15 Day Best of Kenya and Tanzania Safari

Day 2 – Fly to Samburu & Afternoon Game Drive

After an early breakfast you’ll transfer across town to Wilson Airport, the busy little hub for safari flights. Board your light aircraft and fly north towards the dramatic landscapes of Samburu – red earth, rocky ridges and the lifeline of the Ewaso Nyiro River.

On landing, your guide will meet you for a game drive en route to the lodge. This is your first chance to search for Samburu’s famous “Special Five”: reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, Somali ostrich, beisa oryx and the long-necked gerenuk. The semi-arid scenery feels wonderfully wild and different from southern Kenya’s greener parks. The Week

• Accommodation: Samburu Sopa Lodge
• Board Basis: FB – Full Board
• Approx. Drive Time:
  • Four Points NBO → Wilson Airport: 45–60 minutes (traffic-dependent)
  • Samburu airstrip → lodge (game drive transfer): 30–60 minutes

Day 3 – Samburu to Ol Pejeta Conservancy – Rhinos & Chimps

After breakfast with a last view over Samburu’s rugged hills, you drive south towards the fertile foothills of Mount Kenya and the wildlife-rich Ol Pejeta Conservancy on the Laikipia Plateau. Watch the landscape shift from dusty scrub to green highlands with small farms and market towns.

Arriving at Ol Pejeta, check in and enjoy lunch before an afternoon game drive. Ol Pejeta is one of East Africa’s most important rhino sanctuaries, home to significant populations of black and southern white rhinos, plus the world’s last two northern white rhinos, under continuous protection and part of an innovative IVF programme.

The conservancy also hosts the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, the only place in Kenya where rescued chimpanzees can be seen in a semi-wild setting. General game viewing is excellent too, with chances to see lion, elephant, buffalo and plains game against a backdrop of Mt Kenya on clear days.

• Accommodation: Serena Sweetwaters Camp (Serena)
• Board Basis: FB – Full Board
• Approx. Drive Time: Samburu → Ol Pejeta: ~4.5–5 hours by road

Day 4 – Ol Pejeta to Lake Nakuru – Rift Valley Flamingos

This morning you depart Ol Pejeta and travel southwest into the dramatic Great Rift Valley, descending to Lake Nakuru National Park. The park is set around an alkaline lake whose plankton-rich waters can attract large flocks of flamingos, turning the shoreline blush-pink when conditions are right.

Arrive at your lodge for lunch, then head out on an afternoon game drive. Lake Nakuru is a key refuge for black and white rhinos, as well as endangered Rothschild’s giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck and – with luck – leopard in the fever-tree forests. Viewpoints such as Baboon Cliff offer superb panoramas over the lake and surrounding hills.

• Accommodation: Ziwa Bush Lodge
• Board Basis: FB – Full Board
• Approx. Drive Time: Ol Pejeta → Lake Nakuru: ~3.5–4 hours

Day 5 – Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara – Into Big Cat Country

After breakfast, drive out of Nakuru and through the patchwork highlands of tea and coffee estates before dropping onto the wide plains leading to Masai Mara National Reserve.

You arrive at Zebra Plains Mara Camp in time for lunch and a short rest before your afternoon game drive. The Mara is famed for its high density of big cats – lions, cheetahs and leopards – and vast herds of plains game. During the migration months, huge columns of wildebeest and zebra spill into the Mara from the Serengeti, closely followed by their predators.

• Accommodation: Zebra Plains Mara Camp
• Board Basis: FB – Full Board
• Approx. Drive Time: Lake Nakuru → Masai Mara: ~5–6 hours, depending on route and road conditions

Day 6 – Masai Mara – Full Day of Game Drives

Today is devoted to exploring the Mara’s vast golden grasslands. With your guide you can choose a full-day safari with picnic lunch or split the day into morning and afternoon drives.

You’ll search for the resident lion prides, cheetahs scanning from termite mounds and elusive leopards in the riverine forest. Keep an eye on the horizon for elephants, giraffes and large herds of topi, zebra and wildebeest. In season (roughly July–October), you may witness parts of the Great Wildebeest Migration, including dramatic river crossings if conditions allow.

• Accommodation: Zebra Plains Mara Camp
• Board Basis: FB – Full Board
• Approx. Drive Time: Game drives only – typically 4–7 hours of wildlife viewing spread through the day

Day 7 – Masai Mara – Second Full Day on the Plains

A second full safari day lets you explore different areas of the reserve – perhaps following the Mara River, visiting more remote valleys or focusing on specific interests such as big cats, birds or photography.

Optional (time and programme permitting), you may be able to visit a Maasai village to learn about traditional life, beadwork and age-old herding culture. Sunrise and sunset are especially beautiful here, with acacia silhouettes and immense skies.

• Accommodation: Zebra Plains Mara Camp
• Board Basis: FB – Full Board
• Approx. Drive Time: Game drives only – again around 4–7 hours of flexible viewing

Day 8 – Masai Mara to Nairobi – Picnic Lunch En-Route

Enjoy a last early-morning game drive as you leave the Mara, then continue by road back towards Nairobi. A packed lunch box is provided en-route, so you can make the most of your time on the road and stop at scenic viewpoints or local curio stalls along the way.

On arrival you return to Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi Airport, ideally placed for an easy getaway the next morning.

