KENYA & TANZANIA
EAST AFRICA SAFARI
THE ULTIMATE SAFARI EXPERIENCE
Fully-Customizable Kenya & Tanzania Itinerary
THE ULTIMATE EAST AFRICA SAFARI
This luxury East African Safari is the best of both worlds combining the rugged landscapes of East Africa with the modern comforts of beautiful lodges & plush tented camps. Kenya and Tanzania’s dramatic geography has resulted in a great range of natural habitats, harbouring a huge variety of wildlife. Both on and off the tourist routes, you’ll find warmth and openness, and an abundance of spectacular scenery – rolling savanna dotted with Maasai herds and wild animals, high Kikuyu moorlands grazed by cattle and sheep, and dense forests full of monkeys and birds singing.
On this East Africa safari track the “Big 5” across the endless plains of the Serengeti and Maasai Mara to the unique ecosystem of Ngorongoro Crater, and to several incredible Rift Valley lakes. Experience one of the greatest spectacles in the natural world, the extraordinary annual Great Migration of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle across East Africa. This is the adventure of a lifetime and should be on everyone’s bucket list!
Contact us for a curated adventure to this incredible part of the world. Please note that this is a fully customizable itinerary and can be tailored to best suit your travel needs.
DAY 1: Arrival in Arusha, Tanzania
Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International airport, you shall be met by our representative and be transferred to the hotel. Nestled at the foot of Mount Meru, Arusha is a bustling, attractive city and the starting point for our safari. As today is arrival day, there are no planned activities.
Overnight: Arusha Mountain Village Lodge
Meals: Dinner
DAY 2: Lake Manyara National Park & Gibb’s Farm
After an early breakfast, we travel to Lake Manyara National Park for our first game drive. Stretching for 50km along the base of the rusty-gold 600-metre high Rift Valley escarpment, Lake Manyara is a scenic gem, with a setting extolled by Ernest Hemingway as “the loveliest I had seen in Africa”. It offers a compact game-viewing circuit that offers a virtual microcosm of the Tanzanian safari experience.
After lunch, proceed to Gibb’s Farm which was one of the first guesthouses in northern Tanzania and began as a coffee farm in the late 1920s. Before dinner, we sit around the bonfire that helps to keep elephants away from the farm and share some of the interesting local tales.
Overnight: Gibb’s Farm (subject to change)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 3-4: Ngorongoro Crater
After breakfast, learn about the coffee roasting process and wander around the farm’s beautiful seven acres of garden, where all the produce served on the farm is grown.
We bid farewell to our wonderful hosts at Gibb’s Farm and continue to Ngorongoro Crater, an extinct volcano that collapsed in on itself around 25 million years ago thus forming a vast bowl where the largest permanent concentration of African game is on display. This afternoon we visit a Maasai Boma (homestead) to experience first-hand the way of life of the nomadic people, still clinging to their traditional way of life.
The views from the top of the crater wall are absolutely breathtaking as we descend in our four-wheel drive vehicles into this primeval paradise of woodland, lake, river, swamp, and plain that shelters around 20,000 animals. Many of these are the large grazing animals such as wildebeest, buffalo, gazelle, and zebra who depend on the open grasslands in the crater. These attract the attendant predators, the black-maned lion, the leopard, and the hyena. The elephant found within the caldera tends to be the lone males who have left the herds in the forested crater rim. When the water stocks are low elsewhere, animals within this micro-world turn to the swamps for fresh water and food. We search the crater for lions, elephants, zebra, hippos, buffalos, and rhinos to name a few.
Our lunch today will be picnic-style lunch on the crater floor. After an exciting day of safari, you will return to the lodge.
Overnight: Lion’s Paw (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 5: Olduvai Gorge & The Serengeti
After breakfast, we head along the Great Rift Valley to Olduvai Gorge “the Cradle of Mankind” and site of one of the most important and controversial Palaeolithic finds in recent history. Visiting the information centre, we enjoy a lecture about the Leakeys and their incredible finds such as the remains of early hominids “Nutcracker Man” and “Toolmaking Man”.
