12D11N Kenya & Tanzania Wildebeest Migration
In this itinerary, you will do some border hopping for the ultimate East Africa safari – travelling between Kenya and Tanzania delivers more wildlife, diverse landscapes and a fascinating taste of two very different countries.
Exceptional Experiences:
- Visit leading conservation organizations such as an Elephant Orphanage and Giraffe Sanctuary
- Go on game drives in the most coveted vehicles, open-sided, canopied and customized for photographers
- Complimentary professional Canon camera set and Swarovski binoculars, including a Canon 7D camera body and Canon 100-400mm and 24-70mm lenses. Photos will be downloaded to a DVD on guest’s departure.
- Each tent comes with a pair of Swarovski binoculars for guest use as well at Mara Plains Camp
- Photographic tuition is available on request, either on company cameras or own guests’ personal cameras
- Indulge in a scrumptious Beast of a Feast dinner at Carnivore, one of the Top 50 restaurants in the world
- Go on a private coffee tour of the Ngorongoro estate, learning the ‘bean-to-cup’ process
- Enjoy a hot-air balloon safari, which comes with a special breakfast served with champagne experience
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Itinerary:
Day 1: Singapore – Nairobi
Set off for Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya.
Welcome to Kenya, known as a safari paradise with some of the highest concentrations of wildlife on this planet. Be warmly received upon arrival at the airport by your local host.
Arrive at Hemingways Nairobi, a colonial-style boutique hotel harking back to the days when its namesake writer explored east Africa. It's set in the leafy and secluded suburbs of Karen looking out over the Ngong Hills, with elegant grounds making for a luxurious stopover between dusty safaris.
For decades, the Hemingways group has been investing in the future of Kenya. As an integrated member of the close-knit Karen community, they seek to make a lasting contribution to the benefit of our environment. They operate an ingenious internal eco-system of water and energy conservation and sustainable waste management. All of their produce is locally sourced and they local farmers and growers in support of their enterprise. They also promote expert local craftsmen and artisan boutiques if you are looking for mementos and gifts to take home.
Then, enjoy the rest of your day at leisure.
Alternatively, go for a walking safari in Nairobi National Park in the afternoon. With its raised wooden boardwalk that allows for uninterrupted views of the animals, the Safari Walk is a showcase for Kenya’s Parks and Reserves, allowing visitors to discover what they can expect to see across the country. Visitors can see a sample of the country’s rich animal life including the rare bongo, white rhino, leopard, lion and cheetah.
After which, return to your accommodation for dinner. You may wish to utilize your complimentary 50-minute massage for two in the evening.
Accommodation: 5* Hemingways Nairobi
Day 2: Nairobi
This morning after breakfast, meet your local guide and driver and embark on a full-day private tour.
Make a visit to a leading conservation organization in East Africa, David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, also known as the Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi.
Watch the keepers bring the elephants to a cordoned area to play, feed at 11 am, which usually lasts for an hour. Additionally, you may wish to adopt an elephant or rhino. For as little as US$50 a year. By adopting an orphaned elephant, rhino or giraffe for yourself or as a gift, you will offer life and hope to an animal in need. If you’re an adopter, you can also visit by appointment at 5:00 pm when the elephants return to the stockades for the night. The evening visit is strictly for adopters only, which is one of the benefits of sponsoring these cute elephants!
When you adopt, the orphanage gives you an adoption certificate and information about the elephant you adopted, and they keep you up to date with its status. Also, whenever you visit the orphanage, you can visit at any time you can schedule, so you can even see your elephant when it’s ready to go to bed!
Next, we make a visit to a giraffe sanctuary. Your tall friends will lead you right to the browsing area. Here, an Educator will hand you some food pellets that are made of corn, wheat, grass and molasses. Get an opportunity to feed them as you get up close. To get even closer, go up to the Feeding Platform. Don’t leave without getting a kiss!
Then, attend a short lecture at the Information Centre on the giraffe to learn how and why the Giraffe Centre is taking care of this endangered animal. Leave with a whole lot more about wildlife in Kenya. If you would like, you may purchase the artwork for sale on display too, made by students and the proceeds go towards supporting Ecology Trips for the underprivileged.
After the lecture, take a stroll in the serene 1.5-kilometre nature trail and see how many species of bird you can spot – the record in one stroll is 60! Watch out for smaller animals such as dikdik and squirrel. The trail goes down to the snaking Gogo River
Wind down your visit with refreshments, people and giraffe watching and some mingling at the Tea House.
Then, make a stop at Ocean Sole (Flip the Flop), an innovative establishment that recycles flip flops to make multi coloured African animals, large and small, new shoe soles and so much more. You can make a visit to the workshop and purchase some souvenirs here.
Later in the evening, indulge in a scrumptious Beast of a Feast dinner at Carnivore, one of the Top 50 restaurants in the world. With its vibrant atmosphere and myriad of meats including exotic game, this renowned Kenyan food institution promises an unforgettable gastronomical experience.
Return to your accommodation to rest for the night.
Accommodation: 5* Hemingways Nairobi
Day 3: Nairobi – Maasai Mara National Reserve (~5.5 hour drive, 250km)
After breakfast, depart and drive via Narok to Maasai Mara National Reserve, which offers wonderful scenery and plenty of games. It is perhaps the only region left in Kenya where visitors may see animals in the same abundance as a century ago.
Arrive at Mara Plains Camp, one of the smallest and most private camps in Masai Mara. It is also featured as one of National Geographic’s Unique Lodges of the World. Mara Plains Camp is a one-of-a-kind, seven tent camp located in the private 35,000-acre Olare Motorogi Conservancy, just on the northern boundary of the Masai Mara National Reserve. This intimate camp blends the finest wildlife viewing with the absolute best of safari hospitality and guiding. No other camp offers the extensive traversing area of Mara Plains Camp, with access to a total of 100,000 acres of private conservancy land as well as the world-renowned Masai Mara, home to the Great Migration.
