12 Day Luxury Safari & Zanzibar

We pick you up from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport or your hotel in Nairobi and drive to the Masai Mara Game Reserve. The route crosses the Great Rift Valley and passes many villages on the way to the main gate. You arrive in the early afternoon, check in at camp and enjoy a hot lunch and some rest. In the afternoon you set out on a game drive across the vast Masai Mara plains in search of big cats and, depending on your travel dates, the Great Migration. Other animals you may see include elephant, buffalo, giraffe and warthog. Return to camp in the late afternoon for dinner.

Stay: Zebra Plains Mara Camp or Simba Mara Tented CampMeals: Lunch, dinner

Begin with breakfast at 6:30 am, then set out on an early game drive, when lions and leopards may be seen roaming the misty morning roads. This famous reserve is home to diverse wildlife, including buffalo, zebras and giraffes, and hosts the Great Migration from July to September, with dramatic Mara River crossings. After lunch and a rest, head out again for an afternoon game drive as the sun sets over the plains. Return to camp for dinner and a cozy campfire. Optional extras include a walking safari, a Maasai village visit or a hot air balloon ride.

Stay: Zebra Plains Mara Camp or Simba Mara Tented CampMeals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

After breakfast you depart for the Serengeti, game viewing on the way to the Isebania border, where you stop briefly for visa processing before entering Tanzania at Sirari. Under current regulations, you change here to a Tanzanian-registered safari vehicle with a Tanzanian safari guide. The drive continues through the Nyamongo mining villages and Mugumu township to the Serengeti, entering at the Fort Ikoma ranger post or Ikoma Gate depending on your camp's location. You then game drive toward the northern Serengeti in search of the Great Migration, if the herds are in this area, the big cats and much more, arriving at camp in the late afternoon.

Stay: Serengeti Heritage Tented Camp, northern SerengetiMeals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Start early at 6:30 am with a packed breakfast and lunch for an immersive day of game viewing. Watch for the cat family on the morning roads, nocturnal predators returning from the hunt, or lionesses planning an ambush. If the Great Migration is in the area, spend time among the herds, observing nature's raw moments of hunting, feeding and confrontation. The Serengeti's rich ecosystem is home to elephants, buffalo, giraffes, leopards and more than 500 bird species, and our safari vehicles are equipped with VHF radios for the best wildlife tracking. Return by sunset for dinner and a campfire.

Stay: Serengeti Heritage Tented CampMeals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

After breakfast you check out and enjoy a last game drive in the Serengeti on the way to Naabi Hill Gate, where you enter the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. You then drive across the Malanja Depression to the crater rim. After check-in, spend the afternoon relaxing and enjoying the views over the crater floor, or join an optional guided nature walk along the crater rim (USD 28 per person; please let us know when booking). The day ends with sunset views, dinner and a campfire.

Stay: Ngorongoro Tortilis Camp at the crater rimMeals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

At 6:30 am you leave camp and descend 600 meters to the crater floor for a wonderful day of game viewing. The Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve, formed some 3 million years ago when the center of a volcano collapsed, leaving walls more than 600 meters high around a large caldera. A year-round supply of water and fodder supports herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, African elephant, warthog, eland and hippo, plus the rare black rhino. Predators include lion, hyena, cheetah, jackal and the elusive leopard. You also visit Lake Magadi, a shallow alkaline lake in the southwest corner, home to hippos and flamingos. Later you climb out of the crater and drive to your hotel.

Stay: Lake Manyara View HotelMeals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

After breakfast, set off to explore Tarangire National Park, known for its unique landscape and nine vegetation zones. As you enter, you are greeted by massive, ancient baobab trees that dwarf even the tallest giraffes. Enjoy a full day of game drives with a picnic lunch. Named after the Tarangire River, this 3,000-square-kilometer park is home to elephants, giraffes, lions, antelopes and zebras, and with luck you may spot a tree-climbing python or the rare gerenuk. In the evening you drive to your lodge for a relaxing evening and dinner.

Stay: Maromboi Tented Luxury LodgeMeals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

If you wish, enjoy one last early morning game drive in Tarangire National Park before returning to the lodge for breakfast. Then, depending on your flight time, you are transferred to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward flight to Zanzibar, where the beach part of your holiday begins. Say goodbye to your safari guide, who has shared the Mara, the Serengeti, the crater and Tarangire with you.

Meals: Breakfast

Your final days are spent on Zanzibar, where warm turquoise waters and white sands on the Indian Ocean await. After the long game drives of the safari, this is time to relax on the beach and unwind. Optional activities such as dolphin tours and Stone Town tours can be arranged at extra cost. At the end of your stay you are transferred for your flight home.