A lion resting on the short grass plains of the Serengeti at sunrise

Kenya and Tanzania  /  East Africa

Kenya and Tanzania

Amboseli, the crater, the Serengeti and ten days of open plains

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Duration

11 nights, 12 days

Pace

Early mornings, two nights minimum in each camp

Best time

June to October, and January to March for calving

From

$18,100 per person

The idea

Why this works

The classic east African line, run privately. Elephants under Kilimanjaro at Amboseli, the crater floor before the day visitors descend, the Serengeti with a stop at Olduvai Gorge, and three nights in a private conservancy on the edge of the Mara. You keep the same vehicle and the same guide across both countries, which is what makes the difference on a trip of this length.

What sets it apart

  • Amboseli herds with Kilimanjaro behind them
  • First vehicle onto the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater
  • Privately guided visit to Olduvai Gorge and its excavations
  • Three nights in a private conservancy beside the Maasai Mara
  • Optional balloon flight over the Mara at dawn

The plan

Day by day

Open any day to see where you are, where you sleep and what the day holds. The map follows along, and every point on it opens the day that belongs to it.

Met on arrival and taken to your hotel. The evening is free before the drive south in the morning.

Nairobi Serena Hotel

Drive south through the Rift landscape to Amboseli, where large elephant families move across the marshes under Kilimanjaro. Afternoon game drive through woodland and swamp.

Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge

Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Morning and afternoon drives along the salt pan trails, tracking elephant, zebra and wildebeest, with lion and cheetah working the same ground.

Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge

Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Cross into Tanzania and continue to the slopes of Mount Meru. A visit to Kafika House, which provides care to local children living with disability, then sundowners on the terrace.

Arusha Serena Hotel

Breakfast, lunch, dinner

A morning drive at Lake Manyara for baboon troops, dik dik and buffalo, then the climb through forest to the rim of the largest unbroken caldera in the world.

Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Descend early, ahead of the day visitors, for the hundred square miles of grassland, soda lake and forest below. Lion, elephant, hyena and, with luck, black rhino. A Maasai village visit in the afternoon.

Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Drive into the Serengeti with a private guided stop at Olduvai Gorge, where the Leakeys uncovered footprints almost four million years old.

Meliá Serengeti Lodge

Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lion, leopard, buffalo and elephant, along with giraffe, gazelle and zebra across the kopjes and river lines.

Meliá Serengeti Lodge

Breakfast, lunch, dinner

A light aircraft to Kenya's finest reserve and a tented camp in a private conservancy at the meeting point of four game viewing areas. An afternoon drive to settle in.

Lalashe Mara Ripoi

Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Five hundred square miles of savannah, woodland and river frontage. Crocodile and hippo along the water, elephant on the forest edge, and the largest lion population in the country.

Lalashe Mara Ripoi

Breakfast, lunch, dinner

A dawn drive, or a hot air balloon over the plains at an additional cost. The afternoon drive ends with sundowners and a final dinner in camp.

Lalashe Mara Ripoi

Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Fly back to Nairobi with a reserved dayroom before your international flight home.

Breakfast

12 days|from $18,100Speak to an advisor

Where you would stay

The hotels we partner with

Amboseli

Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge

Inside the park, on the Enkongo Narok swamp

Ngorongoro

Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

Built into the crater rim, first descent each morning

Maasai Mara

Lalashe Mara Ripoi

Tented camp in a private conservancy

Your ZOMA perks

Held on every stay in this itinerary

Because we book through preferred partner programmes, the rate matches or beats what you would get direct, and the extras are guaranteed before you travel, not negotiated at check in.

  • Room upgrade on arrival, whenever the hotel can offer it
  • Daily breakfast for two
  • Property credit for spa, dining or experiences
  • Early check in and late check out where possible
  • VIP welcome and a direct line to your advisor while you are away

The fine print

What the price covers

Included

  • All lodges, park and conservancy fees
  • Private vehicle and guide throughout, including the border crossing
  • Internal flights between the Serengeti and the Mara
  • All meals on safari
  • On trip support from your advisor across time zones

Not included

  • International flights, quoted separately
  • Travel insurance
  • Visas where required
  • Meals and experiences marked as at leisure

Customize this itinerary

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