Jambo! Welcome to Kenya. When you arrive at the airport today, you’ll be met by a representative and taken to your hotel. Your adventure then begins in Nairobi with a welcome meeting at 6 pm. If you arrive early, maybe head out and explore the National Museum of Kenya, the Karen Blixen Museum or join an Tuuur Day Trip where a local guide will show you the sights, then lead you to the perfect lunch spot. It’s very important that you attend the welcome meeting as we will be collecting insurance and emergency contact details at this time. If you are going to be late, please let your travel agent or hotel reception know. Ask reception or look for a note in the lobby for more information on where the meeting will take place.

This morning, drive to the famous Maasai Mara National Park – with sparse open plains, dramatic skies and the world's most iconic animals living within its boundaries, this is the quintessential African experience. When you arrive, you can choose to explore this diverse environment on an optional afternoon 4WD safari with expert local guides, looking out for the abundance of wildlife that call this park home. Your travel time today will be approximately 6 hours. The optional safari requires a park entry fee, which varies by season. From 1st January to 30th June, the fee is USD 100 per person, and from 1st July to 31st December, it’s USD 200 per person. The fee covers both the park entry and the safari experience.

This morning, you have the option to take part in a hot air balloon ride and bush breakfast, giving you a rare chance to see the Maasai Mara from a different perspective – above the open plains at sunrise. Today, you’ll venture into the Maasai Mara National Reserve with expert local guides for a full-day 4WD safari. You'll explore this diverse environment and will likely see heaps of wildlife – look out for lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, giraffes, zebras, cheetahs and hippos. An optional balloon ride over the Maasai Mara can be pre-booked to secure a place at the same cost as booking locally. You’re welcome to decide once on the ground, but keep in mind that this is a popular activity, and places are limited. You'll be picked up before dawn and taken to the launch site for a safety briefing with your pilot. As the sun rises, you'll drift through the sky, sometimes floating at tree level, offering incredible photo opportunities. At other times, you'll soar higher, taking in sweeping views of the vast plains and the early-morning movements of the wildlife below. After landing, enjoy a bush breakfast before heading back to camp to rejoin your group.

Leave the Maasai Mara today and travel to Lake Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley. One of the few freshwater lakes in the valley, Naivasha has floating islands of papyrus reeds and a border of flat-topped acacias. It's also home to a healthy population of hippos, giraffes, zebras, and buffalos, which graze along the shores, and a huge variety of birds. When you arrive, head out on a boat safari and see how many kinds of birds you can spot while floating along the still waters. Your travel time today will be approximately 5 hours.

Board your private vehicle bound for Amboseli National Park. On the way, visit the Patinaai Osim project – supported by The Tuuur Foundation, this project supports Indigenous Maasai women in creating sustainable livelihoods and rising above poverty and inequality. Learn how this Community Care Organisation is committed to changing the narrative of girls and women in Indigenous communities and how they work to protect their fundamental human rights. The project also provides access to information and safe spaces for young girls. Your travel time today will be approximately 6.5 hours.

Venture into the ‘Home of the African Elephant’ today. Crowned by Mt Kilimanjaro, Amboseli National Park is one of Kenya's most picturesque parks, and you’ll spend the day on safari, with a break for lunch. With your expert guides, deep dive into the wildlife of Kenya's thriving natural world. Spot herds of elephants as you look out for the other wildlife that call this park home – lions, cheetahs, zebras, wildebeest and leopards. If you're lucky enough to visit on a clear day, the views of wildlife backdropped by Kili are nothing short of incredible, so don’t forget your camera! You may even spot a rare ‘super tusker’ – a male bull elephant with tusks weighing over 45 kg (100 lbs) each, usually so long they scrape the ground. Today, you also have the option to explore Amboseli from above. Venture out early on a hot air balloon safari as the sun rises, then enjoy a bush breakfast. An optional balloon ride over Amboseli can be pre-booked to secure a place at the same cost as booking locally. If you choose to participate, you will miss the included morning 4WD safari with the rest of the group.

