12 Day Best of East Africa Safari

Our Two Country - 12 night / 13-day Safari, covers the best of East Africa’s parks & reserves across Kenya & Tanzania. We experience quality time at many of the iconic safari destinations including Amboseli, Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, Lake Victoria, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Lake Manyara.

The safari involves just one crossing which takes place at Isibania when you enter Tanzania after your safari in the Masai Mara.

Quick Facts & Itinerary at a Glance
* The safari begins in Nairobi, Kenya and ends in Arusha, Tanzania
* It operates with a maximum of 7 passengers guaranteeing window seats
* It operates on set departure dates (see below under costing)
* Accommodation is reserved typically at the deluxe Serena Group of hotels or similar.

1 Night Sarova Pan Afric Hotel or EKA Hotel, (Nairobi, Kenya)
2 Nights Amboseli Serena Lodge or Kilima Tented Camp (Amboseli, Kenya)
1 Night at Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge or Lake Naivasha Simba Lodge (Lake Naivasha, Kenya)
1 Night Lake Nakuru Sope Lodge or Lake Nakuru Lodge (Lake Nakuru, Kenya)
2 Nights Mara Serena Lodge or Ashnil Lodge (Masai Mara, Kenya)
1 Night Serenity On the Lake or Speke Bay Lodge (Lake Victoria, Tanzania)
2 Nights Serengeti Serena Lodge or Mbalageti Tented Lodge (Serengeti, Tanzania)
1 Night Ngorongoro Serena Lodge or Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge (Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania)
1 Night Lake Manyara Serena Lodge or Manyara View Lodge (Lake Manyara, Tanzania)

Detailed Safari Itinerary

B – Breakfast
L – Lunch
D - Dinner

Day 01 - Nairobi (B)

Upon arrival in Nairobi, you will be met by your guide who will transfer you to the Sarova Pan Afric Hotel or Eka Hotel where you overnight on a bed and breakfast basis.

Day 02 - Nairobi to Amboseli National Park (B L D)

This morning we enjoy a guided tour of the city of Nairobi which includes a visit to the well-known Giraffe Centre, the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and the Karen Blixen Museum which was once the farm of the Danish author of the same name who wrote the book ‘Out of Africa’. After lunch, we travel to the Amboseli National Park a little over 200km to the southeast of Nairobi. Here we arrive in time for lunch and enter the park after lunch to enjoy our first safari in this iconic park known for its classic backdrops of the towering Mount Kilimanjaro. Late this afternoon we check into either the Amboseli Serena Lodge or Kilima Tented Camp for your first night on safari.

Day 03 - Amboseli National Park (B L D)

After an early breakfast, we embark on a morning safari in the Amboseli. Famous for its strong elephant population, but also other wildlife species including lion, cheetah, hyena more. Depending on the day’s clarity, a visit up the Observation Hill will offer commanding views of the surrounding landscape. Lunch is enjoyed at your lodge before an afternoon or relaxing and a late afternoon safari.  You will return to your lodge in time for dinner.

Day 04 - Amboseli National Park to Lake Naivasha (B L D)

After breakfast you will begin your journey to Lake Naivasha via Nairobi, around midday we will stop for refreshments and lunch. Lake Naivasha is a great freshwater lake that forms part of the Great Rift Valley.  You will have a choice to embark on a boat safari (an optional extra) on Lake Naivasha after which we check in for (1) night at either Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge or Lake Naivasha Simba Lodge.

Day 05 - Lake Naivasha to Lake Nakuru National Park (B L D)

After breakfast, we head out to the Lake Nakuru National Park for a full-day safari to this beautiful park, home to white rhinos, vast flocks of flamingos and other wildlife including the Rothschild giraffe and the eastern black rhino.

The landscape is defined by the lake and its abundant birdlife, but the bush and forests that line its edges make for excellent photo opportunities. We shall arrive at our next lodge in time for lunch and an afternoon game drive.  Accommodation will be at either Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge or Lake Nakuru Lodge.

Day 06 - Lake Nakuru - Masai Mara Game Reserve (B L D)

This morning we depart on the 4-hour drive to the Masai Mara which is approximately 230km to the southwest. We arrive in time for lunch before embarking on an afternoon safari in Kenya’s best-known safari destination. In the late afternoon, we check into either the Mara Serena Lodge Lodge or Ashnil Lodge for (2) nights.