Embark on a full-day game drive in this vast and expansive reserve with the game. Be on the lookout for the Big 5 that Mara is famous for and the most south after in the early 20th century. Each of the four Toyota Land Cruisers is open-sided, canopied and customised for photographers (fold-down screens, raised roofs, photographic bars, multi-plug invertors). With just four to six guests each, the Cruisers also have fully-stocked fridges stocked with drinks and snacks. No two days are the same on safari.
Each of Mara Plains’ guest tents has a professional Canon camera set, including a Canon 7D camera body and Canon 100-400mm and 24-70mm lenses. Photos will be downloaded to a DVD on guest’s departure. Each tent comes with a pair of Swarovski binoculars for guest use as well. Photographic tuition is available on request, either on company cameras or own guests’ personal cameras.
Then return to your lodge for dinner.
Accommodation: 5* Mara Plains Camp
Day 4: Maasai Mara National Reserve
This morning, set out early and board a hot-air balloon safari, which comes with a special breakfast served with champagne before proceeding with another full day of game viewing drives and adventure.
Then, return to camp for dinner.
Accommodation: 5* Mara Plains Camp
Day 5: Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, enjoy a drive across the border to Tanzania for your domestic flight to Serengeti National Park.
Upon arrival, proceed to Singita - Singita Grumeti and be greeted by a warm welcome before heading for lunch. Later in the afternoon, depart for a game-viewing drive around the lodge. Covering an area of 14,763sq km, the world-famous Serengiti National Park is Tanzania’s oldest park and one of the world’s last great wildlife refuges. Return to your lodge for dinner.
Accommodation: 5* Singita - Singita Grumeti
Day 6: Serengeti National Park
This morning after breakfast, depart with picnic lunch boxes for a day full day of game-viewing drives on the vast Serengeti plains. In the early morning and evening light, the Serengeti landscape is stunningly beautiful. The rolling plains and grasslands, which stretch far into the horizons as far as the eye can see is home to the black-maned lion, the savannah elephant, the Cape buffalo, wildebeests, the elusive leopard, cheetah, the spotted and striped hyena, rhino, topi, Burchell’s zebra and Maasai giraffe among many others.
Accommodation: 5* Singita - Singita Grumeti
Day 7: Serengeti National Park – Ngorongoro
After breakfast, depart for Ngorongoro. Stop at Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important prehistoric sites in the world to learn on human evolution. Next, arrive at your lodge for a warm welcome and check-in before enjoying lunch.
This afternoon, take a complimentary coffee tour of the estate, learning the ‘bean-to-cup’ process, followed by a private gourmet picnic with sparkling wine hosted within the beautiful gardens.
In the evening, you may opt for a guided walk around the farm and the vegetable garden to see plants or go on or book a route on foot accompanied by a guide who will talk about the traditional way of life of the Wairak, the tribe which inhabits the area.
Accommodation: 5* Elewana The Manor at Ngorongoro
Day 8: Ngorongoro Conservation Area
After breakfast, descend 610 metres into the crater, which is home to an abundance of wildlife and also a photogenic paradise, for a full day of game-viewing with picnic lunch.
Accommodation: 5* Elewana the Manor at Ngorongoro
Day 9: Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Arusha – Arusha Coffee Lodge
After breakfast, check out of your lodge and travel to Arusha.
Enjoy a guided walking tour through Mto Wa Mbu village, a bustling farming community located between Ngorongoro and Manyara. The community can be best described as a melting pot of cultures and is thought to be one of the only places in Tanzania where there is a representation from all 120 Tanzanian tribes living happily side by side. With a knowledgeable guide, you will discover a side of Tanzania that many visitors miss out.
Then, check into your lodge at Arusha Coffee Lodge, one of the Elewana Collection of lodges, camps and boutique beach hotels in East Africa. With an enclosed, intimate swimming pool, a popular garden terrace, and acres of lush coffee plantation, Arusha Coffee Lodge encourages exploration and discovery at every turn. Enjoy the rest of your day at leisure at your accommodation.
Accommodation: 5* Arusha Coffee Lodge
Day 10: Arusha – Arusha Coffee Lodge
From the industrious coffee pickers gathering in the harvest to the aromas of the morning brew emanating from the main Plantation House as breakfast is being prepared, Arusha Coffee Lodge is full of sensory experiences that revitalizes the body and soul for the adventures and excitement that lie ahead.
Ever wondered how the humble coffee bean goes from bush to your cup? Today, we will go for an exciting and informative ‘Bean-to-Cup’ Coffee Estate to learn the fascinating cycle of the coffee bean.
The Tour takes place within the grounds of Arusha Coffee Lodge, which itself is located within one of Tanzania’s largest coffee estates. Weaving in and out of the evergreen coffee bushes, the Coffee Guide explains how the bean is nurtured, harvested, dried and finally roasted to produce a myriad of different blends that sate the taste of the most ardent of coffee connoisseurs.
Accommodation: 5* Arusha Coffee Lodge
Day 11: Arusha – Kilimanjaro – Singapore
After breakfast, spend the rest of your morning at leisure.
Enjoy an early lunch at the hotel before you depart for a city tour of Arusha and a visit to Arusha National Natural History Museum.
Thereafter, transfer to the airport for your flight home.
Day 12: Arrive in Singapore
Note:
- Kenya is a Muslim country, no pork will be served
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Please note: This itinerary is designed to give you an idea of what to expect on the tour but is not set in stone. What we actually do on a given day is flexible and can be tailored based on the interests of the group.
This itinerary and its package inclusions might be changed later in time, subject to availability.