From Olduvai Gorge, we continue to the Serengeti where we’ll have lunch at our lodge. The Serengeti Serena Lodge is ideally located for safari game drives as well as optional activities such as balloon safaris, guided walks etc.
This afternoon you will have your first game drive in the Serengeti, Tanzania’s most famous park which covers 14,763 sq km of endlessly rolling savannah plains, rivers, swamps, and volcanic massifs. Tens of thousands of hoofed animals roam in a constant and unrelenting search for the fresh grasslands upon which their survival depends.
The name comes from the Maasai word “siringet” meaning ‘endless plain’. Due to this diverse ecosystem, it is undoubtedly one of the world’s last great wildlife refuges. The Serengeti is home to over 2 million wildebeest, half a million Thomson’s gazelle, and a quarter of a million zebra, giraffe, eland, topi, impala, and other antelope. The predators are also well represented by lion, leopard, cheetah, and hyena. In total, there are nearly 35 species of savannah animals and almost 500 species of birds including lilac-breasted rollers, barbets, and ring-necked doves living in this animal kingdom.
This camp is strategically located to ensure that all areas of the Serengeti are within reach of our guests, including legendary locations like the famous Maasai kopjes, the Museum of Olduvai Gorge, Seronera, and the Grumeti River.
It has been designed with a modern African decorative style that creates a fresh and bright atmosphere, but very cozy and with the right amount of luxury. Guests can attend to the show of the Great Migration from the comfort of their tents.
Today we have both morning and afternoon game drives in the park. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served at the lodge, where guided nature walks can also be taken (at extra cost).
Overnight: Serengeti Kubu Kubu Lodge (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 6: Serengeti
The name comes from the Maasai word “siringet” meaning ‘endless plain’. Due to this diverse ecosystem it is undoubtedly one of the world’s last great wildlife refuges. The Serengeti is home to over 2 million wildebeest, half a million Thomson’s gazelle, and a quarter of a million zebra, giraffe, eland, topi, impala and other antelope. The predators are also well represented by lion, leopard, cheetah and hyena. In total, there are nearly 35 species of savannah animals and almost 500 species of birds including lilac-breasted rollers, barbets, and ring-necked doves living in this animal kingdom.
Today we have both morning and afternoon game-drives in the park. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served at the lodge, where guided nature walks can also be taken (extra cost).
Overnight: Serengeti Kubu-Kubu Lodge (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 7: Maasai Mara
This morning we depart with picnic lunches, and exit Serengeti from the Western side, close to Lake Victoria. This is where we bid farewell to our Tanzania guides and cross the border into Kenya at Isabenia and proceed to Maasai Mara. We enjoy a game-drive en route to our luxury tented camp, Entim Mara Camp, located close to the Mara River. Entim Mara are luxury en-suite guest rooms raised on wooden decks overlooking the Mara River.
Sit on your veranda and look over the Mara River at one of Africa’s greatest stretches of savanna, with the Rift Valley escarpment in the distance. Migrating wildebeest gather on these riverbanks and begin their migration into the Masai Mara. You will hear the sounds of grunting gnu, hippos, hyenas, and lions from your bed at night. These wild animals are very close by, so our red-robed Maasai warriors escort you to your room after dinner and drinks around the campfire, where you’ll find a hot water bottle warming the bed.
The Entim experience is not your average hotel or lodge; it’s a feeling of being part of the landscape and having profound encounters with wild animals and Maasai people in their own land. It’s a sharing of passions and significant moments in the heart of one of the most famous wildlife reserves in the world.
This is the ultimate East Africa safari experience!
Overnight: Entim Mara Tented Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 8–9: Maasai Mara National Reserve
Offering an abundance of herbivores, the Maasai Mara makes the ideal hunting ground for Kenya’s famous ‘big cats’ and hosts her largest population of lions. It also offers the best chance of spotting a leopard in the wild as well as other predators such as cheetah and spotted hyenas.
