This African safari package is designed to offer the very best game parks in Kenya and Tanzania. This trip offers unparalleled game viewing, with evening relaxation in the region's top top quality hotels and game lodges. Private 4x4 game viewing vehicles with experienced guides will take you on several drives each day, searching out lion, elephant, giraffe, and the full profusion of wildlife. Internal flight transfers cut down on long vehicle rides and provide a bird's eye view of the amazing country below. Three days of game viewing in Masai Mara, famous for its plains of predator and prey, and the annual wildebeest migration. Cross the border into Serengeti for more game viewing and a visit into the fabled Ngorongoro Crater. Then fly to Zanzibar and unwind on languid beaches by the warm Indian Ocean for a truly memorable ending. Includes the cost of internal flights.

Kensington Tours has its own offices in Nairobi, Kenya, and Arusha, Tanzania (click on the KT Nairobi video). We also have our own tented camps (www.kensingtoncamps.com). Our prices include the support of our own dedicated team on the ground! Another reason we deliver unbeatable value.

Day 1
Nairobi
Includes Flying Doctors air ambulance emergency evacuation to Nairobi in the event of serious illness. Kensington Tours donates a portion of our proceeds to our charitable initiative www.kensingtoncares.com which supports education-based initiatives in disadvantaged communities. Airport transfer with private vehicle and guide. 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. Nairobi is 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 cosmopolitan Nairobi is 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 in East Africa. High-altitude Nairobi enjoys 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.

Day 2
Nairobi - Masai Mara
Airport transfer with private vehicle and guide. Take your flight from Nairobi to Masai Mara today. The flight duration is approximately 45 mins. Your expert guide will pick you up at the airstrip and will be taking you for a game drive on the way back to camp. Enjoy lunch (included in tour price). This afternoons 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 waterholes or up in a tree after a hot long day. Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). Our new 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. 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. Mara West is providing high quality service with beautifully designed, comfortable accommodations. 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 allowing 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.

Day 3
Masai Mara
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 photographers delight where with any luck you'll be able to take amazing pictures of the hippos and elephants in the water. Enjoy lunch (included in tour price). 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 rich mix of animal population, it also has an incredible array of bird life with almost 450 different species. Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). Our new 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. 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. Mara West is providing high quality service with beautifully designed, comfortable accommodations.

Day 4
Masai Mara
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. Enjoy lunch (included in tour price). After a nice relaxing morning you'll meet up with your guide for an afternoon tea before heading out on your game drive. Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). Overnight at Kensington Mara West.

Day 5
Masai Mara - Serengeti
Your guide will drive you from Masai Mara to the Serengeti. This full day commute includes some game drives through the park. This excursion will include a multi-hour drive across bumpy patches of road to the border (TZ visa can be purchased for $50 US cash, or $100pp for US citizens). A picnic lunch near Lake Victoria will be provided, with an option to visit a local fishing village. NOTE: Be aware that for portions of this LONG drive, the road will be rough and unfinished. This drive will take approximately 9 hours. Kenya/Tanzania border crossing. Visas can be purchased for US cash (no bills older than 2006 due to local counterfiting safeguards). Enjoy a picnic lunch (included in tour price). Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). A tented wilderness camp in the western Serengeti, this is an intimate connection to nature in the world’s finest game park. Look forward to attentive service with five course bush cuisine of the pan-African and traditional sort. Three main meals are served each day in the large canvas dining tent overlooking the plains, culminating with five course dinners ending with coffee or tea under the stars. The tents, appropriately furnished with Masai inspired style, feature campaign furniture and canvas wardrobe. The Masai theme is showcased with evocative headboards, lamps and fixtures. This is a rare opportunity to experience close contact with the world’s greatest migration, which has been known to feature twenty or so lion prides and countless throngs of zebras and wildebeest. 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.

Day 6
Serengeti
Enjoy 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 other 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. Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). Overnight at Kensington Serengeti.

Day 7
Serengeti - Ngorongoro
Your guide will pick you up from Serengeti and drive you to the Ngorongoro Conservation area. You will experience some brief game viewing as you leave the Serengeti plains on the way to the massive African landmark, the Ngorongoro crater. This drive takes approximately 5 to 6 hours, but your travel time will increase during the rainy season. 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. Enjoy a picnic lunch (included in tour price). Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). Seated on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, the Serena Safari Lodge faces this unique biodiversity-rich area head on. There are 74 guest rooms and suites, each decorated with brass lamps and leather headboards & Afro- Arabian artifacts. Dining combines international & Pan-African fare, often served in the bush where barbeque cuisine is a delight. Take part in game drives and hikes around the rich Ngorongoro Crater, full of life and discoveries. Serena Lodge is situated to provide one of the world's most spectacular panoramic views of the Ngorongoro Crater "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 verdent 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.

Day 8
Ngorongoro
Hike the hills of Ngorongoro with a local guide. Prices may vary depending on accommodation. Descend into the Ngorongoro caldera to view the wildlife on the crater floor. 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 decend 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, hyaenas and jackals are commonly seen, while leopards, servals and bat-eared foxes may be seen with some good luck.
Enjoy a picnic lunch (included in tour price). Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). Overnight at Serena.

Day 9
Ngorongoro - Zanzibar
Your expert guide will be dropping you off at the Manaya airstrip. Flight from Manyara to Zanzibar, a noon departure and a 14h15 arrival Transfer to/from the east coast resorts in private vehicle and driver. Enjoy dinner at leisure (not included in tour price). Breezes Beach Club and Spa is a tasteful haven situated on a gorgeous beach off the east coast of the most magical island of Zanzibar, in Tanzania. The 70 rooms and suites are fully air conditioned and decorated in earthy, natural tones and finishes, each festooned with authentic Zanzibar carvings from locals. Dining is an experience to look forward to, where ones taste buds are host to a mélange of refreshing flavors. Seafood is fresh, succulent, and incomparable. Activities vary depending on interest, from lounging on the beach to marine activities, spa, and yoga classes. Zanzibar is the ultimate relaxation destination with history, culture, architecture, spice plantations and dazzling sand beaches. Exotic cuisine, diving and snorkeling, sailing dhows. There are so many unique experiences in store. Our favorite place to unwind and the perfect end to a safari.

Day 10
Zanzibar
Sign up for optional activities at your resort (not included in tour price); deep sea fishing, boat excursions, scuba diving, or other. Enjoy dinner at leisure (not included in tour price). Overnight at Breezes.

Day 11
Zanzibar
Transfer to/from the east coast resorts in private vehicle and driver. Includes a fascinating tour of the fabled Spice Gardens of Zanzibar, the tour also includes a visit to the Persian baths and the Sultan’s palace. Includes a guided tour of historic Zanzibar and Stone Town. Enjoy dinner at leisure (not included in tour price). Overnight at Breezes.

Day 12
Zanzibar - Nairobi
(Note: an extra departure tax of $30 must be paid on departure) Transfer to/from the east coast resorts in private vehicle and driver. Take your flight from Zanzibar (ZNZ) to Nairobi (NBO) today. The flight duration is approximately 1.5 hr. Includes opportunity to visit local handicrafts market to stock up on souvenirs. Before leaving that night, stop by the kensington office for free use of internet, lounge, showers and drinks. (We can arrange dinner at Carnivore game meat restaurant, though there is limited wild meat on the menu these days - please let us know in advance and if you are veg.) Airport transfer with private vehicle and guide. Depart from Nairobi international airport - end of itinerary.