Day-by-day itinerary

• Day

  01

  Nairobi, Kenya

  Touch down in Nairobi, where you are welcomed with a warm friendly smile by our Born Free VIP host, who will assist with formalities and escort you to your hotel. Get a good night’s sleep, as your adventure will begin in the morning!
  
  Nairobi is a surprising city, with excellent large hotels, small boutique properties, and world-class restaurants. There is a strong British influence with everything from high tea to their bit of formal friendliness.
  
  "Karibu" = "Welcome" in Swahili

  Dinner

  Optional:
  A second day can be spent in Nairobi to visit the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and Giraffe Center.
• Day

  02

  Amboseli National Park

  On Safari

  A short flight takes you to the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Amboseli National Park. You are met at the airstrip and escorted out on your first game drive. The park is home to large herds of elephant, cheetah, giraffe, zebra, and Cape Buffalo, to name just a few.
  
  Amboseli is a place of stark contrast, the name meaning “salty dust” in Maasai. Amboseli, despite its sometimes dry and dusty appearance, has an endless supply of water filtered through thousands of feet of volcanic rock from Mt. Kilimanjaro’s snow melt. These underground streams converge into clear freshwater springs in the heart of the park.
  
  Do not miss the dawn game drives, when the plains are golden with the new day’s sun and the predators are most active. This is a magical time in Amboseli.

  Flight time: approximately 45 minutes

  Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
• Day

  03

  Amboseli National Park

  Up at dawn, head out for some game viewing to one of the five main swamp areas where elephant & hippo gather.
  
  This is also the time that the lions go on their hunts. Every turn will bring a new wildlife surprise. Herds of zebra and wildebeest are easily seen. Amboseli is also the home to Cape Buffalo, hippo, eland, giraffe, and cheetah.
  
  Return to the lodge for a delicious buffet lunch and then out again for an afternoon game drive.

  Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
• Day

  04

  Arusha, Tanzania

  Be sure to be up early. This is the best time to see the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Then with your guide, head to the border to meet your Tanzania specialist guide. Arrive in Arusha in time for late lunch at our country lodge nestled in the foothills of Mt. Meru. (Flights can be arranged instead.)
  
  The lodge is located on an active coffee farm. Just steps away is the volcanic crater lake where you can take a guided walk to encounter the rich birdlife and local small wildlife. Guests can tour the on-site coffee farm as well.

  Drive time: 4 hours

  Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
• Day

  05

  Lake Manyara - Ngorongoro Highlands

  Treetop Walkway

  This morning, head out early for the drive to Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania.
  
  Ernest Hemingway referred to Lake Manyara as “the loveliest place I have seen in Africa.”
  
  More than two-thirds of the 127-square-mile Lake Manyara National Park is covered by lake, and the highlight of the park's wildlife is the large flamingo population when in season.
  
  Elephant, giraffe, monkey, impala, and more than 380 species of bird are also to be found among the park’s five different vegetation zones. In addition, the park is known for its tree-climbing lions, which may be seen sleeping off the heat of the day on a nearby branch.
  
  There is a treetop walkway that will take you high above the trees. Here you can look to see the colorful bird life, monkeys playing in the trees, and possibly even a tree-climbing lion.
  
  After your game viewing in Lake Manyara, continue up the Great Rift Valley Wall to the Ngorongoro Highlands.

  Drive time: 1.5 hours

  Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
• Day

  06

  Ngorongoro Crater

  Early morning wake-up call, breakfast, and then head down into Ngorongoro Crater for prime-time game viewing. The area is inhabited by an impressive variety of wildlife, including lions with black manes and the highly endangered black rhino. The lake area in Ngorongoro is also one of the best places to see the large flocks of flamingo.
  
  Picnic lunch by the hippo pool and continue for a few more hours exploring the Crater. The area has a very delicate ecosystem, and in order to protect the area, travelers must start out of Ngorongoro by 3:30 p.m.
  
  In order to get further into the bush and make our drive time shorter tomorrow, we can continue into the southern Serengeti region for tonight's stay.

  Drive time from rim to Crater floor: 45 minutes

  Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
• Day

  07

  Serengeti National Park

  Leave early this morning - stop if you wish at Olduvai Museum and Gorge. This is known as the "Cradle of Mankind." The site is an UNESCO World Heritage site. The Leakeys discovered one of the most important prehistoric sites in the world showing evidence of human evolution.
  
  On to the Serengeti. This is the Africa you’ve been dreaming of! The Serengeti-Mara ecosystem consists of over 15,000 square miles of rocky outcroppings, grassy plains, savannah, and woodlands.
  
  Born Free Safari itineraries are based on following the migrating herds, maximizing game viewing opportunities. Below is a general guide. There are no "best" times. It is where the wildlife is projected to be when you need to travel.
  
  The Best of Kenya & Tanzania will generally follow this schedule:
  
  June, October-March:
  3 days in the Serengeti National Park
  2 days in the Maasai Mara in Kenya
  
  July - End of September:
  2 days in Serengeti National Park
  3 days in the Maasai Mara in Kenya.

  Drive time: will vary according to season you travel. Ngorongoro to Serengeti: approximately 2 hours

  Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
• Day

  08

  Serengeti National Park

  With unlimited game viewing*, you can set the pace of the game drives. Early morning is the best time to see the wildlife in action looking for food to feed their young or just actively grazing the plains.
  
  The average day is up early in the morning - hot tea or coffee wait. Out on a game drive for a few hours and then back to camp for breakfast. You can go out on full-day drives with picnic lunch as well. Late afternoon drives, sundowners (cocktails) out in the bush, and back to lodge for dinner, comparing stories of the bush with other guests.

  *Park rules: no off-roading, but there are plenty of tracks, and no night drives within the Serengeti.

  Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
• Day

  09

  Serengeti National Park

  Head off exploring the Serengeti across the landscape as your guide tracks the predators and roaming herds. Spend time quietly observing elephants tending to their young, waiting in anticipation as a lion stalks its prey, or simply laughing at warthogs with tails held high as they skitter into the plains.
  
  On full-day game drives, stop for a picnic lunch or head back to the lodge for a wonderful hot buffet. Venture out again in the late afternoon exploring the Serengeti.

  Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
• Day

  10

  Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

  Cross back into Kenya with an air and land transfer to the Maasai Mara National Reserve, the northern extension of the Serengeti Plains. It is here where the annual migration crosses over the river in search of greener grasses.
  
  Sweeping views of rolling grasslands studded with acacia trees, rivers, and forests lend chance to see a range of animals, from the "Big Five" to cheetah, crocodile, and birds of prey.
  
  Your base for exploration will always be selected to maximize game viewing during the time you travel.

  Drive time: Flight and land transfers

  Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
• Day

  11

  Maasai Mara National Reserve

  We highly suggest the optional Hot-Air Balloon Safari this morning. Wake up just before dawn and head to the launch pad. Board the balloon, offering magnificent views of the Mara below.
  
  Set down for a champagne breakfast and then back to game viewing around 9:30 a.m.

  Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

  Optional:
  Hot Air Balloon Safari
  We highly suggest the balloon safari at dawn over the Maasai Mara with a champagne bush breakfast, from $575 per person.
• Day

  12

  Your Journey Onwards

  Flight to Nairobi

  After breakfast in the Mara, bid farewell to the bush and the friends you've made at camp. A short flight takes you back to Nairobi, and a dayroom waits for your convenience. Rest and relax until your flight onwards, taking with you memories that will last a lifetime.
  
  "Kwa Heri" = "Goodbye"

  Breakfast / Lunch