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Experience the wild wonders of Kenya and Tanzania

This trip delivers wildlife, adventure and comfort in equal measures. Travel through these welcoming nations, past stunning scenery, tiny farming villages and modern cities abuzz with activity. Get a dose of wildlife action on exhilarating game drives; learn about local customs and traditions on community visits; spot prolific birdlife on lakes and in rivers; and spend each night relaxing over a tasty meal in comfort accommodation. From the thrill of being on safari to the genuine, real life moments interacting with locals, this East African adventure showcases the very best of the region's wildlife, culture, environment, and traditions.

Start
Nairobi, Kenya
Finish
Arusha, Tanzania
Destinations
Kenya, Tanzania
Style
Comfort
Theme
Overland, Wildlife
Code
YGKEC
Physical rating
Ages
Min 15
Group size
Min 1, Max 15

Why you'll love this trip

  • Stay in a selection of rustic permanent tented camps and lodges across Kenya and Tanzania's unspoilt wilderness without sacrificing the creature comforts of home - then drifting off to sleep to the sounds of the African night.

  • Spend an incredible morning outside Lake Nakuru meeting with local women who are using local resources to create a living.

  • Spot endangered black and white rhino stopping for a drink while on game drive in Lake Nakuru NP.

  • Spot hippos and unique birdlife of the waters of Lake Naivasha before landing at Elsamere Conservation Centre and learning of the history of Elsa and their conservation trust.

  • Watch lions and cheetahs prowling for a kill at the famous Masai Mara National Reserve on a 4x4 safari vehicle game drive.

  • Be astounded by the vast array of wildlife in Ngorongoro Crater in open top 4x4 vehicles.

  • Travel across the endless grasslands of the Serengeti searching for the Big Five and large herds of wildebeest and zebra migrating through the park.

  • Drive through the Kwakuchinja Wildlife Corridor then learn the story of the large baobab trees while on safari at Tarangire National Park .

Is this trip right for you?

  • This is an overland trip. That means you’ll be travelling with a group in a purpose-built vehicle, visiting remote communities, setting up your own tent (unless you’re on an Original or Comfort style trip), occasionally roughing it in the bush with no facilities, and getting the best possible views of the ‘big five’. While the trucks don’t have air conditioning, they do have sliding windows which let in the breeze and make it even easier to take spectacular snaps of the local wildlife. The drive days can be long, but it’s as much about the journey as the destination, and half the fun is the camaraderie. For more info on this style of travel, see our Africa overland page: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/au/africa/overland

  • Our overland safaris do not necessitate exceptional fitness levels, but a general level of physical movement is required. For example, you need to judge yourself physically fit enough to handle.

  • As the early bird catches the worm, the early camper sights the animals. There will be many early starts either to make use of the better safari time or to beat the morning traffic on long travel days.

Map of Kenya & Tanzania Safari including Kenya and Tanzania, United Republic Of
4WD safari in Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Lioness in Serengeti NAtional Park Tanzania, Africa
Giraffes in Serengeti National Park Tanzania, Africa
Your mode of transport in Tanzania with Intrepid Travel
Group of travellers on a boat tour in Lake Naivasha, Kenya as part of an Intrepid Travel tour
Bungalows at Crescent Camp in Lake Naivasha, Kenya
On safari with Intrepid in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Itinerary
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On arrival in Nairobi, you’ll be met and transferred to your hotel by our Intrepid representative. You may wish to speak to our representative regarding any additional tours or activities that you might wish to do while you’re in Nairobi. There will be a trip briefing at the hotel at approximately 6.00pm this evening. The rest of the day is spent at your leisure.

