East Africa Explorer - 14 days - Kenya start
Young male
Combining our Kenya and Tanzania safaris for a two-week journey
of adventure that is more than just one wildlife
park after another. Discover the contrasting scenery, wildlife environments
and cultures as you travel through these most spectacular safari
destinations. This itinerary starts in Kenya, but can also be started
in Tanzania on alternate weeks- (see When
we go).
Day 1 Drive west from Nairobi, down the Great Rift Valley, and into Maasailand. Lunch en-route and on to a small Maasai homestead for insights into their fascinating way of life. Overnight camp under the acacia trees, dinner round camp fire, starlit skies and sleep to the sounds of the African night - often lions roaring in the distance. (Don't worry! Our camp is guarded by the Maasai all night).
Male impala & female groupDay 2 Optional 2-3 hour walking safari along small river course
and through the savanna for wildlife viewing with the Maasai as guides and
interpreters of their lands, where you will often walk amongst giraffe,
impala, zebra and wildebeest. Drive to a natural hot spring at Maji
Moto (where you can take a dip or just dip your toe in). Here we support a primary school and we can arrange visits during term time. Then on to our
secluded camp in the Masai Mara, local market visit and late afternoon game drive. Or option
to hike all or part-way up nearby Naumare Hills to watch an invariably
stunning sunset over the Mara. Overnight in our comfortable permanent
tented safari camp.
Day 3 Ecologically the Masai Mara is an extension of the great Serengeti plains and teems with wildlife. We spend all today in the reserve on game drives and this is where you can see elephant, buffalo, lion, cheetah, leopard, zebra, giraffe, hippo, crocodile and a whole ark-full of other animals. Our expert naturalist guides and 4WD vehicles ensure you have the very best chance of seeing them all. From August to October, the Mara is home to the great wildebeest migration. Overnight again in our permanent tented safari camp.
Tea pickers
Day 4 After another morning game drive in the Mara (to spot any animals you may have missed yesterday) we drive up and over the forested Mau Escarpment, and descend to Nakuru, past the spectacular Menengai volcanic crater, to a co-operatively run coffee and tea estate. This is a delightful, cool, verdant forested setting where there will be a guided bird-watching walk and visit to the tea and coffee processing operations. You can try your hand at picking tea and coffee if you like. Overnight here in the old colonial estate house.
Watching fish in Elementaita hot springs Day 5 After early morning finishing with the farm activities (and if you don’t fancy a walk or the tea and coffee processing insights you can relax in the beautiful gardens drinking it) we take a short drive to Lake Elementaita. This is a soda lake on the floor of the Great Rift Valley and here we explore the lakeside environment. There are hot springs (with amazing heat tolerant fish) and we’ll visit nearby Kikuyu farms and homesteads. Overnight in small bungalows right by the lakeside with hundreds of thousands of pink flamingos just a few metres away.
Lake Nakuru viewpoint
Day 6 Early start for short drive to Lake Nakuru national park. This is a small but spectacularly picturesque park with abundant wildlife and an excellent chance of seeing the rare rhino, both black and white species, vast herds of buffalo and the unusual Rothschild's giraffe. It has also had nearly 400 species of birds recorded within its boundaries. Return to bungalows again at the Elementaita lakeside for overnight. Option tonight for an overnight stay in a Kikuyu villager’s farmhouse for fascinating insights into the life of a local, enhancing your African experience and providing an additional income for the family - no extra cost but advise us in advance please.
Fish Eagle, Lake Naivasha Day 7 After early breakfast drive to Lake Naivasha, a vast
freshwater lake, famed for its many hippos and bird life - particularly
fish eagles, love-birds and pelicans - and we take a morning boat trip to
see them. Then return to Nairobi, arriving around
lunchtime for transfer by shuttle bus to Tanzania. Overnight in Arusha
hotel.
