14-Day Romantic East Africa Safari — Kenya & Tanzania

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Nairobi → Samburu → Aberdare → Lake Nakuru → Masai Mara → Amboseli → Namanga / Arusha → Ngorongoro → Serengeti → Lake Manyara → Arusha

1. Day 1

   Nairobi to Samburu

   After breakfast you leave Nairobi and travel on toward Samburu, travelling north past Mount Kenya and through Nanyuki and Isiolo into the drier northern country. Once you reach Samburu there is time to check in before heading out among semi-arid northern rangeland of doum palms and riverine forest along the Ewaso Ng'iro river. There is the possibility of seeing elephant, lion, leopard and the dry-country species often called the Samburu Special Five, depending on movement and conditions on the day. Northern Kenya holds species rarely seen further south, including Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, gerenuk and Somali ostrich. Your safari vehicle and guide are used by your party alone. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Samburu.

2. Day 2

   Full-Day Samburu Safari

   You spend the day in Samburu, heading out early and returning as the light goes. Your route takes in semi-arid northern rangeland of doum palms and riverine forest along the Ewaso Ng'iro river, with your guide reading recent movement to decide where to spend time. Species commonly associated with the area include elephant, lion, leopard and the dry-country species often called the Samburu Special Five. The river is the reserve's lifeline, and game commonly concentrates along it through the heat of the day. Northern Kenya holds species rarely seen further south, including Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, gerenuk and Somali ostrich. Your safari vehicle and guide are used by your party alone. Dinner and overnight are again at your Samburu camp or lodge.

3. Day 3

   Samburu to Aberdare

   Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Samburu bound for Aberdare, climbing into the central highlands through Nyeri and the tea and coffee country. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into high montane forest, bamboo belt and moorland cut by streams and waterfalls. Look for elephant, buffalo, giant forest hog, bushbuck and, with patience, rarely seen forest species as the light softens through the afternoon. The Aberdare lodges are built overlooking floodlit waterholes, so wildlife is watched from the building itself rather than from a vehicle. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Aberdare.

4. Day 4

   Aberdare to Lake Nakuru

   After breakfast you leave Aberdare and travel on toward Lake Nakuru, travelling through the Rift Valley floor and the farming towns of the Nakuru region. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through a Rift Valley soda lake ringed by yellow-barked acacia woodland and steep escarpment viewpoints. Your guide works the area for black and white rhino, Rothschild's giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck and dense birdlife, with sightings varying by season and conditions. The park operates as a sanctuary and is one of Kenya's more reliable places to look for rhino; flamingo numbers on the lake rise and fall with water levels. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Lake Nakuru.

5. Day 5

   Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara

   The day opens in Lake Nakuru with a morning departure for Masai Mara, descending the wall of the Great Rift Valley and passing through Narok and Maasai farming country. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game. The reserve is best known for its big cat densities, and between roughly July and October the wildebeest migration commonly moves through the ecosystem. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Masai Mara.

6. Day 6

   Full-Day Masai Mara Safari

   A full day in Masai Mara allows you to explore well beyond the areas reached on a short visit. You travel through open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem, working the areas your guide judges most productive on the day. Sightings may include lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game, depending on season and conditions. A full day allows morning and late-afternoon drives when animals are most active, with the option of a picnic lunch out in the reserve. The reserve is best known for its big cat densities, and between roughly July and October the wildebeest migration commonly moves through the ecosystem. The evening returns you to your Masai Mara accommodation for dinner and overnight.

7. Day 7

   Masai Mara to Amboseli

   The morning starts in Masai Mara, from where you continue overland to Amboseli, travelling south past Kajiado and through Maasai rangeland toward the Tanzanian border country. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into open plains, dust flats and spring-fed swamps beneath the bulk of Kilimanjaro. Your guide works the area for large elephant herds, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and abundant water birds around the swamps, with sightings varying by season and conditions. Amboseli is known for its free-ranging elephant families, and on clear mornings Mount Kilimanjaro often rises above the plains, though cloud can hide it. The evening is spent at your Amboseli accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

8. Day 8

   Full-Day Amboseli Safari

   The day is set aside for Amboseli, with drives timed around the first and last hours of light. The drives cover open plains, dust flats and spring-fed swamps beneath the bulk of Kilimanjaro, moving between habitats as conditions change. Species commonly associated with the area include large elephant herds, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and abundant water birds around the swamps. The swamps stay green through dry months, drawing elephants and plains game into concentrated, highly photographable groups. Amboseli is known for its free-ranging elephant families, and on clear mornings Mount Kilimanjaro often rises above the plains, though cloud can hide it. You return to your camp or lodge for dinner and a second night at Amboseli.

9. Day 9

   Amboseli to Arusha via Namanga

   The morning starts in Amboseli, from where you continue overland to Arusha via Namanga, continuing through the farmland and Maasai country below Mount Meru. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into northern Tanzania's safari gateway town below the slopes of Mount Meru. The crossing involves border formalities on both sides and an operating-team handover between the Kenyan and Tanzanian crews. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Arusha via Namanga.

10. Day 10

    Arusha to Ngorongoro

    The day opens in Arusha with a morning departure for Ngorongoro, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor. This is good country in which to look for lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo and one of the few remaining populations where black rhino may be seen. The crater floor holds a resident concentration of wildlife year-round because the caldera walls create a largely self-contained ecosystem. Dinner is served at your Ngorongoro camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

11. Day 11

    Ngorongoro to Serengeti

    Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Ngorongoro bound for Serengeti, crossing the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descending onto the open plains. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses. Look for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra as the light softens through the afternoon. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Serengeti.

12. Day 12

    Full-Day Serengeti Safari

    You have a complete day in Serengeti, starting early while the air is still cool and animals are active. The drives cover vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses, moving between habitats as conditions change. There is the possibility of seeing lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra, though wild sightings are never guaranteed. The scale of the plains rewards a full day, with time to work several areas rather than rushing between them. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. Dinner and overnight are again at your Serengeti camp or lodge.

13. Day 13

    Serengeti to Lake Manyara

    Breakfast is taken before you set out from Serengeti for the drive to Lake Manyara, driving west from Arusha past Maasai settlements and the escarpment wall. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into groundwater forest, open floodplain and an alkaline lake beneath the Rift Valley escarpment. There is the possibility of seeing elephant, baboon troops, hippo, giraffe and large numbers of waterbirds including flamingo, depending on movement and conditions on the day. Manyara is known for its groundwater forest fed by springs at the base of the escarpment, and for lions that are sometimes seen resting in trees. Dinner is served at your Lake Manyara camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

14. Day 14

    Lake Manyara to Arusha

    Following an early breakfast, the day begins with the road transfer from Lake Manyara to Arusha, continuing through the farmland and Maasai country below Mount Meru. Once you reach Arusha there is time to check in before heading out among northern Tanzania's safari gateway town below the slopes of Mount Meru. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. Arrival back is normally in the afternoon, with a drop-off at your hotel or the airport.