Compare Kenya & Tanzania Adventure by Exodus Travels vs Kenya Wildlife Safari by Go Ahead Tours

Day 1 Start Nairobi

If you have booked your own flights, arrive at the start hotel at any time today. Those on the group flights from London, UK, will arrive tomorrow morning. There are no activities planned, so relax and settle into Nairobi life. To make things easy, there are free transfers available from the airport, see the Joining Instructions in the Trip Notes for more information. Accommodation: Heron Hotel (or similar)

Day 2 To Kembu Farm

After the arrival of the group flights in the early morning, we travel west into the Great Rift Valley to Kembu, stopping in Nakuru en route to shop and look around this typical African town. We stay on a farm tonight and can go on a farm walk this afternoon. Accommodation: Kembu Farm or similar (full-service camping)

Day 3 Full day of game drives in Lake Nakuru National Park

This morning, we drive to Lake Nakuru National Park, where we enjoy a superb game drive. Although small, the park is home to an amazing variety of animals and birdlife. It also has a soda lake, which is sometimes home to thousands of flamingos. We hope to see endangered white and black rhinos, lions and, if we are very lucky, the elusive leopard. There is a stunning view above the lake from Baboon Cliffs and here we may see a rock hyrax, a small, furry relative of the elephant. Tonight, we stay just outside the park in a campsite with good showers and flush toilets. Accommodation: Nderit Campsite or similar (full-service camping)

Day 4 To Masai Mara; late afternoon game drive

Today we travel into the Masai Mara, one of the most famous ecosystems in the world. This vast grassland is teeming with life; plains game including wildebeest, gazelle, topis, zebras and buffalos, and never far away are the predators: cheetahs, lions and hyenas. Between mid-August and late October, one of the greatest spectacles on Earth takes place in the Mara – the annual migration of thousands of wildebeest, gazelles and zebras. Nothing is guaranteed on safari but, with the help of our brilliant guides, you should see and learn a huge amount about the resident wildlife as we game drive through the park this afternoon. We stay in a campsite just outside the reserve for the next two nights. Accommodation: Mara Springs Camp or similar (full-service camping) Upgrades available

Day 5 Full day of game drives in the Masai Mara

We have a full-day game drive in the Masai Mara to increase our chances of encountering many of the wildlife species in the reserve. We find a quiet spot inside the park to enjoy lunch by our vehicle, looking across the plains. There are also several optional excursions you can enjoy today in addition to the game drive. Get up early for a sunrise hot-air balloon safari (including champagne and breakfast) or visit a traditional Maasai village to meet the local people. Accommodation: Mara Springs Camp or similar (full-service camping) Upgrades available

Day 6 To Lake Victoria

Our long drive today is up through the Western Highlands and allows plenty of time to appreciate the superb scenery. The road begins to descend and we leave the neatly ordered rows of tea bushes as we cross the border into Tanzania at Isebania. We camp in a pleasant spot at Musoma on the shore of Lake Victoria. Accommodation: Tembo Beach / Matvilla beach or similar (full-service camping) Upgrades and wi-fi available

Day 7 - 8 Two days of game drives in Serengeti National Park

Today, we turn east and enter the vast Serengeti Plain, one of the largest parks in Africa. There is a choice of routes into the Serengeti, depending on the weather: if it is dry, the 80mi (130km) Western Corridor is open and usually full of plains game. If it is wet, however, this road, which is built on black cotton soil, is impassible and we must enter the park from the north at Ndabaka gate. We spend two nights in the park so we have plenty of time to enjoy the vast open spaces and the variety of game. We camp at Seronera, where there are various camping areas, all in open bush with no fences to prevent the animals from visiting during the night. A real taste of wild Africa! Accommodation: Serengeti Public Campsite or similar (full-service camping)

