10 Days Big Five Luxury Safari – Kenya & Tanzania Combined

Safari Overview: Kenya Tanzania Luxury Safari

Indulge in the ultimate African safari experience with this meticulously crafted 10 Day Big Five Luxury Safari, designed exclusively for the discerning traveler. This extraordinary journey seamlessly blends the best of Kenya and Tanzania, taking you to the most iconic wildlife destinations on the continent. From the private conservancies of the Maasai Mara to the legendary Serengeti plains and the breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater, you will search for the African elephant, rhinoceros, Cape buffalo, lion, and leopard in their natural habitats. Every element of this itinerary has been curated for comfort, exclusivity, and unforgettable wildlife encounters. You will stay in award winning luxury lodges and tented camps, dine under star lit skies, and enjoy private game drives in custom built 4×4 vehicles. Africa Exotic Safaris has partnered with premier camps that offer personal butlers, fine dining, and spa treatments, ensuring that your days of thrilling game viewing are followed by evenings of pure relaxation. This is not merely a safari. It is a celebration of Africa’s wild grandeur, delivered with impeccable style.

Quick Tour Specifics: Kenya Tanzania Luxury Safari

Safari Highlights: Kenya Tanzania Luxury Safari

• Track the African Big Five lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino across two of the world’s greatest wildlife ecosystems.
• Witness the Great Migration from both the Kenyan and Tanzanian sides, including possible river crossings in the Mara River.
• Enjoy private, exclusive game drives with no crowds, led by professional guides with decades of combined experience.
• Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater, a natural amphitheater teeming with over 25,000 large mammals including endangered black rhinos.
• Stay in ultra luxury lodges and camps featuring private plunge pools, verandas overlooking wildlife watering holes, and gourmet cuisine.
• Experience a sundowner cocktail on the Serengeti plains as the sun paints the horizon in fiery oranges and reds.
• Take an optional hot air balloon safari at sunrise, followed by a champagne breakfast in the bush.
• Fly between reserves via light aircraft, saving time and offering spectacular aerial views of the Rift Valley.

Detailed Day by Day Safari Activities: Kenya Tanzania Luxury Safari

Day 1: Arrival in Nairobi – Welcome to Kenya

Your luxury safari begins the moment you land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. An Africa Exotic Safaris representative will greet you personally and escort you to your exclusive boutique hotel or lodge on the outskirts of the city. Depending on your arrival time, you may choose to visit the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to see orphaned elephants being fed, or the Giraffe Centre to come nose to nose with endangered Rothschild giraffes. In the evening, enjoy a welcome dinner featuring contemporary Kenyan cuisine. Your safari guide will visit you after dinner to conduct a private briefing, review your preferences for game drives, and ensure all your travel documents are in order. Rest well in your luxurious room, because tomorrow the adventure takes you to the legendary Maasai Mara.

Meals: Dinner
Accommodation Options: Luxury: Hemingways Nairobi | Mid Range: Tamarind Tree Hotel | Budget: Eka Hotel Nairobi (though this is a luxury safari, we provide options for flexibility)

Day 2: Fly to Maasai Mara – Afternoon Game Drive in the Private Conservancy

After a leisurely breakfast, you will be transferred to Wilson Airport for a scheduled light aircraft flight to the Maasai Mara. The one hour flight offers stunning views of the Great Rift Valley and the volcanic landscape below. Upon landing at one of the Mara’s private airstrips, your guide from the luxury camp will meet you and drive you to your accommodation. After checking in and enjoying a gourmet lunch, you will set out for your first afternoon game drive. Unlike the main reserve, the private conservancies bordering the Maasai Mara National Reserve offer exclusive wildlife viewing with very few other vehicles. Here you can drive off road to get closer to the action. Within hours, you may spot a lion pride resting after a kill, a leopard draped over a sausage tree branch, and herds of elephants marching in single file. Return to camp as the sun sets. A bush dinner can be arranged under the stars upon request. Fall asleep to the distant roar of lions.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation Options: Luxury: Mahali Mzuri (Virgin Limited Edition) | Mid Range: Mara Engai Lodge | Budget: Ashnil Mara Camp