Historically teaming with wildlife, the Mara is famous for the large herds of elephants and buffalo that meander its plains; also for the fat pods of hippo that wallow in its mud-brown rivers. Other stars of the reserve include the distinctive Maasai giraffe, plum-coloured topi, Coke’s hartebeest, Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelle, zebra, impala, Kirk’s dik-dik, bushbuck, waterbuck, and red duiker. The Maasai Mara also boasts plentiful Nile crocodiles, monitor lizards, baboons, vervet monkeys, blue and red-tailed monkeys, nocturnal bush babies, and tree hyrax plus a plethora of resident and migratory birds.
With a full day to enjoy all that the Mara has to offer, we will have a morning game drive and, in the afternoon, a chance to sample nature and some of the wildlife on foot. With a guide and in the company of an armed ranger, we walk along the edge of the park identifying birds, animals and plants along the way.
Overnight: Entim Mara Tented Camp (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 10: Soysambu Conservancy
After an early breakfast, we drive northbound to the Mbweha Camp located in Soysambu Conservancy and near Lake Nakuru National Park.
This afternoon we have a game drive in Soysambu Conservancy, a non-profit organisation that endeavours to preserve Africa’s unique Great Rift Valley ecosystem. Home to an astounding variety of flora and fauna, including Colobus Monkey and the semi-endangered Rothschild Giraffe, Lake Elmenteita’s islands are the only breeding ground of the Great White Pelican in East Africa. Both Lesser and Greater Flamingo also frequent the lake. More than 450 species of birdlife and 15 000 wildlife were recently counted on the Soysambu census.
Tucked away in the spectacular Great Rift Valley on the private 6400 acre Congreve Conservancy bordering Lake Nakuru National Park.
Overnight: Mbweha Luxury Tented Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 11: Lake Nakuru National Park
After an early breakfast, we head to Lake Nakuru National Park for a game drive. The most famous of the Great Rift Valley lakes, Lake Nakuru is renowned for its magnificent birdlife, especially the flamingos which seasonally flock there to be deemed ‘the greatest bird spectacle on earth’. Its alkaline waters, the pink-frosted shores, and the sky-mirrored waters of Lake Nakuru yield some of the most evocatively beautiful photo-images in Africa. This 188 square kilometre park is a paradise for those who are particularly interested in ornithology and also offers the opportunity of seeing both white and black rhinos, the rare Rothchild’s giraffe, large herds of cape buffalo, and an abundance of various plains game. Sightings of leopards resting in the branches of acacia trees are very common.
We return to our camp for lunch with an afternoon at leisure. We’ll dine early so that we can participate in a night game drive in Soysambu Conservancy – a chance to see some of those very elusive, nocturnal species.
Overnight: Mbweha Luxury Tented Camp (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 12: Lake Naivasha – Crescent Island – Nairobi
This morning we proceed to Lake Naivasha, a freshwater lake and the highest of the string of lakes that glitter down the vast trench of the Great Rift Valley. Towered over by the brooding bulk of Mount Longonot (2 776 m), and featuring a submerged volcanic island known as Crescent Island, this beautiful lake is best known for its high numbers of water birds. We will take a boat trip to Crescent Island, now preserved as wildlife sanctuary, where we’ll walk among giraffe, wildebeests, zebra, and impala.
After standing in the shadows of giants, we take the boat back to the lake shore for lunch in one of the nearby lodges before continuing to Nairobi. Both the capital and the largest city in Kenya, Nairobi is the most important centre in East Africa.
Overnight: Nairobi Tamarind Tree Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 13: Nairobi + Departure
After enjoying breakfast, we drive to David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, at the edge of Nairobi National Park. The Wildlife Trust takes care of orphaned baby elephants and rhinos which we’ll have the opportunity to observe at feeding time. Continuing on from our ‘cute overdose’, we visit the Giraffe Centre, where you can feed these gentle giants.
We transfer this evening to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for our international flights.
Thanks for travelling with Finisterra!
