Great Safaris Trip Itinerary for a Group Safari

Giraffe Centre

The Giraffe Centre is home of the endangered Rothschild Giraffe and the Centre allows one to feed the Giraffes - a truly awesome experience. Attend a short lecture to learn how and why the Centre is taking care of these amazing animals. Leave with a whole lot more knowledge about wildlife in Kenya.

History of the Giraffe Centre: The Africa Fund for Endangered Wildlife (A.F.E.W.) Kenya was founded in 1979 by the late Jock Leslie-Melville, a Kenyan citizen of British descent, and his American-born wife, Betty Leslie-Melville. They began the Giraffe Centre after discovering the sad plight of the Rothschild Giraffe. A subspecies of the giraffe found only in the grasslands of East Africa.

The Giraffe Centre has also become world-famous as a Nature Education Centre, educating thousands of Kenyan school children every year.

At the time, the animals had lost their habitat in Western Kenya, with only 130 of them left on the 18,000-acre Soy Ranch that was being sub-divided to resettle squatters. Their first effort to save the subspecies was to bring two young giraffes, Daisy and Marlon, to their home in the Lang’ata suburb, southwest of Nairobi. Here they raised the calves and started a programme of breeding giraffe in captivity. This is where the Centre remains to date.

Betty and Jock then registered A.F.E.W. in the United States. Funds were raised to move five other groups of giraffe to different safe areas. Breeding herds of 26 giraffes were translocated from Soy Ranch to the Ruma Game Reserve in present-day Homa Bay County, Lake Nakuru National Park in Nakuru and Nasolot Game Reserve in modern-day West Pokot County. In 1985, seven giraffes were introduced to Yodder Flower Farm near the Mwea Game Reserve in Mbeere District in Eastern Kenya.

In 1983, funds raised by A.F.E.W. USA helped build the Educational Centre on a 60-acre sanctuary. This with the extraordinary vision of creating an educational institution in conjunction with rescuing the giraffe. The Giraffe Centre opened its doors to the general public and students the same year, receiving over 800 excited students.

There are now over 300 Rothschild Giraffe safe and breeding well in various Kenyan national parks. Recent herds have been introduced to Soysambu Ranch by Lake Elementaita in the Great Rift Valley, Kigio Conservancy and the Sergoit Ranch in the Mount Elgon region.

Daphne Sheldrick Animal Orphanage

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, is located in a secluded area of the nearby Nairobi National Park. Orphaned baby elephants and other animals are taken care of by a dedicated team of conservationists. The orphanage is run by Angela Sheldrick, the daughter of the late famous Naturalist, David William Sheldrick who was the founder Warden of Tsavo East National Park in Kenya and his wife, the late Dame Daphne Sheldrick.

The baby animals are brought from the National Park for a mud-bath at the orphanage, where for an hour you can get close to them, touch and feed them. In addition, there is a keeper who will give a talk about the elephants, where they came from, how they are getting on, and how some of the previous orphans are progressing. The orphanage also takes in rhinos and so if you are lucky you will get the chance to see a young rhino.

To date the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has successfully hand-raised over 263 orphaned elephants and has accomplished its long-term conservation priority by effectively reintegrating orphans back into the wild herds of Tsavo, claiming many healthy wild-born calves from former-orphaned elephants raised in their care.

Rescued elephants, rhinos and giraffes can be adopted; it takes as little as $50 a year and as foster parents, you receive a personalized adoption certificate, a monthly email update on your orphan and access to the latest Keepers’ diaries, videos and photos. You can also help by picking up a souvenir (or two or three) from the gift shop.

Carnivore Restaurant

Dining at Carnivore Restaurant is not for the light eater, but rather an indulgent “Nyama Choma” dining venue where you sample an abundance of varied juicy meats roasted over a charcoal fire that are piled on your plate until your stomach is beyond full. When the meat has reached a perfect temperature, waiters carry the full skewers through the restaurant, and the aromas tempt your taste buds and stir your curiosity.

Since 1980, Carnivore Restaurant has been satisfying the appetites of meat lovers and safari adventurers with a never-ending selection of ostrich, crocodile, venison depending on what is locally available, served alongside beef, lamb, pork and chicken. A variety of side dishes complete this gastronomical tour of African cuisine, such as salads, soups, vegetable dishes and authentic sauces. The experience is enhanced by the informal, relaxed setting while gulping a Carnivore Dawa cocktail to hydrate, refresh and sharpen your palate for every delicious morsel.

