Serengeti Trail

Serengeti Trail

Shop for local wares at Musoma market, Camp beside Lake Victoria, Discover bustling Nairobi city, Travel across the highlands of Kenya, Spot Africa's Big Five in the Serengeti, Discover the Great Rift Valley, Safari through Ngorongoro Crater

Africa is truly the cradle of life. Roam the famous Serengeti National Park, nearly 15,000 sq km of rolling savanna that shelters an astounding array of animals from miniature dik-dik antelopes to lions and the noble African elephant. Spot wildlife among the ethereal vistas from atop the Ngorongoro Crater. This is also a human journey that puts you among Kenya and Tanzania's bustling markets and plantations, and in the valleys once inhabited by humankind's earliest ancestors. If you want to experience some of the most superb game-viewing in Africa, then this will truly be a tour to remember.

Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6pm on Day 1.

You can arrive at any time as there are no activities planned until this important meeting; please ask the hotel reception where it will take place. If your flight arrives too late, we recommend that you consider arriving a day early and book a night's accommodation prior to the trip so you are able to attend. If you are going to be late please inform the hotel reception. We'll be collecting your kitty, insurance details and next of kin information at this meeting so please ensure you have all details on hand to provide to your leader.

Optional Activities

Accommodation

Our journey through the tea-growing highlands is a fantastic introduction to the beautiful landscapes of Kenya. Pass through the ancient homeland of the Maasai, keeping a look out for these tall, graceful tribesmen dressed in distinctive scarlet robes tending to their prized herds of cattle.

Stop for a picnic lunch in the town of Narok and pick up our fellow passengers who have previously completed an eight day trip around Kenya. Make a final stop near the hilltop town of Kisii, our last chance to stock up on supplies before heading into the African wilderness.

Today's drive will take about 8-9 hours (310 km) and the roads are pretty rough.

Camp with hot/cold showers and flush toilets. If we arrive late, you may be accommodated in very simple shared rooms with en suite (bedding provided).

Accommodation

Our journey to Lake Victoria is 250 km and takes approx 7-8 hrs.

There are plenty of activities to choose from around Lake Victoria. You may wish to hire bicycles for a fascinating local experience from handlebar height, hire a boat and visit a local island or you may prefer to just chill out with a cold lakeside drink.

Spend the night camping on the shores of the lake - at one of its least visited campgrounds on the outskirts of a small town called Musoma.

Included Activities

Optional Activities

Accommodation

The first 100 km of our journey from Lake Victoria to the gate of Serengeti National Park is on a smooth road; the next 120 km is completed through the Serengeti and the driving will be slow as we game drive our way to the campsite.

The wide, open plains of the Serengeti - green after the rains, brown and burnt in the dry season, and home to thousands of hoofed animals and fierce predators - are perhaps the quintessential image of Africa. Flat and rolling with long grasses and dotted with acacia trees, the plains get their name from the Maasai word Siringitu - 'the place where the land moves on forever'.

On our second day here we awaken at dawn to begin our game drive. We will head out while the animals are at their most active and head back to camp for brunch around 11am. After spending the day relaxing (just like the animals do) we head out again as the day begins to cool for our dusk game drive, returning in time for another delicious camp dinner.

Our campsite is within the Serengeti itself so listen out for the sounds of nocturnal animals as you drift off to sleep. The bush camp is quite basic with drop toilets and cold showers.

For an unforgettable experience, you might like to do an optional sunrise balloon ride over the Serengeti. As the balloon only holds 16 people, places are limited and must be arranged in advance. Please enquire when booking your trip to secure this optional activity.

If you have pre-booked this activity, you'll be picked up and driven to the launch site where you receive a safety briefing from your pilot and help inflate the balloon. You'll then float over the Serengeti as the sun comes up gaining an overview of the immensity of the Serengeti, seeing the abundance of wildlife in their early morning activity and sometimes descending to tree height for amazing wildlife photography opportunities. Upon landing, you'll be treated to a five-star bush breakfast before being returned to your accommodation.

