East African Odyssey

Day 1: The Adventure Begins!

Arrive at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, where a driver will meet you and transfer you by private vehicle to your overnight hotel. We can offer a range of activities in Nairobi if you have a full day or afternoon free and wish to do some sightseeing – please ask us for details.

Accommodation: Hemingways

Located in the peaceful Karen district of Nairobi, this is a luxurious and stylish hotel with 45 rooms and suites. Guests can enjoy the pretty landscaped gardens, swimming pool, spa and excellent service, which includes a butler service for each room. 

Day 2: Mara Naboisho Conservancy

After an early breakfast at Hemingways, pack your bags and depart for your transfer to Wilson Airport. Catch your flight to Ol Seki Airstrip, arriving in the beautiful Mara Naboisho Conservancy of the Greater Maasai Mara, where your safari begins. A guide will meet you here and drive you back to camp, stopping for any wildlife sightings on the way.

You will arrive in time to enjoy lunch in your new surroundings. There’s time for a siesta during the heat of the day before afternoon tea is served. Afterwards, you can go out on an afternoon game drive (these drives are operated by the camp, are in open vehicles and are shared with other guests in the camp). The Mara Naboisho Conservancy is home to a spectacular array of wildlife, including good populations of lion, leopard and cheetah, herds of elephants and buffalo, and much more.

Day 3 & 4: Overnight at Naboisho Camp

This stylish safari camp has nine spacious tents, raised up to maximise views. It is located in a prime position in the wildlife-rich Mara Naboisho Conservancy, with strong links to the local communities. Expect high standards of guiding as well as incredible walking safaris, delicious food and superb hosting.

Day 5: Serengeti National Park

After breakfast, you will be driven to the airstrip to begin your journey to the Serengeti in Tanzania. You will fly to Migori near the border, where a driver and vehicle will meet you and drive you across the land border, stopping to complete immigration formalities. From there, it’s a short distance to Tarime Airstrip on the Tanzanian side, arriving in time for your flight into the Serengeti. The whole journey takes approximately 2.5 hours and, after having breakfast in the Masai Mara, you’ll arrive at your Serengeti camp in time for lunch and a well-earned rest. In the afternoon, go out on a game drive to explore the vast savannah with your guide from Olakira Migration Camp

Accommodation: Olakira Migration Camp

As the Great Migration moves with the seasons, Olakira follows to ensure guests always have a front-row seat to nature’s greatest spectacle. When the migration is in the north, Olakira will be based in the Kogatende region of the Serengeti and, when the migration is in the south, Olakira will be in the Ndutu area. With nine spacious tents, complete with full en suite facilities and our specially designed stargazing canopies, Olakira treats its guests to a uniquely personal and authentic East African experience in two fantastic locations in the Serengeti.

Day 6 & 7: Olakira Migration Camp

Enjoy morning and afternoon game drives from Olakira Migration Camp, searching with your guide for the plentiful wildlife that is found in the Serengeti year-round. If your safari coincides with the Great Migration, you’ll also seek out these large herds of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle as they journey through the plains and famously cross the Mara River in search of fresh grazing.

Day 8: Serengeti National Park

After an early breakfast, meet your guide for your transfer to Kogatende or Ndutu Airstrip. You will then catch your connecting flight to Seronera Airstrip in the central Serengeti. A guide from Dunia will meet you at the airstrip and drive you back to camp, stopping at any wildlife sightings along the way. Once in camp, you will have the opportunity to freshen up and settle into your new surroundings before heading to the dining area for lunch. You then have the choice to either relax in camp or head out on an afternoon game drive in an open safari vehicle. Once back at camp, you will enjoy a three-course meal and a drink around the campfire with fellow travellers.

Accommodation: Dunia Camp

Dunia is a delightful tented camp located in the centre of the Serengeti near the Moru Kopjes, with just eight guest tents. The camp is Tanzania’s first and only all-female-staffed safari camp, and the Dunia ladies welcome guests like family. There is a central lounge and dining tent area raised on a deck, overlooking the grassy plains, as well as a campfire where guests congregate before dinner. The tents themselves are raised on wooden decks and each has an en suite bathroom with solar-heated shower. Each tent has a large balcony with comfortable seating, where you can unwind between game drives, watching wildlife wander past.

Day 9 & 10: Serengeti National Park

Safari activities at Dunia take place in the early morning and late afternoon, when the wildlife is most active. You will explore with expert guides on game drives, looking for the big cats that have made the Serengeti famous, as well as hippo wallowing in muddy pools and giraffe browsing the fresh shoots of an acacia trees. In between, you will return to camp for a delicious lunch, and to have a siesta or catch up on a good book. Evenings are spent sharing stories of your day’s adventures with other guests around the dinner table.

Day 11: Ngorongoro Conservation Area

After breakfast, you will depart for your transfer to Seronera Airstrip, and from there you will catch your flight to Manyara Airstrip. On arrival at Lake Manyara, a guide from The Highlands will drive you through coffee plantations towards the Ngorongoro Crater. The journey will take you three hours, with a packed lunch along the way. Stop at the viewpoint overlooking Olmoti Crater to soak in the spectacular landscape and continue your drive around the rim until you reach the crater itself, where you will stay for the next two nights.

Once in camp, relax and unwind or, if you feel like stretching your legs, opt for a guided walk from the camp up to the rim of Olmoti Crater, passing through dense forest and waterfalls on the way. This evening, make your way to the dining tent, where you will enjoy a delicious three-course meal prepared by the amazing chef. You can enjoy a drink at the bar or relax by the indoor wood-burning campfire.

Accommodation: The Highlands

Located in an unspoilt and rarely explored area on the edge of Olmoti Crater, The Highlands provides an opportunity to enjoy spectacular walks and authentic Maasai community visits, as well as game drives in the famous Ngorongoro Crater. The lounge and dining areas, as well as the eight guest rooms, offer a unique modern architectural design in the form of geodesic domes dotted throughout the forest – a stylish retreat in this wild landscape. Each guest dome has a wood-burning stove, sheepskin rugs and a balcony, as well as a wood-panelled bathroom. When you’re not out exploring, enjoy breakfast on the deck overlooking the vast and untouched Ngorongoro highlands, indulge in afternoon tea beside the central fireplace, or head to the Old Moti Bar for a whisky. 

Day 12: Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Wake up with the rising sun and begin the 40-minute drive from The Highlands to the Ngorongoro Crater rim. Look out for the zebra interspersed with the Maasai cattle as they are brought out to pasture, and the magnificent view down to the crater. You will spend the morning exploring the vast 300 square kilometer crater floor with the opportunity to spot one of the resident black rhino.

You can see all of the Big 5 in the crater (rhino, lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo) alongside other herbivores grazing on the plants that flourish in the mineral-rich soil. You’ll enjoy a picnic lunch during the heat of the day in a shady spot before driving back to where you can relax a little. In the late afternoon, a guide will take you to one of the nearby Maasai villages, where you can learn more about this rich culture and take part in their afternoon activities, which often include rounding up cattle into the boma for the night.

Day 13: Departure

After breakfast, pack your bags and meet your guide for your transfer to Manyara Airstrip. Here, you will connect with your flight to Kilimanjaro Airport. You will land at the international airport, so you can simply collect your luggage and check in for your flight home.