16 Days Best Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar Beach Luxury Safari

You’ll be picked up from Nairobi and transferred on a 6-hour road trip, past Mount Suswa, a shield volcano almost untouched by the outside world, through the Kenyan countryside. Spend the rest of the day attuning your senses to the warmth of the African sun, the birdsong, the chirping insects, and how the red earth feels underfoot. Just feel at home in your comfortable quarters as you have a tasty dinner under the bright stars of the African sky.

• Accommodation & meals:  Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp/AA Lodge Mara/Miti Mingi Eco-Camp.
• Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

The Mara is Kenya’s flagship for wildlife sightings, so make sure you fortify yourself with the filling and healthy breakfast on offer. With everyone aboard the 4×4 Land Cruiser with its pop-up roof, explore the grassy plains and rolling hills punctuated by clumps of acacia, a landscape that is truly alive with rustlings nearby and roars afar, offering plenty to keep you on your toes. Marvel at the grace of the giraffe, the ambling wildebeest, topi, zebra, and Thomson’s gazelle. Spot lions lazing, elephant herds making their slow and majestic way across the plains, almost-submerged hippos glorying in the mud of the waterholes, and if you’re very lucky, a black rhino. Take a break for a tasty picnic lunch, but you’ll find that you still have a huge appetite from the day’s fresh air. Take a cultural experience with one of Kenya’s most famous indigenous tribes in the local Masai village. Learn about the Masai community and interact with the locals as they furnish you with tales of their everyday lives.

Wake up early for breakfast before taking a guided walk. The Masai Mara might be Kenya’s most famous national park, but it’s not the only one. You will be whisked off to Nakuru National Park, on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, while a stop at Narok will allow you to enjoy your lunch. Nakuru is a birders’ paradise, and its chaotic landscape of rocky escarpments, patches of forest, and lakeland has, in addition, a new eco-system in the haunted, submerged landscape caused by the rising waters of Lake Nakuru. Spend the African dusk relaxing at your comfortable campsite.

• Accommodation & meals: Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge/ Sarova Lion Hill Lodge/Flamingo Hill Tented Camp.
• Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

Embark on a morning game drive after an early breakfast as you journey to the forest of Flamingo Hill, where you might spot a lioness sleeping in the branches. The park is home to both black and white rhinos. Say goodbye to Nakuru as you leave for Lake Naivasha, a freshwater lake and home to an array of wildlife, such as hippos that spend much time lumbering on land for food as they enjoy the cooling waters of the lake. It’s a beautiful and tranquil lake setting that has a distinctive atmosphere, different from what you’ve already experienced on your safari across Kenya so far.

• Accommodation & meals: Naivasha Sopa Lodge/Astorian Grand Hotel/Naivasha west beach camp.
• Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

After breakfast, take a game drive to spot fish eagles, pelicans, cormorants, and the turquoise flash of kingfishers. Lake Naivasha also has a healthy fish population, including tilapia, black bass, and crayfish, not to mention the amazing birdlife. Take a relaxing boat trip across the shimmering waters of the lake. What an opportunity to explore the lake and the surrounding landscape from a different perspective!

Climax your Kenyan expedition with a visit to the wonderful Amboseli National Park on the Kenya-Tanzania border. On the way to the park, catch your first sight of the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro, which dominates the region. Relax at your comfortable campsite close to the park and enjoy a tasty dinner under the stars.

• Accommodation & meals: AA Lodge/ Oltukai Lodge /Amboseli Eco Camp.
• Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

Your last full day in Kenya is spent further exploring the rich natural abundance of Amboseli National Park, known to be one of the best places in Africa to encounter freely roaming elephants up-close. It’s also home to over 400 bird species, including over 40 different types of raptors. The long, dry months make vegetation sparse, so you’re offered excellent views of wildebeest, cheetah, Cape buffalo, lions, impala, hyena, and Masai giraffe. Spend your last evening in Kenya relaxing with a glass of wine under an acacia tree.

Wake up early for a hearty breakfast as you get ready for the next episode of your adventure. You will transfer from Amboseli through the Kenya-Tanzania border on a 3-hour road trip, with Mount Kilimanjaro in constant glory on your right. Arrive in the typically Tanzanian town of Moshi, with its colourful markets. You have the day to choose what you’d like to do. Perhaps take the daladala to a local coffee farm to learn the fine art of coffee preparation; or sample the local banana beer, check out the colours of the markets, and sample the Asian-influenced cuisine for lunch. Spend the night at a comfy lodge—with a pool! Take a cooling dip and relax before an evening on the town.

• Accommodation & meals: Kilimanjaro Luxury Tented Camp, Moshi/Altezza Lodge/Adventures Nest.
• Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

After an early breakfast at the lodge, drive north to Tarangire National Park and arrive in time for a picnic lunch. Later, drive to Maramboi Tented Camp, located just outside Tarangire, where you’ll have a full view of the expansive Lake Manyara in the distance. Grazing wildebeests are known to frequently roam nearby.

