11 Day Essential East Africa Safari

Welcome to Kenya! On your arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) you will be met by a local representative in the arrivals hall and transferred to your hotel for relaxation and overnight in preparation of your exciting adventure ahead! Special Information Please be advised that luggage restrictions limited to 15kg per person in a soft-sided bag applies for the flight from Serengeti to the Masai Mara on Day 10. If travelling with luggage that does not abide by these restrictions, we recommend taking an extra soft sided bag and packing essentials required for this trip. Excess luggage can be stored free of charge at your Nairobi hotel and collected on return to the hotel on Day 10. Arrival airport transfers are included as part of your package. You will be met upon arrival at the airport and transferred to your hotel.If Inspiring Vacations has not provided your international airfares, please ensure you provide your flight details via your Traveller Hub portal no later than 90 days prior to travel so that your transfers can be confirmed. If you are arriving early and have made your own arrangements prior to your tour commencing, airport transfers will not be included. However, if you are purchasing pre-nights accommodation as part of your Inspiring Vacations package, airport transfers will still be provided to the starting hotel.

After breakfast, depart for Amboseli National Park. Here, you will be captivated by the magnificent presence of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain. Amboseli is renowned as one of Kenya's most iconic parks, offering breathtaking panoramic views. It is dotted with emerald-green swamps in which great herds of elephant wallow, half-submerged in the papyrus grasses. In the afternoon, immerse yourself in the beauty of this remarkable landscape on a thrilling game drive. Inspiring Highlights Amboseli National Park game drive Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 4.5 hours.

Experience a full day of exploration in Amboseli, complete with morning and afternoon game drives. Witness the awe-inspiring sight of Kilimanjaro rising above the clouds during the early morning. Amboseli offers an array of wonders, from the ancient dried-up lake bed of Lake Amboseli to its expansive savannahs and verdant swamps. The plains are bustling with wildlife, including antelopes, spotted hyenas, jackals, warthogs, olive baboons, and vervet monkeys. If you're fortunate, you might even catch a glimpse of a lion, leopard, or cheetah Inspiring Highlights Amboseli National Park game drives

After breakfast, bid farewell to Amboseli National Park as we journey towards Tanzania via the Namanga border of Kenya/Tanzania for border formalities. You will change vehicles and guide at the border. Please keep your passport handy. Continue to the town of Arusha with a stop for lunch before completing the journey to the town of Karatu. Nestled at the base of the famous Ngorongoro Crater, Karatu is surrounded by stunning green landscapes and coffee plantations. The remainder of the day is at leisure to relax or stretch your legs with a walk in the local area. Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 6 hours.

This morning, you descend into the Ngorongoro crater for a memorable game drive. This magnificent Crater is the world's largest intact, unflooded caldera, formed by a massive volcanic eruption. Your route downhill descends over the lush rainforests of the rim, 610m down to the grasslands of the crater floor, an area of about 260 square kilometres. This haven provides a year-round home to wildebeest, zebra, eland and gazelle, and lion. The rainforests shelter elephant, mountain buck, buffalo, hyena, wild dog, leopard, cheetah, and some of Tanzania's last remaining black rhinos. Spend your day game viewing and exploring the crater floor, stopping for a picnic lunch. In the afternoon, return to Karatu for an overnight and relaxation at your tranquil lodge. Inspiring Highlights Ngorongoro crater game drive

After breakfast, you will head out for the legendary Serengeti - a place the Masai call Siringitu: “place where the land moves on forever”. Tanzania's first game reserve, the Serengeti National Park, is one of the last remaining natural migration corridors and one of the oldest ecosystems on earth. Its climate, vegetation, and fauna have remained mostly unchanged over the past million years. The natural instinct that drives the annual Great Migration of more than a million wildebeest, gazelle, and zebra is so powerful that neither drought nor crocodile-infested rivers can halt it.The drive to your accommodation whets your appetite for more. After settling in, you waste no time taking your place on the afternoon game drive. There is so much to see here that the drive lasts until sunset. Inspiring Highlights Serengeti National Park game drive Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 4 hours.

You will have a full day of discovery in this vast park, rising early to make the most of your time. An excellent all-year-round game viewing destination, most famous for the great wildebeest migration, many other species call the Serengeti home, including lion, cheetah, leopard, elephants, hippos, and more. No two game drives are alike, providing a sense of anticipation for what you might see next. With its vast plains, acacia trees, and rocky outcrops, the Serengeti is a photographer's paradise, particularly as the sun sets. Return to your tented camp to share stories of the day's sightings with your fellow travellers. Inspiring Highlights Serengeti National Park game drives

This morning, you'll be transferred to the airstrip where you will bid farewell to your Tanazinan guide. A light aircraft flight will take you across the plains, where you will be met by your Kenyan tour guide and transferred to the Masai Mara National Reserve. Note, as you will cross the border at Isebania, please keep your passport handy. Spending the next two nights in the reserve will allow plenty of time to discover and experience the magic of the Masai Mara Game Reserve. The Mara is home to the “Big-Five” Lion, Rhino, Buffalo, Leopard, and Elephant, so keep your eyes peeled. From July to September, the wildebeest migration from the Serengeti congregates in the Masai Mara. Special Information Luggage restrictions of 15kg per person in a soft-sided suitcase apply for the flight to the Mara today. Your journey will include two flights, with a change at the Tanzania-Kenya border crossing at Isebania. The border crossing will be conducted by a short shuttle bus transfer. Please keep your passport handy. Note, there will be a change of guide when you return to Kenya. Your internal flight for this day is arranged by our local partner. Specific flight details will be provided by your Tour Leader upon arrival and cannot be provided in advance. Please note that these group flights cannot be upgraded, amended, or checked in online. Your group will be required to check in together.

Early this morning, you will have the option of taking a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the Masai Mara. See below for further details. Note that due to the popularity of this activity, pre-booking is essential. Today will be a full day spent exploring the park in search of the Big 5. The Mara is one of the most famous ecosystems in the world, and with reason, this huge expansion is home to an astonishing variety of wildlife. difficult to believe, over 450 species of animals have been recorded here. You might be lucky to see lions, rhinos, hippos, crocodiles, giraffes, wildebeests, zebras, buffalo, warthogs, hyenas, jackals, wild dogs, buffalo, leopards, many kinds of antelopes, and elephants. Birding can also be done throughout the year with the reserve having a record of over 570 species of birds, with more than 50 bird species of prey which include: Eagles, vultures, storks, and many others. Inspiring Highlights Masai Mara National Reserve game drive

After breakfast, we'll begin the journey back to Nairobi, with opportunities to stop to take in the views of the Rift Valley and enjoy an included lunch.Arrive in Nairobi in the afternoon, where you will check in to the hotel and spend the rest of the afternoon at your own leisure as you relive your safari highlights. Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 5.5 hours.

After a final breakfast, the tour concludes, and it's time to say goodbye. At a suitable time you will be transferred to the Nairobi airport for your outbound flight. Thank you for travelling with Inspiring Vacations. We hope you had a memorable experience. Special Information Departure transfers are included as part of your package. You will be collected from your hotel at the appropriate time and transferred to the airport to meet your flight. If you choose to extend your stay (e.g., departing after the final tour date) and have booked your additional accommodation independently, this included service will be forfeited and no refund will be issued. If Inspiring Vacations has not provided your international airfares, please ensure you provide your flight details via your Traveller Hub portal no later than 90 days prior to travel so that your transfers can be confirmed.