Should you find that even one more nibble is simply unbearable, just lower the white flag in the middle of your table and your surrender is noted with a final edible bite of dessert served with coffee or tea. More than two million international guests have shared in what is known as “the ultimate Beast of a Feast,” and the restaurant has been lauded in varied international culinary and dining publications and TV shows. AfricanMecca offers this dining experience as a lunch or dinner option along with a hotel pickup and drop off service.

Land transfer from Nairobi to Amboseli National Park

Game Drives in Amboseli National Park

Amboseli national park the magical land of Kenya lies in the North West direction of Mount Kilimanjaro on the border of Kenya and Tanzania, this park stretches over the area of 392 square kilometers which is dominated by acacia woodland, rocky thorny bush, swamps marshland and a Pleistocene lake. Amboseli national park is a home to a large concentration of wildlife estimated to be 80 different species including African elephant, African buffalo, impalas, lion, zebra, and wildebeest among other African animals, among the animals the park is more famous for habiting a large population of elephants. Amboseli park is also a home to a number of birds estimated to be 400 species which include African swamp hen, Common redshank, Dickinson’s kestrel, Eurasian thick-knee, Greater flamingo, Hartlaub’s bustard, Lesser flamingo, Long-toed lapwing, Pangani longclaw, Rufous chatterer, Rufous-bellied heron, Spike-heeled lark, Steel-blue whydah, Taveta golden weaver, Von der Decken’s hornbill, Yellow-necked spurfowl and many more.

Amboseli National Park

“Home of the African Elephant” Crowned by Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, the Amboseli National Parks is one of Kenya's most popular parks. The name "Amboseli" comes from a Maasai word meaning "salty dust". Amboseli National Park is in southern Kenya. It’s known for its large elephant herds and views of immense Mount Kilimanjaro, across the border in Tanzania. Observation Hill offers panoramas of the peak and the park’s plains and swamps. Varied wildlife includes giraffes, zebras, cheetahs and hundreds of bird species. The western section is dominated by vast Lake Amboseli, which is dry outside the rainy season.

Although Mount Kilimanjaro is actually in neighbouring Tanzania, the best views of the world’s tallest free-standing mountain and Africa’s highest peak are in Kenya. Because of its proximity to the Tanzanian border, Amboseli does have the best vistas of Mt Kilimanjaro. Standing tall at 19 341 feet high, the summit is almost always swathed in cloud. Your best chance of seeing the peak is at dawn when conditions may have cleared overnight so don’t skip the early-morning game drives!

Land transfer from Amboseli to Arusha

Land Transfer from Arusha to Tarangire National park

Arusha

Arusha is Tanzania's gateway to the northern circuit of stellar national parks and the starting point of a memorable safari. Located below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley, Arusha City has a temperate climate. The city is close to the Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Lake Manyara National Park, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Mount Meru in the Arusha National Park.

It's also a large, sprawling city with vibrant markets that sell everything from meat and fish to fabrics and electronics, curios and African art by local artists. They are crowded and busy but a great way to experience 'local' Africa. Arusha is also considered an international diplomatic hub. It is home to the East African Community, and is set to be the capital city of the proposed East African federation. Arusha is home to many industries and business sectors, including banking, manufacturing, and tourism.

Tarangire National Park

Welcome to one of Africa's most underrated parks. Thanks to its proximity to Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park is usually assigned only a day visit as part of a larger northern-circuit itinerary. Yet it deserves much more. It is a place where elephants dot the plains like cattle, and where lion roars and zebra barks fill the night.

But here the wildlife tells only half the story. Dominating the park's 2850 sq km, Tarangire's great stands of epic baobabs should be reason enough to visit. There are also sun-blistered termite mounds in abundance, as well as grassy savannah plains and vast swamps. And cleaving the park in two is the Tarangire River, its meandering course and (in some places) steep banks providing a dry-season lure for animals and thus many stirring wildlife encounters for visitors.

Game Drives in Tarangire National Park

Morning and afternoon game drives are conducted in a 4x4 customized game viewing vehicle with a professional driver - guide. Tarangire is an elephant enthusiast's paradise with up to 6,000 roaming the park. It is impossible to spend time in the park without encountering these iconic animals, feeding at the base of a baobab, strolling through the riverine forests or 'playing' in the mud of the marshlands. They are often present in a conglomeration of herds that could be 300 individuals - an incredible sight for even the most seasoned safari-goer.