Enjoy the full afternoon of intense game drives ahead of you. Tarangire is famous for elephants. It boasts one of the largest and most conspicuous elephant populations in Africa. Between the Tarangire River and the southern swamps, there is an abundant water supply year-round, which supports the growth of pasture for these enormous beasts. You’re guaranteed to view large herds up close. Spend several hours surrounded by the herds, and you cannot help but get a sense of their wisdom and deep emotional bonds.

• Accommodation & meals: Country Lodge/Maramboi Tented camp/ Ngorongoro Coffee Lodge.
• Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

Have breakfast and transfer to the Serengeti, a popular park with its vast savannah plains spiked with baobab and acacia, the natural stage where a dizzying array of wildlife play out their lives. The Great Migration, where a million wildebeest and zebra bravely seek out the fertile northern grasslands, takes place annually across the Serengeti—a sight not to be missed. You will have lunch at one of the picnic sites, most likely at the Naabi Hill Gate. Then drive to the central park area, known as the Seronera area, one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park. Arrive at the Serengeti in the afternoon and embark on game drives until the evening. Check in at the camp or lodge for the campfire, dinner, and overnight.

• Accommodation & meals: Four Seasons Safari Lodge /Asilia Dunia Camp /Usanja Camp.
• Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

Have breakfast and explore these magical plains further, and finish your stay with a tasty lunch before turning to another gem, the unique Ngorongoro Crater. Jump back into your 4×4 truck for a fascinating ride to a cozy camp at the rim of the crater itself. Spend the evening at the camp sitting calmly with a glass of wine and just watching the shadows lengthen across the crater and the sunset turn the broad sweep of the African skies all the hues from deepest gold and bronze to pink, apricot, and indigo. Spot Venus and Mercury low on the horizon and retire to bed, knowing that tomorrow might be your most exciting day yet.

• Accommodation & meals: Country Lodge at Karatu/ Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge/Plantation Lodge.
• Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

After your last morning game drive, check out of your lodge as you start the last episode of your Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar safari, but before you head for the beaches of Zanzibar, it’s time for a change of pace. A fascinating 2-hour road trip takes you to Arusha, a cultural melting pot of half a million people. There is plenty to do, but you won’t have a lot of time, so choose wisely! Check out the market at Kilombero, fragrant with pineapple, roast corn, and sweet potatoes, or go gem-hunting for blue-and-violet Tanzanite at the Tanzanite Museum. A visit to the Cultural Heritage Center is well worth the trip to better understand the stories of Tanzania and its people.

• Accommodation & meals: Okaseni Lodge/L’Oasis Lodge.
• Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to Arusha airport for the short but pretty flight to Zanzibar, which we felt we must include in your safari for a much better African experience on the tropical beach. Technically, Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, but its unique flora and fauna make it seem a world away. From the plane, you’ll see what the next four days have in store for you: crystal-clear waters, uninhabited atolls, white-sand beaches, and lush, verdant landscapes.

• Accommodation & meals: Sarabi beach Hotel/Zanzibar palace hotel/Ocean Paradise Resort.
• Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. 

Zanzibar is a gem of an island, redolent of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, and the interior is as lush and beautiful as its beaches and waters. There’ll be a dive centre at your resort, so if you can dive, it’s easy to hire the gear and go directly with PADI-accredited professionals to some of the world’s most beautiful dive sites. But you won’t need to dive to enjoy those sparkling waters; grab a mask and snorkel to witness the shimmering coral reefs and myriads of tropical fish. Take a sea kayak safari (you might meet a pod of friendly dolphins!) or enjoy a sunset sail on a dhow, a traditional wooden fishing boat.

Inland, Zanzibar is just as fascinating. Explore the winding alleys of ancient Stone Town, the oldest part of Zanzibar City, with its architecture softened by time and influenced by Persia and Europe. Trail walk in the Jozani Forest, home to the once-endangered red colobus monkey. Through the hard work of the conservationists, the red colobus monkey has thrived, and you’ll have an opportunity to get close to them while they carry on doing their red colobus monkey thing. You’ll also tour the stunning flora and fauna of Jozani’s mangrove swamps. You can also choose to relax on the beach with a cocktail and a good book.

Today is the final day of your Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar safari. After a final dawn swim and a leisurely tropical breakfast, you may lazily pack up the Masai bracelet you bought, put on that floppy sunhat that’s been your friend in Kenya and Tanzania, slap on the sun cream for the last time, and say goodbye to Tanzania. We’ll transfer you to Zanzibar Airport for your connecting flight home.

• No accommodation.
• Meals: Breakfast.

End of the 16 days Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar safari.