You'll notice many Maasai villages in the region of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. While it's of course fascinating to visit different cultures, past experience has shown that these villages exist primarily as tourism businesses offering somewhat contrived performances of their traditional ways. You'll be charged an entry fee of approx US$20-35 and the Maasai will try very hard to sell souvenirs to you. While many clients still enjoy the experience, others have found it artificial and uncomfortable. We recommend our travellers bypass this activity as our Kenyan colleagues observe that it negatively impacts the Maasai culture and travellers' perception of this culture.

Included Activities

Optional Activities

Accommodation

The first 100 km of our journey from Lake Victoria to the gate of Serengeti National Park is on a smooth road; the next 120 km is completed through the Serengeti and the driving will be slow as we game drive our way to the campsite.

The wide, open plains of the Serengeti - green after the rains, brown and burnt in the dry season, and home to thousands of hoofed animals and fierce predators - are perhaps the quintessential image of Africa. Flat and rolling with long grasses and dotted with acacia trees, the plains get their name from the Maasai word Siringitu - 'the place where the land moves on forever'.

On our second day here we awaken at dawn to begin our game drive. We will head out while the animals are at their most active and head back to camp for brunch around 11am. After spending the day relaxing (just like the animals do) we head out again as the day begins to cool for our dusk game drive, returning in time for another delicious camp dinner.

Our campsite is within the Serengeti itself so listen out for the sounds of nocturnal animals as you drift off to sleep. The bush camp is quite basic with drop toilets and cold showers.

For an unforgettable experience, you might like to do an optional sunrise balloon ride over the Serengeti. As the balloon only holds 16 people, places are limited and must be arranged in advance. Please enquire when booking your trip to secure this optional activity.

If you have pre-booked this activity, you'll be picked up and driven to the launch site where you receive a safety briefing from your pilot and help inflate the balloon. You'll then float over the Serengeti as the sun comes up gaining an overview of the immensity of the Serengeti, seeing the abundance of wildlife in their early morning activity and sometimes descending to tree height for amazing wildlife photography opportunities. Upon landing, you'll be treated to a five-star bush breakfast before being returned to your accommodation.

You'll notice many Maasai villages in the region of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. While it's of course fascinating to visit different cultures, past experience has shown that these villages exist primarily as tourism businesses offering somewhat contrived performances of their traditional ways. You'll be charged an entry fee of approx US$20-35 and the Maasai will try very hard to sell souvenirs to you. While many clients still enjoy the experience, others have found it artificial and uncomfortable. We recommend our travellers bypass this activity as our Kenyan colleagues observe that it negatively impacts the Maasai culture and travellers' perception of this culture.

Included Activities

Optional Activities

Accommodation

The journey to the Ngorongoro Crater is 80 km and takes approx 3 hrs.

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 with a better view than this. It also has drop toilets and cold showers.

 

It can get very cold on the crater rim, particularly during the winter months of June to August where temperatures drop below zero. Even in the summer months it can be surprisingly chilly at night so bring a jacket and come prepared.

Included Activities

Accommodation

The drive to our campsite is 140 km and takes approx 5-6 hrs.

A small village community, Mto Wa Mbu offers an excellent way to get a close-up look at life in an African town away from the main tourist trail.

Our campsite in Meserani is on the outskirts of Arusha, and has flush toilets and showers.

Included Activities

Accommodation

The drive to Nairobi is 390 km and takes approx 9-10 hrs.

On arrival in Nairobi we'll be dropped at our finishing point hotel. No accommodation is provided for tonight, but we are able to book you additional accommodation in Nairobi. Please ask at time of booking.

Important: Please don't book any international flights until after 9pm this evening.

This is a transport day to Nairobi. You can finish your trip in Arusha this morning if you wish to travel further in Tanzania or catch a flight.

@variation

Key: (B) = Breakfast, (L) = Lunch, (D) = Dinner