Saturday. Nairobi - Masai Mara. Welcome to Nairobi! We’ll be there to collect you at Nairobi Airport. Your first night will be spent at our pre expedition hotel in the centre of town. On day 1 there will be a pre departure meeting at 17:00. West from Nairobi on day 2, we reach possibly Kenya’s most famous natural attraction - the Masai Mara National Reserve. The Kenyan section of the wildly beautiful Serengeti Plains teems with wildlife. The highlight of the Mara is no doubt the annual wildebeest migration, when literally millions of these beasts plus zebra and Thomson’s gazelle stray north from the Serengeti in neighbouring Tanzania in search of lush grass on the savannah plains. Elephant, lion, cheetah, giraffe and a multitude of hooved herbivores also inhabit the reserve. A morning and evening game drive through the Mara gives us the chance to spot the Big Five. During our stay we can also opt to visit a local Masai tribe. Overnight - Nairobi (1), Masai Mara (2) (B:1, L:2, D:2)

Masai Mara - Kisumu - Kampala - Lake Bunyoni. Travelling north-west via Nakuru, we cross the Equator just after Kisumu and continue across the border into Uganda and the capital Kampala. From Kampala we drive to Lake Bunyoni, the deepest Crater Lake in Africa and home to a large and varied number of beautiful birds, which is the base from which the optional Gorilla trek takes place. Dependant on where trekking permits are available, we trek in the Magahinga or Bwindi National Parks in Uganda, the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or the Ruhengeri National Park in Rwanda.

Winding our way through arguably some of the most picturesque scenery in Africa, we head to the town of Kisoro where we spend the night (should we be trekking in Rwanda our overnight will be in Ruhengeri). The following morning, we are transferred to a ranger’s station where the trek commences. Your rangers will lead you through the cultivated lands and then into the dense rain forest and on to a gorilla family. To ensure the gorillas do not get too used to the presence of humans, the maximum time permitted to spend with them is 1 hour. Once our hour is up, we trek back out of the rain forest and transfer back to the Lake Bunyoni campsite. Overnight - Kisumu (1) , Kampala (1), Lake Bunyoni (3), Kisoro (1) (B:6, L:6, D:6)

Lake Bunyoni - Kampala - Jinja - Lake Nakuru - Lake Naivasha - Nairobi. A little time in the big smoke - Kampala, before we continue to Jinja. Here, we can opt to white-water raft at the River Nile’s source, visit Ngamba Chimp Sanctuary on Lake Victoria or relax and meet the locals. Crossing back into Kenya, we travel to the Great Rift Valley and visit Lakes Nakuru and Naivasha. Lake Nakuru National Park is home to a veritable array of wildlife. The park supports a population of black rhino, lion, leopard, zebra, antelope and giraffe not to mention millions of pink flamingos. The lake itself is a shallow soda lake. We enjoy a day of game driving here. The highest of the Rift Valley lakes, the freshwater Lake Naivasha is a sanctuary to bird life. From here, you can opt to visit Elsamere (home of Joy Adamson of ‘Born Free’ fame), Crescent Island Game Sanctuary or Hells Gate NP. Descending the Rift Valley, we continue to Nairobi, where we prepare for the next leg of our expedition. Overnight - Kampala (1), Jinja (1), Lake Nakuru (2), Lake Naivasha (1), Nairobi (1) (B:6, L:5, D:5)

Nairobi - Arusha - Ngorongoro Crater & Serengeti (optional excursion) - Arusha - Pangani - Dar es Salaam. Leaving Nairobi, we cross the border into Tanzania. Arusha is the starting point for the optional 3 day excursion to Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti (see optional activities). For those not opting to visit the Ngorongoro Crater or Serengeti National Park, the next 3 days are spent at leisure enjoying the Meserani reptile park, Masai Cultural Museum and the surrounding villages and craft markets. Alternatively the town of Arusha is close by to explore.

The Optional Ngorongoro/Serengeti excursion takes us via the Masai town of Mtu Wa Mbu (Mosquito River) that lies adjacent to the Lake Manyara National Park and up the Rift Valley Escarpment to the higher lying village of Karatu. campsite in Karatu. The following morning we depart early for the Ngorongoro Conservation area and head into the wildlife rich Ngorongoro Crater. This World Heritage Site boasts some of the best game viewing in Africa – including the elusive Black Rhino. After our game drive in the Crater,we head down the Crater rim and past the ‘Cradle of Mankind’ on our way to the Serengeti National Park. We cross the vast plains as we game drive through the southern and central areas in the park. Tonight we camp in the bushveld surrounded by the sounds of the African wilderness. In the morning, we head off for another game drive and explore the landscape in search of the resident game. Day 19 return to Arusha and the following morning we continue our journey south to Dar es Salaam, stopping enroute at Pangani. Overnight - Arusha (4), OR optional Karatu & Serengeti, Pangani (1), Dar es Salaam (1) (B:5, L:6, D:6)

Dar es Salaam - Zanzibar (optional). A ferry from Dar Es Salaam takes us to ‘Spice Island’, where we have the option to spend the next three nights.* Zanzibar is steeped in history and offers a wealth of experiences. Wander the streets of Stone Town, take an excursion around a spice plantation or simply laze on one of the pristine white sandy beaches, the choice is yours! Accommodation is not provided on Zanzibar, allowing you the freedom to choose where you spend your time on the island. Your trip leader can arrange accommodation for you locally should you wish.

* For those opting not to visit Zanzibar, the 3 days can be spent at leisure at the beach campsite or exploring Dar Es Salaam. Overnight - Zanzibar (B:1)

Zanzibar - Dar es Salaam - Iringa - Lake Malawi. Leaving Zanzibar, we travel via Dar es Salaam and Mikumi National Park, where it’s possible to view an array of wildlife impervious to humans and traffic, from the road, to Iringa where we camp at the Old Farmhouse, a beautiful and rustic campsite. We leave Tanzania and head into Malawi. Dominated by its huge lake occupying nearly 20% of it’s landmass, Malawi offers us pleasant respite from the heat. We cross the border post at Songwe and head to Chitimba Beach on the shores of the lake. Camping at Chitimba and/or Chintheche, we can enjoy lake side pleasures such as swimming, relaxing and optional aquatic activities such as snorkelling, canoeing and SCUBA diving. The local fishermen can be observed tending their daily catch and there are local schools and villages where you can visit the friendly Malawians. Don’t forget to buy a Malawi chair, hewn from a single sheet of rich African timber. A classic! Overnight - Dar es Salaam (1), Iringa (1), Lake Malawi (5) (B:6, L:6, D:7)

Lake Malawi - Chipata - Lusaka - Livingstone - Victoria Falls. Crossing into land-locked Zambia, we stay at a pleasant campsite near the border, then drive via the capital - Lusaka. Continuing to Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwean side, we enjoy our last day in the adrenaline playground of Africa. Over this incredible precipice, an astonishing 550,000 cubic metres of water plummets into the Zambezi gorge every minute. During the rainy season, it can increase its volume ten-fold. The river also marks the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. There are optional activities aplenty here including Zambezi white water rafting, bungy jumping from 111m and flights over the Falls in a variety of airborne machines! Overnight - Chipata (1), Lusaka (1), Livingstone (1), Victoria Falls (1) (B:4, L:3, D:3)

Saturday (day 36) marks the end of our expedition.