Today, you’ll head out on one final morning 4WD safari in Amboseli, then cross the border from Kenya into Tanzania and continue to Arusha. Enjoy the changing landscapes along the way before arriving at your hotel, where you’ll have some free time to explore and make use of the hotel facilities before settling in for the night. Your travel time today will be approximately 4 hours, including the border crossing from Kenya into Tanzania. Be sure to have your passport and yellow fever vaccination certificate handy.

This morning, head to Arusha National Park to hike in the foothills of Mount Meru – Tanzania’s second-highest peak and a colossal dormant volcano sitting at an altitude of 4566 m (15,000 ft). When you arrive, you’ll head to Kitoto viewpoint to start your hike. A perfect spot for wildlife spotting and exploring the diverse landscape, this hike offers the chance to experience the lower slopes of Tanzania’s mountains. From your starting point, trek through the Afromontane Forest and into the crater, looking out for warthogs, giraffes and zebras along the way. As you gain altitude, you’ll be surrounded by dense forest – the prime habitat for Kilimanjaro colobus monkeys and forest duiker (a pint-sized antelope). Follow the trail up to Meru Falls, the ideal spot to enjoy a picnic lunch before you head back down the slopes. After finishing your hike, head to Rhotia and enjoy a free evening. Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours. Depending on the group, the trek will take approximately 4 hours. The hike is rated as moderate and features a gradual incline with some steeper sections. The trail includes dirt paths, rocky areas and uneven terrain.

Depart for the wide-open plains of the Serengeti today, passing through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area along the way – explore by 4WD in the morning, then continue into Serengeti National Park. The never-ending Serengeti sees a huge contrast of colours during the year – green after the rains, brown and burnt in the dry season. Its name comes from the local Maasai word ‘siringet’, meaning ‘the place where the land moves on forever.' As you make your way to your accommodation within the park, keep your eyes open for wildlife. Tonight, listen out for the sounds of nocturnal animals as you drift to sleep. Your travel time today will be approximately 4.5 hours. Your camp within the Serengeti National Park does not have a fence to separate the camp from the animals. This is quite the experience as animals such as buffalo and hyenas often come close to camp after sundown. When you arrive at the camp, your leader will give a detailed safety briefing on what is required to ensure the safety of the group.

Spend a full day on a 4WD safari through the Serengeti’s vast plains, searching for the wildlife that makes this one of Africa’s most celebrated national parks. You can also opt for an early-morning balloon safari, gliding over the plains at sunrise before enjoying a special bush breakfast. An optional balloon ride over the Serengeti can be pre-booked to secure a place at the same cost as booking locally. You’re welcome to decide once on the ground, but keep in mind that this is a popular activity, and places are limited.

Enjoy a final morning 4WD safari before leaving the Serengeti and travelling towards Karatu. This evening, you might like to take a guided village walk and have a local dinner for a glimpse into everyday small-town life in Tanzania. Your travel time today will be approximately 4 hours. The length of today’s safari will depend on the time of year and how far you need to travel for the best wildlife viewing. This means the village walk and home-cooked dinner in Karatu may not be possible if you arrive later in the evening.

This morning, you’ll head to Arusha to join the ‘Mamas’ – skilled local cooks who will host your hands-on Tanzanian cooking experience. Learn how to prepare regional dishes, pick up a few simple Swahili phrases and hear about local life as you cook and eat together. Tonight, gather with your group for a farewell dinner. Your travel time today will be approximately 3.5 hours.

There are no activities planned after breakfast, so you are free to leave your accommodation at any time. If you wish to extend your stay and explore more of Arusha and its surrounds, just speak to your booking agent. A transfer to either Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK) can be arranged at an additional cost. Alternatively, you can continue overland with your leader back to Nairobi today. Expect a travel time of approximately 7 to 8 hours, depending on traffic. Your leader will accompany you on the private transfer, with the vehicle type depending on the number of travellers making the journey. You’ll be dropped off at the Joining Point Hotel listed in your Essential Trip Information. For onward flights, please ensure they are scheduled for after 8 pm. If you need additional accommodation in Nairobi, just speak to your booking agent ahead of time. If you choose to extend your stay in Arusha but are flying out of Nairobi, you’ll need to arrange your own onward transport to Nairobi.