species, including the rare Kudu and Oryx. There are a fantastic number of colorful birds that swoop and strut along the rough paths throughout the year. Because the park extends through two game-controlled areas, wildlife moves freely throughout.

On arrival, look for wildlife as you drive toward the Tarangire Safari Lodge, beautifully situated on a bluff overlooking the Tarangire River, arriving in time for lunch. This afternoon, with your cameras loaded and binoculars at the ready, you will head out for another game drive. The drivers will have learned about the morning’s best spotting, and this will determine which direction you head. Because you never know where the animals may be or what they will be doing, there is always the possibility of encountering fantastic wildlife in the late afternoon light.  Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Today drive to Lake Manyara National Park, stopping for game and photos along the way. Lake Manyara is a small, but scenic safari park that is often skipped by touring groups. It’s fantastic for bird-watching and finding elephants, tree-climbing lions, and more. The park is also home to the largest concentration of baboons anywhere in the world. Close to the park gates in the north, woodlands are fed by freshwater flowing through the porous volcanic rock, but further south, around Msasa River, the volcanic rock gives way to ancient, crystalline rock, creating impressive Water falls down the dramatic western escarpment of the Rift Valley. The park is ideal for a few hours of exploring, a picnic lunch along the way, and wildlife viewing before heading to Ngorongoro for overnight.

Spend a full day in the Ngorongoro Crater with a picnic lunch and explore this fascinating wildlife amphitheater. At dawn, the endangered black rhino returns to the crater forests after grazing on dew-frosted grass in the morning mist. This unique crater, formed by a sinking volcano, hosts a unique cross-section of ecosystems, from soda lake to savannah and is home to almost every major species of African mammal. Our presence does not threaten the wildlife making for exhilarating proximity to the game that we rarely encounter elsewhere. Descend down the 2,000 ft walls of the crater, a World Heritage Site and home to nearly 25,000 animals, to embark on a game drive. You will have the chance of spotting the “big five”: lion, elephant, endangered black rhino, cape buffalo, and leopard among others.  We return to the lodge just before dusk.

Today we depart  for the Serengeti. Again, we take picnic lunches with us. We will visit the world-famous Olduvai Gorge, a truly magical place where the Leakey’s discovered the hominoid remains of a 1.8 million year old skeleton of Australopithecus Boisei, one of the distinct links of the human evolutionary chain. In a small canyon just north of the crater, the Leakey’s and their team of international archaeologists unearthed the ruins of at least three distinct hominoid species and also came upon a complete series of hominoid footprints estimated to be over 3.7 millions years old. Evacuated fossils show that the area is one of the oldest sites of hominoid habitation in the world. En-route visit a Masai Village.

The Serengeti National Park is famously known for its wide range of wildlife and birds. The name Serengeti derives from the Masai word Siringiti, meaning endless plains. Large prides of lions laze easily in the long grasses, plentiful families of elephants feed on acacia bark and trump to each other across the plains, and giraffes, gazelles, monkeys, eland, and the whole range of African wildlife is in awe-inspiring numbers. Hopefully, you will see the annual wildebeest migration through the Serengeti. More than a million animals make the seasonal journey to fresh pasture to the north, then the south, after the biannual rains. The sound of their thundering hooves, raising massive clouds of thick red dust, has become one of the legends of the Serengeti plains. Feel a part of the bush and experience the incredible sounds and smells of the wild African.

Continue through the spectacular Serengeti to your lodge.

Today we have a full day to explore the Serengeti. Your driver-guide will choose your route based on his extensive knowledge of the park and local conditions but the Serengeti rarely disappoints. We carry our picnic lunches with us so as to make the most of the day, but our trip might include a trail along the banks of the Grumeti River in search of basking lions, tracking cheetah through the Gol Kopjes or hunting leopard along the Seronera River.  The entire park ecosystem thrives from the seasonal and annual migration.

After breakfast, we drive to the Kenya border and proceed with border formalities. Continue to the Masai Mara with picnic lunches. Today is a long drive but the wildlife views are worth it.

Several days are spent in this natural paradise among zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, buffalo, elephant, antelope and gazelle. You will encounter prides of lions resting in the shade of acacia trees or lying low in the tall grass, waiting for their next meal. There is a good chance of spotting cheetah and if you are lucky, the shy leopard.

You will go game viewing before breakfast and again in the afternoon, with lunch and a siesta at the lodge. In the evening, it is time for a well-deserved shower and a refreshing drink before dinner. Overnight at Mara Ashnil Camp.

You will leave in the morning and head across the floor of the Great Rift Valley, the longest rift in the crust of the earth, to Lake Nakuru.

Lake Nakuru lodge, which is situated on the shores of Lake Nakuru, one of the many beautiful Rift Valley Lakes. It is also home to thousands of flamingos and other bird and animal life. Lunch at the Lake Nakuru Lodge. You will enjoy another game drive in the afternoon. Drive to Kemu Cottages, or similar, for your dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, depart for Nairobi arriving in the late afternoon. Flights can be booked home this night or make plans to extend your stay in Nairobi or additional safari parks in Kenya.