Classic Journeys’ Africa Big Cat Safari

KENYA AND TANZANIA WILDLIFE SAFARI & ZANZIBAR BEACH EXTENSION

East Africa is the perfect place to go big, and this comprehensive trip has it all: Serengeti, Tarangire, Amboseli and Masai Mara. Let Classic Journeys, the professional African experts guide you on a classic Journeys Tanzania and Kenya Adventure. Witness the Great Migration, where millions of animals gallop and graze their way through the southern and eastern plains. Explore Ngorongoro Crater, a verdant, tranquil world that’s part Garden of Eden and part Noah’s Ark. Surrounded by glorious scenery- grasslands, lush green crater walls, and the snow caped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro in the distance, you will encounter wildebeests and zebras, elephant herds, lions and leopards, buffalo, rhinos, and amazing birdlife. After each remarkable day in the bush, you will spend the night in comfortable lodges and tented camps. What else would you ask for? This sweeping survey of the great wildlife paradises of the region is ideal for you: whether it is your first time on safari or your tenth!

Day 1: NAIROBI

On arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be met by our representative who will transfer you to the Eka Hotel for check in and an overnight stay.

Situated 160 km south of the equator, Nairobi is the capital of Kenya and boasts one of the finest climates in the world. This modern, cosmopolitan city is the regional headquarters for many African and Indian Ocean businesses. With delegates attracted here from around the world, they come for the friendliness of the people, the modern hotel facilities and the vast array of fascinating options available throughout the city. Although the ‘City in the sun’ is relatively young by global standards, it has fascinating history capturing explorers, missionaries, wars, cultural diversity and politics etc, each leaving their mark on the city center in some way.

Overnight stay: Eka Hotel

Meal Plan: Bed and Breakfast

Day 2: NAIROBI – MASAI MARA NATIONAL GAME RESERVE

0730hrs. After your breakfast, you will depart for the Masai Mara National Game Reserve with a brief stop at the Great Rift Valley view point for a short photo session before proceeding with the drive to arrive at the Mara Sopa Lodge   in time for check in and lunch. You will then spend the afternoon at leisure before going for an evening game drive till dusk when you return to your lodge.

The Mara offers wildlife in such variety and abundance that it is difficult to believe: over 450 species of animals have been recorded here. You will easily see lions, rhinos, hippos, crocodiles, giraffe, wildebeests, zebras, buffalo, warthogs, hyenas, jackals, wild dogs, buffalo, leopard, many kinds of antelopes and elephant. It is in the Mara that perhaps the most spectacular event of the natural world takes place. This is the annual migration of millions of wildebeest and zebra from the Serengeti (Tanzania) in search of water and pasture. Following on their heels are the predators of the savanna- lion, cheetah, wild dog, jackal, hyena and vultures.

Overnight stay: Mara Sopa Lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 3: MASAI MARA NATIONAL GAME RESERVE

You will spend the whole day in the Masai Mara National Game Reserve with both the morning and evening game drives. In between you can go for a visit to a local Masai village where you will be able to interact with the Masai

community and learn about the colorful culture of this community. This is at an extra cost.

OR

Take the opportunity to fly over the Mara in a Hot air Balloon provided at extra cost. The balloon package includes a champagne breakfast in the wild! If you can spare the money, viewing abundant game afloat a balloon is an unforgettable experience.

On this day, you will enjoy a morning game drive at 0930 hrs and an afternoon game drive at 1530 hrs in the Masai Mara. The game viewing activity will be broken by lunch at the lodge at 1300 hrs. In between you can have an optional visit to a local Masai village where you will be able to interact and learn about the colorful culture of this normadic pastoralist community.

Overnight stay: Mara Sopa Lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 4: MASAI MARA NATIONAL GAME RESERVE – LAKE NAIVASHA

After your breakfast you will depart for the Lake Naivasha to arrive in time for check in and lunch at the Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort. After a short relaxation, you will depart for a boat ride on Lake Naivasha and visit to the Crescent Island Park – The Park where you walk with the Animals!

They are not fenced to allow the wildlife on the mainland to come in as they lose their habitat to development and the ever increasing population. Hippo graze all over us at night then sleep under the acacia or rest in the water by day. The giraffe who were born on the Island return to give birth; sometimes you see three generations at a time. Hyena come to hunt at night but are not resident on the island, the many python who do live here can be seen occasionally with a kill. Groups of Buffalo come and go but they are always monitored.

From the top of the hill there is a 360 degree view across the Lake from Longonot to Hell’s Gate to the Mau Escarpment to Eburu and onto the Aberdares. Walking along the ridge in the golden hour before sunset whilst watching the animals grazing with the water shimmering beyond, is what Africa is all about. Take a boat back to the lodge.

Overnight stay: Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 5: LAKE NAIVASHA NATIONAL PARK – AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK

0900hrs. After your breakfast, you will depart for the Amboseli National Park with a brief stop in Nairobi for lunch at the renowned carnivore restaurant.

The Carnivore is the ultimate ‘Beast of a Feast’  A variety of  meat including ostrich, crocodile and camel, t is roasted over charcoal and carved at your table. Delicious side dishes and an exceptional array of sauces complement this fixed price feast that also includes soup, a selection of desserts and Kenyan coffee. Set in attractive tropical gardens, the service and the décor are outstanding. The Carnivore since its inception has played host to over 2 million customers from across the globe including numerous celebrities. In fact the Carnivore visitors book read like a global who is who! Whole joints of meat – legs of lamb and pork, ostrich, rumps of beef, sirloins, racks of lamb, spare ribs, sausages, chicken wings, skewered kidneys, even crocodile, and other tasty morsels – are roasted on traditional Masai swords over a huge, spectacular charcoal pit that dominates the entrance of the restaurant.

