Kenya & Tanzania Adventure

You can arrive at the start hotel at any time today. There are no activities planned, so relax and settle into Nairobi life. To make things easy, there are free transfers available from the airport, see the Joining Instructions in the Trip Notes for more information.Accommodation: Heron Hotel (or similar)

We travel west into the Great Rift Valley to the lakeside town of Naivasha. This is a lovely scenic route that takes us to Naivasha, which is where we stay for the night. While the crew set up the camp, you can enjoy a boat ride, where you have the chance to spot some of beautiful birdlife and elusive hippos.Accommodation: Crescent Campsite, Oloiden Camp (or similar) - full-service camping

This morning we drive to Lake Nakuru National Park where we enjoy a superb game drive. Although this is a small park it is home to an amazing variety of animals and birdlife. The park contains a soda lake, which is sometimes home to thousands of flamingos. We hope to see the endangered White and Black rhinos, lion and if we are very lucky the elusive leopard. There is a stunning view from baboon cliffs above the lake, and here we may see the small furry Rock hyrax, which is related to the elephant! Tonight we camp just outside the park in a campsite with good showers and flush toilets.

Today we travel into the Masai Mara, one of the most famous ecosystems in the world. This vast grassland is teeming with life; plains game including wildebeest, gazelle, topis, zebras and buffalos, and never far away are the predators: cheetahs, lions and hyenas. Between mid-August and late October, one of the greatest spectacles on Earth takes place in the Mara – the annual migration of thousands of wildebeest, gazelles and zebras. Nothing is guaranteed on safari but, with the help of our brilliant guides, you should see and learn a huge amount about the resident wildlife as we game drive through the park this afternoon. We stay in a campsite just outside the reserve for the next two nights.Accommodation: Mara Springs Camp or similar (full-service camping)

We have a full-day game drive in the Masai Mara to increase our chances of encountering many of the wildlife species in the reserve. We find a quiet spot inside the park to enjoy lunch by our vehicle, looking across the plains. There are also several optional excursions you can enjoy today in addition to the game drive. Get up early for a sunrise hot-air balloon safari (including champagne and breakfast) or visit a traditional Maasai village to meet the local people.Accommodation: Mara Springs Camp or similar (full-service camping)

Our long drive today is up through the Western Highlands and allows plenty of time to appreciate the superb scenery. The road begins to descend and we leave the neatly ordered rows of tea bushes as we cross the border into Tanzania at Isebania. We camp in a pleasant spot at Musoma on the shore of Lake Victoria.Accommodation: Tembo Beach / Matvilla beach or similar (full-service camping)

Today, we turn east and enter the vast Serengeti Plain, one of the largest parks in Africa. There is a choice of routes into the Serengeti, depending on the weather: if it is dry, the 130km of the Western Corridor, usually full of plains game, is open. If it is wet, however, this road, which is built on black cotton soil, is impassible, and we have to enter the park from the north, at Ikoma gate. We spend two nights in the park so we plenty of time to enjoy the vast open spaces and the variety of game. We camp at Seronera where there are various camping areas, all of them in open bush, with no fences to prevent the animals from visiting during the night. A real taste of wild Africa!

We leave early and it is often possible to watch elephants and other animals browsing close to the campsite. The morning is spent game driving in the eastern part of the park, where it is unusual not to spot a pride of lions, in their favourite place - under a big, shady tree. After crossing the vast grasslands we come to the Ngorongoro entry gate at Naabi Hill. We travel up towards the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater, the wide-open plains below stretching as far as the eye can see. Finally reaching the top, the crater opens up in front of us, a huge, natural caldera, one of the great sights of Africa.

The Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest unbroken caldera, formed when its volcano top erupted leaving fertile plains in its place. Before this happened, it was actually the highest mountain in Africa, towering over nearby Kilimanjaro. The crater is essentially made up of grassy plains, lush forest and a soda lake which houses flamingos and an array of birdlife. From the rim, at an altitude of 2400m, the cliff plunges down some 600m to the crater floor with a whole host of extinct volcanoes ringing the valley. Our campsite here is very basic indeed and can be very cold at night so please come prepared.

We descend to the crater floor in 4WD vehicles and spend the morning watching large numbers of plains game, and the ever-present predators around them. We'll search for hippos in the murky pools, and try to protect our food at lunchtime from the fearless Brown kites, as they swoop and snatch anything that appears to be edible! After a fantastic morning we continue our journey to the edge of the Rift Valley, where there is a great view over Lake Manyara (often tinted pink around the edges from large numbers of flamingos) and on to Arusha.

Take a morning flight over to the island of Zanzibar, 35km from the mainland. First visited by Arab traders in the 8th century, and countless travellers in the following centuries, the island is most famous for its spices, and infamous for being the centre of the East African slave trade. We spend our first night in Stone Town and then three nights by the beach. Stone Town is a myriad of small alleys and markets. We recommend a spice tour, around the island's plantations, with chances to taste and buy.

After a free morning in Stone Town we transfer to our hotel by the beach. There is plenty to occupy your days here. You can visit Prison Island, where difficult slaves were kept, or relax on the eastern and northern beaches, with excellent snorkelling, sailing in a dhow and plenty of fresh seafood. The local buses are efficient and enable you to travel all over the island, although hiring a jeep for a day or two is a more exciting way of getting about and not expensive. It's a fascinating mixture of culture, history and wonderful beaches.

Our adventure ends after breakfast. Those on the group flights will be transferred back to Stone Town for their flight to London.