8-Day Safari Highlights of Kenya & Tanzania – Midrange Safari

You’ll have an early morning drive to Masai Mara National Reserve.
It holds on as one of the few places left on earth where wildlife still lives comparatively undisturbed, in the numbers that once roamed the plains and forests of Africa. As the northern tip of the vast Serengeti ecosystem, the Mara hosts the spectacular seasonal migration of many thousands of wildebeest, zebras and attendant predators. You’ll arrive in time for lunch followed by an afternoon game drive.
Dinner and your overnight stay will be at the campsite or lodge.

After breakfast, enjoy a full-day game drive with a packed lunch provided. The reserve is renowned for its black-maned lions and abundant resident wildlife, and it is one of the few places where the Big Five can often be seen during a morning game drive. Some cheetahs are so accustomed to vehicles that they may rest in the shade beneath them, and a few even climb onto the roof for a better view of potential prey.

Bird enthusiasts will delight in the nearly 500 species recorded here, including 16 species of eagles, numerous hawks and falcons, 6 species of vultures, 8 species of storks, 4 species of bustards (including the Kori bustard, the world’s heaviest flying bird), and 9 species of sunbirds.

Dinner and overnight accommodations will be at your chosen lodge or campsite.

Begin the day with an early morning game drive in Masai Mara, exploring the reserve before heading out. After completing border formalities, drive to Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Along the way, there is an option to stop at the famous Olduvai Gorge, where Dr. Louis and Mary Leakey discovered some of the earliest evidence of human life. You can attend a short lecture about the archaeological digs and geology of the gorge, followed by a visit to the small museum.

It will be a long day of driving, but the game drives in and out of the parks offer remarkable wildlife viewing opportunities.

Dinner and overnight accommodations will be at your chosen lodge or campsite.

You will spend two full days in the Serengeti with a flexible schedule and unlimited game drive opportunities. As you crest the hillside, the vast Serengeti unfolds before you—its name meaning “endless plains” in Kiswahili. This 6,900 sq mile (18,000 sq km) park is home to over 2 million large animals, including more than a million wildebeest, hundreds of thousands of plains zebras, and Thomson’s gazelles. Predators such as lions, cheetahs, and hyenas follow this abundant prey, while smaller animals like rock hyrax, bat-eared foxes, mongooses, honey badgers, jackals, monkeys, baboons, and African hares are also commonly seen. Nearly 500 bird species have been recorded in the area.

In the afternoon, enjoy a game drive en route to your campsite. Dinner and overnight accommodations will be at a public campsite or a private tented camp or lodge.

Today, we recommend an early start to enjoy a morning game drive, when the animals are most active, and to witness one of the most stunning sunrises. After the game drive, return to the camp for a rewarding brunch before continuing to Ngorongoro, often called the 8th Wonder of the Natural World.

The crater covers 102 sq miles with walls rising 2,000 ft, creating a natural sanctuary for nearly every species of wildlife native to East Africa, including the rare black rhino. The crater features rivers, swamps, a soda lake with abundant flamingos, forests, and open plains. It is also renowned for its elephants, which are among the largest in the world, sporting impressive tusks. Ngorongoro Crater is truly a remarkable natural wonder.

You will arrive in time to enjoy a sundowner. There is also the option to upgrade your accommodation for a more luxurious experience.

We’ll begin the day early with a descent into the crater floor for an unforgettable morning of wildlife viewing in one of the most breathtaking natural wonders. After the game drive, you’ll enjoy a picnic lunch by the scenic hippo lake. In the afternoon, there will be time for a short game drive before ascending the crater and continuing towards Arusha. The expected arrival time is around 5:00 pm, though adjustments can be made if there’s a flight to catch or other plans.