15 Days Grand East Africa Safari, Kenya and Tanzania

On arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport you are welcomed by a Bespoke Safaris representative and transferred to your hotel in Nairobi. Depending on your arrival time you can rest or take a short orientation around the area.

In the evening you meet your driver-guide for a briefing on the route, wildlife experiences, border crossing arrangements and daily schedule. Dinner at the hotel and your first night in Kenya.

After breakfast you leave Nairobi for the Maasai Mara. The drive descends the Great Rift Valley Escarpment, with a stop at a viewpoint for photographs, then passes through Narok and the surrounding Maasai countryside of rural settlements and grazing livestock.

You check in at your lodge or tented camp and have lunch before your first afternoon game drive across the reserve’s grasslands, looking for elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, buffaloes and antelopes, and for predators such as lions, cheetahs and hyenas. You return for dinner and the night in the Mara.

After an early breakfast you set out on a morning game drive, when many animals are active. Look for lion prides resting in the grass, cheetahs on the open plains and leopards in riverine vegetation. Depending on wildlife movements, your guide may take you to the Mara River, where hippos live in the water and Nile crocodiles may lie along the banks.

The Mara is famous for the seasonal movement of wildebeest and zebras between the Serengeti and the Mara. If your visit coincides with the migration you may see large herds crossing the plains, but timing and river crossings cannot be guaranteed. A picnic lunch is served at an authorised location, and you continue exploring different habitats before returning to camp for dinner.

After breakfast you check out and take a last game-viewing drive as you leave the Mara, then travel through the Rift Valley region past farmland, rural communities and scenic countryside to Lake Nakuru.

You check in at your lodge, have lunch and head out on an afternoon game drive. The park is known for its black and white rhinos, and you may also see Rothschild’s giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, waterbucks and antelope. The lake and surrounding habitats support rich birdlife, though the number of flamingos varies with water conditions and food. Dinner and the night at the lodge.

After breakfast you leave Lake Nakuru for Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya, through the Rift Valley and towards the plains beneath Mount Kilimanjaro. Depending on traffic and road conditions this is a substantial transfer day, with scheduled breaks on the way.

You check in at your lodge or tented camp and, if time and conditions allow, head out on an afternoon game drive. Amboseli is famous for its large elephant herds, which often move across the plains and wetlands against the backdrop of Africa’s highest mountain. With clear weather you may get views of Kilimanjaro, especially later in the afternoon. Dinner and the night at the lodge.

After an early breakfast you explore Amboseli in more depth. Its grasslands, seasonal lakes, swamps and acacia woodland attract a wide range of wildlife. On the morning drive you visit wetland areas where elephants and buffaloes gather to drink, bathe or feed. Amboseli is also known for its elephant research and conservation history.

You continue to Observation Hill, where permitted access gives elevated views over the wetlands and plains. After a picnic lunch at an authorised location you continue the afternoon drive for lions, spotted hyenas, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras and gazelles. The open landscape suits photography, especially when Kilimanjaro is visible. Dinner and the night at the lodge.

After breakfast you leave Amboseli for the Namanga border crossing between Kenya and Tanzania. Your guide assists with the planned transfer arrangements while you complete immigration and customs formalities. Border procedures and timing vary, so keep your passports and travel documents ready.

Once in Tanzania you continue to Arusha, where you may stop for lunch, then travel through the Great Rift Valley landscape towards Lake Manyara, past rural settlements, cultivated land and changing scenery. Depending on arrival time you reach your lodge and relax, and your guide may arrange a short orientation drive if the schedule allows. Wildlife exploration begins the next day. Dinner and the night at the lodge.

After breakfast you enter Lake Manyara National Park for a game drive through the groundwater forest, open woodland, grassy floodplains and alkaline lake. Under the forest canopy look for baboons, blue monkeys and colourful forest birds. Further in, watch for elephants in the woodland, buffaloes in the open and giraffes browsing among the trees. Tree-climbing lions are sometimes seen here but are not guaranteed, and the shore may hold waterbirds and seasonal flamingos, depending on water levels.

