14 Day Kenya & Tanzania Lodge Safari (BS-YKL)

Jambo! Welcome to Kenya

An arrival transfer is included. If you have confirmed your transfer by providing your flight details (at least 15 days prior) you will be met on arrival at Nairobi Airport and transferred to your hotel.

You can arrive at any time on day 1 as there are no activities planned until the important welcome meeting tonight at 6pm. Your leader will leave a note at reception telling you where and this important meeting will take place. Please ask a member of reception for this information. After the group meeting there is the option of joining the group for dinner.

Please note this is a combination trip. The composition of your group, your group leader and your overland vehicle will change on our return to Nairobi.

Your leader will collect your local payment at this meeting. Please bring USD notes/bills printed after 2003 in large denominations for these on the ground payments.

Nairobi is a bustling city that is constantly alive with a wide array of restaurants, clubs, pubs and discos. If you arrive early, head out to explore the National Museum of Kenya or the Karen Blixen Museum (author of Out of Africa), or Bomas which displays the traditional homesteads of several Kenyan tribes in an outdoor village.

Meals: None

Overnight: Hotel Panafric

The Panafric is imposingly set in a quiet residential suburb, overlooking Kenyatta Avenue, thus commanding a panoramic view of Nairobi 's skyline. This 152-roomed hotel has a pool and two restaurants.

At around 7.30am this morning we leave the skyscrapers of Nairobi behind and travel north through hilly countryside dotted with Kikuyu villages. After crossing the equator we drive past Mt Kenya, taking in excellent views of its snow-capped peaks. Enter the semi-arid lands of the Northern Frontier District on the way to the untamed wilderness of the Samburu.

It is approximately 390 km (6-7 hours driving time) from Nairobi to Samburu. With a break for lunch along the way, we expect to arrive at our lodge around 5pm.

Our lodge is set on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River, a muddy river that forms a ribbon of oases in the parched landscape. These oases are inhabited by the local Samburu tribespeople, who are often seen dressed in resplendent traditional robes and ornate jewellery.

Meals included: Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners

Overnight: The lodge is very comfortable with outdoor living a real feature of the bar and dining area. The pool area is sensational and the perfect place to relax. The rooms are comfortable and come with all the expected facitlities.

Leaving Samburu soon after breakfast, we have an included country style lunch enroute to the Aberdare National Park (approx. 5 hours). Tonight's accommodation is at Treetops. A nearby waterhole and adjacent salt licks attract a variety of game and we can watch the animals come out of the wilderness for a drink from this wonderful viewpoint. Buffaloes, rhinos, elephants, giant forest hogs and antelopes are common visitors.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Overnight: This world-famous game-viewing hotel stands by a pool on a low spur of the Aberdare Forest. The hotel is raised up on 12m (40 ft) high stilts amongst the trees, and from its many verandahs, we can get superb panoramic views of the forest wildlife beneath.

Departing Treetops around 8am, we turn west, to visit the Lake Nakuru National Park, situated in the heart of the Great Rift Valley (200kms, around 3.5 hours). We plan to arrive at our lodge in time for lunch. This lake is justly famous for its visiting flocks of flamingos, as well as pelicans, cormorants and several hundred other species. Land animals are also well-represented here, with waterbucks, rare Rothchild's giraffes and zebras being fairly common. The park has worked hard in recent years to increase its population of both black and white rhinos so we might even see these magnificent creatures on game drives around the reserve.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Overnight: Tonight you stay at a Lodge located right within the park.

The lodge comes with a relaxing open bar area, a wonderful pool to cool down in after your safari and a large dining area for your meals.

Leaving around 7.30am, we drive south from Nakuru, crossing the floor of the Great Rift Valley and traversing the escarpment before reaching the town of Narok in the land of the Masai. As we near this marvelous area, we are likely to see many colourfully dressed Masai tribes people attending to their herds of cattle. Distance covered is 320 km which should take us around 6 hours. We arrive in time for lunch at our lodge.

The Masai Mara has a very high population of plains animals such as wildebeest and zebras which are preyed upon by lions, leopards, hyenas, among others. Elephants are also a fairly common sight here while hippos and crocodile are plentiful in the Mara River. On our first day here we'll head out in the late afternoon for an evening game drive.

Our second day is spent with a dawn game drive, returning to relax at our tented camp during the heat of the day and heading out again in the late afternoon as the animals become more active.

An optional balloon ride over the Masai Mara at sunrise is an unforgettable experience. If you have pre-booked this activity (please see Important Notes) you will be picked up and drive to the launch site, receive a safety briefing from your pilot and help inflate the balloon. You then glide through the dawn, sometimes at tree height providing amazing wildlife photography opportunities, sometimes ascending to get an overview of the enormity of the Masai Mara plains and the teeming herds of early morning wild life movements. Upon landing and before being returned to your accommodation you'll be treated to a five star bush breakfast!

Meals included: Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners

Overnight: Accommodation for these nights is at a comfortable tented camp within park boundaries. Each tent has comfortable beds, lovely furnishings and full bathroom amenities - sleeping in a luxury tent is a true safari experience.

This morning we leave the magnificent Mara behind and drive back to Nairobi for an overnight stay in the Panafric hotel. This is a journey of approximately 250kms which will take around 5 hours.

Please note that this trip is a combination of our Kenya Lodge and Tanzania Lodge trips. The composition of your group and your group leader may change today. There will be a second group meeting on this evening to meet your new group and provide more details about your drive to Tanzania tomorrow. Please ask your leader about the time and location for this important meeting.

After the meeting there will be a chance to head out into town for an optional group dinner at one of the local restaurants.

