East Africa Overland

Your round trip through Kenya and Tanzania starts in Nairobi at La Mada Hotel. Take a taxi from the airport to the hotel (at your own expense); plenty of taxis wait in front of the airport building. If you land early, you can book various day tours at the hotel and explore the sights of the city and surrounding area (optional). Around 6 pm a briefing with your guide and all trip participants takes place at the hotel. At a joint dinner in a local restaurant (at your own expense) you get to know each other. Overnight stay at La Mada Hotel.

Your East African adventure begins today. You leave bustling Nairobi behind and drive to the famous Masai Mara Game Reserve. The views over the Great Rift Valley that open up along the way are magnificent. During the afternoon you reach your campsite for the next two nights, just outside the game reserve. Pitch your camp at a comfortable pace and look forward to a day full of exciting wildlife encounters ahead of you. You spend the night in a tent.

Today is all about wildlife viewing. Early in the morning you set off on an extended game drive in the Masai Mara Game Reserve. The reserve is famous for its rich wildlife and the Great Migration of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebras between the Serengeti and the Masai Mara. Depending on the time of year, you may be lucky enough to witness a river crossing by the hoofed animals. Even if you miss the big herds, you can still look forward to plenty of spectacular wildlife viewing. Lions in particular, but also elephants, giraffes, buffalo, hippos and many more are often sighted. In your overland truck you sit up high and have a wonderful view over the wide landscape. At lunchtime you stop for a picnic. In the late afternoon you return to camp. Review the day's experiences together around the campfire as an exciting day draws to a close. You spend the night in a tent.

After breakfast you leave the Mara behind. Your destination today is Mount Longonot National Park with its dormant volcano. Here you get out of the vehicle and go on a hike with your guide up to the crater rim. Take a look down into the crater, which is covered in dense forest, and enjoy the beautiful view over the Rift Valley. A lunchbox comes along in your hiking pack. Look forward to a picnic with a view! Back at the overland truck, only a short drive remains to the shore of Lake Naivasha. Here you pitch your camp for the next two nights. You spend the night in a tent.

Today you drive to nearby Hell’s Gate National Park, which you explore on foot in the morning. With a little luck you will see zebras, giraffes, buffalo and various antelopes on your hike. The adventure seekers among you can discover the park by mountain bike (optional). After lunch at camp, a boat trip on Lake Naivasha is on the programme in the afternoon. Hippos and many different bird species are your companions here. To round off an eventful day, you visit Elsamere for afternoon tea, the former home of the naturalists and “lion whisperers” Joy and George Adamson. In the small museum you gain an insight into the fascinating lives of the two. After dinner at camp, you spend another night in a tent.

On your way south you drive past the outskirts of Nairobi and finally cross the border into Tanzania. In good weather you can catch a glimpse of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, and see the peak of Mount Meru, which towers above Arusha National Park. Then you reach Arusha, Tanzania's busy safari capital. Tonight you stay in the guest rooms of Ahadi Lodge.

You set off early today. Your journey takes you up into the crater highlands with fantastic views and on into the seemingly endless plain of the famous Serengeti. Look forward to plenty of exciting wildlife viewing over the coming days! The Serengeti is home to many thousands of wildebeest and zebras, constantly on the move in search of food. Naturally their predators are never far away, and here you have the best chances of watching lions, leopards and cheetahs up close. You spend the night at a campsite in the heart of the Serengeti.

You get up before sunrise so that you can set off on a game drive with the first rays of sun. You spend the whole of today wildlife viewing in the Serengeti. Keep an eye out for elephants, giraffes, buffalo, lions, leopards, gazelles, wildebeest, zebras and many more. Together with your guide you not only find and watch the animals, but also learn many details about their behaviour and social structures. At lunchtime you stop for a picnic. With many new impressions you return to camp in the late afternoon. Let the eventful day wind down comfortably around the campfire. You spend another night in a tent.

At daybreak you go on one more game drive in the Serengeti. Look out for animals you have not yet seen over the last few days. You return to camp for brunch. Then it is time to leave the Serengeti. Your route takes you into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The area around Ngorongoro Crater has always been home to the Maasai, and along the way you repeatedly see Maasai herders living with their cattle among the wildlife in keeping with age-old tradition. Today you camp at a campsite right on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater. Enjoy the spectacular views!

With the first daylight you drive down the almost fearsome, steep crater walls to the crater floor in smaller four-wheel-drive vehicles. In Ngorongoro Crater, within just a few square kilometres, you find practically a complete cross-section of the species-rich wildlife of the East African savannahs. Countless opportunities for wildlife viewing await you. This is also one of the best places to get one of the critically endangered black rhinos in front of your camera lens. For lunch you drive out of the crater back to camp. Well fortified, you then leave the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the early afternoon. Your destination is the village of Mto Wa Mbu, where you will camp today. Accompanied by a local guide you explore the village and learn a great deal about the way of life and culture of the Maasai people and how they come to terms with the modern world.

In the morning, after a relaxed breakfast at camp, you drive to Arusha. Situated at the foot of Mount Meru, this city offers good insights into daily life in Tanzania. In the afternoon you have plenty of time to visit the colourful and bustling markets of the city. In the evening you go out for dinner together at a restaurant (at your own expense) and toast your last evening together. You spend one last night in a tent.

After breakfast you drive back across the border into Kenya and on to Nairobi, the starting point of your trip (occasionally the shuttle bus is used for the transfer to Nairobi). With a little luck and clear visibility, you have one more chance to see the snow-capped peaks of Kilimanjaro. You drive past Nairobi airport, and anyone flying home this evening can get off there. For all other travellers, this group tour through Kenya and Tanzania ends in downtown Nairobi.

Breakfast

Travellers who would like to climb Mount Meru or Kilimanjaro can do so from Arusha. There is also the option of flying from Arusha to Zanzibar or to the beaches of Mombasa and adding a few days of beach holiday there. If you wish, you can also fly directly from Kilimanjaro Airport back to Europe. Please feel free to talk to our East Africa travel experts about this.

Single tents are only possible on request and in limited numbers! Solo travellers are welcome to share a tent with other travellers of the same sex at no extra charge.