• 7 Lunch (L)
• 8 Dinner (D)
• 10 Breakfast (B)
• 1 Picnic Lunch (PL)

• Maasai Mara National Reserve: Hot air balloon rides may be available in the Maasai Mara and Serengeti through independent local operators. While floating over the savannah sounds pretty iconic, this isn’t an activity Contiki promotes, sells or books, as local provider insurance does not meet our required standards. If you’d like to take a hot air balloon ride, you’re free to arrange and pay directly with a local operator while on tour. This is completely independent of Contiki and follows the operator’s own terms, safety standards and insurance cover.
• Amboseli: Premium camping is classic camping, levelled up. Our road crew will set up these tents for you – all with premium facilities like chill-out zones, communal bathrooms and all the creature comforts.
• Amboseli: Nope, you’re all good! All equipment (tents, sleeping bags, etc) will be provided for you.
• Amboseli: You don’t have to. Your road crew will set up camp, cook meals, and clean up afterwards – but you’re always welcome to help!
• Amboseli: You’ll have access to proper bathrooms with real toilets, hot showers and everything you need – just shared with the crew.

• Nairobi: Meet the dedicated team and see for yourself the work being done to help the women and children who live here in the Kibera slum.
   
• Maasai Mara National Reserve: Known for its grassy plains and rolling hills, home to lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras and hippos, the Maasai Mara is a jewel in Africa’s wildlife crown, so don’t miss your chance to explore it from sunrise to the afternoon, with a picnic lunch in the wild. 
• Amboseli: Get that iconic wildlife shot with the snow-capped peak of Kilimanjaro as a backdrop. 
   
• Amboseli: Get up early in search of the famous elephants in this iconic Kenyan National Park. 
• Arusha: Support this social enterprise that employs local disabled people with artisanal skills. Watch weaving, glass blowing, beading, paper making and metal work. 
• Serengeti: Watch out for local wildlife as we head to our camp, which is bang in the middle of these endless plains. Could the location be any more epic? 
   
• Serengeti: Was that lion we heard last night? Let’s go find out. Take an incredible morning drive in search of the wildlife we heard throughout the night. 
• Serengeti: Cruise around the plains at sunset to explore new areas and spot a few more animals before they head off to bed. 
• Serengeti: Another day, another game drive, giving us the most amount of opportunities to see the wildlife that roams these plains.

Visit Nairobi’s Kibera neighbourhood to meet the team at Mirror of Hope and learn about its work with women and children in the community. Hear directly about the initiative rather than viewing the neighbourhood only from a passing vehicle.

This community-focused visit offers a more personal perspective on life in Kenya’s capital. It centres the people and local organisation working to create opportunities for Kibera’s residents.

Explore the Maasai Mara’s open grasslands on included game drives, watching for lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras and other wildlife. A full day in the reserve includes a picnic lunch in the wild, leaving plenty of time to scan the plains and river country.

The Mara forms part of the wider Serengeti ecosystem. During migration season, vast herds of wildebeest and zebra may pass through, although wildlife sightings and the timing of the Great Migration can never be guaranteed.

Search for elephants and other wildlife on game drives through Amboseli, including an early outing when the plains begin to stir. Look for the park’s impressive long-tusked elephants and, when skies are clear, the snow-capped summit of Kilimanjaro beyond them.

Amboseli’s wetlands draw animals into a landscape of dry grassland and acacia. Its combination of close wildlife viewing and mountain scenery makes even a brief pause with the engine off worth savouring.

Visit the Shanga Community Project in Arusha, a social enterprise that creates employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Watch artisans practise weaving, glassblowing and beadwork, alongside paper-making and metalwork.

The visit reveals the skill behind locally made objects and the purpose behind their production. Meeting the project’s makers offers a grounded introduction to contemporary Tanzanian craftsmanship and an initiative built around inclusive work.

Descend into Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive across its grassland, wetlands and woodland. Watch for buffalo, elephants, lions and other animals as your safari vehicle crosses the floor of this vast volcanic caldera.

Protected by its steep walls, the crater supports a remarkable concentration of wildlife. It is one of the places to look for the Big Five, though sightings—including the elusive black rhino—depend on the animals and conditions on the day.

Travel the Serengeti’s sweeping plains on included game drives at different times of day, from morning searches to sunset wildlife viewing and a full day exploring. Watch for big cats, elephants, giraffes and the changing behaviour of animals as light and temperature shift.

The Serengeti is central to the annual wildebeest migration. If the herds are in the area, you may see wildebeest and zebra spread across the grassland; their movements, like all wildlife encounters, are unpredictable.

Explore Lake Manyara National Park on a game drive through a landscape that feels distinct from the open Serengeti plains. Scan the trees and surrounding habitat for wildlife, including the tree-climbing lions for which the park is known.

