9 Days Tanzania and Kenya Big 5 Wildlife Safari

Your African safari will begin at 7.30am, where we will collect you from your hotel, residence, or the airport and being your adventure towards to Masai Mara. This will be your chance to become acquainted with the countryside of Kenya, as you watch the villages, plains, and mountains pass you by.

During the drive, you will be stopped for a traditional Kenyan lunch before arriving at the Masai Mara. With no time to waste, you will immediately embark on your first game drive through the park. This is your chance to start ticking off the list of animals you’re aiming to see early on in your trip, with everything from elephants to baboons, lions to buffalo ready to be seen.

At dusk you will be taken to your accommodation for dinner and rest, ready for your first full day immersed in the adventure of African safari.

The Masai Mara is a shared land, with the great animals of the savanna living side by side with the Masai people. After breakfast you will spend your morning venturing through the wilderness with your guide helping you spot the stunning animals, including the big five of African safari:

Lions
Elephants
Buffalo
Rhinos
Leopards

Along with many other creatures that make up the ecosystem inside this beautiful park.

Lunch is served picnic style, right in the middle of the park, and you then are offered the unique opportunity to visit a village of the Masai people. Their lives on this land is perfectly matched, having thrived here for millennia. Greetings come in the form of a traditional song and dance, after which you are invited to explore their village, culture, and way of life, including visiting a traditional family home. There is a small extra fee for this optional activity of $20 per person.

You will be taken back to your chosen accommodation in the evening to take your evening meal and rest up after a day in the wilds.

Rising early gives you chance to have a fresh perspective on the grasslands of Africa. You can take advantage of the new light to get beautifully lit photos, and take in the dawn chorus as day breaks over a new day on the plains.

Once the game drive is over, you will return to your lodge or camp for breakfast and then take your leave to head to the border with Tanzania. You’ll be taken to Isbania border crossing, with a lunch break built into the time.

Your first experience in Tanzania will be through the breath-taking countryside as you head towards the Ikoma gate of Serengeti National Park. When making your way to your accommodation you will have a game drive which will give chance to spot the animals of this park.

Once you arrive at your chosen camp or lodge, you can have dinner and take a rest.

There are two ways that this day can be structured, and you can choose how you would like to have this day run in conjunction with your tour guide. The options are either a full day, uninterrupted game drive through the Serengeti, or a morning game drive with a break in the afternoon, followed by and dusk time game drive in the park.

Either option will give you plenty of time in the wonderous place, filled with the animals of your dreams. The big five of African safari as accompanied by

Zebra
Buffalo
Giraffes
Hippos
Cheetahs

And myriad more besides.

Lunch will be either served at your accommodation, if you choose the option of a morning and evening safari, or as a picnic if your choice is to spend the full day exploring the park.

Whichever structure you decide upon, your dinner will be served at your camp or lodge.As well as early morning and late afternoon game drives, this is a day to relax and enjoy the scenic beauty of the Masai Mara from the comfort of your camp/lodge. Spa treatments are available at most accommodation options for an extra cost, and visiting a Maasai village is another optional extra for US$20 per person. The national reserve is named after the Maasai people, the ancient tribe that inhabits the region, and this excursion is a wonderful introduction to the culture of the semi-nomadic Maasai warriors who have a deep and symbolic relationship with the lands and animals of the Mara. You’ll be greeted with exuberant singing and dancing and invited to explore a Maasai home to further learn about their traditional way of life.

After an early breakfast, your safari will depart through the Serengeti to head to Ngorongoro Crater. During the journey you will be offered the chance to visit Olduvai Gorge. This is the part of the Great African Rift Valley that archaeologists believe humanity first developed skills such as weapon making. You can visit the excavation sites of the Drs. Leakey to learn more of this amazing history, for an extra fee of $45 per person.

Lunch is served picnic style as you make your way to the Ngorongoro Crater, a former volcanic crater that is home to a wonderfully diverse range of animals in a unique setting. An afternoon game drive will be your introduction to this area, where you have the chance to see:

Buffalo
Wildebeest
Zebras
Waterbucks
Gazelles

And plenty more besides.

Your chosen accommodation may be inside or outside of the crater, and this is where you will be served your dinner.

Breakfast starts the day and is followed by a morning game drive as you head through the Great African Rift Valley and move on to Lake Manyara. Lunch is picnic style; you’ll stop on your journey surrounded by nature.

Lake Manyara is a shallow, alkaline body of water that dominates the park that bears its name. You’ll notice a change in the scenery at this park, along with the lake there is a more jungle feel to the foliage. With the increase in tree cover the animals have learned to adapt, and you may be lucky enough to see a tree climbing lion on your adventures.

Dinner is served at your accommodation within the park.

The morning’s journey will take you to the town of Arusha as you leave the national park, after breakfast. This is the end of your time on safari in Tanzania and you will take lunch in the town. From here, you will cross the border back to Kenya at the Namanga crossing.

Once back in Kenya, your guide will meet you from your cross and take you directly to Amboseli National Park. Approaching the park, Mount Kilimanjaro will come into view and will continue to dominate the landscape of this leg of your Kenyan safari.

On the way to your accommodation, you will be taken on a short game drive to introduce you to the majestic animals that call this park home. You have the chance to see big five of African safari, along with many other beautiful creatures of the savanna. Dinner will be served at your accommodation.

You will set out on a day of exploration across Amboseli after breakfast has been served at your camp or lodge. You will share in the expertise of your Kenyan safari guide, who will be able to help spot, follow, and identify the many different types of fauna you’re going to encounter during the day.

Ensuring that not a moment is lost during your last full day in the wilds of Africa on safari, you will be given your lunch as a picnic, served up in the heart of the park with the grasslands rolling and animals taking shade from the day’s warmth. Animals such as:

Lions
Zebras
Giraffes
Elephants
Rhinos
Waterbuck
Hippos

And many more await your discovery within their home in the Great African Rift Valley.

The evening will see you return to your accommodation for your final dinner surrounded by the majesty of the east African landscape.

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in Africa, and will undoubtedly feature in your memories of your time in Amboseli. Wake up early on this, your last day of safari in Kenya, and you should be lucky enough to see the snow-capped peak of the feature before the clouds roll in for the day.

As the sun rises over the park, you also get to hear the dawn chorus and watch as the park comes to light as another day starts to warm up over the plains. This game drive is your final chance to see the beauty of safari in Africa and catch final glimpse of the animals of your imaginings.

You will next depart from your accommodation and head through the countryside to Nairobi. On the journey you can have chance to capture images of the Kenyan countryside and be served a traditional lunch on route. Upon arrival in Nairobi you can request a hotel, residence, or airport drop off, depending on your onward travel plans.