Day 9 Morning game drive; to Ngorongoro Crater

Day 10 Explore the Ngorongoro Crater; drive along the Rift Valley to Arusha

We descend to the crater floor in 4x4 vehicles and spend the morning watching large numbers of plains game, and the ever-present predators around them. We search for hippos in the murky pools and try to protect our food at lunchtime from the fearless brown kites, as they swoop and snatch anything that appears to be edible. After a fantastic morning, we continue our journey to the edge of the Rift Valley, where there is a great view over Lake Manyara (often tinted pink around the edges from large numbers of flamingos) and to Arusha. Accommodation: Meserani Snake Park or similar (full-service camping)

Day 11 Flight to Zanzibar; afternoon in Stone Town

We take a morning flight to Zanzibar, an island 22mi (35km) from the mainland. First visited by Arab traders in the eighth century, and countless travellers in the following centuries, it is most famous for its spices and was once the centre of the East African slave trade. We spend our first night in Stone Town and then two nights by the beach. Stone Town is a myriad of small alleys and markets. We recommend a spice tour around the island plantations with chances to taste and buy. Accommodation: Shangani Hotel (or similar)

Day 12 - 13 Free days for optional activities

After a free morning in Stone Town, we transfer to our hotel by the beach. There is plenty to occupy your days here. You can relax on the eastern and northern beaches, with excellent snorkelling, sailing in a dhow and plenty of fresh seafood. The local buses are efficient and enable you to travel all over the island, although hiring a 4x4 for a day or two is a more exciting way of getting about and not expensive. It’s a fascinating mixture of culture, history and wonderful beaches. Accommodation: Mnarani Beach Cottages / Sunset bungalows (or similar)

Day 14 End Zanzibar

Our adventure ends after breakfast and we begin our return journeys home. If you’d like more time to explore, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay.

Day 1: Travel day

Board your overnight flight to Nairobi today.

Day 2: Arrival in Nairobi

Welcome to Kenya! Arrive in Nairobi and transfer to your hotel.

Day 3: Karen Blixen Estate, Kazuri Beads workshop & Giraffe Centre

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Welcome dinner

Climb into 4x4 land cruisers and set out to discover the local culture.

Tour the Karen Blixen Estate, a former coffee plantation where the author lived for several years, as described in her novel “Out of Africa”

Enjoy an included lunch at the Karen Blixen Coffee Garden

Visit Kazuri Beads, a jewelry workshop that employs single mothers and disadvantaged women in the local community

Learn about Kazuri’s impact in Kenya and enjoy free time to shop

Head to the Giraffe Centre, a preserve dedicated to raising rare giraffes, and climb to the tree house deck to feed the giraffes by hand

Learn about preservation efforts put in place to increase the giraffe population

Tonight, get to know your Tour Director and fellow travelers at a welcome dinner.

Day 4: Aberdare National Park via coffee plantation

Included meals: Breakfast, Tasting, Lunch, Dinner

Take in sweeping views of the countryside as you journey to the forested foothills of Mount Kenya National Park.

Stop at a coffee cooperative in the central uplands to meet some of the local farmers

Tour the grounds to learn how they process coffee beans and savor a tasting of fresh coffee

Stop at Aberdare Country Club for lunch

Enjoy wildlife viewing at your lodge near Aberdare National Park

Please note: The coffee plantation visit may move to day 5 or be changed to a tea plantation visit according to availability and the time of year.

Sit down for an included dinner this evening.

Day 5: Transfer to Lake Naivasha

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

En route to the Great Rift Valley region, stop at the Equator to experience the famed Coriolis effect.

Continue on to Lake Naivasha for lunch and an optional nature walk. Then, sit down for an included dinner this evening.

Day 6: Lake Nakuru game drive

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Travel to Lake Nakuru, one of the "soda lakes" of the Rift Valley where flamingoes make their home.

Take a morning game drive in a 4x4 land cruiser through Lake Nakuru National Park

Keep an eye out for wildlife like zebras, monkeys and rhinos, both the elusive black and white varieties

Enjoy an included lunch

Head back to your safari lodge and sit down for an included dinner this evening.

Day 7: Transfer to Maasai Mara & game drive

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Continue through the Great Rift Valley as you travel to the land of the Maasai warriors—the Maasai Mara.