Elephants aside, Tarangire is home to one of the greatest concentration of wildlife outside of the larger Serengeti ecosystem. They dry season influx of ungulates sees a profusion of wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, eland, hartebeest and buffalo assembled near the river, or around residual pools in the swamps. Such a conservation of prey serves to attract the attention of the park's various resident predators, particularly the ever-attended lions. The lions of the Silale Swamps are particularly renowned, not only for their marshy hunting techniques, but also for their habit of lounging in the boughs of trees. Leopards and cheetah are also present, and even the highly endangered African wildlife dog. Away from the wetter areas of the park, one might be fortunate enough to spot a gerenuk or fringe-eared oryx, making Taranigire one of the few places in Tanzania to see these arid species.

Land transfer from Tarangire National Park to Lake Manyara National Park

Game drives in Lake Manyara National Park

Welcome to Lake Manyara National Park, famous for its tree climbing lions. One of the small parks in Tanzania with an exceptional diverse vegetation ranging from savannah to marsh to evergreen forest, a total of 11 ecosystems. The chance to see elephant families moving through the forest or Lake Manyara's famous population of tree-climbing lions are alone reason enough to come. Lake Manyara also provides the perfect introduction to Tanzania’s birdlife with more than 400 species have been recorded to date, which include pink-hued flamingos (by the thousands during migration), as well as other large water-birds such as pelicans, cormorants and storks. The dramatic western escarpment of the Rift Valley forms the park’s western border. To the east is the alkaline Lake Manyara, which covers one-third of the park but shrinks considerably in the dry season. During the rains, the lake hosts millions of flamingos and other bird life.

Land transfer from Lake Manyara to Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Game drives in Ngorongoro Crater

Game drives descend into the Ngorongoro Crater through a lush highland forest, with magnificent birdlife to be spotted among the different tree species. Once on the grassy crater floor, you may discover a large variety of grazing herbivores, up to 25,000 animals, as well as the predators that are attracted by this abundant supply of prey. Depending on the time of year, you may see huge flocks of pink flamingo around the shores of the shallow Lake Magadi, while the surrounding swamp is inhabited by hippo. Safari vehicles are closed, with glass windows and a pop-up roof.

The crater has formed its own ecosystem due to its enclosed nature, and is one place where you can certainly tick all the boxes. Lerai Forest comprised of yellow fever trees and Lake Magadi, a shallow soda lake. Roam to the east and you will find Gorigor Swamp and the Ngoitokitok Springs where happy pods of hippo can be found. The north of the Crater is where the bulk of the resident game resides thanks to the drier, open grasslands.

Ngorongoro Crater & Conservation Area

Ngorongoro Crater is an extinct volcanic caldera in the Eastern Great Rift Valley, northern Tanzania. The caldera measures between 10 and 12 miles across and has an area of 102 square miles. Its heavily forested rim rises 2,000 feet above the caldera’s floor to an elevation of 7,500 feet. Ngorongoro is thought to have formed about 2.5 million years ago from a large active volcano whose cone collapsed inward after a major eruption, leaving the present vast, unbroken caldera as its chief remnant.

The caldera’s floor is predominantly open grassland. It is home to a diverse array of animals including elephants, black rhinoceroses, leopards, buffalo, zebras, warthogs, gnu (wildebeests), Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles, and the densest population of lions in the world. The local Masai people also graze their livestock in the crater. Lake Magadi, a shallow soda lake ringed by extinct volcanoes, is renowned as a habitat for great flocks of pink flamingos.

*** Auric Air Scheduled flight to Serengeti (flight included)

Internal flight from Ngorongoro to Serengeti

Serengeti National Park

The Serengeti National Park is partly adjacent to the Kenya border and northwest of the adjoining Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It is best known for its huge herds of plains animals, especially wildebeest, gazelles, and zebras and it is the only place in Africa where vast land-animal migrations still take place. The park, an international tourist attraction, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981.

The park was established in 1951 and covers 5,700 square miles with some of the best grassland range in Africa, as well as extensive acacia woodland savanna. With elevations ranging from 3,020 to 6,070 feet, the park extends 100 miles southeast from points near the shores of Lake Victoria and, in its eastern portion, 100 miles south from the Kenya-Tanzania border. During the wet season, from November to May, the herds graze in the southeastern plains within the park, with the calving season peaking around February when up to 8,000 calves are born daily for nearly two months. Early June one major group of animals moves west into the park’s woodland savanna and then north into the grasslands just beyond the Kenya-Tanzania border, an area known as the Masai Mara National Reserve, and another group migrates directly northward. The herds return to the Serengeti southeastern plains in November, at the end of the dry season.

