World Air Travel & Tours Best of East Africa Safari

Day 1: Arrival, Kenya

Be greeted and assisted with your luggage at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and be transferred to Boulevard Hotel or similar facility for overnight stay.

Day 2: Nairobi – Maasai Mara, Kenya

Pick up from your hotel at 0700 hrs and drive via the scenic Great Rift Valley, to the Mara Reserve arriving in good time for lunch. You will enjoy an afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight at or Enchoro Camp or similar facility.

Day 3: Maasai Mara, Kenya

Full day spent exploring the park in search of the Big 5. Dinner and overnight at Mara Sidai or Enchoro Camp.

The Maasai Mara Game Reserve is arguably Kenya’s most popular game sanctuary and the most visited game reserve in Kenya. Virtually every type of wildlife can be seen in the Mara.

A spectacle worth seeing is the annual migration of millions of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle from Serengeti plains across the Tanzania border and the Mara River to arrive at the Maasai Mara grazing fields from late June. The dramatic crossing of the river and the predators who prey on the hards can be viewed from early July to August.

The reserve abounds with birdlife, close to 452 species have been recorded.

Hot air balloon safaris are readily available in this park and can be arranged at an extra cost of US$ 585 per person which should be booked earlier.

Day 4: Mara – Lake Nakuru, Kenya

Breakfast then depart the lodge as you view game and drive to Lake Nakuru National Park to arrive in good time for lunch. Enjoy an afternoon game drive followed by dinner and overnight stay at Lake Nakuru Guest House.

Lake Nakuru’s claim to fame is its flamingos and the over 400 species of birds found here. The sight of the millions of flamingos is quite spectacular. From a distance the lake appears ringed in pink.

Lake Nakuru has also earned a reputation as an important haven for endangered species- particularly the Rothschild Giraffe and the black and white rhino. Lions, waterbuck, buffalo and baboons are all residents here.

Day 5: Lake Nakuru – Arusha, Tanzania

Enjoy an early morning game drive then return to the lodge for breakfast and proceed to Nairobi. Have lunch in Nairobi then board an afternoon shuttle bus to Arusha.

On arrival at Arusha, we will meet you and drive you to Arusha Crown Hotel or similar for overnight stay.

Day 6: Arusha – Lake Manyara, Tanzania

Depart Arusha in the morning for Lake Manyara. Afternoon game drive, dinner and overnight at a campsite.

Located beneath the cliffs of the Manyara Escarpment, on the edge of the Rift Valley, Lake Manyara National Park offers varied ecosystems, incredible bird life, and breathtaking views.

Lake Manyara’s famous tree-climbing lions are another reason to pay this park a visit. The only kind of their species in the world, they make the ancient mahogany and elegant acacias their home during the rainy season, and are a well-known but rather rare feature of the northern park.

In addition to the lions, the national park is also home to the largest concentration of baboons anywhere in the world — a fact that makes for interesting game viewing of large families of the primates.

Day 7: Manyara – Serengeti, Tanzania

After breakfast, depart for Serengeti passing through Olduvai Gorge, the site of Leakey’s famous discovery of fossils of human and animal ancestors dating back to almost two million years.

Meals and overnight at Serengeti Seronera Campsite.

Day 8: Serengeti, Tanzania

Full day on the Serengeti plains in search for wild game you might have missed the previous day game drive. Morning and afternoon game drives. Meals and overnight at a campsite.

Serengeti is easily Tanzania’s most famous national park, and it is also the largest, at 14,763 square kilometers of protected area that borders Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Park.

It is the migration for which the Serengeti is evidently most famous. Over a million wildebeest and about 200,000 zebras flow south from the northern hills to the southern plains for the short rains every October and November, and then swirl west and north after the long rains in April, May and June.

So strong is the ancient instinct to move that no drought, gorge or crocodile infested river can hold them back. The wildebeest travel through a variety of parks, reserves and protected areas and through a variety of habitat.

Day 9: Serengeti – Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

We view game as we drive southeast up into the magnificent Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Enjoy a full afternoon crater tour followed by dinner and overnight stay at a Simba Campsite on the crater rim.

The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s biggest whole volcanic caldera at 8,300 sq km and is a stunning arena. It is frequently described as one of the wonders of the world, not only because of its geological magnificence, but also because it serves as an extraordinary natural sanctuary for some of Africa’s largest populations of large mammals.

Day 10: Ngorongoro – Arusha, Tanzania

Breakfast then depart for Arusha arriving by lunch time. Have lunch in Arusha then board an afternoon shuttle bus to Nairobi for dinner and overnight stay at Boulevard Hotel or similar facility.

Day 11: Nairobi – Kampala, Uganda

Transfer to the airport to board your midmorning flight to Kampala, Uganda. On arriving at Entebbe, our representative will meet you and drive you to a city hotel for overnight stay.

Day 12: Kampala – Bwindi, Uganda

Morning departure for the south with stops at the craft village at the Uganda Equator for pictures and shopping. After lunch at the Lakeview hotel in Mbarara, proceed through the beautiful evergreen mountain country referred to as the “Little Switzerland”. Arrive late evening for dinner and overnight at Backpackers Camp. Meal plan is lunch and dinner. Transit time is 8 to 10 hours.

Day 13: Gorilla Trekking , Uganda

In the morning we take a briefing from park ranger guides. We then start our trek to find the mountain gorillas. The tracking starts at the area where the gorillas were the previous day and can take from 30 minutes to 8 hours. After a full hour with the gorillas, return to your accommodation for dinner and overnight stay at Backpackers Camp/Lodge.

Day 14: Kampala, Uganda

Transfers to Mbarara for lunch, then depart later for Kampala. Transit time is 8-10 hours. Overnight stay at a hotel.

Day 15: Departure

Transfer to the airport to board your Nairobi bound flight arriving in good connecting time with your home bound flight.

Inclusions

• Transport in a custom made tour van in Kenya and 4×4 land cruiser in Tanzania
• Crater service fees, conservation fees
• Services of a professional English speaking guide
• Game parks or national parks entry fees
• Accommodations in self-contained tents in Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Amboseli National Park
• 1 night accommodation in Nairobi on bed and breakfast basis
• Arusha-Nairobi shuttle bus transfer
• Three meals per day whilst on safari
• 1 litre mineral water per person per day