13 Nights East Africa Bush and Beach Expedition

Upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, we will meet you in style- for assistance and transfer to your hotel of stay where you are booked on bed and breakfast basis. Overnight at Hemingways Nairobi. The beautiful Hemingways Nairobi is situated a mere 40 minutes from Nairobi’s international airport, where it is spread across flourishing grounds in the exclusive suburb of Karen. This elegant boutique hotel is enchanting in its decor and flooded with natural light. Its well-appointed, ensuite rooms each have a private balcony overlooking the iconic silhouette of the Ngong Hills.

Guests are treated to the services of a discreet, highly trained butler whose role is to ensure a hassle-free stay. Tuck into delicious European-inspired fare at the Brasserie and enjoy refreshing beverages at the convivial bar. Guests seeking to unwind can make use of the first-class spa facilities or simply enjoy the sense of blissful seclusion, luxury on the edge of wilderness.

On a short safari, you will swap Nairobi for the Maasai Mara. Your aircraft will touch down directly in Mara North, which is the far north of the Serengeti and Maasai Mara ecosystem. This is a private conservancy that is adjacent to the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Access is restricted to guests staying in the conservancy, and the rules are different. Here, you can go on game walks, and most importantly, you can drive off the trails. This is essential for close-up encounters with the big cats, particularly leopards and cheetahs. Having fewer guests also provides exclusivity.

On an afternoon game drive, you will gain more first impressions. Open grasslands will be punctuated by sun-scorched rocks where lions will lazily watch you pass. Thomson’s gazelle will skip cheerily across the plains, and elephants will be conspicuous. There will be a moment where time stands still, and through the grass, you will identify moving spots. Going off the trail, you will get closer, and you will witness a leopard prowling towards the gazelle, moving beautifully with its cloak of camouflage. Every wildlife sighting will be special. Some, like leopards, really make your heart stop, and it is these experiences that make Mara North so unforgettable.

Entering the main national reserve, you must stick to trails. These grasslands are packed with life every month of the year. Wildebeest cross the river around late July and early August, but this is not the best time to visit. Crowds detract from the experience, and many visitors wait three to four days just to see a crossing. While 2 million mammals make up the migration, these are just wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, and spotted hyena. These animals have the stamina to travel, and they are joined by vultures in the air.

You will travel by land to the Serengeti, which will prove to be an adventurous journey that showcases how the landscape changes. There are more kopjes and undulations in the Masai Mara, which means more hiding places for predators. South of the Mara River, it is very flat. It is so flat that there is sometimes a mirage that appears along the horizon. When driving south, it will seem like there are no animals. For an hour, there may be nothing, just lush, high-rising grass and the occasional elephant. Soon, you will cross a ridge, and you will suddenly be confronted by hundreds of thousands of wild mammals.

This is where your camp is: in the midst of the great wildebeest migration. By moving with the migration, the seasonal camp ensures visitors are always in the heart of the action. So, it will not matter the time of year. Most of the herds are in the Serengeti from November until July, so if you visit from August to October this entire safari excursion will be the same. During these months, the Serengeti camp sets up around the southern bank of the Mara River. Not every wildebeest makes the river crossing. Often the weak and sick are left behind, which become easy prey for resident cats. You will arrive at Lemala Ewanjan Tented Camp, and the experience will all be about abundance with such a profusion of life spilling out all around you.

You will complete your journey as you drive south across the grasslands. Giraffes and elephants will watch you pass, cheetahs will hide in the grass, buffalo herds will huff as you stop beside them, and warthogs will scurry away from the water as hippos barrel into the water. You will now be accustomed to the key players of the landscape. Wildebeest will stretch out as hundreds of thousands of them cover an immense distance while zebra cluster together in tight herds, so their black and white stripes appear as a blur to predators. You will exit by crossing the Ndutu Plains and ascending into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area where your lodge will be perched on the crater rim.

Descending into the world’s largest volcanic caldera, you will find a wildlife Mecca. Giant elephant bulls will roam past you with horns so long they curl skywards. One lake has been painted pink by flamingos while another is dominated by hippo antics. Lions will be up to their usual tricks, chomping into zebra after using the morning mist as a hunting veil. Some 30,000 animals live in this crater, and as the mist clears, you will appreciate the grandeur. In one glance, you can view the entire caldera floor with perhaps ten different animal species in your 360-degree panorama. After ascending to the lodge for lunch, the afternoon will be left free with views into the crater being ideal for some tranquil safari reflections.

You will fly directly to Zanzibar and spend the day in Stone Town where a thousand years of history and culture play out on its mazy streets. Sounds will echo down lanes of coral houses, and smells entice with everything from stone-baked bread to small barbecues and intoxicating spices. At the Old Fort, you will hear tales of Zanzibar’s history from Omani rulers to Chinese traders and Arabian influence. The House of Wonders will share more modern stories, mostly from the 16th to 19th centuries. There is a majestic beauty at the Sultan’s Palace, which is a beautiful Zanzibari style. You will finish your alluring day at Darajani Market, which is the main bazaar that proves to be a hive of activity late in the day with everything from slabs of meat to sandals and spices.

You will continue your cultural exploration, focusing on Zanzibar’s role in the slave trade. It can be tough viewing, especially when hearing the stories or visiting Tippu Tip’s House. These stories are balanced by the Zanzibar of today, which is an exotic and enchanting maze that will be a delight to explore on foot. You will visit Jozani Forest and Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park where endangered red colobus monkeys will swing through the trees. They are plentiful on the island and are quite a sight with strange white faces that peer curiously to their human visitors down. Jozani is on route to your beach villa in Pingwe, which is where the culture and safari will fade away into white sand escapism.

From Pingwe, it will be a one-hour transfer to Zanzibar’s airport and your outbound flight.