• Accommodation: Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi Airport
• Board Basis: FB – Full Board
• Approx. Drive Time: Masai Mara → Nairobi: ~5.5–6 hours

Day 9 – Nairobi to Tanzania – Namanga Border & Arusha

After breakfast, depart Nairobi and head south to the Namanga border post. After clearing immigration, continue into Tanzania with views – weather permitting – of Mount Kilimanjaro in the distance.

You arrive at Arusha Coffee Lodge area around midday for lunch (as per your note), before continuing on to your overnight accommodation at Ilboru Safari Lodge (as per the accommodation column). Arusha is Tanzania’s safari hub, set beneath Mount Meru and surrounded by coffee estates and small farms.

• Accommodation: Ilboru Safari Lodge
• Board Basis: FB – Full Board
• Approx. Drive Time: Nairobi → Namanga → Arusha: ~5–6 hours including border formalities

Day 10 – Tarangire National Park – Full Day Safari

Leave Arusha after breakfast and drive to Tarangire National Park, noted for its towering baobab trees and huge elephant herds that gather along the Tarangire River, especially in the dry season. Tarangire National Park

You’ll carry a lunch box and enjoy a full day of game driving, maximising your time in the park. Tarangire is part of the northern safari circuit yet feels quieter than Serengeti or Ngorongoro. Expect to see large herds of elephant, buffalo, zebras and wildebeest, with lions and leopards never far behind. The park is also excellent for birding, boasting over 500 recorded species.

• Accommodation: Roika Tented Lodge
• Board Basis: FB – Full Board
• Approx. Drive Time: Arusha → Tarangire gate: ~2.5–3 hours; full-day internal game drives thereafter

Day 11 – Tarangire to Serengeti – Full Day Game Viewing

Today you head through the Ngorongoro highlands and on into the legendary Serengeti National Park. The name Serengeti comes from the Maasai word “Siringet,” meaning “endless plains”, and the view of the horizon stretching away in all directions is unforgettable.

Your journey doubles as a full day of game viewing, with wildlife sightings often beginning well before you reach the park’s central areas. Depending on the time of year, you may encounter portions of the Great Migration – immense herds of wildebeest and zebra, followed by predators – or resident game including lion, cheetah, giraffe and hyena. The Week

You arrive at Kisura Serengeti Camp in time to freshen up before dinner beneath the stars.

• Accommodation: Kisura Serengeti Camp
• Board Basis: FB – Full Board
• Approx. Drive Time: Tarangire → Central Serengeti (with game viewing): ~5–7 hours total, depending on route and stops

Day 12 – Serengeti – Full Day Game Drives

A full day in the Serengeti lets you follow wildlife patterns as they unfold. With your guide you might spend the morning near waterholes frequented by elephants and hippos, then move out to the open plains where cheetahs and lions hunt.

If you’re travelling during peak migration months, you may find yourself surrounded by hundreds or thousands of wildebeest and zebra, their calls filling the air as they graze and move. Other highlights include massive buffalo herds, jackals, bat-eared foxes and rich birdlife.

• Accommodation: Kisura Serengeti Camp
• Board Basis: FB – Full Board
• Approx. Drive Time: Game drives only – typically 4–7 hours of flexible viewing

Day 13 – Serengeti – Second Full Day on the Plains

A second full day allows you to explore different sectors, follow predator activity or simply enjoy slower, more in-depth photographic stops.

Optional (and at additional cost), you might choose an early-morning hot air balloon safari, floating silently above the plains as the sun rises and animals move below – a bucket-list way to experience the Serengeti.

• Accommodation: Kisura Serengeti Camp
• Board Basis: FB – Full Board
• Approx. Drive Time: Again, 4–7 hours of game viewing depending on your preferences

Day 14 – Serengeti to Ngorongoro via Olduvai Gorge & Crater Tour

Enjoy a final en-route morning game drive as you depart Serengeti, then stop at Olduvai Gorge, one of the world’s most important paleoanthropological sites. Discoveries here of early hominin fossils and tools by Drs. Louis and Mary Leakey helped shape our understanding of human evolution, earning it the nickname “Cradle of Mankind.”

Continue into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descend 600m into the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater for an afternoon game drive. The crater floor hosts an extraordinary concentration of wildlife – lion, hyena, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, hippo and, with luck, endangered black rhino, plus seasonal flocks of flamingos on the lake.

Afterwards you ascend to your charming farmhouse-style lodge in the lush highlands.

• Accommodation: Ngorongoro Farm House Tanganyika Lodge (NFTL)
• Board Basis: FB – Full Board
• Approx. Drive Time:
  • Central Serengeti → Olduvai → Ngorongoro rim: ~4–5 hours including the museum visit
  • Crater descent & game drive: ~3–4 hours internal driving

Day 15 – Ngorongoro / Karatu to Arusha or JRO – End of Tour

After a relaxed breakfast overlooking the coffee fields and gardens, you drive back towards Arusha and onward to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport, depending on your onward flights.

Enjoy your final views of Maasai herders with their cattle and the sweeping highlands before you say farewell to East Africa and board your flight home or onward.

• Accommodation: —
• Board Basis: —
• Approx. Drive Time:
  • Karatu / Ngorongoro area → Arusha: ~3–4 hours
  • Karatu / Ngorongoro area → JRO (via Arusha): ~4–4.5 hours total