12 Days Across East Africa Safari

Upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be met and assisted to transfer to Hemingways Nairobi. Overlooking the Ngong Hills in Nairobi’s tranquil and upscale neighbourhood of Karen, this luxurious boutique hotel is a haven of elegant charm. With great service and a tranquil atmosphere, Hemingways Nairobi makes an ideal 1- or 2-night stopover for travellers beginning or ending their Kenya safari. It is popular with high-level delegations and VIPs, and is a sought-after meeting place for well-heeled Kenyans.

Brilliantly decorated in a high colonial plantation style, Hemingways Nairobi is a gem of a boutique hotel located in the lush and quiet Nairobi suburb of Karen (named for Karen Blixen, who wrote Out of Africa under her pen name Isak Dinesen. Her beloved Ngong Hills are evocatively visible from the balcony of all Hemingways rooms.) However many stars a luxury hotel these days is said to merit—five? six?—Hemingways deserves the fullest measure. Its amenities are topflight: one of the capital city’s premier restaurants; spacious, individually and artfully decorated rooms; a sparkling spa, and its service is expert, amiable, and 24-hour-constant. We and our guests attest that Hemingways doesn’t exaggerate when they say that “Your dedicated butler will know that you prefer Earl Grey to Assam with your scones and Cornish clotted cream, and he’ll remember which trousers you like pressed flat and which ones need a central crease.”

You will be met at your hotel and be driven to the Nairobi’s Wilson airport. Fly by privately chartered air to the secluded Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, a 62,000-acre private game preserve and cattle ranch located on Kenya’s Laikipia Plateau. Transfer overland to Lewa Safari Camp, set against a backdrop of snowcapped Mount Kenya, and settle in to your comfortable thatched cottage, complete with private veranda.

Choose from an expert-led game drive by 4X4 safari vehicle or a guided walking safari accompanied by members of the local Maasai community, as you venture far from tourist crowds into wildlife-rich terrain where only guests within the conservancy may go. Watch for lions, leopards and cheetahs as well as elephants, rhinos — both black and white — dik-diks, reticulated giraffes, elands, impalas, Grevy’s zebras and Cape buffalo, all of which call Lewa home. You may also opt for a gentle horseback or camel ride, or a nighttime game drive, sighting otherwise elusive nocturnal species.

Board a privately chartered flight to the Masai Mara Game Reserve, upon landing you will be received and transferred to Naboisho Camp, before immersing yourself in the teeming Mara on an afternoon game drive. In addition to many of the species you encountered the day before, you may also see the topi (an antelope found only here) as well as hippopotamuses, warthogs, hyenas and an abundance of bird life. Later, return to your spacious tent set on a raised platform, enjoying the convenience of an en suite bathroom and a large deck for game viewing.

Over the next two days, discover the open savanna, woodlands and tree-fringed rivers of the Masai Mara. With help from your expert driver-guide, and a little patience, you may sight a leopard retrieving a kill from the branches of an acacia tree or elephants protecting their young from opportunistic lions. Perhaps also glimpse Maasai tribesmen traversing the plains or herding goats and cattle, pursuing the nomadic existence they have embraced for centuries. One morning here, for an added cost, you can opt to glide over the sprawling Mara, observing the flora and fauna from treetop level, on an enchanting hot air balloon ride. Adding to the drama is the unmatched natural spectacle of the annual Great Migration, when millions of wildebeests, zebras and other herd animals go on a relentless drive to find fresh grazing land, traversing the Mara from approximately August through early October.

Board a privately chartered flight to Serengeti National Park and then, early this afternoon, check in at Lemala Kuria Hills Lodge — a luxurious property located where, during certain times of the year, the annual migration might be observed. After time to settle in, set out on a game drive across the famed 10,000-square-mile Serengeti, which provides habitat to almost every African animal imaginable, from lions to hyenas, cheetahs to giraffes.

Enjoy another two days of morning and afternoon game drives through the vast Tanzanian landscape, observing the timeless circle of life on the Serengeti plains. Your explorations here may reveal giraffes, wildebeests, elephants and far more. One morning, opt for a hot air balloon ride, at an additional cost, for a lighter-than-air excursion across the boundless plains of the Serengeti.

Fly by private charter to Manyara to see how Africans live today, exploring in and around the village of Mto wa Mbu by tuk-tuk, a major form of transport here. View nearby rice fields and a banana plantation, and try banana beer at a local bar. Back in the village, walk through the local market to see the colorful produce on display. After lunch in Mto wa Mbu, continue to Lake Manyara for a treetop canopy tour. Stroll through ancient forests over a series of suspension bridges, flanked with thick netting for safety, and stop at viewing decks supported by tree trunks for a magnificent bird’s-eye view of the forest. You may spot massive grey elephants on the forest floor or blue monkeys playing tag with one another on the suspension bridges. Afterward, proceed to Ngorongoro Crater and your luxurious accommodations, situated on the edge of the crater’s rim

Over the next day, descend into Ngorongoro Crater for a full-day game drive, exploring the panoramic, short-grass prairies along the floor of this ancient volcanic caldera. Home to rare black rhinos as well as lions, hyenas and gazelles, this incredible "Lost World" is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This afternoon, visit a Maasai village and meet with an elder to learn about local culture and traditions. Then, witness a beadwork demonstration, observing talented local artisans at their craft. Tonight, gather for a special farewell dinner.

Fly back to Nairobi via Arusha and spend the afternoon at leisure in your dayroom accommodations. This evening, transfer to the airport for your departing flight.