This tour spends five days in Kenya (Lake Naivasha and Masai Mara) and five days in Tanzania (Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro, and Manyara). You will transfer from Masai Mara to the Serengeti through the Isebania Border. At the end of the tour you may opt to to transfer to Amboseli for one or two nights and then finish the tour in Nairobi (as opposed to ending the tour in Arusha). This tour can also be done in the opposite order (starting in Arusha).
Tour Plan
Day 1 – Lake Nakuru National Park
After an early morning pick-up, you will drive to Lake Nakuru National Park. Lake Nakuru lies across the equator and southward of Bogoria in the Great Rift Valley. It is known all over the world for its flamingos and is recognized as being one of the natural wonders of the world. Lake Nakuru is also a rhino sanctuary, harboring a population of over 40 black and over 60 white rhinos. It is the flamingos, of course, that have always been the main attraction. There may be almost two million flamingos in residence at any given time, forming a stunningly beautiful deep pink band around the edge of the lakeshore. You will arrive in time for lunch and an afternoon game drive. Dinner and your overnight stay will be at a campsite or lodge.
Day 2 – Masai Mara National Reserve
Start the day with a morning drive to Masai Mara National Reserve. This is one of the few places left on earth where wildlife still lives comparatively undisturbed in the numbers that were once common across all the plains and forests of Africa. As the northern tip of the vast Serengeti ecosystem, the Mara hosts the spectacular seasonal migration of many thousands of wildebeest, zebras, and attendant predators. You will arrive in time for lunch followed by an afternoon game drive.
Day 3-4 – Masai Mara National Reserve
After breakfast, we have a full day game drive in the Masai Mara (lunch will be a picnic). The reserve is well known for its black-maned lions and abundant wildlife. This is one of the few places where it’s possible to see the big five during a morning game drive. Many of the cheetahs are so tame they seek shelter from the hot sun under vehicles. Several even climb onto the roof to get a better view of prospective prey! For the bird enthusiasts – almost 500 species have been recorded here. Among these include 16 species of eagle, many hawks and falcons, six species of vultures, eight species of storks, four species of bustard (including the Kori bustard, the world’s heaviest flying bird), and nine species of sunbirds.
Day 5 – Masai Mara – Serengeti
Today you will transfer from the Masai Mara to Serengeti National Park via the Isebania border crossing. This transfer will take the majority of the day, but you will get to enjoy a game drive for most of it. In the afternoon you will game drive en-route to your tented camp. Evening game drives are also available.
Day 6-7 – Serengeti National Park
As you crest the hillside, the vast Serengeti spreads out before you as far as the eyes can see. Serengeti means “endless plains” in Kiswahili. This 6,900 sq. mile (18,000 sq. km) park is inhabited by more than two million large animals, including more than a million wildebeest, hundreds of thousands of plains zebras, and Thomson’s gazelles. Large predators, including lions, cheetahs, and hyenas, are drawn to the area by the abundance of prey that migrates throughout the park. Many smaller animals such as rock hyrax, bat-eared foxes, mongoose, honey badger, jackals, monkeys, baboons, and African hares also inhabit the area, along with nearly 500 species of birds. You will spend the second day on morning and afternoon game drives in the Serengeti.
Day 8 – Serengeti – Ngorongoro
Today you will wake up very early for a pre-breakfast safari. The animals are more active at this time – and you get to witness a fantastic sunrise! The sunrise on the African savannah is one of the most beautiful experiences one can have. After the game drive you will return to the camp for brunch. In the afternoon we will transfer to Ngorongoro, the eighth natural wonder of the world. With walls 2,000 ft high and a crater floor that spreads for 102 sq. miles, the crater is a virtual Noah’s Ark. It is inhabited by almost every species of wildlife indigenous to East Africa, including the rare black rhino. The crater has the greatest concentration of wildlife on the planet. The large bull elephants that reside here have extremely large tusks due to the rich mineral content of the volcanic soil and its grasses.
Day 9 – Ngorongoro Crater
We will start the day very early and descend onto the crater floor for an incredible morning of wildlife viewing in one of the most stunning places on Earth. After the game drive, there will be time for a picnic lunch near the beautiful hippo Lake. We will then have time for a short game drive before we ascend the crater and exit the Ngorongoro Conservation Area for Lake Manyara. You can also visit Tarangire instead of Manyara (recommended from June to September).
Day 10 – Lake Manyara National Park
You will depart after breakfast and drive across the Great Rift Valley to Lake Manyara National Park for a full day game drive. This enchanting park is noted for its beauty and incredibly lush acacia forest of giant fig and mahogany trees, which are home to baboon troops and blue monkeys. It is also famous for its stunning bird variety. The park is home to a large number of buffalos, giraffes, elephants, impalas, and hippos, who gather in large numbers around the “Hippo lake.” This park is also known for its tree-climbing lions and the flamingos along the lake shore. Game drives are done along the lakeshore, providing incredible views of animals in the foreground while the lake, flamingos, and flat plains stretch out over the horizon. In the afternoon you will transfer to Arusha. You have the option to schedule a bike ride tour.
