East Africa Adventures

<p>After breakfast, drive southwest to the legendary Masai Mara National Reserve &mdash; Kenya's finest wildlife destination. The drive takes you through the Great Rift Valley escarpment with sweeping views across the valley floor. Arrive at Masai Mara Sopa Lodge in time for lunch, then afternoon game drive through the Mara's vast open grasslands. The Masai Mara has the highest lion density in Africa &mdash; resident prides hunt the open savannah year-round alongside cheetah, leopard, elephant, hippo, buffalo and millions of plains game. Dinner and overnight at Masai Mara Sopa Lodge.</p>

<p>A full day in the legendary Masai Mara with morning and afternoon game drives. Between July and October the Mara hosts the most dramatic phase of the wildebeest river crossings &mdash; hundreds of thousands of animals plunging into the crocodile-filled Mara River in thundering columns that stretch beyond the horizon. Year-round the Mara delivers exceptional big cat sightings: resident lion prides, leopards in the riverine fig trees, cheetah mothers with cubs on the open plains, and the enormous hyena clans that follow the herds. All meals and overnight at Masai Mara Sopa Lodge.</p>

<p>Morning game drive in the Mara before breakfast, then drive west to Lake Victoria at Kisumu &mdash; the world's largest tropical lake and the source of the Nile. Afternoon boat safari on the lake exploring the papyrus-lined bays, watching hippos, Nile crocodiles and the spectacular birdlife including African fish eagle, malachite kingfisher and the prehistoric shoebill stork. Snorkelling in the clear bays among the extraordinary cichlid fish communities and kayaking along the quiet shoreline channels. Dinner and overnight at Lake Victoria Hotel.</p>

<p>A full day on Lake Victoria exploring Africa's greatest lake by water. Morning snorkelling among the cichlid fish communities of Lake Victoria &mdash; the extraordinary diversity of cichlid species here once inspired Charles Darwin's thinking on evolution. Kayaking along the papyrus-lined shores through channels rich with herons, kingfishers and otters. Afternoon fishing safari on the lake with local fishermen targeting Nile perch and tilapia &mdash; your catch can be prepared for dinner. One boat safari exploring the islands and bays for hippos, crocodiles and water birds. All meals and overnight at Lake Victoria Hotel.</p>

<p>After breakfast, transfer to the Kenya-Tanzania border and cross into Tanzania. Drive through the Grumeti River corridor &mdash; the western approach to the Serengeti ecosystem, home to enormous Nile crocodiles and year-round resident wildlife including hippos, topi, kongoni and elephant. Enter the Northern Serengeti and begin your first Tanzanian game drive. The Northern Serengeti near the Mara River is one of the most dramatic landscapes in Africa &mdash; open plains merging into riverine forest with enormous kopje outcrops sheltering leopard and lion. Dinner and overnight at camp in the Northern Serengeti.</p>

<p>A full day in the Northern Serengeti near the Mara River &mdash; site of the Great Migration's most dramatic wildebeest crossings and one of the most spectacular wildlife destinations on the planet. Resident lion prides here are large and spectacular, fed year-round by the permanent wildlife populations. Leopard sightings in the riverine forest along the Mara River are among the best in Tanzania. Cheetah, elephant, giraffe, topi, kongoni and enormous hippo pools in the river complete a wildlife experience that rivals the Kenyan Mara just across the border. All meals and overnight at Serengeti Tented Camp.</p>

<p>Morning game drive in the Northern Serengeti before driving south through the Central Seronera Valley &mdash; the heart of the Serengeti and home to the highest permanent big cat density in Africa. Stop for a picnic lunch en route. Continue south out of the Serengeti and into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Visit Olduvai Gorge &mdash; the site where Louis and Mary Leakey discovered 1.75-million-year-old hominid fossils that transformed our understanding of human evolution. Continue to the Ngorongoro Crater rim at 2,300 metres for spectacular views down into the caldera at sunset. Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Crater rim lodge.</p>

<p>Descend 600 metres into the world's largest intact volcanic caldera for a full day on the crater floor. The Ngorongoro Crater is a closed ecosystem &mdash; a natural enclosure of 265 km&sup2; that permanently supports approximately 25,000 large mammals. Critically endangered black rhinoceros graze the short-grass plains alongside enormous lion prides that have developed unique hunting strategies adapted to the crater floor. Vast hippo pools, cloud-darkening flamingo flocks on Lake Magadi and enormous buffalo herds complete the picture. Picnic lunch on the crater floor. Ascend to the rim for sundowners with Africa's most dramatic panoramic view. Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Crater rim lodge.</p>

<p>After breakfast, drive down the spectacular Ngorongoro escarpment to Lake Manyara National Park &mdash; the compact park Ernest Hemingway called "the most beautiful lake in Africa." Afternoon game drive through the dense groundwater forest where elephant families bathe in the streams and colobus monkeys move through the canopy above. The alkaline lake shores attract enormous flocks of flamingos that turn the water pink, while the famous tree-climbing lions of Manyara rest in the branches of the ancient fig trees along the lake edge. Dinner and overnight at Lake Manyara Lodge.</p>

<p>Morning game drive in Lake Manyara &mdash; excellent for early bird activity with over 400 species recorded in the park. Then drive south to Tarangire National Park &mdash; Tanzania's ultimate elephant park and one of the most underrated wildlife destinations in East Africa. The Tarangire River corridor supports the highest elephant concentration in Tanzania, with family herds of 50 to 200 animals gathering at the permanent river during the dry season. The ancient baobab landscape is utterly unique &mdash; vast trees hundreds of years old framing the elephant herds and the red-soiled riverbanks. Afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight at Tarangire River Camp.</p>

<p>Morning game drive in Tarangire exploring the southern wilderness areas and the Silale Swamp, where large buffalo herds, oryx and giraffe gather around the permanent water. After lunch, drive to Arusha National Park &mdash; a compact but spectacular park in the shadow of Mount Meru (4,566m), Africa's fifth highest peak. The park features remarkable diversity in a small area: black-and-white colobus monkeys in the montane forest, giraffe and buffalo on the open moorland, flamingos on the Momela Lakes and hippos in the forest crater lakes. Walking safaris available in Arusha National Park. Dinner and overnight in Arusha.</p>

<p>After a leisurely breakfast, transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward international flight. Thirteen days, two countries, nine wildlife destinations &mdash; the complete East Africa adventure comes to an end. This safari can be extended with a Zanzibar beach holiday, Kilimanjaro climb or any further Tanzania or Kenya experience through Routes Kilimanjaro.</p>