Day 3: Full Day in Maasai Mara – The Hunt for the Big Five

Wake early for a sunrise game drive, the best time to see predators returning from a night of hunting. Your guide will prepare a bush breakfast in a scenic spot overlooking the Mara River. Spend the entire day exploring the reserve, with a break for a picnic lunch under a shade tree. The Maasai Mara is renowned for its dense population of lions and the annual Great Migration. Depending on the season, you may witness thousands of wildebeest and zebra crossing the Mara River, braving crocodiles and swift currents. Your guide will position your vehicle for the best views while respecting the animals’ space. You will also search for the elusive leopard, often found in the riverine forests. In the late afternoon, enjoy sundowner drinks on a hilltop as the savannah glows gold. Return to camp for a gourmet dinner. Optional activity: night game drive in the conservancy to spot nocturnal creatures like aardvarks, genets, and hunting hyenas.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation Options: Same as Day 2

Day 4: Maasai Mara to Serengeti (Tanzania) – Crossing Borders in Style

After breakfast, you will take a short flight from the Maasai Mara to the Serengeti’s Kogatende or Seronera airstrip. This seamless air transfer takes you directly from Kenya to Tanzania without the need for a long road journey. You will clear customs at the airstrip. Upon landing, a new Tanzania based Africa Exotic Safaris guide will welcome you and drive you to your luxury camp in the Serengeti. The Serengeti is the older sibling of the Mara, part of the same ecosystem but vaster and wilder. After lunch at camp, you will embark on an afternoon game drive on the Serengeti plains. The landscape stretches endlessly, dotted with acacia trees and granite kopjes. Here you may see cheetahs sprinting after gazelles, large herds of buffalo, and perhaps the rare black rhino in the remote areas. Return to camp for a sumptuous dinner. Your camp may offer a stargazing deck with a telescope.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation Options: Luxury: Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti | Mid Range: Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge | Budget: Serengeti Heritage Camp

Day 5: Full Day in Central Serengeti – The Endless Plains

Rise before dawn for a hot air balloon safari, an optional but highly recommended experience. Drift silently over the plains as the sun rises, watching herds of wildebeest and zebra from above. After landing, celebrate with a champagne breakfast in the bush, complete with tables and white linen. Alternatively, enjoy a traditional morning game drive. Your guide will focus on the Seronera region, known for its year round wildlife due to the perennial rivers. This is one of the best places in Africa to spot leopards lounging in acacia trees. You will also see large prides of lions, including cubs playing near their mothers. After a picnic lunch, continue your exploration. In the late afternoon, visit a hippo pool to watch these enormous creatures grunt and splash. As dusk falls, your guide will find a perfect spot for sundowner cocktails. Return to camp for dinner. You may request a private dining experience on your veranda.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation Options: Same as Day 4

Day 6: Central Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater Rim – Into the Highlands

After breakfast, you will drive south through the Serengeti, enjoying a game drive en route. The landscape gradually changes from flat plains to rolling hills as you approach the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. You will stop at Olduvai Gorge, the famous archaeological site where Louis and Mary Leakey discovered some of the earliest hominid fossils. Visit the small museum and learn about human evolution. Continue to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera. Your lodge is perched on the rim, offering breathtaking views of the crater floor 600 meters below. In the afternoon, you can relax on the viewing deck, watching the clouds drift over the crater. As the sun sets, the crater walls glow deep orange and purple. Enjoy a gourmet dinner with a view. Your guide will brief you on tomorrow’s early descent.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation Options: Luxury: Ngorongoro Crater Lodge (andBeyond) | Mid Range: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge | Budget: Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge

Day 7: Ngorongoro Crater Game Drive – The Garden of Eden

Wake before dawn for a quick breakfast and then descend the steep road into the Ngorongoro Crater floor. Because the crater is a closed ecosystem, wildlife is incredibly dense and relatively easy to spot. Your goal today is to complete your Big Five checklist. The crater is one of the best places to see the endangered black rhino, often grazing in the open grasslands. Lions are plentiful, sometimes resting on the road. You will see large herds of Cape buffalo and elephants with impressive tusks. Leopards are more elusive but can be found in the Lerai Forest. After a morning of game driving, you will stop at a designated picnic site near a hippo pool, where you can enjoy your lunch while watching hippos jostle for space. Spend the afternoon exploring the crater floor, including the Gorigor Swamp and Lake Magadi, a shallow soda lake teeming with flamingos. Around 4:00 PM, you will ascend back to the rim. Return to your lodge for a relaxing evening and farewell dinner in Tanzania.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation Options: Same as Day 6

