A visual feast of the best game parks in Kenya and Tanzania, this trip offers unparalleled game viewing, with evening relaxation at excellent quality authentic tented camps. Follow the path of the annual migration in a private game viewing vehicle with experienced guides who will take you on several drives each day, searching out lion, elephant, giraffe, wildebeest, zebras and all the herds that are part of the spectacle ‘great migration’. Depart Nairobi and begin your safari with Masai Mara, the world's top game park. The small size of the park and ability to go off road allows you to seek out East Africa's best game. Enjoy two days of game viewing with your private guide then drive past Lake Victoria's shore into Tanzania to Serengeti where more world class game viewing awaits you. Visit the Olduvlai Gorge on your way through the Serengeti game park and drive up and into Ngorongoro Crater, the world's largest caldera, an extinct volcano packed with wildlife. A Natural Wonder of the World, the crater is packed with herds of zebra, buffalo, antelope, wildebeest and more. Visit Arusha's famous souvenir markets before flying back to Nairobi for some more souvenir shopping and a nice dinner. Includes internal flight.

Nairobiis the least expensive arrival city for flights with a full range of hotels and local attractions. Dubbed the “Safari Capital of the World,” cool, clear and cosmopolitanNairobiis the natural departure point for most safari itineraries. A city of contrasts, it is simultaneously the largest, the youngest, the most modern, the highest (1700m) and the fastest growing city inEast Africa. High-altitudeNairobienjoys a pleasant tropical climate all year round. There are ATMs and banks to stock up on cash, great restaurants, and malls where you can purchase any forgotten items.

You will receive a private airport transfer to/from the airport.

In the event of serious illness, all travellers are covered by Flying Doctors Insurance. This covers the cost of emergency air evacuation service needed to fly back to Nairobi for treatment. This insurance does not cover the cost of medical treatment.

The Nairobi Serena Hotel is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, excelling in quality, service, and comfort beyond expectations. Its vibrant tropical gardens and skyline offer a range of views from its 184 rooms and suites, each decked with pan-African themed influences. Two stylish restaurants, offer both a la carte and/or buffet, and serve an international selection of fine cuisine amidst mesmerizing settings. Take advantage of the local attractions and, following a demanding full day, relax in the hands of an expert masseuse at the Maisha Serena Health Club. Gym, spa & pool at the hotel.

Overnight at Serena.

Masai Mara is the northernmost portion of the larger Serengeti ecosystem and features the best game viewing in the region. The small size funnels animals into a tight space, and park rules allow for off-road driving which means that guests can venture into plains covered with hundreds or even thousands of animals. Take an optional hot air balloon ride over the plains, with the opportunity for amazing pictures of the animal herds below.

This morning you'll meet up with your guide and head off to the Masai Mara. The drive will be about 5 to 6 hours.

Enjoy a box lunch while you travel (included in tour price).

This afternoon's game viewing will be exciting as you are searching for game with your private guide and driver. The leopard is difficult to see as it moves fast and is very shy. If you're lucky there is a good chance to spot them around water holes or up in a tree after a long, hot day.

Kensington Mara West Camp has been revamped and relocated to what is surely one of the best views in East Africa. Perched elegantly on the Ololoolo escarpment, forming the western boundary of the Masai Mara Reserve itself. This is the authentic Out of Africa experience where much of the original film itself was filmed & produced. The camp borders the remote and beautiful western edge of Masai Mara National Reserve. Kensington Mara West provides nature lovers with deluxe accommodations while experiencing the sights and sounds of an unforgettable African safari. Tents offer rustic charm surrounded by grassy fields. Chalets are perched in secluded spots on an escarpment edge overlooking the vast plains of the Masai Mara Game Reserve, giving tremendous views and a sense of private exclusion.

Overnight at Kensington Mara West.

Today as you set on the early morning game drive with your expert guide. The Masai Mara Park will offer you a diverse range of animals. The park is home to the Big Five (Lion, Rhino, Elephant, Buffalo and Leopard) and numerous other antelopes including Thomson's and Grant's Gazelles, Impalas, Topics, Hartebeest, Zebra and Masai Giraffe. It's also home to over 450 species of birdlife among these are vultures, marabou storks, secretary birds, hornbills, crowned cranes, ostriches, long-crested eagles and African pygmy-falcons.

