18-Day Kenya Tanzania Safari and Kilimanjaro Climb with Amboseli

• Pick up from the airport upon arrival or from your hotel and commence the drive to Lake Nakuru National Park, arriving in time for mid-morning game viewing with packed lunches. Continue game viewing until 5 pm.

Dinner and overnight at Lanet Matfam Resort.

• Depart from your Lake Nakuru hotel and commence the drive to Maasai Mara via the Great Rift Valley View Point, where you will have a breathtaking view of the Rift Valley floor. Arrive in Maasai Mara in time for lunch. After lunch, depart for a game viewing drive in the Mara Reserve from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
• Return to the camp for a sumptuous buffet dinner and a good rest.

Dinner and overnight at Rhino Camp or similar.

• Enjoy an early breakfast at 6:30 am, then depart for a full day of game viewing. This is the most important day, as we hope to see the Big Five, especially the big cats, which are extremely elusive. You will also visit the famous Mara River, where the great migration happens, and have a guided tour by the rangers to see the Nile crocodiles and hippo families. To top it off, enjoy a picnic lunch under a tree in the park overlooking the vast landscapes.
• 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.

Dinner and overnight at Rhino Camp or similar.

• After an early breakfast at 6 a.m., check out and exit through the South Gate. Drive to the Isebania border of Tanzania, arriving around midday. Complete the approximately hour-long border crossing process, meet your Tanzanian driver, and begin a game drive in Serengeti en route to your accommodation.

Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Wildbeest Camp.

• Breakfast at 7 a.m. followed by a full-day game drive in Serengeti. Enjoy a picnic lunch at 1 p.m., then return to the camp for dinner.

Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Wildbeest Camp.

• Depart Serengeti at 7 a.m. and enjoy a game drive en route to Ngorongoro Park with a picnic lunch.

Dinner and overnight at Highview Coffee Lodge.

• The full-day tour of Ngorongoro begins at 7 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m., with lunch and a picnic.

After the tour, depart and drive to spend the night at Octagon Lodge.

• Enjoy an early morning half-day game drive in Lake Manyara National Park beginning at 7 a.m. Afterwards, depart for Tarangire with a picnic lunch.

Dinner and overnight at Tarangire Simba Lodge.

• Enjoy an early morning half-day game drive in Tarangire National Park beginning at 7 a.m.
• Afterwards, drive out of the park and proceed to Arusha, where you will be dropped off at Venus Premier Hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.

• After breakfast at the hotel, drive from Arusha to Machame Park Gate for registration formalities. Then start walking through the rainforest on a winding trail up a ridge. At lower elevations, the trail can be muddy and slippery, so gaiters and trekking poles are a good idea here.
• Continue a short distance until you reach Machame Camp.

• After breakfast, leave the rainforest glades and continue on an ascending path, crossing the valley along a steep rocky ridge. The route turns west onto a river gorge until you arrive at the Shira campsite.

• From the Shira Plateau, continue east and up a ridge, passing the junction toward the peak of Kibo. As you continue, the direction changes to the southeast toward the Lava Tower called the Shark's Tooth (elev. 4650 m/15,250 ft).
• Shortly after the tower, come to the second junction, which goes to the Arrow Glacier.
• Continue down to Barranco Camp.
• Although you end the day at about the same elevation as when you began, this day is very important for acclimatization and will help your body prepare for summit day.

• After breakfast, leave Barranco and continue on a steep ridge up the Barranco Wall (elev. 4250 m/13,900 ft), through the Karanga Valley (elev. 4050 m/13,250 ft) to the junction that connects with the Mweka Trail.
• Continue up to Barafu Camp. You have completed the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many angles.
• Here, make camp with views of the summit in the distance.

• Summit to Mweka Camp.

• In the morning, walk down to Mweka Gate. This takes about 4 hours.
• After a welcome lunch, it is time to thank and tip the porters and guides. Then drive back to Arusha for dinner and an overnight stay at Venus Premier.

• After breakfast at the hotel, check out and proceed to Amboseli via the Namanga border. Your driver from the Kenyan side will pick you up and take you to AA Lodge Amboseli for check-in and lunch.
• After lunch, depart for an afternoon game viewing drive in the park.

Dinner and overnight at AA Lodge Amboseli.

• An early morning game drive later returns you to the lodge for breakfast.
• After breakfast, spend a full day in the park with a packed lunch in search of its popular residents, such as the well-known predators and opponents, the zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, and hippo, with a view of Mt Kilimanjaro.
• Later, return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Dinner and overnight at AA Lodge Amboseli.

• Breakfast at the camp and thereafter proceed for game viewing until midday.
• Return to the camp for lunch, check out, and drive back to Nairobi, arriving in the evening.
• Drop off at the airport for your home-bound flight.