Discover East Africa

Day 3 - Maasai Mara

Spend the day on safari in one of Africa's richest wildlife viewing arenas with morning and afternoon game drives. The Maasai Mara National Reserve offers wonderful scenery of breathtaking vistas, panoramas of vast rolling plains, hills and woodland groves, well watered by the lovely Mara River.

The Mara is home to the largest population of lions in Kenya; these magnificent predators spend most of the day sleeping in the shade of Acacia Trees. The waters of the Mara River are home to crocodiles and pools of hippo, while the woodlands and forests are favored by leopard and elephant. The open savannah areas play host to the plains’ game.

Lioness in Kenya

You may choose an optional visit to a Maasai village, a fantastic cultural experience (own account).

Spend the evening at the lodge where colorful Maasai dance and cultural performances are offered.

Outdoor Dining in the Mara

Accommodation: Sarova Mara Camp – Standard Tent (B, L, D)

Day 4 - Maasai Mara/Lake Nakuru

After an early morning breakfast, bid farewell to the dotted plains as you drive to Lake Nakuru which is the most famous of the Great Rift Valley lakes and home to both black and white rhinos.

Sarova Lion Hill Lodge

Arrive in time for lunch at Sarova Lion Hill Lodge. Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge is nestled along the Lion Hill overlooking the spectacular Lake Nakuru. Its location affords panoramic views of the lake and the picturesque Lake Nakuru National Park.

White Rhinos at Lake Nakuru National Park

Spend the afternoon on safari in Kenya's first and largest rhino sanctuary where sightings of both black and white rhino are almost guaranteed and where you have a higher than average chance of spotting a leopard. Other wildlife includes; lion, hippo, the rare Rothschild's giraffe, Colobus monkey, numerous plains game and 450 species of birds.

Accommodation: Sarova Lion Hill Lodge – Standard Room (B, L, D)

Day 5 - Lake Nakuru/Nairobi/Amboseli

After breakfast, drive to Nairobi arriving in time for an early lunch at a local restaurant.

Kilimanjaro from Amboseli

After lunch drive through the scenic Athi Plains and into the bush country of Amboseli National Park, home to the legendary Maasai tribesmen and famous for huge herds of Elephant. In addition to Elephant, Antelope, Zebra, Wildebeest, Buffalo and the elusive Leopard, nearly every vista within the Park is framed by majestic Mount Kilimanjaro in the distance. Set against the magnificent backdrop of Africa's highest mountain, the glittering Mount Kilimanjaro, Amboseli Serena Lodge enjoys a uniquely privileged position at the heart of this world-famous national park.

Amboseli Game Drive

At the center of ‘Maasailand', the lodge's décor reflects the brilliant primary colors and iconic shapes representative of these legendary warriors. Each room is housed in a single-story building opening directly on to the grounds, each reflecting a Maasai manyatta theme: each with its own hand-painted wall frescos. All rooms have telephone and Wi-Fi connectivity, 24-hour room service, bathrobe and slippers, hair dryers and safes.

The central dining area is reached by a timbered bridge over a melt-water stream, while the lounge and bar feature a broad terrace and a blazing fire-pit where evening cocktails can be enjoyed.

Accommodation:  Amboseli Serena Lodge – Standard Room (B,L,D)

Day 6 - Amboseli

Enjoy morning and afternoon game drives where photographic opportunities are incredible, with plentiful game and Mt. Kilimanjaro (the highest freestanding mountain in the world) providing an impressive and majestic backdrop.

Amboseli Elephants

Amboseli, meaning “salty dust” in Maasai, is a place of stark contrast. Despite Amboseli’s sometimes dry and dusty appearance, it has an endless supply of water filtered through thousands of feet of volcanic rock from Mt. Kilimanjaro’s snow melt.

Ostrich in Amboseli

These underground streams converge into clear fresh water springs in the heart of the park. The powder like dust is volcanic ash, which was thrown from Kilimanjaro millennia ago.

An amazing spectacle of Amboseli is the shimmering dry lake bed where false mirages of populated horizons, punctuated by real herds of zebra and gnu hover in front of you. The main attraction of Amboseli is its vast herds of elephant within the park. The bull elephants here have some of the largest tusks in Kenya.

Accommodation:  Amboseli Serena Lodge – Standard Room (B, L, D)

Day 7 - Amboseli/Lake Manyara

After breakfast, bid farewell to Amboseli as you transfer to the border town of Namanga for customs and immigration. Once through immigration, your driver-guide from Leopard Tours who will be with you for the rest of your journey will take over from your Liberty Africa guide. You will then be transferred to Arusha Town arriving in time for lunch at a local restaurant.

Later, drive to the beautiful Lake Manyara, a shallow alkaline lake that shimmers in a cleft in the Great Rift Valley. Enjoy an evening game drive at Lake Manyara National Park. A small but uniquely diverse national park, Manyara is home to the world-famous tree-climbing lions, thousands of flamingos and nearly 500 species of birds.

Lake Manyara Serena Lodge

It would be difficult to find a more dramatic setting than the 4-star Lake Manyara Serena Lodge which is situated at the edge of an escarpment and overlooks both the Great Rift Valley and the beautiful soda lake of Manyara with its lavish supply of bird life. The lodge offers a unique blend of tranquillity, wildlife discovery, and ornithological richness. The rooms are housed in white-washed ‘rondavels' (traditional circular buildings with thatched roofs), which are situated along the edge of the cliff so as to allow for maximum views. Each spacious room has its own small veranda while the interior décor reflects the blue of the lake and the pink of its flamingos. Facilities in the rooms include all the comforts you expect: Telephone and Wi-Fi, mineral water, hairdryers and toiletries, bathrobe and slippers.

