Kenya, Tanzania · Safari

12-Day Kenya Safari and Zanzibar Beach Holiday from Nairobi

12 Days Round trip from Nairobi Easy pace
Relaxing at Zanzibar
Wildlife seen on safari in Kenya
Lions seen on safari in Kenya
Giraffe seen on safari

The journey

Trip highlights
  • 01 Enjoy thrilling game drives in Samburu, Aberdares, and Maasai Mara
  • 02 Look for the African Big Five in Maasai Mara's vast landscapes
  • 03 Cycle through Hell's Gate National Park and cruise on Lake Naivasha
  • 04 Relax on Zanzibar with time to enjoy the resort and beach setting

This 12-day safari package gives you enough time to experience several of Kenya's national parks and plentiful wildlife before proceeding to Zanzibar for a relaxing beach holiday. It combines the thrill of the African bush with time to unwind by the beach, taking you from Samburu, Aberdares, Lake Naivasha, and Maasai Mara to the serene shores of Zanzibar.

This 12-day safari package gives you enough time to experience several of Kenya's national parks and plentiful wildlife before proceeding to Zanzibar for a relaxing beach holiday.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 12 Days
Tour type Private
Activity level Easy
Accommodation Included · Standard
Transport Included
Wheelchair access Not applicable
Cities Naivasha, Nairobi, Zanzibar, Masai Mara, Samburu, Hell's Gate National Park, Aberdare National Park
Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

1
Day 01

Arrival in Nairobi

  • Pick up from the airport upon arrival and transfer to the Heron Hotel for an overnight rest on a bed and breakfast basis.
  • Dinner will be taken at the hotel restaurant at an extra cost, depending on what you choose from the menu.
2
Day 02

Drive from Nairobi to Samburu National Reserve

  • At 7:00 AM, you will be picked up from your hotel and proceed to Samburu National Reserve, located in Northern Kenya.
  • Have lunch on the way and arrive at Samburu in time for evening game viewing. Dinner and overnight at Samburu Sopa Lodge.
3
Day 03

Morning and Afternoon Game Drives in Samburu

  • Enjoy an early morning game drive in the reserve. Later, return to the lodge for breakfast and spend the rest of the mid-morning relaxing.
  • After lunch, proceed for an afternoon game drive in the reserve. Dinner and overnight at Samburu Sopa Lodge.
4
Day 04

Samburu to Aberdares National Park

  • After an early breakfast, check out, enjoy a game drive en route, and continue to Aberdare National Park, arriving in time for lunch at Aberdares Country Club. After lunch, you will be transferred to the park by the lodge vehicle.
  • You can indulge in picnics, trout fishing in the river, and camping in the moorlands. You can also enjoy bird viewing with over 250 species of birds in the park, and this is done from the balcony of the Ark Lodge.
  • Game drives are done by the hotel upon request at an extra cost. Dinner and overnight at the Ark Lodge.
5
Day 05

Lake Naivasha and Hell's Gate Adventure

  • You will have an early breakfast, check out, depart, and drive to Naivasha to arrive in time for lunch.
  • After lunch, you will go to Hell's Gate for a biking safari. If you are too tired, you will be driven into the park by car.
  • You will later go for a one-hour boat ride on Lake Naivasha for bird watching and hippo viewing. Dinner and overnight at Naivasha Sopa Lodge.
6
Day 06

Journey to Maasai Mara and Sunset Game Viewing

  • After an early morning breakfast, check out and proceed to Maasai Mara, arriving in time for lunch at the camp.
  • Around 4:00 PM, depart your camp and drive to the park for a 2-hour game viewing session until 6:00 PM. Please make sure you capture the sunset in the park if the clouds are clear. Dinner and overnight at Jambo Mara Safari Lodge.
7
Day 07

Full-Day Safari in Maasai Mara

  • Have breakfast at 6:30 AM and at 7:00 AM leave for a full day of game viewing in the park.
  • On this day, spend the full day exploring Maasai Mara in search of the Big Five, hippos, and Nile crocodiles.
  • Thereafter, enjoy a picnic lunch in the park under the shade of a croton tree overlooking the vast landscape of the park. Dinner and overnight at Jambo Mara Safari Lodge.
8
Day 08

Return from Maasai Mara to Nairobi

  • After an early morning breakfast, check out and commence the drive to Nairobi. Upon arrival, you will check in at the Heron Hotel on a bed and breakfast basis.
9
Day 09

