Evening welcome meeting with your Tour Leader.

This morning we board our Safari truck and travel west. Crossing the incredibly scenic Great Rift Valley on the way to the tea-growing highlands is a fantastic introduction to the beautiful landscapes of Kenya. 

This region is also the ancient homeland of the Masai. Look out for these tall, graceful tribesmen dressed in distinctive scarlet robes, tending to their prized herds of cattle. We make a stop at the hilltop town of Kisii, our last chance to stock up on supplies before heading into the African wilderness. Famous for its soapstone, you can also pick up a few hand-carved souvenirs while you're here.

Our picnic lunch is around Narok town after picking up our fellow passengers who had previously completed an 8 day trip around Kenya.The drive will take approximately 8 hours (310Kms).

Tonight we camp with hot/cold showers and flush toilets. If we arrive late you may be acommodated in very, very simple share style rooms with ensuite (bedding provided).

We begin this morning we a visit to a one of this areas famous sandstone carving co operatives. You can watch the master craftsmen at work and perhaps also pick up a few hand-carved souvenirs while you're here.

Today we cross the border into Tanzania to camp on the shores of Africa's largest lake. This section of Lake Victoria is one of the least visited and, as a result, also the least developed. Enjoy being one of the only tourists around. There are plenty of activities to choose from lakeside. You may wish to hire bicycles for a facinating local experience from handle bar height. It is possible to hire a boat and visit a local island, or you may prefer to visit the local town to use the internet and explore the interesting markets.

Today we drive approx. 230kms. The drive time will be around 7 hours.

We enter the Serengeti National Park, world-famous for the quality of its game viewing. Spend two days exploring the vast grass plains, rock outcrops (kopjes) and sparsely wooded river valleys of this wonderful park, a haven for lions, cheetahs, leopards, wildebeest, zebras, giraffes and gazelles. For the ultimate safari experience we search for animals in the early morning and late afternoon, when most creatures come out to feed. 

Camping at night within the Serengeti, you will hear the sounds of nocturnal animals until you drift off to sleep. Awaken early to enjoy an optional hot air balloon ride over the African savannah as the sun comes up.

Our picnic lunch on day 4 is at the entrance to Serengeti park. The first 100Kms is a straight drive. 120Kms is in the park and the driving will be slow. We reach our bush camp in the heart of the park at around 6pm (day 4). On day 5, the only driving is on safari.

Leave the Serengeti around lunchtime and continue on to the extraordinary Ngorongoro Crater. Along the way we stop at Olduvai Gorge, better known as the Cradle of Mankind, where some of the world's oldest humanoid skeletons were discovered. 

Our campsite on the rim of the crater overlooks jagged volcanic peaks and rolling grasslands thousands of feet below - you can be sure that there are few campsites in the world that have a better view than this!

It will take us 3 hours to get to our camp on the rim of the crater once we leave the Serengeti ( 70Kms).

We spend the morning on the crater floor, travelling in smaller 4WD vehicles accompanied by a local guide. There is excellent game-viewing all year round here, as the crater has about 30,000 resident animals. The photographic opportunities are unrivalled and this is one of the best places to see critically endangered black rhinos. 

After the safari, ascend the slopes of the volcanic massif to the village of Mto Wa Mbu where we will make a short stop. Time allowing, there is the opportunity in this tiny town to browse the bustling markets and maybe bargain for some ebony makonde carvings or brightly coloured Tanzanian fabrics. We then continue on to tonight's campsite.

It takes approx. 4.5 hours to get to our camp once we ascend the crater ( 140Kms). There is a bar at the campsite allowing the chance for some final night drinks to celebrate our journey.

We travel across open plains to the beautifully-situated country town of Arusha and then on to Nairobi where the tour ends in the late afternoon.

The drive to Nairobi including lunch and border crossing into Kenya takes 7 hours (300Kms).  We use the Namanga (TZ)/Namanga (Kenya) border crossing.  Your tour ends between 4 and 6pm. Please do not book your departure flight until after 9pm. We are able to arrange additional accommodation for tonight in Nairobi - please enquire at time of booking.