Enjoy an included lunch

Set out on an afternoon game drive

Watch for the famous Big Five of African safaris —leopards, rhinos, Cape buffalo, lions, and elephants

Admire the rolling hills, waving savanna grasses, and acacia trees

Sit down for an included dinner this evening.

Day 8: Game drives & Maasai Mara village visit

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Head out on an early morning game drive. Then, enjoy an included lunch before trying to spot lions, giraffes, zebras, gazelles, impalas, elephants, warthogs, cheetahs, and wildebeest on an afternoon game drive.

Later, immerse yourself in the Maasai way of life during a visit to a local village.

Tour an authentic boma and discover the history and heritage behind the Maasai tribe

Hear how the money they receive from your visit is used to sustain the community

This evening, sit down for an included dinner.

Day 9: Transfer to Nairobi

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Enjoy a free morning and an included lunch in Maasai Mara. Then, admire the incredible scenery as you travel through the Great Rift Valley back to Nairobi.

Sit down for an included dinner this evening.

Day 10: Transfer to Amboseli National Park & game drive

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Travel south to Amboseli National Park, which sits against the breathtaking backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro. Enjoy an included lunch before setting out on an afternoon game drive to see lions, baboons, cheetahs, hippos, wildebeest, and elephants.

Sit down for an included dinner this evening.

Day 11: Amboseli National Park game drives

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Farewell dinner

This morning, head out on your first game drive of the day and marvel at the park’s huge herds of elephants, as well as ostriches, leopards, lions, and rhinos. Enjoy free time or add an excursion.

This afternoon, join your group for an included lunch before the second game drive through Amboseli National Park.

Celebrate your trip at a farewell dinner tonight.

Day 12: Travel to Nairobi & departure

Included meal: Breakfast (excluding early morning departures)

Transfer to Nairobi this morning. Then, relax in a dayroom before boarding your flight home tonight or early tomorrow morning, or extend your stay to explore Tanzania.

Arrive Home

Day 13: Travel day

Arrive home today.

Extension to Tanzania

Not ready for your safari to end? We don't blame you. Cross into Tanzania to extend your wildlife adventure. You'll enjoy game drives through the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater as you try to spot lions, and leopards, and elephants—oh my!

Tarangire National Park 1 night

Day 12: Tarangire National Park via Arusha

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Stop in Arusha for an included lunch on your way to Tarangire National Park where you’ll marvel at one of Africa’s largest herds of elephants and keep watch for over 500 bird species.

Later, set out on an afternoon game drive and sit down for an included dinner.

Day 13: Serengeti via Olduvai Gorge

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Journey to the Serengeti, stopping en route in Olduvai Gorge for a guided tour of this “Cradle of Mankind,” where Louis and Mary Leakey excavated 1.8 million-year-old human fossil fragments in 1959.Savor a scenic picnic lunch before setting out on an afternoon game drive through Serengeti National Park.

Then, sit down for an included dinner this evening.

Day 14: Serengeti National Park game drives

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Continue your exploration of the Serengeti’s endless plains on two game drives.

Look for the exceedingly rare black rhino on your morning game drive

Feast on an included lunch in the open air of the Serengeti

Embark on an afternoon game drive to see the Moru Kopjes, stunning granite formations rising out of the plains

Enjoy an included dinner with your group.

Day 15: Transfer to Ngorongoro Crater & game drive

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Transfer to the beautiful Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest inactive, intact, and unfilled volcanic caldera.

Enjoy lunch before heading out on an afternoon game drive

Descend 1,000 feet into Ngorongoro Crater, an intact caldera covering over 100 square miles

Survey the local wildlife on a game drive, catching sight of one of the world’s densest populations of lions

Sit down for an included dinner this evening.

Day 16: Departure

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Transfer to the Nairobi airport, stopping in Arusha for an included lunch, for your flight home. Relax in a dayroom before boarding your flight home tonight or early tomorrow morning.

Arrive Home

Day 17: Travel day

Arrive home today.