Day 1: Arrival in Nairobi – Lake Nakuru National Park
Arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, meet your safari guide, and drive through the Great Rift Valley with a scenic stop for photos. Continue to Lake Nakuru.
- Afternoon game drive in search of rhinos | both black and white, Rothschild’s giraffes, lions, and flamingos.
- Overnight at a lodge inside or near the park.
Accommodation: Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge (or similar)
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Day 2: Lake Nakuru – Drive to Masai Mara
After breakfast, depart Lake Nakuru and journey across the breathtaking Great Rift Valley, passing rolling hills, patchwork farmland, and distant volcanic escarpments. This scenic drive offers plenty of photo opportunities and glimpses of rural Kenyan life.
Arrive at the Masai Mara, Kenya’s most famous wildlife reserve, known for its vast open plains, meandering rivers, and extraordinary concentration of predators.
- After lunch, embark an afternoon game drive across the Mara’s golden savannahs, spotting zebras, wildebeests, giraffes, and herds of elephants grazing beneath iconic acacia trees.
- Keep an eye out for elusive predators—lions lounging in the grass, cheetahs on the hunt, and leopards resting in tree branches.
- Birdwatchers can marvel at colorful lilac-breasted rollers, kori bustards, and flocks of vultures circling the skies.
- As the sun sets, enjoy the magical Mara light casting long shadows over the plains, a perfect introduction to the incredible wildlife adventures ahead.
Accommodation: PrideInn Mara (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Days 3 & 4: Full Safari Days in the Masai Mara
Immerse yourself in two full days of thrilling wildlife encounters across the Masai Mara’s endless golden plains.
- Morning and afternoon game drives bring you close to the Big Five—watch lions lazing in the grass, elephants with their calves, stealthy leopards in tree branches, and rhinos and buffalo roaming the savannah.
- From July to October, witness the Great Migration, as wildebeest and zebra surge across the Mara River in a dramatic struggle against crocodiles and predators.
- Spot cheetahs sprinting after gazelles, giraffes browsing treetops, playful hyenas, hippos wallowing in pools, and more than 450 bird species including ostriches, secretary birds, and vibrant rollers.
- Optional hot-air balloon safari at sunrise offers breathtaking aerial views, followed by a champagne breakfast in the bush.
- Bush picnics and sundowners add magical touches to your safari days, with glowing skies and the calls of the wild all around you.
Accommodation: PrideInn Mara (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Masai Mara – Cross into Serengeti via Isebania
Enjoy a final Mara game drive before crossing into Tanzania at the Isebania border. Continue into the northern Serengeti.
- Enjoy a scenic drive with game viewing en route to your tented lodge.
Accommodation: Into Wild Tented Lodge (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Days 6 & 7: Full Safari Days in Serengeti National Park
Spend two unforgettable days exploring the boundless plains of the Serengeti, home to one of the greatest concentrations of wildlife on Earth.
- Morning and afternoon game drives bring you face-to-face with the Serengeti’s renowned predators—watch lions on the hunt, cheetahs sprinting across the open grasslands, and leopards draped lazily in acacia trees.
- Depending on the season, witness massive wildebeest and zebra herds during their migration, with dramatic river crossings and countless calves attracting predators.
- Herds of elephants, towering giraffes, clans of hyenas, bat-eared foxes, and graceful gazelles roam the savannah, while hippos and crocodiles dominate the waterways.
- Birdwatchers will be delighted by kori bustards, secretary birds, lilac-breasted rollers, and colorful flocks of bee-eaters.
- Evenings bring serenity with sundowners in the bush as the horizon glows red and gold, and the sounds of the Serengeti echo into the night.
Accommodation: Into Wild Tented Lodge (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8: Serengeti – Ngorongoro Crater – Karatu
After a morning Serengeti game drive, continue into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
- Optional stop at Olduvai Gorge Museum, known as the “Cradle of Mankind.”
- Descend 600 meters into the Ngorongoro Crater for a half-day safari, spotting rhinos, lions, elephants, hippos, and flamingos.
- Overnight in the lush highlands of Karatu.
Accommodation: Ngorongoro Mountain View Lodge (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9: Karatu – Mto wa Mbu – Tarangire National Park
After breakfast, set off for Mto wa Mbu, a bustling melting pot of cultures. Stroll through local farms, lively markets, and banana plantations while learning about Maasai traditions and the daily lives of the many communities that call this area home.
Continue to Tarangire National Park, a landscape dominated by ancient baobab trees and sweeping savannahs.
- On your evening game drive, keep watch for the park’s famous large elephant herds, sometimes numbering in the hundreds.
- Lions prowl the grasslands, while leopards lurk in the trees and cheetahs patrol the open plains.
- The park is also rich in antelope species such as impalas, elands, and oryx, alongside buffalo and giraffes.
- Bird enthusiasts will delight in spotting some of Tarangire’s over 550 bird species, from colorful lovebirds and bee-eaters to the striking martial eagle and the giant ostriches.
- During the dry season, Tarangire’s river draws wildlife from across the region, creating superb viewing opportunities.
Accommodation: Tarangire Simba Lodge (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 10: Tarangire – Arusha – Kilimanjaro Departure
Spend your last morning on safari in Tarangire, home to elephants, baobabs, and over 550 bird species.
- Return to Arusha, with stops for souvenir shopping.
