Kenya. Best of Serengeti and Maasai Mara Safari

Arrive at the Kilimanjaro International Airport this evening where you’ll be met after passing through customs and transfer to overnight at the Moivaro Plantation.

This morning transfer to the domestic airport in Arusha where you’ll fly to the Manyara Airstrip, located on the top of the Rift Valley Escarpment in the Ngorongoro Highlands. Meet your private driver guide who will be with you during your time in Ngorongoro and head up to the Conservation area entrance where at several scenic overlooks you’ll get your first glimpse into the Ngorongoro Crater as your guide gives you an overview of this World Heritage site. Continue on to Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, which sits on the Crater rim. Relax this afternoon, and watch the sun slip behind the rim of the crater at sunset. Overnight at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge.

Set out early and head down the steep descent road leading to the crater floor. The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most spectacular game haunts in Africa, and the advantage of a private vehicle here is immeasurable, as it gives you the flexibility to determine how long you remain at any sighting, and your guide will cater today to your interests. Here animals are found throughout the year due to the permanent availability of grass and water. Nearly 100 square miles, it contains an impressive variety of wildlife including black-maned lions, the highly endangered black rhino, herds of gnu, zebra, elephants, hippo and hyena, the most important predator within the crater. Bird life is also prolific, with flocks of flamingoes on the soda lake, plus other species of water and plains birds.

Enjoy a picnic lunch under the trees on the crater floor before continuing your game drive. In the afternoon, drive back up to the crater rim and enjoy the views from the various vantage points around Sopa Lodge. Overnight Sopa Lodge. 

Your route today takes you around to the other side of the Ngorongoro Crater where a gentle descent leads onto the plains of the Serengeti. Look for gazelles, antelope, and herds of elephants along the way as well as secretary birds and ostrich.

Located near the Moru Kopjes, Dunia Camp has access to some of the best game driving areas in the Serengeti. The kopjes themselves are an often-used hiding place for leopards. Families of lions warm themselves on the huge granite slabs. Area wildlife includes herds of impala and gazelle, giraffe, elephant, predators including cheetah and hyena, as well as the Migration which is usually in this area from approximately December until March. The long plains provide excellent game viewing as well as a sense of the enormous amount of land that is included in this ecosystem.

After lunch, there is time to unwind and relax before heading out for a late afternoon game drive in an open safari vehicle. The afternoon culminates with the sunset sliding into the Serengeti plains whilst you enjoy your drink of choice. Overnight Dunia Camp.

Spend two nights exploring the central Serengeti. You have the option of an early morning game drive and a picnic breakfast, or leaving a bit later and taking your lunch with you. Longer game drives enable you to visit different areas of the Serengeti looking for struggles between predator and prey or the chance to watch interactions between different families of elephants. Look for elephant belly rumbles as they greet each other, or witness lion cubs doing somersaults as they chase their littermates. Overnight Dunia Camp. 

Note: Dunia is well-located for hot air balloon safaris. If you would like to add a hot air balloon safari including a sunrise balloon flight over the Serengeti and a champagne breakfast please let us know.

This morning game drive to the Seronera airstrip and board your flight bound for Kogatende, in the extreme North of the Serengeti National Park. On arrival you will be met by a resident guide from Sayari Camp. A welcome table will be set up either at the airstrip or a short distance away, with tea & coffee, cold drinks and snacks allowing you to refresh while you get to know your guide and learn about this area of the Serengeti. Depending on your preference, you may enjoy a short game drive or head directly for camp.

Located in the Northern Serengeti far from other camps, Sayari Camp has an exclusive location near the Mara River. If the migration is nearby (usually June-July and September) you have excellent opportunities to see wildebeest crossing the river. In this habitat of long plains you’ll find herds of elephant, families of lion and cheetah, and large groups of antelopes and other plains animals. Open vehicles, off-road driving and expert guides at Sayari ensure that your time here will be well spent.

After lunch, there is time to unwind and relax before heading out for a late afternoon game drive. The day culminates with a sundowner where you are afforded the perfect view from which to enjoy the African sunset. Overnight at Sayari Camp.

Strike out into the bush on foot this morning. A walking safari offers you the opportunity to focus on the smaller details and ecosystems of the bush while at the same time achieving the thrill of stalking larger game on foot. Learn about the flora of the Northern Serengeti and look for pawprints and other evidence of nearby wildlife. Walking safaris in the Serengeti are extremely rare, and it is only in this far Northern corner that guests are allowed to walk with skilled guides.

After lunch in camp, there is a chance to relax before an afternoon game drive takes you towards the river, the plains and in search of some big game. Overnight at Sayari Camp.

After breakfast in camp board a flight to Tarime Airstrip, near the Isebania border post between Kenya and Tanzania. A car will wait for you there to transfer you to the border where you’ll clear immigration and continue to the Isebania airstrip in Kenya. From Isebania fly to the Maasai Mara and touch down at the landing strip where your guide from Rekero awaits. On your short drive to Rekero your guide will give an overview of this special area near the confluence of two rivers. Rivers are the lifeline of the Maasai Mara Reserve, where animals slake their thirst and often congregate for safety against predators. Upon arrival at camp you will be briefed on camp procedures and shown to your tent. Freshen up and then it’s time for lunch beside the river on the green grass of Rekero. After lunch, head out for an afternoon game drive, returning in the evening for drinks and dinner. Overnight at Rekero Camp.

No other place on earth compares with the multitudes of wild animals found in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, part of the vast Serengeti ecosystem spanning Kenya and Tanzania. During the summer months (approx July – September), the Great Migration comprised of 1.5 million wildebeest and several hundred thousand zebra make the Maasai Mara their home. Outside of the migration months the plains are home to resident herds of ungulates as well as predators including lions, cheetah, leopard, and hyena. Maasai giraffe and impala graze in the woodlands and hippos and crocodiles bask along the shores of the Talek River.

Rekero’s location near the confluence of the Mara and Talek rivers make it an excellent spot for wildlife, so good that documentary filmmakers base here including the Big Cat Diary and Disney’s African Cats. Rekero believes in high quality guiding and has won awards as the best safari guiding team in Africa. Overnights at Rekero Camp.

After your last breakfast at Rekero transfer to the airport for your flight to the domestic airport in Nairobi. Here you’ll be met by a driver for the transfer to the Jomo Kenyatta Internaional airport from where you’ll catch your international flight home.