Kenya & Tanzania 4x4 Safari Explorer

Nairobi - Lake Nakuru National Park. Depart your Nairobi hotel at 7.00 am and drive to Lake Nakuru Park, renowned among birdwatchers for its exceptional birdlife. You arrive by mid morning and enjoy a game drive en route to the lodge, then check in for lunch.

In the afternoon, head out for another game drive, followed by a walk along the lake shores to look for wildlife – the park is a sanctuary for rhinos and Rothschild’s giraffes. Overnight at Lake Nakuru Lodge or Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge – or similar.

Lake Nakuru National Park - Masai Mara. After breakfast in Nakuru, you drive across the floor of the Great Rift Valley – the longest rift in the Earth’s crust – to the Masai Mara Game Reserve. Arrive for check-in and lunch at our lodge, with time to relax – you may choose to take a dip in the pool.

In the afternoon, head out with our driver guide on a game drive in search of the Big Five, along with cheetah, zebra, giraffe and large herds of antelope. As the sun lowers, you pause for photographs of the Mara’s rolling plains before returning to the lodge for dinner. Meals included – lunch and dinner. Overnight in the Masai Mara at Keekorok Lodge or Masai Mara Sopa Lodge – or similar. Approximate duration – 8 hours.

Depart at 7.30 am for a full-day game drive across the Masai Mara to the Mara River – renowned for the great wildebeest migration. Pause for a picnic lunch in the park at around 1 pm, then continue your wildlife viewing before returning to the lodge at about 4 pm. This day includes around eight hours on safari. You can opt for a hot air balloon safari this morning.

In the early evening, you can choose to visit a Masai village for about an hour to learn about their culture, then return for dinner and you have free time to relax afterwards. Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Overnight at Keekorok Lodge or Masai Mara Sopa Lodge – or similar.

Masai Mara - Serengeti National Park (Tanzania). After breakfast, take a final game drive across the Masai Mara en route to the Isebania border. After completing Kenyan and Tanzanian immigration formalities, you switch vehicles and continue into Serengeti National Park.

This afternoon, you drive through the northern corridors with game viewing along the way – an area where migrating wildebeest and zebra gather ahead of the Mara River crossings. Wildlife is diverse, with chances to see lion, leopard, cheetah, impala, buffalo, abundant birdlife and large numbers of elephant. Overnight at Osinon Serengeti Tented Camp or Wildebeest Wildlife Camp – or similar.

Spend the day on morning and evening game drives across the western and northern corridors of the Serengeti, where herds of wildebeest and zebra gather around the Mara River during the migration. The Serengeti is renowned for its vast plains and varied wildlife – look out for lion, leopard, cheetah, impala, buffalo, elephants and abundant birdlife. If you wish, you can take an optional hot air balloon safari. Overnight at Osinon Serengeti Tented Camp/Wildebeest Wildlife Camp or similar.

Serengeti National Park - Ngorongoro Crater. Travel from the Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Crater and descend into its 100 square miles to view wildlife across the open grasslands. The crater floor, dotted with waterholes, shelters nearly 30,000 animals within the natural amphitheatre formed by the volcano’s steep walls rising about 610 metres.

As you explore, look out for the Big Five – lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard – among many other species sustained year round by permanent grazing and water. The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest unbroken caldera and is considered one of the natural wonders of the world. Stop for a picnic lunch, then continue your game drive before heading to Rhino Lodge – or similar – for the night.

Ngorongoro Crater - Lake Manyara National Park. Depart Ngorongoro for Lake Manyara National Park and spend the day on game drives, with a picnic lunch in the park. Set at the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, Lake Manyara is widely regarded as one of Africa’s most beautiful parks. Its habitats range from lush groundwater forest to open woodland, grassland, swamps and the soda lake itself. The forest shelters troops of baboons and blue monkeys, while the lakeshore attracts over 350 bird species, including flamingo, pelican, sacred ibis, grebe and stork.

Wildlife commonly seen includes buffalo, elephant, giraffe, impala and hippo – and the park is known for its elusive tree climbing lions. The hot sulphur springs of Maji Moto lie at the southern end of the park. In the afternoon, you drive to Manyara Wildlife Safari Camp or similar for dinner and overnight.

Lake Manyara National Park - Tarangire National Park. After breakfast, you leave Lake Manyara with your naturalist guide and drive to Tarangire National Park, Tanzania’s third–largest and a renowned sanctuary for large elephant herds. Towering baobab trees dominate the landscape, and wildlife concentrates along the Tarangire River – the only permanent water source in the area – offering strong chances to see elephants as well as lion, leopard and cheetah.

You also take a guided bush walk and visit a semi–nomadic community. Later in the evening, drive to Sangaiwe Tented Lodge for dinner and overnight – or similar.

Tarangire National Park - Arusha. After breakfast at the lodge, set out on a final morning game drive in Tarangire National Park – known for large herds of elephant and buffalo, and home to big cats. With a bit of luck you may also encounter African wild dog, kudu, oryx and gerenuk, species less frequently seen elsewhere on the northern circuit. Birding is excellent here, with more than 550 species attracted to the park’s swamps. After lunch – included – drive back to Arusha for drop-off at your Arusha hotel or at Kilimanjaro Airport.