Game Drives in the Serengeti National Park

Morning and afternoon game drives in and over the vast plains of the Serengeti. Serengeti National Park is a World Heritage Site teeming with wildlife: over 2 million ungulates, 4000 lions, 1000 leopard, 550 cheetahs and some 500 bird species inhabit an area close to 15,000 square kilometers in size. Dotted with trees and kopjes from which majestic lions control their kingdom; gaze upon the Great Migration in awe or find an elusive leopard in a riverine forest. The biological diversity of the park is very high with at least four globally threatened or endangered animal species: black rhinoceros, elephant, wild dog, and cheetah.

Serengeti National Park is at the heart the larger Serengeti ecosystem, which is defined by the area covered by the annual migration. The property is contiguous with Ngorongoro Conservation Unit, an area of 528,000ha declared a World Heritage Site in 1979. The entire ecosystem also includes the Maswa Game Reserve in the south, Ikorongo Game Reserves in the east, Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya (1,672km2) to the north, and Loliondo Game Controlled Area in the west. This entire ecosystem is intact and no barriers hamper the migration. Serengeti National Park is sufficiently large and intact to ensure the survival and vigour of all the species contained therein, if maintained in its present state but does not, by itself, ensure the protection of the entire ecosystem.

Hot Air Balloon safari over the Serengeti

In the crisp air of dawn, the passengers watch the crew partially inflates the balloon with enormous fans before the gas burners are ignited to fill the balloon with hot air. The crew directs clients how to get into the basket moments before take-off. The balloons lift off just before sunrise when the breeze on the plains is still cold. Once airborne, the balloon is blown by the prevailing winds across the broad landscape. Apart from the hiss of the burners, the flight above the plains is magically silent. The pilot controls the height of the craft by regulating the flow of hot air into the balloon. Sometimes the balloon will descend over the plains for a close up view of the wildlife; on other occasions, it rises to clear a tree canopy and rise over the riverine forest. This is an experience never to be forgotten. Enjoy the rest of the day on safari exploring this amazing park.

*** A hot air balloon safari over the Serengeti is available on request - not included in the tour cost

*** Regional air scheduled flight to Tarime depart at 09:15am and arrive 1015am. Short road transfer to Isebania border and then continue to Migori for the connecting flight on Air Kenya to Masai Mara - depart 11:35am and arrive 12:40pm (flights included)

Travel from the Serengeti to Masai Mara

Masai Mara

Rolling hills, sprawling savannahs, dramatic river crossings and of course... more wildlife and adventure than any movie could ever portray. Welcome to the Masai Mara, home to the lions of ‘Big Cat Diary’, temporary residence of the ‘Great Migration’, mighty Maasai warriors and some of the most luxurious safari lodges on earth.

The Masai Mara features a stunning kaleidoscope of wild and rugged landscapes, warm and welcoming people and an exciting array of creatures – big and small. World famous for hosting the epic Great Migration, the Masai Mara welcomes 1,5 million wildebeests onto its sprawling savannahs each July through October. The Masai Mara National Reserve and conservancies are brimming with life and offer safari travelers a wide variety of activities to choose from. Whether you take to the skies for a high-flying hot-air balloon adventure at sunrise or hit the road for a 4x4 safari, you’re sure to leave the Masai Mara with unforgettable experiences and lifelong memories.

Game Drives in the Masai Mara

Enjoy morning and afternoon game drives in a customized 4x4 safari vehicle with an experienced and professional driver-guide. After sundowners in the bush, guests will get to experience a night drive on the way back to the lodge, allowing guests the opportunity to see the nocturnal animals not encountered during the day.

Masai Mara Game Reserve is a renowned park that offers wonderful wildlife viewing throughout the year. The Masai Mara plains are commonly dominated by an incredible variety of mammals. From large herds of herbivores like wildebeest, zebra and Thompson’s gazelle to the famous “Big Five” - it is estimated there are around 1,000 lions in the Masai Mara.

In the Mara River you will find hippo that submerge at the approach of a vehicle, only to surface seconds later to snort and grumble their displeasure. It is also home to the Nile crocodile, the continent’s largest reptile. On several occasions you will spot drowsy crocodiles sunbathing on the riverbanks, mouths agape, waiting for prey at which to strike with lightning swiftness. The region also provides habitat for a variety of birds with over 450 species having been recorded.

*** Air Kenya scheduled flight to Nairobi - depart 11:5am and arrive 13:00pm (flight included)

Internal Flight from Masai Mara to Nairobi

Dayroom Four Points Sheraton Airport hotel

On arrival in Nairobi, enjoy a transfer to the Four Points Sheraton Airport hotel where you will have the use of a dayroom until it is time for your final transfer to the Airport for your flight.

Private transfer to the Airport

Departure flight from JKIA Nairobi Airport

Bid farewell to Africa, for now until your next Safari !