Day 8: Ngorongoro to Lake Manyara or Tarangire – Optional Extension

Today offers flexibility. Depending on the season and your preferences, you will drive to either Lake Manyara National Park or Tarangire National Park. Lake Manyara is famous for its tree climbing lions and vast flocks of flamingos. Tarangire is known for its giant baobab trees and huge elephant herds. Your guide will recommend the best option based on current wildlife movements. After a morning game drive, you will enjoy a picnic lunch inside the park. In the afternoon, continue exploring before driving to your luxury lodge near the park. This day adds a different landscape to your safari, from groundwater forests to ancient baobabs. Return to your lodge for a final evening of relaxation, perhaps with a spa treatment or a swim in the infinity pool.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation Options: Luxury: Lake Manyara Tree Lodge (for Manyara) or Tarangire Treetops (for Tarangire) | Mid Range: Manyara Wildlife Safari Camp or Tarangire Sopa Lodge | Budget: Migunga Forest Camp or Tarangire Safari Lodge

Day 9: Full Day at Lake Manyara or Tarangire – A Final Wildlife Feast

Spend a full day exploring your chosen park. If you select Lake Manyara, you will drive through the ground water forest, spotting blue monkeys and bushbucks, then open onto the flood plains where elephants and giraffes roam. The lake shore is often pink with lesser flamingos. If you select Tarangire, you will search for the famous tree climbing pythons, though they are rarely seen, and marvel at the herds of up to 300 elephants. The park also offers excellent birding with over 550 species. Enjoy a picnic lunch at a scenic viewpoint. In the late afternoon, you will return to your lodge. This is your last full night on safari. Celebrate with a private bush dinner or a traditional Maasai dance performance arranged by your lodge.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation Options: Same as Day 8

Day 10: Drive to Arusha or Kilimanjaro Airport – Departure

After a final leisurely breakfast overlooking the African wilderness, you will check out and drive to Arusha. The journey takes approximately two to three hours depending on your location. Upon arrival in Arusha, you will have a farewell lunch at a renowned restaurant such as The Blue Heron or a lunch at the Arusha Coffee Lodge. Your guide will then transfer you to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your departure flight. As you check in, you will carry with you the memories of lions roaring at dawn, elephants crossing your path, and the profound silence of the crater floor. This 10 Day Big Five Luxury Safari has delivered the very best of East Africa. Africa Exotic Safaris thanks you for choosing us, and we look forward to welcoming you again.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Inclusions: Kenya Tanzania Luxury Safari

• Private airport transfers in Nairobi and Arusha.

• Light aircraft flights from Nairobi to Maasai Mara and from Maasai Mara to Serengeti (including luggage allowance).

• All internal flights as described with applicable taxes.

• Accommodation for 9 nights in luxury lodges and tented camps as per the itinerary.

• All meals as indicated (breakfast, lunch, dinner) plus selected house drinks at some luxury camps (check specific camp policies).

• Private 4×4 safari vehicle with pop up roof, Wi-Fi, refrigerator, and professional guide.

• Unlimited game drives in all reserves and parks.

• Ngorongoro Crater descent fee and vehicle entry fee.

• All park entrance fees and conservation levies.

• Bottled water, soft drinks, and beer/wine during game drives (at most luxury camps).

• Sundowner cocktails as described.

• Olduvai Gorge museum entry fee.

• Flying doctor emergency evacuation cover (limited to first aid and evacuation).

• All government taxes and service charges.

Exclusions: Kenya Tanzania Luxury Safari

• International flights to and from Nairobi and from Kilimanjaro (or vice versa).

• Visa fees for Kenya and Tanzania (available online or on arrival).

• Travel and medical insurance (mandatory for all travelers).

• Tips and gratuities for guides, camp staff, and drivers.

• Premium alcoholic beverages (champagne, premium spirits, vintage wines).

• Optional hot air balloon safari in the Serengeti or Maasai Mara (approximately USD 500 to 600 per person).

• Personal expenses such as laundry, souvenirs, spa treatments, and phone calls.

• Any item not explicitly listed in the inclusions.