Thereafter, you get at least one hour to do a small shopping in Nairobi city before proceeding with the drive to Amboseli where you will arrive arrive later in the evening for check in at the Kibo Safari Camp.

Overnight stay: Kibo Safari Camp

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 6: AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK

Today you will go for both the morning and evening game drives in the vast Amboseli National Park. A visit to a local primary school can be arranged in between for those travellers that are interested.

Amboseli sits on the lower slopes of mighty Mount Kilimanjaro – Africa’s highest – whose peak lies across the border in Tanzania. It is quite an experience to see Kilimanjaro hovering above the clouds in an early morning. The animal pictures rising against the dramatic backdrop of the mountain will thrill the photography enthusiast. Amboseli is renowned for its huge elephant herds. You will also see buffalo, black rhino, zebra, wildebeest and other plain animals.

Overnight stay: Kibo Safari Camp

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 7: AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK – LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK

After your early breakfast, you will depart with picnic lunch boxes for Oloitok, the Kenya-Tanzania border town where after the cross border formalities, you will proceed (picnic lunch enroute) with the drive to arrive in time for an afternoon game at the Lake Manyara National Park before checking in at the Manyara Wildlife Camp.

Lake Manyara National Park is located in the northern Tanzania covering an area of about 330sq km of which 70%, upto 200 sq km, is occupied by the lake when the water levels are high. The ecosystem in the region is diverse and it consists of ground water forests, acacia woodland and open grassland along the lakeshore and sustains a wealth of wildlife whose inhabitants include hippos, monkeys, flamingos and other varieties of birdlife. More than 400 species have been recorded. The park is famous for the elusive tree-climbing lions that inhabit the woodland between the lake and the Rift Valley.

Overnight stay: Manyara Wildlife Camp

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 8: LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK – SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

0630hrs. After your breakfast, collect lunch boxes and depart for Serengeti National Park. You arrive ready for an afternoon game drive in the park enroute to the Serengeti Kati Kati Camp for check in.

Serengeti is the stage on which the most spectacular wonders of nature takes place, the Great Migration. It is on this park that millions of ungulates comprising of wildebeests and zebras make that all important trek from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara National Park in Kenya. But that’s not all the Serengeti has to offer, it boasts the largest and highest concentration of wildlife in the world. Spanning an impressive 15,000 sq km area, this savannah is home to all the members of the Big 5, the splendid cheetah, gazelles, African wild dog, giraffes and approximately 500 species of bird, making it a bird watchers paradise as well.

Overnight stay: Serengeti Kati Kati Camp

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 9: SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

Today, you will spend the whole day in the Serengeti National Park. Enjoy the endless plains of Serengeti with game viewing; a magnificent experience waits as you travel to the most famous wildlife park in Africa the legendary Serengeti. Here you might have the chance to see the migration, where thousands of zebra and wildebeest make trip from the Masai Mara every year. Packed lunches are served and proceed for an afternoon game drive.

Overnight stay: Serengeti Kati Kati Camp

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 10: SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK – NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA – KARATU

After your breakfast, you will depart for the Ngorongoro National Park to arrive in time for check in and lunch at the Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge. After a brief relaxation, you will proceed for the afternoon crater tour till dusk when you transfer to Karatu Town for check in and dinner at the Rhino Lodge.

Commence by descending 2000 feet (over 600 metres) to the floor of the crater. Covering 260 sq. km, the crater is often called ‘Africa’s Eden’ and the ‘8th Natural Wonder of the World’. It is an attraction in its own right. Within the crater rim, large herds of zebra and wildebeest graze nearby while sleeping lions laze in the sun. You will have an opportunity to explore the forest areas that are inhabited by monkeys and elephants, the lake area, where you may see the flamingos and the open savannah where the lions hunt for food.

Overnight: Rhino Lodge Lodge  

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 11: KARATU – ZANZIBAR

After your breakfast, you will depart for Arusha where you will have lunch at the Arusha Coffee Lodge before proceeding to the Arusha Airport for your evening flight to Zanzibar. On arrival in Zanzibar, you will be met by another of our representative who will transfer you to the Zanzibari Hotel for check in.

Located in Nungwi, on the north coast of Unguja, the Zanzibari Hotel advertises itself as boutique. With only eight

rooms this hotel is for the traveller looking for a more personal service than that offered at the larger resort style hotels that dominate in this region. Each room has a private balcony or terrace and all rooms overlook either the ocean or the gardens. Free WiFi is available in public areas.

Situated by the pool, The Mvuvi Bar offers lunches, snacks and light evening meals. The formal Dhow restaurant serves 5-course dinners, combining international and local flavours. Each 5-course dinner offers a choice of meat, fish and seafood.

Overnight: Zanzibari Hotel  

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 12-14: ZANZIBAR

You will spend these 3 days leisurely at your beach hotel with optional water sport activities available at extra costs.

Zanzibar is an archipelago made up of Zanzibar and Pemba Islands, and several islets. It is located in the Indian Ocean, about 25 miles from the Tanzanian coast, and 6° south of the equator. Zanzibar Island (known locally as Unguja, but as Zanzibar internationally) is 60 miles long and 20 miles wide, occupying a total area of approximately 650 square miles. It is characterized by beautiful sandy beaches with fringing coral reefs, and the magic of historic Stone Town – said to be the only functioning ancient town in East Africa.

Overnight: Zanzibari Hotel  

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 15: DEPART

After your breakfast, depending on your departure flight back home, you will be transferred back to the Zanzibar Airport in time for four departure flight.

End of our services.