Please note this is an arrival day – you can arrive at any time. Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, was established at the turn of the 20th century by Europeans as a stores depot during the construction of the East African Railway. Without plan or design, it established itself as the capital of the British protectorate, and today has a population of around three million.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Complimentary Airport Arrival Transfer
Optional Activities
  • Nairobi - City Experience Urban Adventure - USD55
  • Nairobi - From Farm to Feast In Focus Urban Adventure - USD86
  • Nairobi - Giraffes & Elephants Urban Adventure - USD70
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.
Special Information
An airport arrival transfer is included. This transfer is only valid if arriving on day 1 or if you have booked pre-trip accommodation through Intrepid. Please provide your flight details at the time of booking, or at a minimum 15 days prior to travel (note - we may not be able confirm request made within 15 days of travel). Once you have provided your details a transfer representative will be booked to meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel.

Depart Nairobi and head north-west towards Lake Nakuru National Park (approximately 4 hours), arriving in time for lunch. Afterwards climb into our truck for an afternoon game drive and hopefully see some of the once abundant pink flamingos converge on Lake Nakuru, all under the watchful eye of nearby rhinos and zebras. Lake Nakuru is a soda lake which is home to thousands of birds and in the past was a haven for pink flamingos. There is quite a good chance of seeing white rhinos, whilst black rhinos may prove to be more elusive. After spending the day in the park, we return to our permanent tented camp.
Accommodation
  • Permanent tented camp (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Lake Nakuru - Overland Vehicle Game Drive
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

Leave the camp after breakfast and head to a nearby village with a local guide. This is a fantastic opportunity to interact with the locals and get a feel for everyday life. Here you'll learn about local projects where the women yarn and knit wool, make art from banana bark and recycle plastic bottles. Then enjoy lunch prepared by the local women and hear their stories of work and the village. Travel south along a road sandwiched between two impressive natural reserves, to Lake Naivasha (approximately 3 hrs). One of the few freshwater lakes in the Great Rift Valley, Lake Naivasha is bordered with flat-topped acacias and has floating islands of papyrus reeds. It's also home to a healthy population of hippos and a tremendous variety of birds. Here we take a boat ride spotting bird life and hippos and finishing up at Elsamere Conservation Centre. Enjoy afternoon tea while listening to their work on sustainability and the conservation trust.
Accommodation
  • Permanent tented camp (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Lake Naivasha - Boat trip
  • Lake Nakuru - Village walk & local lunch
  • Lake Naivasha - Elsamere Conservation Centre
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

Today is free to explore at your leisure. See all that this vast lake has to offer on a waterside bike ride or opt for time on the water instead and head out on a boat trip. If hiking is more to your tastes then there are two spectacular walks to consider – the first through the leafy hills and mountains of the Crater Lake Game Sanctuary, and the second to Hell's Gate National Park. Hell's Gate is a dry trail compared to the Crater Lake path, winding its way along scenic paths through narrow cliff breaks, and is home to rare bearded vultures. The walk can be quite challenging. Return to the permanent tented camp at Lake Naivasha.
Accommodation
  • Permanent tented camp (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Lake Naivasha - Hell's Gate NP (Game Drive) - USD40
  • Lake Naivasha - Crater Lake Game Sanctuary walk entrance fee - USD20
  • Lake Naivasha - Bike hire - USD12
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
Special Information
The Hell's Gate NP optional activities will also incur a USD50 transport fee per vehicle.

The Lake Naivasha crater lake game sanctuary walk will also incur a guide fee of USD25 per guide.

The bike hire will also require an additional USD26 fee to enter the National Park plus an additional 250 Kenyan Shillings to be permitted to ride the bike within the park.

We head south-west to our next destination, the Masai Mara - arguably one of the finest game reserves in Africa (300kms, approx 8-9hrs). On the way you'll stop in Loita Hills, a remote region that's home to the traditional Maasai people. This is one of the key places where the Maasai people still practice their traditional way of life, with little influence from the western world. Make a stop at Tepesua Village, which is known for championing Maasai women’s health and education. You’ll be welcomed by Maasai Warriors by way of traditional song and dance. Meet your Maasai hosts and enjoy a fascinating talk, full of insights into this remarkable and ancient culture. Take a walk to the community village which was founded for widows who had lost their cows due to drought, and can never remarry. The village offers support, safety and economic growth through the ‘Tepesua Widows Income Project’. Here the women are engaged in making handicrafts and sewing eco-friendly handbags, washable sanitary pads, and backpacks to sell to visiting travellers and locals. Learn about village life and be shown around a traditional Maasai home, and their cattle enclosures.
Accommodation
  • Permanent tented camp (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Loita Hills - Cultural talk and village visit
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
Special Information
The camp is powered by generator and you will have the opportunity to recharge your camera's here.