Set beneath the Great Rift Valley escarpment, Lake Manyara brings forest, grassland and lake-edge scenery into a compact area. The varied surroundings make the drive rewarding even when its famously elusive lions stay out of sight.

Opt for a game drive through Nairobi National Park aboard an overland truck. Search around waterholes and across the grassland for wildlife, with Nairobi’s skyline sometimes visible beyond the reserve.

Few capitals place a national park so close to their city centre. The contrast between savannah and cityscape makes this an unusual introduction to Kenya’s wildlife. This optional experience is at additional cost and can be booked on tour.

Visit the Sheldrick elephant nursery in Nairobi to watch young elephants play and bathe, and hear about their individual paths to rehabilitation. The visit offers a close look at the care involved in raising orphaned calves.

The nursery is part of a wider effort to protect Kenya’s elephants and prepare rescued animals for life beyond its care. This optional visit is at additional cost and can be booked on tour, subject to availability.

Visit a Maasai village near the Maasai Mara to meet residents and learn about their traditions. This hosted cultural encounter offers an opportunity to ask questions and hear about local customs from community members.

The Maasai have longstanding ties to the grasslands of Kenya and Tanzania, alongside lives and livelihoods that continue to evolve. This optional experience is at additional cost and can be booked on tour.

Choose an extra game drive in the Maasai Mara for another chance to search its grasslands for predators, grazing herds and other wildlife. A morning outing brings different light and fresh opportunities to observe animals on the move.

No two drives follow the same wildlife story: a distant cat may emerge, or elephants may cross the plains nearby. This additional drive is optional, at extra cost and bookable on tour.

Take to the water near Sagana for a white-water rafting adventure. Paddle with your group as the river alternates between moving current and lively rapids, with the surrounding greenery replacing the wide horizons of the safari parks.

Sagana’s riverside setting makes it a hub for outdoor activities in central Kenya. Rafting offers a hands-on change of pace from wildlife viewing. This optional activity is at additional cost and can be booked on tour.

Try rock climbing in Sagana, testing your grip and balance as you work your way up a climbing route. It is an active way to experience the area’s outdoor setting at a slower, more deliberate pace than a river adventure.

Each move calls for focus, making the view from the top feel earned. Climbing is one of several adventure activities available at the riverside base. This optional experience is at additional cost and can be booked on tour.

Take aim with an archery session in Sagana, practising the steady stance and concentration needed to send an arrow towards the target. The activity offers a more measured challenge amid the area’s energetic outdoor options.

Part of the appeal is noticing how small adjustments change each shot. It is a chance to try a hands-on skill while spending time at Sagana’s riverside adventure base. This optional activity is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Glide through the air on a zip-line experience in Sagana, trading the ground-level view for a brief rush above the outdoor activity site. The ride puts the area’s green riverside surroundings into a different perspective.

Zip-lining is a short, high-energy choice for travellers who want an adventure activity without taking to the rapids. This optional experience is at additional cost and can be booked on tour.

Join a Maasai village tour near Mto Wa Mbu to learn about local traditions through a hosted community visit. Meet residents and gain a perspective on the people who live in the region around northern Tanzania’s wildlife parks.

Mto Wa Mbu is a gateway to Lake Manyara and the wider safari circuit, but this experience focuses on cultural exchange rather than game viewing. The tour is optional, at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Explore the area around Mto Wa Mbu by mountain bike, taking in its local scenery at a pace that lets you feel the terrain beneath the wheels. It is an active alternative to viewing northern Tanzania entirely from a safari vehicle.

The town sits near Lake Manyara and the Great Rift Valley escarpment, giving the ride a setting shaped by both settlement and landscape. This optional activity is at additional cost and can be booked on tour.

Choose a canoeing experience on Lake Manyara for a water-level view of the lake and its Rift Valley surroundings. Paddling offers a quieter, more physical way to take in the scenery than a game drive.

The lake forms part of a landscape of wetlands, woodland and escarpment, giving this outing its own character within the safari region. This optional activity is at additional cost and can be booked on tour, subject to local conditions.

Head out for an optional night game drive near Lake Manyara and experience the wildlife area beyond daylight hours. Watch and listen for signs of animals active in the dark, when familiar surroundings take on a different atmosphere.

A night drive offers a contrast with the included daytime safari, but sightings depend on conditions and animal movements. This additional experience is at extra cost and can be booked on tour.

Opt for a game drive in Tarangire National Park, scanning for elephants among the park’s immense baobab trees. These two giants give Tarangire a distinctive silhouette and make its wildlife viewing feel different from the open plains elsewhere on the trip.

The Tarangire River is an important water source for animals, particularly in drier periods, though sightings vary by season and chance. This optional drive is at additional cost and can be booked on tour.