Join Austin Adventure’s founders, Dan and Carol Austin, as you explore the best of Kenya & Tanzania on this unique cultural adventure that offers so much more than just your regular safari. On this twelve-day adventure through the grasslands of Tanzania and Kenya, you’ll explore national parks, game reserves, and conservation areas by day while staying at comfortably outfitted safari lodges and camps by night. Search for the ‘Big Five’ in various locations: Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Amboseli. Witness the abundant wildlife and epic beauty of East Africa alongside expert naturalists.
Visit places like the baboon cliff, the lion hill, and the Mau escarpment at Lake Nakuru National Park.
Search for wildlife in the Masai Mara Game Reserve, such as waterbucks, warthogs, the endangered Rothschild giraffes, the Burchell’s zebra, impalas, and many others
Look-out for Masai Mara’s famous ‘Big Five’: lions, the savanna (African) elephant, the Cape buffalo, the leopard, and the black rhino
Visit the world-famous Serengeti National Park, Tanzania’s oldest park
Explore the Ngorongoro Crater, the largest unbroken caldera in the world and described as one of the great natural wonders of the world
Search for over 400 species of birds, flora and fauna at Amboseli National Park
A few more reasons why you've gotta go:
01
Learn about the Samburu and Masai traditions and the ways they have lived in harmony with nature for centuries.
02
Local guides have over 35 years of experience around the Kenyan game reserves and will share an abundance of knowledge of the wildlife, flora and fauna, and the rich and vibrant cultures of East Africa.
03
Masai Mara is home to one of the modern wonders of the world; the wildebeest migration and home to the ‘Big Five’ species.
Jambo – Karibu!! Arrive at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. You’ll be met by your hosts eagerly awaiting to greet you in African style – with wet towels and champagne sipped out of traditional African gourds. Transfer to your hotel in Nairobi’s colorful capital city and rest up for the days to come.
About The Sarova Stanley
Sarova Stanley Hotel dates back to 1902, when it became the first luxury hotel in Nairobi. It has since built on that tradition with amenities like restaurants and a spa, earning multiple luxury hotel awards. Located in the center of the business district, the hotel offers easy access to many of Nairobi’s attractions.
After breakfast, we travel to Lake Nakuru with a brief stop at the Rift valley view point. After lunch, we depart on a game viewing. We’ll visit places like the baboon cliff, the lion hill and the Mau escarpment. The park is one of the best game viewing parks with various animal species including prides of lion, Cape buffalo, waterbucks, wart hogs, the endangered Rothschild giraffes, the black & white Rhino, the Burchell’s zebra, impalas, and the elusive leopard among many others. Over 300 bird species have been recorded here too. Lake Nakuru National Park is one of the best places to see the endangered black and white Rhino. Enjoy dinner and overnight at the Lodge.
About Mbweha Safari Camp
Tucked away in the spectacular vastness of The Great Rift Valley on a private 6400 acre Congreve Conservancy, Mbweha Camp is nestled up against the southern border of Lake Nakuru National Park with beautiful views of the Eburu and Mau Ranges. Ten cottages built of lava stone and thatched makuti roof add glamour and style to its contemporary African ambience with clever use of indigenous artifacts, fabric and modern cooking pots. Every cottage, styled individually, is surrounded by Candelabra Euphorbia, yellow barked Acacia and other indigenous trees that provide a relaxed atmosphere as you listen to the African night sounds of a lion roar or the laughter of the hyena in the distance. Bush walks, night game drives, sundowner or bush breakfast and hot air ballooning over the spectacular Great Rift Valley and the lakes below are additional activities that you can enjoy and enhance your stay in truly remarkable and authentic African setting.
Lake Nakuru National Park / Masai Mara Game Reserve
Enjoy a hearty early morning breakfast before driving to the Masai Mara National Reserve. The reserve offers dramatic panoramic scenery and plenty of game. We arrive in time for lunch at the intimate, 20-tent Tipilikwani Camp. This afternoon we depart on an thrilling game viewing drive. The Rolling plains and grasslands, stretching far into the horizons as far as the eye can see is home to the black-manned lion, the savannah elephant, the Cape buffalo, wildebeests, the elusive leopard, cheetah, the spotted & striped hyena, the rhino, topi, burchelle’s zebra, the Masai giraffe among many others. The Mara Game Reserve can’t disappoint. We return back to the lodge for dinner.