SAMPLE ACCOMMODATION
ARUSHA – Arusha Serena Hotel
NGRONGORO CRATER – Lion’s Paw
SERENGETI – Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge
MAASAI MARA – Entim Mara Camp
SOYSAMBU CONSERVANCY – Mbweha Luxury Tented Camp
NAIROBI – Tamarind Hotel
Tour Exclusions
We are happy to help you extend your stay in Africa. Why not extend to exotic Zanzibar or Pemba or Mombasa?! Contact us for more information.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
A 25% non-refundable deposit is required at the time of booking to reserve your place. Please contact info@finisterra.ca for more booking information.
Final Payment
Full payment is due 60 prior to departure.
PLEASE NOTE: This itinerary is subject to change. Although we always do our best to stick to the itinerary, due to the ever-changing nature of Mother Earth, activities, hotels, and visits are subject to change due to forces beyond our control.
PRICES: The cost of the trip is subject to change and will vary throughout seasons. Price is based on 2 people in twin/double accommodation and will change if number of travellers changes.
FLIGHTS: Please do not purchase your flights until this tour is confirmed.
PASSPORTS: Must be valid for at least 6 months upon return date to your home country. Proper documentation is the responsibility of each traveller.
VISAS: Responsibility of the traveller.
Travel Insurance
Cancellation, Travel, Flight, and Health insurance are required and are the responsibility of the participant to research and secure the appropriate coverage. Click HERE for a Travel Insurance Quote or please email nicola@finisterra.ca for a quote.
Check with your local travel agent /insurance provider/health plan for advice about traveling overseas.
Waiver Form
All participants will be required to sign a Waiver Form prior to departure.
IMPORTANT
Kenya & Tanzania are incredible countries to visit but please remember that we are in East Africa and that not all standards are the same as you would get in Canada or other developed countries. To the majority of our clients, that is part of the appeal of travelling to destinations such as ours. If you are not comfortable with new challenges then you may wish to consider other companies or destinations. Please also note that due to the location of destinations, some long days are inevitable – you’ll travel on gravel roads which can vary in quality depending on the season and maintenance work carried out – we follow only well-defined roads. Note that for safety we do not travel after sunset – please do not expect your guide to do so
BEHAVIOUR/ETIQUETTE: Please remember that the animals are wild and part of nature. They may behave aggressively and can become dangerous, and there are also rules issued by the park authorities about vehicle movements around animals, so it is important to leave final decisions to your specially-trained driver/guide. Please do not leave the vehicle within a park, unless explicitly advised by your driver/guide. Please do not lean or stick body parts out of the windows, and be careful about open windows near animals. You can request certain proximities and angles to approach the animals, but if your driver/guide says that it is not advisable, please do not push him/her because it can provoke the animals.
CASH: If you carry USD notes, please only carry notes issued after the year 2006. There used to be a lot of attempted forgery of USD notes, and so banks here only accept the later generation of notes (which have better security features). As a result, almost no one will accept USD notes older than the year 2006.
EVACUATION: We enroll our clients with temporary membership in AMREF Flying Doctors Air Ambulance service, which will provide an air evacuation to a major hospital within East Africa. No insurance or other medical service is included.
FOOD: Meals are typically buffet-style except at the high-end lodges/camps, and include fresh local fruit. You can almost always get vegetarian options, although it is helpful to let us know in advance so we can inform them. The hotels and lodges keep a high standard of hygiene, but we always advise being cautious on your initial days in a new country, as your stomach experiences the new digestive flora and fauna of a different environment.
HEALTH: Malaria is endemic in certain areas of East Africa, more so in the coastal areas. Please seek medical advice about making a decision between taking anti-malarial prophylactics (which may have some side effects) and using mosquito repellent, covering your skin at peak times of day (like evenings), and using avoidance behaviour. Many of the lodges are at higher altitudes where mosquitoes (and particularly Anopheles which carries the malaria parasite) are less prevalent. Yellow fever vaccinations may be required for you to enter Kenya and particularly Tanzania, depending on where you are coming from. Your own country may similarly require you to have a yellow fever vaccination after returning from East Africa.
We recommend that you visit a Travel Medical Professional at least 8 weeks before departure. https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/kenya and https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/tanzania
HOT AIR BALLOON: This is available from many camps in Maasai Mara, Serengeti and Tarangire. It is expensive, but a very memorable experience. It includes an hour ballooning just after dawn, and ending with a champagne breakfast on the plains when you land.