On today’s afternoon game drive the choice is up to you: search for the Big 5 or expand your horizons to discover something different. Masai Mara not only has a rich mix of animals – it also has an incredible array of bird life with almost 450 different species.

Overnight at Kensington Mara West.

Masai Mara is named after the traditional inhabitants (Maasai) and the Mara River. At some point during your stay in the Mara, you'll drive by the river, which is a great place to spot wildlife. This area is a photographer's delight where with any luck you'll be able to take amazing pictures of the hippos and elephants in the water.

This afternoon you'll meet up with your guide and head out on your game drive. Mara is one of the few places you could spot the rare rhino. Stay alert as you track these elusive lumbering giants.

Overnight at Kensington Mara West.

Tanzania's oldest and most popular national park, the Serengeti is massive in size, 14,763 sq km (5,700 sq miles). Famed for its annual migration, when some six million hooves pound the open plains, as more than 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle join the wildebeest’s trek for fresh grazing. Yet even when the migration is quiet, the Serengeti offers the most diverse game-viewing in Africa.

Your guide will drive you from Masai Mara to the Isebania border today. Once there, you'll meet your Tanzanian guide and continue into Tanzania to the Serengeti. This full day commute includes some game drives through the park. This excursion will include a multi-hour drive across highway and bumpy patches of road to the border. Enjoy game viewing on your way out of the park or head straight to the border.

NOTE: Be aware that for portions of this LONG drive, the road will be rough and unfinished, though most is now newly paved. This total drive to Serengeti will take approximately 6-9 hours depending on game drives and any breaks taken.

At the border, switch between your Kenyan and Tanzanian guide, crossing the border and continuing your safari. You will also be switching vehicles.

Visas can be purchased at the border: Kenya $50pp US cash - Tanzania $100pp for Americans, $50pp for other nationalities.

Note: Visas are paid for using US cash (no bills older than 2006 due to local counterfeiting safeguards). Single entry visa is valid for 3 months and can be used for multiple entries between Kenya and Tanzania. Please be sure to have your Yellow Fever certificate handy.

After the Kenya/Tanzania border crossing, continue on to Serengeti with your Tanzanian private guide and vehicle. You'll have the option to stop and enjoy a box lunch by Lake Victoria, visit a fishing village, or head straight to the park. Once you have entered the park, enjoy game viewing on the way to your lodge.

Enjoy a picnic lunch (included in tour price).

Today head out with your guide to explore the wide expanse of the Serengeti. The park is well known for its healthy stock of resident wildlife, particularly the "Big Five", named for the five most prized trophies taken by hunters: lion, leopard, elephant, black rhinoceros, and African buffalo. Though there are now few black rhino in the park, you may still spot them. The Serengeti has the largest population of lion and giraffe in all of Africa and the largest concentration of topi and Coke's hartebeest (kongoni). Enjoy the challenge of spotting other game such as cheetah, Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, eland, waterbuck, hyena, baboon, impala, African wild dog and giraffe. The park also boasts about 500 bird species, including ostrich, secretary bird, Kori bustard, crowned crane and marabou stork.

A mobile tented camp located in Central Serengeti, strategically located to cover the vast Serengeti Plains. Kat Kati camp offers comfortable accommodation and a unique opportunity to enjoy a real safari camp experience. This is a mobile tented camp located in Central Serengeti with15 tents, each featuring en suite facilities. Strategically located to cover the vast of Serengeti Plains, the camp is only a two hour scenic drive from Olduvai Gorge Museum and Grumeti River. Here you'll enjoy comfortable accommodation combined with the unique opportunity to experience a classic safari camp, falling asleep to the sound of animals outside.

Overnight at Serengeti Kati Kati Tented Camp .

Head out into the park early in the morning as animals are more active in the early morning and afternoon. Tanzania's oldest and most renowned national park, the Serengeti offers the most expansive game-viewing in Africa: great herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephant and giraffe, and thousands upon thousands of eland, topi, kongoni, impala and Grant’s gazelle. Explore this amazing park with the help of your expert guide.