Meals: None

Overnight: The Panafric Hotel

We depart at 8am on the morning of day 9 in a public shuttle bus bound for Arusha, Tanzania. Upon reaching the Tanzania border at Namanga, we proceed through Immigration and Customs before reboarding the shuttle. On arrival at Arusha, around 1.30pm (approx 5.5 hours drive), we will meet our safari guide and crew, load up your gear, and have lunch. After lunch we head straight off to the Lake Manyara National Park. This is a journey of around 1.5 hours, making our total kms driven today approximately 410Kms.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Overnight: This night is spent at a hotel at Lake Manyara which is dramatically located in the very edge of the vertiginous western escarpment of the Rift Valley, affording all of the hotel's 100 guestrooms have stunning views from there private balconies across the tranquil and beautiful waters of the Lake. The spectacular swimming pool, situated in a panoramic setting, is a great place to relax and take in fantastic views of the Pink Lake. Tastefully decorated in authentic African style, the rooms are fully equipped with ensuite bathrooms, shower attachments and bathtub. All beds are provided with mosquito nets.

This morning is an early start as we set out on a dawn safari to explore Lake Manyara National Park known for its black-maned, tree-climbing lions that are a highlight of any safari. Large herds of buffalo and elephant are often seen as well. The picturesque lake is home to large numbers of birds and you'll most likely see flamingos and pelicans in the water or flocking by the shores.

Leaving Lake Manyara mid morning, we travel on to the world-famous Serengeti National Park, arriving in time for a late afternoon game drive to our lodge. The endless plains of the Serengeti are the essence of Africa, and are home to massive numbers of plains animals and attendant predators, providing some of the best wildlife viewing anywhere in the world. It is 180 Kms from Lake Manyara to our lodge in the Serengeti (roughly 6 hours drive time- the last 1.5 hours are at very slow game drive pace).

Making the most of the wildlife opportunities, we enjoy early morning and afternoon game drives following the natural pattern of the animals, who tend to be more active in the cooler hours. We depart before dawn on the morning of our second day here to watch how the animals of the Serengeti start their day. Depending on the whereabouts of the game, we can either return to the lodge to relax until heading out for our afternoon safari, or packing lunch boxes we may choose to spend the day exploring the Park.

An optional balloon ride over the Serengeti at sunrise is an unforgettable experience. If you have pre-booked this activity (please see Important Notes) you will be picked up and drive to the launch site, receive a safety briefing from your pilot and help inflate the balloon. You then glide through the dawn, sometimes at tree height providing amazing wildlife photography opportunities, sometimes ascending to get an overview of the enormity of the Serengeti and the teeming herds of early morning wild life movements. Upon landing and before being returned to your accommodation you'll be treated to a five star bush breakfast!

Meals: Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners

Overnight: Our Lodge accommodation is constructed round a rocky outcrop from glass and wood elements, perfectly blending into its surrounding. Next to the lodge, several waterholes attract day and night the most amazing animals, providing a unique opportunity for a close encounter. The Seronera's 75 rooms afford stunning views over the Serengeti. Elegantly decorated in authentic traditional African style, the rooms are fully equipped with ensuite bathrooms, shower attachments, bathtub and central heating system. King size beds are provided with mosquito nets over the air vents. There are indoor and outdoor bars to enjoy.

We depart the Serengeti this morning, making our way to the Park boundaries while completing a leisurely game drive. We will have a boxed picnic lunch today. Leaving the Serengeti, we are taken to the Olduvai Gorge, an area famed for the fossilised remains of prehistoric man, before continuing on to our scenic lodge on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater, arriving in the late afternoon. It will take us about 3 hours to get to our hotel on the rim of the crater once we exit The Serengeti Park (70Kms).

On the morning of our second day in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, after an early breakfast, we descend to the crater floor 600 m below the rim (2,250 m) in the early morning for a half-day game drive within the crater until the mid afternoon, enjoying a boxed picnic lunch. The Ngorongoro Crater is the remains of an ancient volcano, and within its walls lie 250 sq km of floor space, home to remarkable concentrations of wildlife. Over 30,000 animals live here including endangered black rhinos, lions, leopards, elephants, impalas, zebras and hippos to name just a few. Afterwards, we return to the lodge for a second night.

Meals: Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners

Overnight: We spend these two nights at a Lodge. It is built from natural stone and local wood and timber and it is provided with panoramic windows that encompass superb views of the crater. All the Lodge's 75 rooms have uninterrupted views, and the open air terrace of the Rhino Lounge Bar offers superb panoramic views of the whole crater. The rooms are fully equipped with ensuite bathrooms and central heating system. All the beds are provided with mosquito nets.

Today we start our return journey to Nairobi. Our first stop will be the village of Mto Wa Mbu (drive time from the crater approx. 1.5 hours) where we will visit the local market and have a chance to meet the local people. You may also wish to take the chance to indulge in a spot of shopping with wood carvings and local artwork a speciality of this area.

After a brief stop in Arusha (drive time between Mto Wa Mbu and Arusha is approx. 2 hours) we will head to the border with Kenya. Putting into consideration the border crossing might take close to one hour, the drive from Arusha to Nairobi will take 6 hours (300Kms).

Our tour finishes on arrival at the Panafric hotel at around 6pm. Please do not book your international flight until after 10pm on this day. Accommodation is not included for tonight, but we are able to arrange additional accommodation. Please enquire at time of booking.

For those wishing to avoid the long drive back to Nairobi we can also drop passengers who arrange their departing flights out of Arusha, enroute back to Kenya. Post tour accommodation can also be arranged in Arusha, as well as Nairobi, for those who may require it.

Meals included: Breakfast