INSURANCE: We cover vehicle insurance for your travel, and the airlines have insurance for flights, but otherwise there is no travel insurance, medical insurance or any other insurance included in our service. Travel Medical Insurance is mandatory on this trip.
MAASAI/SAMBURU VILLAGE VISIT: It is possible to visit communities for a fee, but it is difficult to find an “authentic” experience that many visitors are looking for, because the village members are understandably interested in the money that such visits bring. However, there are still villages where the chief can take visitors around and explain the traditional ways of life such that the experience is still educational and rewarding.
OPTIONAL TOURS: These are offered at certain lodges, and are to be paid for as extra items. Please discuss with reception or your driver/guide, if you are interested.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Please do not photograph people without their permission, they can be very sensitive and react unfavourably. Some will ask for a small fee to be photographed. Government buildings, airports, government vehicles, police and armed forces should not be photographed.
SECURITY: The same precautions should be taken as in any major city. Do not carry and exhibit large sums of money around, keep a close watch on handbags, purses, wallets, etc, when walking in crowded areas. Avoid walking at night (especially alone), lock up valuables in the hotel/lodge/camp safe deposit boxes and never leave valuables on show in an unattended vehicle. It is recommended that you do not bring expensive jewelry or watches. Keep the vehicle window closed when in crowded areas of cities or when leaving the vehicle.
SHOPPING: There is a vibrant local craft industry of carvings, baskets, beadwork, fabrics, jewellery and similar items. They are very popular with residents and visitors alike, and are often very good buys. There is usually room to negotiate and bargain, except in some of the high-end shops, but certainly with the informal vendors in kiosks. It is best to conduct this shopping with small denominations in local currency. There is also a wide range of semi-precious stones available, and coffee, tea and books are also popular purchases. Credit cards are accepted at most formal shops, and also at most of the hotels/lodges/camps. It is advisable to carry some money in cash (preferably USD or EUR, but other major currencies are also fine) in case of unexpected expenses. When you check out of each hotel/lodge/camp, you will have to settle your extras bill (including drinks usually), which can usually be done in USD or local currency. In order to obtain local currency, it is best to change in a major city like Nairobi or Arusha (where the exchange rate will be better than out on safari), or withdraw from an ATM machine using your bank card. Tips are preferred in local currency, but you can also give in USD or EUR.
TIPS: Most hotels/lodges/camps include a small service charge for their staff, but it is common to add a small tip if the service has been good and hospitable. Our recommended guidelines are USD 25-40 per driver/guide per day on safari, and USD 1 to porters per client and USD 1 to waiters per client, but these are approximate and subject to your discretion.
Pre and Post Tour Accommodation: If you require accommodation before or after your tour we can arrange this for you
TRAVEL INSURANCE
Even though we wish you a flawless trip, things can happen, especially nowadays. Make sure you are prepared with a Travel Insurance policy that is right for you. Finisterra recommends Manulife Insurance or John Hancock Please feel free to ask us about Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance, Cancel for Any Reason Policies, Travel Medical Insurance, or any other questions you may have.
TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR CANADIANS
Travel with confidence knowing that you’re covered with Manulife Insurance.
TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR AMERICANS – JOHN HANCOCK
Explore the world, stress-free, when you book travel insurance with John Hancock International.
WHY TRAVEL WITH US?
At Finisterra Travel we help you discover, push personal boundaries, and explore the unknown.
We are super passionate about sustainable, transformational, and adventure travel. Definitely not “armchair travellers”, we have firsthand experience of where you’ll be heading.No one wants to feel like a tourist which is why when we plan a custom travel experience for you, we strive to make your adventure as authentic as possible. We offer an array of Small Group Adventures & Custom Trips, and have something for every type of traveller.
Our unique itineraries are designed to best showcase some of our favourite destinations around Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, North America, and Europe. All itineraries are fully-customizable.Not your typical online travel agency, nor are we quite a tour operator, we are international travel designers with a flair for unique experiences. We’d love to hear from you!
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