12 Day Best of East Africa Safari

Our updated 12 Day Best of East Africa Safari eliminates unnecessary border crossings, to just one crossing. This saves time and reduces the need for Covid PCR tests to just one occasion.

In this Two Country - 12 night / 13 day Safari, we cover the best of East Africa’s parks & reserves across Kenya & Tanzania, and enjoy time at many of the iconic safari destinations including Amboseli, Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, Lake Victoria, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Lake Manyara

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 of set departure dates (see below under costing)
* Accommodation is reserved typically at the deluxe Serena Group of hotels or similar.

2 Nights Sarova Pan Afric Hotel or EKA Hotel, (Nairobi, Kenya)
1 Night Amboseli Serena Lodge or Oltukai Lodge (Amboseli, Kenya)
2 Nights Lake Naivasha Sopa lodge or Lake Naivasha Simba Lodge (Lake Naivasha, 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 Netune Ngorongoro Lodge (Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania)
1 Nights Lake Manyara Serena Lodge or Kirurumu Tented Lodge (Lake Manyara, Tanzania)

Detailed Safari Itinerary

B – Breakfast
L – Lunch
D - Dinner

Day 01 - Nairobi

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 after an early breakfast we depart Nairobi on the 4.5 hr journey 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 know for its classic backdrops of the towering Mount Kilimanjaro. Late this afternoon we check into either the Amboseli Serena Lodge or Amboseli Oltukai Lodge or Kilima Tented Camp for your first night on safari.

Day 03 - Amboseli National Park to Nairobi (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 driving back to Nairobi for overnight at either at Sarova Pan Afric Hotel or Eka Hotel.

Day 04 - Nairobi Sightseeing Tour & Travel to Lake Naivasha (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 Karen Blixen Museum that was once the farm of Danish author of the same name who wrote the book ‘Out of Africa’. After lunch we depart Nairobi for the 95km drive to the Lake Naivasha, a great freshwater lake that forms part of the Great Rift Valley. Here we check in for (2) nights at either Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge or Lake Naivasha Simba Lodge.

Day 05 - Visit 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 rhino, vast flocks of flamingo 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 makes for excellent photo opportunities. In the late afternoon we return to Lake Naivasha for dinner and overnight.

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

This morning you have a choice to relax and enjoy the surrounds of your lodge or embark on a boat safari (an optional extra) on the Lake Naivasha. At 10h00 we depart on the 4hr drive to the Masai Mara which is approximately 230km to the southwest. We arrive in time for lunch before embarking 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 or Mara Sarova Camp for (2) nights.

(This afternoon a nurse from Lancet-Kisii laboratories will take Covid-19 swab samples and send you the results digitally within 24hrs. The cost for the PCR Test is USD160 and payable on collection of the sample).

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 Aug – Sep each year, the park is much more than that - it covers over 1500 sq km of grassland and open savanna and 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 or Mara Sarova Camp.

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 fresh water 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 7hour 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 yesterdays long drive you have the opportunity for a leisurely morning to enjoy the surrounds 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 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 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 enroute 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 attract an array of predators including lion, cheetah, leopard and others. Given the open nature of the terrain game viewing in the Serengeti is almost always excellent and 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 Neptune Ngorongoro Luxury Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 12 - Safari in the Ngrongoro Crater (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 preserve caldera in the world for a 6hour 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 Kirurumu Tented Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 13 - Lake Manyara National Park (B L)

After an early breakfast we depart the lodge with a picnic lunch to enjoy our last game drive, this time in the Lake Manyara National Park.

Fed by underground springs and surface run off this shallow alkaline lake is the main focus of this national park, but offers varied habitats including forest, wetlands and floodplains. It is home a wide variety of wildlife as well as lions with the curious habit of tree climbing. We end this safari of East Africa at the town of Arusha around lunchtime.

Safari Rates & Departure Dates for 2022 (Quoted in USD)

Above Costs Include
All meals and Accommodation as per Itinerary, 11 Breakfast, 5 Lunches, 5 Picnic Lunches, 10 Dinners, All transfers, Park Fees, Game Viewing as per Itinerary with the English speaking guide, Transportation on 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, Item of personal Nature, Travel Insurance, Internal or International Flight Ticket, Entry visa to Kenya and Entry Visa to Tanzania, Drinking Water, Gratuity & Tipping, Phone, Fax, and any other item which is not mention in the Itinerary, USD10 per person per night supplement for Upgrade to Nairobi Serena, PCR test on Day 6 (USD 160 pp)