Today we wake before dawn to start our full day game drive. The Masai Mara is known for its rolling green plains, riverine woodlands and annual wildebeest and zebra migration. We may be lucky to observe black-maned lion, leopard and cheetah. These predators find an abundant food supply in the massive herds of wildebeest, zebra, Thomson's and Grant's gazelle that roam the grasslands. Also keep an eye out for  elephants, hippos and giraffes among others. During the heat of the day we'll find shade under an Acacia tree and stop for a picnic lunch.
Accommodation
  • Permanent tented camp (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Masai Mara National Reserve - Full Day 4x4 Game Drive
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

If you missed out on seeing one of the Big 5 (lions, elephants, buffalos, leopards, and rhinoceros) yesterday, never fear! This morning is free to head out on an optional 4x4 game drive, a safari balloon ride or to just relax before the included afternoon game drive. Each day on the reserve is a shifting narrative, with new encounters and stories to be found as you cruise across the plains.

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 driven 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 early morning movements of the teeming herds. Upon landing you'll be treated to a bush breakfast before being returned to your vehicle. Please note if you are taking a balloon ride over the Mara you will be taken to the launch place from our camp before dawn and returned to the group when you have finished your ride.
Accommodation
  • Permanent tented camp (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Masai Mara National Reserve - Afternoon 4x4 Game Drive
Optional Activities
  • Masai Mara National Reserve - Balloon ride (from price) - USD500
  • Masai Mara National Reserve - Half Day 4x4 Game Drive - USD150
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
Special Information
The balloon ride is offered as a pre-booked service which will guarantee you a spot in a balloon. If you choose to wait and book this activity locally on the ground you may get a better price. However this is a popular activity and places are limited. It is at your own discretion if you wish to pre-book this service with us or try and book it locally while you are on your trip.

After breakfast, return to Nairobi, arriving in the late afternoon (240 km, approx 7-8 hrs). This evening is free to soak up the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Nairobi.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
Special Information
As this is a combination trip the composition of your group may change at this location.

This morning, jump back on the overland vehicle and head for Arusha, Tanzania (approximately 7 hours). Meet up with fellow group members, then head to Tarangire National Park. Tarangire National Park lies to the south of the Masailands and is defined by large open savannahs dotted with acacia woodland and large baobab trees. With the presence of the Tarangire River, this park forms a refuge during the dry season for many migratory animals.
Accommodation
  • Permanent tented camp (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Tarangire National Park - Overland Vehicle Game Drive
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
Special Information
This tented camp is powered by generators so you will also have the chance to charge your cameras, laptops and phones prior to 11pm.

At Tarangire you will enjoy a full day game. The Tarangire corridor is used by the animals to migrate from Tarangire to Lake Manyara in search of water and grasses. During the migration periods, you may be lucky enough to witness the migration of zebras, wildebeest and elephants right from the veranda of your tent. This is the real African bush experience! We have a whole day in the National Park, but as the animals tend to be more active in the cooler hours of the day, we will usually return to camp during the middle of the day to enjoy a hearty meal, relax and maybe take a siesta.
Accommodation
  • Permanent tented camp (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Tarangire National Park - Overland Vehicle Game Drive
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

Today you leave for the wide open plains of the Serengeti. To reach the Serengeti you must travel through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, skirting the Ngorongoro Crater before entering into the Serengeti. You will spend the afternoon on a game drive covering the more southern regions of the Serengeti before reaching your camp site for the evening.
Accommodation
  • Permanent tented camp (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Serengeti National Park - Overland Vehicle Game Drive
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
Special Information
This tented camp is powered by generators so you will also have the chance to charge your cameras, laptops and phones prior to 11pm.