Day 07 - Full Day Safari - Masai Mara Game Reserve (B L D)

Today we spend the day enjoying the spectacle of the Masai Mara’s wildlife viewing. Known for its annual wildebeest migration that passes through these parts around August – Sep each year, the park is much more than that - it covers over 1500 sq km of grassland and open savanna and is home to a full spectrum of African wildlife, and parts of it a critical grazing for the pastoral Maasai people. Dinner and overnight at the Mara Serena Lodge Lodge or Ashnil Lodge.

Day 08 - Masai Mara - Lake Victoria (B L D)

After an early breakfast, we depart on our 325 km drive to Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest freshwater which spans three African countries. We cross the border into Tanzania at the Isebania Border Post. It is here you bid farewell to your Kenyan guide and meet up with your Tanzanian guide who will take you onto the Speke Bay area of Lake Victoria. After the 7-hour journey, we check into either the Serenity On the Lake or Speke Bay Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 09 - Lake Victoria – Serengeti National Park (B L D)

After yesterday’s long drive, you have the opportunity for a leisurely morning to enjoy the surroundings of your lodge on Lake Victoria. For the more energetic optional extra activities on offer include a boat or canoe excursion on the lake, a walking cultural experience or a visit to a fisherman’s village. The lives of the local communities that live on Lake Victoria are inextricably linked to the lake and the natural resources it offers, and a visit to such a village offers a unique and relevant insight into Lake Victoria today.

After an early lunch, we depart on a 200km drive, game viewing a lot of the time, to the central part of the Serengeti National Park. Entering at the Ndabaka Gate we pass through the western corridor area en route to either the Serengeti Serena Lodge or Mbalageti Tented Lodge, where we base ourselves for (2) nights.

Day 10 - Full Day Safari Serengeti National Park (B L D)

Today we enjoy a full-day safari in the Serengeti. The high concentration of plains game on these grasslands attracts an array of predators including lions, cheetahs, leopards and others. Given the open nature of the terrain game viewing in the Serengeti is almost always excellent and in this particular area, the months of March – April is when the annual wildebeest migration passes through. Dinner and overnight at either the Serengeti Serena Lodge or Mbalageti Tented Lodge

Day 11 - Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area (NCA)

After an early breakfast, we check out of our accommodation and with a picnic we enjoy another game drive through the Serengeti passing areas including Moro & Gol Kopjes (small rocky hills) known for arguably the best cheetah sightings in East Africa but supporting their own wildlife communities as well as exploring the Seronera River. We leave the Serengeti area at the Nabi Hill Gate and pass the Malanja Depression, an area to the west of the NCA where Maasai allow their cattle to graze. This afternoon we check into either the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge or Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 12 - Ngorongoro Crater to Lake Manyara National Park (B L D)

After an early breakfast leave the lodge with a picnic lunch and descend 2200 feet into the Ngorongoro Crater, the only perfectly preserved caldera in the world for a 6-hour safari on the floor. This unique safari area allows visitors sightings of Africa’s big 5 (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and the rare black rhino). This afternoon we depart the NCA and enter the Lake Manyara National Park and check into either the Lake Manyara Serena Lodge or Manyara View Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 13 - Lake Manyara National Park to Arusha (B L)

After an early breakfast, we depart the lodge for a 2-hour cultural tour of the village Mto wa Mbu as well as the surrounding areas of Lake Manyara. 

During this walking tour, you will learn about the traditions of the locals, and how tourism benefits their communities as well as have the opportunity to purchase souvenirs from your trip to Tanzania.  Lunch will be a home-cooked meal of traditional African foods.  After lunch, we make our way to the city of Arusha where our safari comes to an end.

Safari Rates & Departure Dates for 2023 and 2024 (Quoted in USD)

Above Costs Include
All meals and Accommodation as per the Itinerary, 11 Breakfast, 5 Lunches, 5 Picnic Lunches, 10 Dinners, All transfers, Park Fees, Game Viewing as per the Itinerary with the English-speaking guide, Transportation on the Safari vehicle with a pop-up roof, luggage allowance 15kg per person in a soft bag, 1 Single park fees for Masai Mara is Included (In the case of on Demand for Second Park fees at Trans Mara border, clients will have to pay direct USD 75 Per person per day)

Above Cost Excludes
Laundry, Items of personal Nature, Travel Insurance, Internal or International Flight Ticket, Entry visa to Kenya and Entry Visa to Tanzania, Drinking Water, Gratuity and tipping, Phone, Fax, and any other item which is not mentioned in the Itinerary, USD60 per person per night supplement for Upgrade to Nairobi Serena.