After a sumptuous breakfast, we depart for a full-day adventure. Look-out for Masai Mara’s famous “big five”: lions, savannah (African) elephant, the Cape buffalo, the leopard and the black rhino. In the early 20th century, Kenya was a famous hunting destination. We may even be so lucky to witness a leopard or a cheetah sprint and make a kill! We return back to the camp for dinner.
About Tipilikwani Luxury Mara Camp
As the maxim goes: Location! Location! Location! Set on the banks of the Talek River and overlooking the Mara plains, Tipilikwani Camp has one of the most spectacular views available. Set in the middle of what is considered the greatest wildlife reserve in Africa, Maasai Mara is home to one of the modern wonders of the world; the wildebeest migration as well as home to the Big Five. Enjoy an alfresco breakfast by the Talek River or a cold refreshing drink over a spectacular sunset or experience fine dining by candlelight all overlooked by carefully trained attentive staff. During the day, search for lions, cheetah, elephant, leopard, black rhino, giraffe, zebra, hippo and over 500 resident bird species including larks, sunbirds and the Lilac- Breasted Roller This is the Tipilikwani Experience.
We enjoy a hearty breakfast then depart with picnic lunch boxes via the Isebania & Sirari border to continue into Tanzania. Covering an area of 14,763 square kilometers, the world-famous Serengeti National Park is Tanzania’s oldest park, and one of the world’s last great wildlife refuges. The Serengeti ecosystem supports the greatest remaining concentration of plains game in Africa, including more than three million large mammals. We arrive at our lodge for check-in and dinner.
About Serengeti Sopa Lodge
Looking out over the seemingly endless Serengeti plains, this hillside lodge is a tranquil oasis set in over 14,000 sq kms (5,000 sq miles) of National Park. The Serengeti plains are host to a dramatic annual migration of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and numerous other species of animals indigenous to the area. Opened in 1992, the lodge can accommodate 170 guests in 79 suites, each enjoying wall-to-wall carpeting, a private lounge with a mini bar, a bedroom with two queen size beds and ample room for a third, an en-suite bathroom with shaver sockets and a hair dryer, and a private verandah which offers stunning views over the plains
After breakfast, we depart with picnic lunch boxes for a full day of game viewing drives on the vast Serengeti plains. In the early morning and evening light, the Serengeti landscape is stunningly beautiful. The Rolling plains and grasslands, stretching far into the horizons as far as the eye can see, are home to the black-manned lion, the savannah elephant, the Cape buffalo, wildebeests, the elusive leopard, cheetah, the spotted & stripped hyena, the rhino, topi, burchelle’s zebra, the Masai giraffe among many others. Serengeti National Park can’t disappoint. Enjoy dinner and overnight at our lodge.
Optional Activity: Dawn balloon safari over the Serengeti Plains ending with a champagne breakfast
Serengeti National Park / Ngorongoro Conservation Area
After breakfast, we depart to Ngorongoro and along the way stop at the Oldupai Gorge, one of the most important prehistoric sites in the world to learn on human evolution. Enjoy an on-site talk on the interpretation of the gorge by the resident guide. We’ll arrive and check-in at our crater rim lodge. After lunch, relax and at the lodge and enjoy the breath-taking spectacular views of the crater below. Ngorongoro Crater has the largest unbroken caldera in the world and has been described as one of the great natural wonders of the world. Eight million years ago, the Ngorongoro Crater was an active volcano but its cone collapsed. Now almost every species of African plains mammal lives in the crater, including the endangered black rhino, and the densest population of predators in Africa. Later, we’ll enjoy dinner at the lodge.
About Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge
Spread out along the uppermost, eastern rim of the Ngorongoro World Heritage Site, the lodge offers breathtaking views of the crater floor far below. A day’s safari through this unique conservation area provides you with spectacular and memorable game viewing experiences. The lodge is located on Lemala Hill on the uppermost, eastern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, a World Heritage Site, in the volcanic highlands of northern Tanzania. The crater forms part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area which covers 8,300sq kms (3,200 sq. miles).
After breakfast we descend some 610 metres into the crater, which is home to an abundance of wildlife and a photogenic paradise, for a full day of game-viewing drive with picnic lunch. You’ll see prides of lions, herds of Cape buffalo, impala, Thompson gazelles, rhino, giraffes, golden & black-backed jackal, zebra, cheetah, leopard and the spotted hyena freely roam on the crater floor plains. Unmatched for its natural variety & breath-taking beauty, there are few places on earth where such a tremendous diversity of landscapes exist inside a region this size. Apart from its wildlife riches, the crater is also of great archaeological importance, with the remains of some of mankind’s earliest ancestors discovered in the area. Also, a home to hundreds of bird species, refreshing in the small lakes in the crater floor. Return late afternoon to your lodge to enjoy dinner.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area / Tarangire National Park
Enjoy your breakfast then depart to Tarangire arriving at your lodge for lunch. This afternoon we depart on an exciting game viewing drive in this area dotted with majestic baobab trees, stately eland antelopes among other game. Herds of up to 300 elephants scratch the dry Tarangire river bed for underground streams, while migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland crowd the shrinking lagoons. It’s the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem—a smorgasbord for predators—and the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as the stately fringe-eared Oryx and peculiar long-necked gerenuk are regularly observed.
About Tarangire Sopa Lodge
Completing the Northern Tanzania safari circuit, the lodge, built as a ‘low profile’ structure, nestles into a wooded hillside valley overlooking Tarangire Hill. Situated 120km (75 miles) from Arusha, Tarangire National Park is easily accessible and boasts magnificent herds of elephant and other species of wildlife. The baobab studded landscape also plays host to a vast variety of resident and migratory bird life. Looking out over the rolling countryside the lodge is a tranquil oasis set in over 2,600 sq kms (900 sq miles) of National Park. The Tarangire flows north to south year-round and sustains an abundance of fauna and flora rarely seen elsewhere.
Enjoy an early morning breakfast before departing via the Namanga border to Amboseli National Park where we arrive at our overnight lodge to a very warm welcome. After lunch, we depart on an afternoon game viewing drive. Amboseli is home to lions, buffalo, cheetah, giraffe, baboon, gazelle hippo and wildebeest among many others. It is also an ornithological paradise with over 400 species of birds, flora and fauna and some of the most soul-searing views in Africa.
About Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge
Nestled in the foothills of Kilimanjaro, hidden beneath a copse of giant acacia trees and beside a gently flowing natural spring lies Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge. With Kilimanjaro’s 6,000-meter-high snow-capped peaks rising behind the lodge and presiding over the landscape, which boasts more big game than almost anywhere else in Africa, the setting is nothing short of magnificent. Inspired by local Masai architecture, the design of the lodge is in total harmony with the environment. Each guest room conveys a distinctive Masai Manyatta mood and is furnished with authentic African murals painted by a local artist.
After breakfast we leave for morning and afternoon game viewing drives. Amboseli offers some of the best places for a photogenic view. The dramatic view of Mount Kilimanjaro (weather permitting) is next to none. Amboseli National Park provides the classic Hollywood image of Africa, and the park is famous for her large herds of giant elephants.
This morning we enjoy our breakfast then check out. Our guide driver will transfer you to the Carnivore restaurant for lunch. Transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your home-bound flight.
**Trip itineraries are subject to change without notice due to road, weather and other factors outside of our control, for the safety and enjoyment of our guests, as deemed necessary and appropriate by Austin Adventures and Twiga Tours.