The seemingly endless Serengeti Plains capture the essence of Africa. They are home to massive numbers of grazing animals and also various predators, and the interaction between the many species often provides some of the best wildlife viewing opportunities in the world.

Today you will start around sunrise for a morning game drive and follow that up later on with an afternoon game drive, as the animals tend to be more active in the cooler hours of the day. You will usually return to camp during the hotter hours in the middle of the day, where you will enjoy a hearty meal, relax and maybe take a siesta.

Depending on wildlife movements and opportunities for sightings, the drive may continue through lunch and last all day. In this case, you will return to camp in the late afternoon.
Accommodation
  • Permanent tented camp (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Serengeti National Park - Overland Vehicle Game Drive
Optional Activities
  • Serengeti National Park - Balloon Ride (from price) - USD599
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

This morning you will have time to further explore the Serengeti and perhaps visit Simba Kopjes, an outcrop of rocks favoured by lion and cheetah, who can often be seen basking in the morning sun. You will spend your time game viewing and will stop for a picnic lunch on the drive from Serengeti National Park back toward the Ngorongoro Conservation area.
Accommodation
  • Permanent tented camp (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Serengeti National Park - Overland Vehicle Game Drive
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

Today you will explore the world-renowned Ngorongoro Crater, widely regarded as a microcosm of natural habitats in Africa and often touted as a veritable Garden of Eden. Within this crater lies every type of ecosystem, including riverine forests, open plains, freshwater and alkaline lakes.

Ngorongoro Crater is the remnants of an ancient volcano caldera, and within its 300 square kilometres is a remarkable concentration of wildlife. The scenery is spectacular as you descend almost 600 metres down to the crater floor. There is every chance that you will see a considerable variety of wildlife in this compact area, including the highly endangered black rhinoceros.

In the afternoon you will leave the crater and return to camp for a second night. (National park regulations stipulate that vehicles are only allowed a maximum of six hours in Ngorongoro Crater.) The late afternoon can be spent relaxing at the camp.
Accommodation
  • Permanent tented camp (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Ngorongoro Crater - 4x4 Game Drive
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

This morning we leave Karatu and drive back to Arusha (approximately 4 hours). We expect to arrive back in Arusha around noon.

Please do not book any international departures until after 5pm.
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
Special Information
A departure transfer can be booked, at an additional expense, to either Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK).

Meals

14 breakfasts, 13 lunches, 12 dinners

Transport

Overland vehicle, 4x4 Safari Vehicle, Boat

Accommodation

Hotel (2 nights), Permanent tented camp (12 nights)

Included activities

  • Complimentary Airport Arrival Transfer
  • Lake Nakuru - Overland Vehicle Game Drive
  • Lake Naivasha - Boat trip
  • Lake Nakuru - Village walk & local lunch
  • Lake Naivasha - Elsamere Conservation Centre
  • Loita Hills - Cultural talk and village visit
  • Masai Mara National Reserve - Full Day 4x4 Game Drive
  • Masai Mara National Reserve - Afternoon 4x4 Game Drive
  • Tarangire National Park - Overland Vehicle Game Drive
  • Serengeti National Park - Overland Vehicle Game Drive
  • Ngorongoro Crater - 4x4 Game Drive

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Important notes

1. A single supplement is available on all nights of this trip, subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2. An airport arrival transfer is included. Please provide your flight details at the time of booking, or at a minimum 15 days prior to travel.
3. This is a combination trip made up of 2 shorter trips. This means the composition of your group may change in Nairobi & Arusha as some group members leave and new ones join you.
4. Optional sunrise balloon rides in the Serengeti National Park and Masai Mara are possible on this itinerary. Please see the itinerary above for full details of this activity. As the balloon only holds 16 people, places are limited and we recommend you book in advance. Please inquire when booking your trip to book this optional activity.
5. This trip finishes after lunch in Arusha on Day 15. Please do not book any flights out of JRO International Airport until after 5pm this afternoon. A departure transfer can be booked for an additional cost.

Essential trip information

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