One of our recent guests made a diary during her Kenya safari - you can see her blog (with pics, sound and video) here and it will really give you a feel for what this section of the safari is like.
Wildebeeste everywhere! Day 8 Leave
Arusha and drive to the Serengeti! Afternoon game drive in the rolling
grasslands. Criss-crossed with forested riverine valleys, the Serengeti
plays home to millions of Africa’s large mammals, making this one of the
world’s most famous wildlife destinations. Camp overnight in bush
campsite.
Day 9 All day game drive in Serengeti. Best time for the wildebeest migration is late Dec to June but there are spectacular wildlife sights at anytime of year. Camp overnight in bush campsite.
Cheetah in Ngorongoro Day 10 Further
game drive in Serengeti and then on to the Ngorongoro Crater. Lunch
en-route at Olduvai Gorge and a view of the archaeological sites ( and
visit the
museum) where early human tools and fossils have been found. Camp overnight
on the Ngorongoro Crater rim.
Ngorongoro Crater & LakeDay 11 Ngorongoro is collapsed volcano - an incredible
natural amphitheatre, 25 km across and teeming with all of the African big
game. Early morning descent into the crater for spectacular scenery and game
viewing in what has been described as the eighth wonder of the world. In
late afternoon a short drive to Karatu in time for local market visit
or relax in a permanent campsite near the village where we stay overnight.
Strolling throgh farms Day 12 Leisurely
walking safari through farms and villages on the rift valley
escarpment. You can discover the farming, irrigation and cattle
husbandry techniques, visit houses and, if you want, sample local
cuisine of the Iraqw tribe. There is also traditional wood-fired brick
making, local musicians and you can generally gain a deeper
understanding of the lifestyle of the people who live and work here.
Camp overnight with spectacular views over Lake Manyara.
Elephants in the Manyara Park Day 13 Game-drive around Lake Manyara National Park. This
park is famed for the bird life around the soda lake - flamingos in
particular, and is home to unusual tree-climbing lions. It also has a
large elephant population. In mid afternoon drive on to Esilalei, a small
village in the wildlife corridor between Tarangire & Manyara national
parks for Maasai lands and life experience. Camp overnight, and although you’ll sleep
to calls of hyenas and the African night, here will be Maasai sitting up
round the fire and guarding the camp.
Evening visitors to our camp Day 14 Cultural insights around the village. Here with Maasai as guides you can visit
traditional huts, take part in activities like herding goats, milking
cows, jewellery beadwork, spot animals & birds on a walking safari in
the bush, find out about the medicinal uses of the savanna plants and
learn from an elder the history and culture of these fascinating people. We built and maintain a school here which you can visit if you wish. Return to Arusha by early afternoon. If necessary, onward travel arrangements can be made to get you back to Nairobi (or Nairobi airport) by around 19.00 in evening.
General: Accommodation is in bush camps (fully supported), permanent tented camps and very comfortable local hotels. The camping section on this trip allows us access to wilder areas. We do not generally use the luxury lodges but neither do we compromise on health, safety or reasonable comfort. Lodge accommodation can be arranged for private group departures if required. Equipment will be carried by vehicles or local porters, you only carry a day-pack with personal gear. When camping you will not have to participate in camp chores. We buy fresh produce locally and to ensure good standards of hygiene all food is prepared by our own staff. We can cater for special dietary requirements and there are no extra food-kitty payments.
We can also arrange extra hotel bookings and airport transfers for before and after your trip.
| Cost for scheduled departures: | Group rates private departures: |
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| US $3,540 per person if you join one of our scheduled departures - see When we go. We need a minimum of 2 people booked for these trips to run. Contact us for booking status if you are a single traveller. |
US $3,300 per person for group of
9 -12 US $3,625 per person for group of 5 - 8 US $3,945 per person for group of 3 - 4 US $4,375 per person for group of 2 US $6,625 for single person departure |
| Prices quoted include: | Prices quoted exclude: |
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