Meals Included
B, L
Overnight
No overnight
Departure Dates
Start Date
End Date
Status
August 21, 2021
September 1, 2021
Filling Fast
Depart on Your Own Schedule / Custom Trip
Contact us for custom itineraries and departure dates
Your trip begins on Day 1 with your arrival into Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. On arrival, you will be met by an Austin Adventures representative who will transfer you to The Sarova Stanley Hotel for check-in. On Day 12, you will be transferred to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your flight home, approximately three hours prior to your flight departure time.
Activities
Game Drives: Bring your camera and a keen set of eyes as your guide drives you around the area surrounding your lodge in search of big game, small creatures, and interesting African flora, geology, history, etc.
Hiking: Easy sightseeing walks accompanied by your guide
Hot air ballooning or cultural visit to Masai Mara: Optional activities at an extra cost.
Cultural Discoveries
Discovery: There is a place where can you see snow-capped mountains shimmering in the equatorial heat of the savannah. Where you can experience the dust being beaten off the plains by a million hooves in migration. Where you can meet some of the last truly nomadic people living off the land, and learn their culture. That place is East Africa. Explore game reserves with a wildlife density that rivals the savannahs of a century ago. Seek out the great cats as they stalk prey through the tall grass of the Serengeti. Learn Samburu and Masai traditions that they’ve used to live in harmony with nature for centuries. Watch the sun set from the comfort of a plush game lodge on the edge of a wide river. Kenya and Tanzania are more than mere places; they’re the experience of Africa. Come explore East Africa with the experts in adventure travel!
Austin Adventures guides are experienced facilitators and regional experts. They will take the time to explain the details of each activity, answer any questions, and demonstrate the use of all equipment. Each activity has been carefully planned to include options for all levels. Most importantly, your guides will help you select the distance that’s right for you.
Meals
The hallmark of an Austin Adventures vacation is our exceptional dining. All meals: breakfasts, lunches, snacks, dinners, refreshments and receptions are included as indicated by itinerary. (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner). Alcoholic beverages and related gratuities are not included in the trip price.
Pre-departure Information
After receiving your reservation and deposit, we’ll send you a pre-trip planner with general information about the area you’ll be visiting, a packing list, exercise guidelines, a guest information questionnaire and a liability release agreement for you to sign and return within 10 days.
What's Included
Included in the Trip Price
Double occupancy accommodations as stipulated in the itinerary.
Meals as indicated in the itinerary (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner).
Unlimited supply of bottled mineral drinking water in the safari vehicle while on safari.
Transportation on safari in a 4×4 land cruiser.
All activities and game drives as mentioned in itinerary.
Services of a professional driver-guide.
All Government taxes and levies.
Park entry fees.
Domestic flight Mara – Serengeti.
Austin Adventures T-shirt & luggage tags.
Pre-departure and packing information.
Not Included in the Trip Price
Gratuities to camp staff and driver(s)/guide(s).
Soft and alcoholic beverages.
Visa fees.
Laundry services.
Pre-and post-trip accommodations and associated expenses.
Air and land transportation to/from host cities.
All types of personal insurance.
Personal expenses.
View the "Wow Factor" Included in Each Austin Adventure
Activity levels are subjective depending on your general level of fitness and your experience; however, all of our trips are self-paced.
1Easy (1)
Activity levels are subjective depending on your general level of fitness and your experience; however, all of our trips are self-paced.
2Moderately Easy (2)
Activity levels are subjective depending on your general level of fitness and your experience; however, all of our trips are self-paced.
3Moderate (3)
Activity levels are subjective depending on your general level of fitness and your experience; however, all of our trips are self-paced.
4Moderate to Challenging (4)
Activity levels are subjective depending on your general level of fitness and your experience; however, all of our trips are self-paced.
5Challenging (5)
Africa Expert
Carol Austin
Want to know how to fully experience the depth of beauty and culture in a place? Ask Carol Austin. A Montana native who treasures the land and people in her own backyard—be it Yellowstone, the Beartooths, or the family around her dinner table—Carol knows how to embrace any destination she explores, a feat at 40+ countries and counting. And with more than 20 years in the travel industry, she’s really good at helping guests plan—and fully enjoy—their adventure vacation, too. She co-founded Austin Adventures with her husband, Dan Austin.