Spend the day taking in the spectacle of the famous wildebeest migration. This annual migration through the Serengeti and Masai Mara is one of the safari highlights of Africa. The wildebeest migration moves in a basic clockwise direction throughout the year in Serengeti eco-system and move north into Masai Mara, Kenya from June/July through to Sep/October. Sightings cannot be guaranteed as the herds move according to availability of food source and migration movements can be erratic. The herds are accompanied by zebra and Thomson's gazelle and are stealthily hunted by local predators such as leopard, lion and hyena.

Overnight at Serengeti Kati Kati Tented Camp .

"The Ngorongoro Crater is often called ‘Africa’s Eden’ and the ‘8th Natural Wonder of the World’. A massive extinct volcano, the sheet walls drop thousands of feet to a "Noah's Ark" of animals on the verdant floor below. Large herds of zebra, buffalo, antelope and wildebeest graze nearby while sleeping lions laze in the sun. At dawn, the endangered black rhino returns to the thick cover of the crater forests after grazing on dew-laden grass in the morning mist.

This morning you will depart from the Serengeti on your way to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. For the first part of the drive you'll be doing some game viewing as you leave the Serengeti. On this drive you have the option of stopping at Olduvlai gorge, the Serengeti welcome centre and lookout point, or stop for lunch at a picnic spot. Then drive up and around Ngorongoro Crater to your next accommodation. This drive takes 5 to 6 hours depending on the number of stops you make and how much game viewing you enjoy along the way. Expect longer trip times during the rainy seasons.

The Olduvai Gorge or Oldupai Gorge is commonly referred to as "The Cradle of Mankind." It is a steep-sided ravine in the Great Rift Valley, which stretches along eastern Africa. Olduvai is in the eastern Serengeti Plains in northern Tanzania and is about 30 miles (48 km) long. The gorge is named after the Maasai word for the wild sisal plant Sansevieria ehrenbergii, commonly called Oldupai.

A small and exclusive lodge facing the Oldeani Volcano, only 5 kms. from the Ngorongoro Lolduare gate was built, meant to offer our clients an original experience reminiscent of the atmosphere of the old days.

Overnight at Ngorongoro Farm House.

Private transportation and guide in the Ngorongoro national park.

You'll be up early this morning as you drive approximately 20 minutes from your camp or lodge to the main gates of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. There are only three roads that connect the crater rim with the crater floor, one for driving down, one for driving up and another that goes both ways. The crater is roughly 20 km/12 mi wide and 600 m/2,000 ft deep, once you've reached the top of the caldera it takes about 45 minutes to descend to the crater floor. The floor is home to a rich and highly concentrated wildlife. Some 20,000 mammals of size live there, including about 20 black rhinoceros, making the crater the best place in Tanzania to see the rhino. The crater floor also has one of the highest carnivore densities in the world. Lions, cheetahs, hyenas and jackals are commonly seen, while leopards, servals and bat-eared foxes may be seen with some good luck. You'll spend most of the day in the crater.

Overnight at Ngorongoro Farm House.

From Ngorongoro, your guide will drive you to Arusha. This drive will take approximately 2.5 hours.

Take your flight from Arusha (ARK) to Nairobi (Wilson) today. The flight duration is approximately 2hrs.

You will receive a private airport transfer to/from the airport.

Take some time to explore Nairobi on your own terms. Head out into the town for souvenir shopping at local markets or head out on a tour. Possible tours include: Nairobi National Game Park, the Kazuri Bead Factory (a local women's cooperative), David Sheldrick elephant orphanage, Giraffe Center & Karen Blixen House, or the Nairobi National Museum or Theatre (additional fees apply). Any of these items can be added to your tour, simply ask your travel advisor or guide.

Before leaving that night, stop by the Kensington office for free use of Internet, lounge, showers and drinks. If you like, we can make reservations for dinner at a local restaurant as well. Please let us know in advance and if you are vegetarian.

Depart from Nairobi international airport - end of itinerary.

Overnight at Depart.