You have a picnic lunch at an authorised site and continue exploring. In the afternoon you leave the park and climb the Great Rift Valley Escarpment to Karatu, a highland town among cultivated land and green hills. Dinner and the night at the lodge before the journey to the Serengeti.

After an early breakfast you leave Karatu and travel through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to Serengeti National Park. The scenery moves from cultivated highlands and forested slopes to open grassland and savannah. Where timing allows, you stop at an authorised viewpoint over the Ngorongoro Crater for photographs.

You enter the Serengeti and start game viewing on the way, looking for wildebeest, zebras, giraffes, gazelles and elephants. In the central Serengeti around Seronera, rivers and rocky kopjes create habitat for lions, leopards and other animals. After a picnic lunch you continue to your lodge or tented camp, arriving in the late afternoon. Dinner and the night in the wilderness.

You spend a full day in the Serengeti with morning and afternoon game drives planned around wildlife activity. Starting early, you may find lions, hyenas and other predators still active after the night. Your guide takes you through the central plains, rocky outcrops and riverine habitats in search of lion prides, cheetahs, leopards and the large herds of wildebeest and zebras. Elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, hippos and antelope are also possible.

Your guide explains animal behaviour and predator-prey relationships and how the seasons shape wildlife movements. After a picnic lunch you continue the afternoon drive, following known wildlife areas or reports of activity. You return to camp in the late afternoon for dinner.

A second full day gives you more time in the Serengeti without changing accommodation. After breakfast you set out on a game drive to areas chosen from current wildlife movements, recent sightings and seasonal conditions. Depending on the time of year your guide may suggest other parts of the central Serengeti or going farther if practical within time and park rules.

The Serengeti is part of the Great Migration ecosystem, and the herds move through the year with rainfall and fresh grazing. In the right season you may meet large groups of wildebeest and zebras and the predators that follow them, but the migration’s location and dramatic events cannot be guaranteed. You picnic in the field and keep watching through the afternoon, with time for photography. Dinner and the night at camp.

You wake early for a final morning game drive across the Serengeti plains, when predators may be returning from the night and herbivores start grazing. You return to camp for breakfast, check out and begin the journey to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, watching for animals as you leave the park.

The road climbs to the Ngorongoro highlands and crater rim. You check in at your lodge and, weather permitting, take in the view into the huge caldera. The highland climate is cooler than the savannah. Dinner and a restful evening before tomorrow’s crater safari.

After an early breakfast you descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for an extended game drive on its floor. The caldera, formed by the collapse of a large volcano, holds grassland, woodland, wetlands and a soda lake, with a high concentration of wildlife in a compact area. Look for lions, elephants, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest, hippos and hyenas. The crater is also home to endangered black rhinos, though sightings are never guaranteed.

After a picnic lunch at an authorised site you climb the steep crater road and continue east to the Tarangire area. This day combines a crater safari with a long transfer, so the departure time and length of the crater visit are coordinated with your lodge location and park rules. Dinner and the night at the lodge.

Today is given to Tarangire National Park, known for ancient baobab trees, open savannah, seasonal wetlands and large elephant populations. After breakfast you drive through habitats shaped by the Tarangire River, which matters most to wildlife in the dry season. Look for elephants near water, giraffes browsing among the trees, zebras and wildebeest on the plains and buffaloes in the open grassland. Lions, leopards and many bird species also live in the park.

Your guide explains the park’s ecology and how seasonal water shapes where animals gather. After a picnic lunch you continue the afternoon drive, and in the late afternoon return to your lodge for dinner and the night.

After breakfast you check out and drive towards Arusha. Depending on your departure time and the previous day’s game viewing, a short morning drive may be possible, subject to lodge location, park access and your flight schedule. The road passes rural settlements and Maasai-inhabited areas.

In Arusha you have lunch if time allows and, flight permitting, a brief stop at a cultural heritage centre or craft shop. You are then transferred to Kilimanjaro International Airport or Arusha Airport, as confirmed for your departure.