Game Drive at Lake Manyara

Accommodation:  Lake Manyara Serena Lodge – Standard Room (B, L, D)

Day 8 - Lake Manyara/Serengeti National Park

After breakfast, drive to Serengeti National Park arriving in time for lunch at your lodge. Enjoy an afternoon game drive in the greatest game sanctuary in the world, fantastic in its natural beauty and unequalled in its scientific value. Serengeti National Park contains different types of animals including the big cats, Lion, Leopard, and the Cheetah and many more Elephant and Buffalo. The park covers 5,700 square miles of grassland plains and savanna as well as riverine forest and woodlands. The park lies in the north of the country, bordered to the north by the national Tanzania and Kenyan border, where it is continuous with the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

Serengeti Sopa Lodge

Accommodation:  Serengeti Sopa Lodge – Standard Room (B, L, D)

Day 9 - Serengeti National Park

After breakfast, enjoy a full day’s game driving with meals taken in true safari style in the bush in the vast and sensational Serengeti.

Serengeti Sopa Lodge Bush Dinner

Venue for ‘The greatest wildlife show on Earth’, the annual migration of over one million wildebeest, the park is also renowned for its lions, cheetahs, zebras, giraffes and plains game.

On safari in Africa

Accommodation:  Serengeti Sopa Lodge – Standard Room (B, L, D)

Day 10 - Serengeti/Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Enjoy an early morning breakfast and then depart for Ngorongoro Conservation Area which features rolling plains, lakes, craters, mountains and dormant volcanoes. Journey up the side of the vast Ngorongoro Crater, a World Heritage Site, which is one of the largest volcanic craters in the world, (almost 12 miles wide, 2,000-2,500 feet deep and covering a total area of 165 square miles) stopping en route at Olduvai Gorge. Known as the ‘Cradle of Mankind’, this is one of the most important prehistoric sites in the world. Pioneered by famous paleontologists Louis and Mary Leakey in the 1950’s it offers a glimpse into life two million years ago. You will arrive in time for lunch at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge.

Giraffes

The 4-star Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge is perched on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater well over 1600 feet above the crater floor where you are rewarded with the most magnificent views over the crater floor and the most spectacular and uninterrupted sunsets.

The lodge is themed around traditionally circular African houses with conical roofs and decorated with examples of artistic traditions by way of rich woodcarvings and sculptures. All the bedrooms are spacious with ensuite bathroom, private lounge and balcony.

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge

Because of its altitude the lodge can be chilly at night, so each room has central heating; hot water bottles are placed in every bed during the evening turndown service; and the luxuriously appointed bathrooms have extremely spacious showers.

Accommodation:  Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge – Standard Room (B,L,D)

Day 11 - Ngorongoro Crater

After breakfast, descend into the ‘8th Wonder of the World’, a unique biosphere that has remained virtually unchanged since the dawn of time. Enclosed within its towering walls are grasslands, swamps, forests, saltpans, a fresh water lake and a glorious variety of birdlife.

Over 30,000 animals live within this enormous natural bowl, the most densely packed concentration of wildlife in Africa. You should see wildebeest, elephant, lion, dik-dik, and wart-hog, whilst on the lakeside there are pelican, ibis and flamingo. Here too are all the members of the ‘Big Five’ (lion, elephant, rhino, leopard and buffalo) as well as a large cast of plains game and one of Africa’s densest populations of predators. Enjoy a picnic lunch on the crater floor before climbing back up to the lodge in time for relaxation before dinner.

Accommodation:  Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge – Standard Room (B, L, D)

Day 12 - Serengeti/Tarangire

After breakfast, drive to Tarangire National Park arriving in time for lunch at Tarangire Sopa Lodge. The park is well known for its huge herds of elephant and buffalo, as well as lion, cheetah and leopard. With its varied habitats and the constant water areas, the park hosts a large diversity of wildlife; 94 species of mammals and over 500 bird species.

After enjoying a leisurely game drive between herds of wild animals and along miles of Africa’s seemingly endless roads, you come over a slight rise and the lodge appears almost immediately below you.

Baobab Tree at Tarangire

Built to blend in with the vastness of its surroundings, the 4-star Tarangire Sopa Lodge lies hidden among the kopjes, ancient baobab and grasses of the Tarangire National Park - home to the greatest concentration of elephants in Africa.

When you arrive, you are immediately aware of the large and spacious main lobby, with its cool marble floors and high vaulted ceilings. From here a short flight of steps takes you up a level and into the lounge and bar with floor to ceiling windows, an outdoor terrace where you can enjoy a drink at sunset.

The circular guest suites offer a sense of space and airiness, and wonderful views from their sheltered veranda. All suites have mosquito nets, private lounge with a mini bar and an extremely spacious, well-appointed bathroom.

Accommodation:  Tarangire Sopa Lodge - Standard Room (B, L, D)

DAY 13 - Tarangire/Arusha/Kilimanjaro/Depart

After breakfast, drive to Arusha town in time for lunch at a local restaurant.  Thereafter transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport in time for your departure flight. Bid farewell to Africa until the next time. (B, L)