Flight from Nairobi to Zanzibar

  • Have breakfast at the hotel, and thereafter, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Zanzibar.
  • Upon arrival in Zanzibar, you will be picked up and transferred to the hotel, booked on a half board basis. Dinner and overnight at Uroa Bay.
10
Day 10

Relaxation Day in Zanzibar

  • Spend the full day relaxing at the hotel and enjoying the resort facilities. Alternatively, you can opt to arrange extra activities within the city at an extra cost. All meals are served, and overnight is at Uroa Bay.
11
Day 11

Another Leisure Day in Zanzibar

  • Spend the full day relaxing at the hotel and enjoying the resort facilities. Alternatively, you can opt to arrange extra activities within the city at an extra cost. All meals are served, and overnight is at Uroa Bay.
12
Day 12

Flight from Zanzibar to Nairobi

  • After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport to catch your flight to Nairobi.
  • Upon arrival, you will catch your flight back home.
Samburu National Reserve, Masai Mara grasslands, Lake Naivasha shores, Hell's Gate National Park gorges

Where this trip takes you

Samburu National Reserve, Masai Mara grasslands, Lake Naivasha shores, Hell's Gate National Park gorges

The route

Where you'll travel

Tour route map
Round trip from Nairobi 7 cities · 12 Days

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

  • All accommodation during the safari on a full board basis
  • 2 nights' accommodation in Nairobi on a bed and breakfast basis
  • 3 nights in Zanzibar on a half board basis
  • Meals per day during the safari tour as indicated
  • Private safari in a tour van for all national parks
  • All park entrance fees in all parks in Kenya
  • Bottled water in the car, at least 1 litre per person per day
  • All meals as per itinerary

What's Not Included

  • Gratuities (optional)
  • Drinks, e.g. alcohol
  • Maasai village visit at USD 20 per person (can be organized in the evening)
  • Balloon safari at USD 430 per person

What to bring

  • Camera
  • Beach wear
  • Comfortable clothing for safari
  • Snacks
  • Extra towel

Know before you go

  • This is a safari that begins in Nairobi and ends in Zanzibar.
  • It is a private safari.
  • Samburu is famous for its truly wild semi-arid landscape and the large concentration of wild animals and bird life. Together with the adjoining Shaba and Buffalo Springs national reserves, Samburu is popular for hosting the rare Northern Kenya animal species (Gerenuk, Reticulated Giraffe, Grevy's zebra, Beisa Oryx, and Somali Ostrich), which are not found in the other popular parks and reserves in Kenya. It is also home to all the African big cats (lion, cheetah, and leopard), alongside other big game including elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, hippos, impala, waterbuck, and many others. Samburu is also a renowned bird-watching haven, with hundreds of bird species resident here. These include kingfisher, bee-eaters, tawny eagle, guinea-fowl, yellow-throated spur-fowl, lilac-breasted roller, red-billed hornbill, secretary bird, Verreaux's eagle, superb starling, yellow-billed hornbill, and vultures. The unique culture of the Samburu tribe, which lives in the region, is the icing on the cake for the amazing Samburu National Reserve.
  • The park provides a habitat for elephants, black rhinos, leopards, spotted hyenas, olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, buffaloes, and many more. Rare sightings include those of the giant forest hogs, bongos, and many types of big cats. You can indulge in picnics, trout fishing in the river, and camping in the moorlands. You can also enjoy bird viewing with over 250 species of birds in the park.
  • Masai Mara Reserve is the most popular tourism destination in Kenya. Located in the Great Rift Valley, it is primarily open grassland. Wildlife is most concentrated on the reserve's western escarpment. It is regarded as the jewel of Kenya's wildlife viewing areas. The annual wildebeest migration alone involves over 1.5 million animals arriving in July and departing in November. Hardly can a visitor miss spotting the Big Five. The phenomenal wildebeest migration, which is a spectacular event only seen in Maasai Mara, is a wonder of the world.
  • It is in the Mara that perhaps the most spectacular event of the natural world takes place: the great migration. This is the annual migration of millions of wildebeest and zebra from the Serengeti (in Tanzania) in search of water and pasture. Following on their heels are the predators of the savanna - lions, cheetahs, jackals, hyenas, and vultures.

Logistics

Meeting & route

Meeting point
City Market, Muindi Mbingu Street, Nairobi, Kenya
Tour start
Nairobi, Kenya
Tour ends at the same location as the start point.
End of the journey

Your 12 days finish where they began, in Nairobi.

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Estimated room rates

Single Room $4,420.00 — $6,150.00
Double Sharing $4,420.00 — $4,850.00

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