13 Nights Epic Wilderness Experience

Stationed north of Amboseli and stretching over phenomenal unspoiled native land leased by the local Maasai people, Selenkay Conservancy is a wilderness sanctuary as breathtakingly rural as it gets. You will be collected by your private transfer upon arrival at the local airport and be whisked away to a gorgeous accommodation pinned in the untouched Kenyan wilderness, where animals will circle your campsite and birds will sing from the trees nearby. A game drive this afternoon will introduce you to the spectacles of Selenkay and share encounters with the fascinating flora and fauna.

Hemmed into lands owned by the local Maasai people, Selenkay is drenched in heritage and culture you will be pining to discover during your short stay in the wildlife paradise. Today, you may relish a full Maasai experience led by the indigenous people, including bush walks where you will encounter the flourishing ecosystems up-close and learn more about the diverse tapestry of flora and fauna as well as tours of the village where the Maasai people dwell. Delving into their local traditions and witnessing their unique customs, you will be blown away by the rural simplicity of these traditional people.

In Ol Kinyei, golden savannas sweep across the horizon, riverine forests proliferate from nutrient-rich soil in all directions, and rolling emerald plains span vast regions of the Masai Mara National Reserve. This staggeringly diverse conservancy is home to several charming campsites, one of which you will call home for the following few nights. Upon arrival, you will join your knowledgeable game ranger and head for the wilderness, traveling further across the savannas and deeper into the forests, spotting lazy lions resting in the shade, towering giraffes picking at acacia trees, and other fascinating creatures along the way.

Ol Kinyei is as much a bird viewing destination as it is an animal spotting one, boasting hundreds of bird species for you to pinpoint during your stay. Today, you will be chaperoned by an experienced ranger through the emerald forests veiling regions of the conservancy in search of the dazzling birdlife that flutters through the canopy. Following the calls of fish eagles soaring overhead and the sightings of vultures circling a fresh kill, you will stumble upon an array of remarkable birdlife during your birding safari through the savannah.

Pinned in the heart of Tanzania and boasting the renowned Seronera Valley, an untouched wilderness sanctuary teeming with wildlife-viewing opportunities, the Central Serengeti is one of the world-famous safari retreats for all visitors on the African continent. Today, you will transfer to a gorgeous campsite tucked in the viridian hills that cascade across the Serengeti. From here, you will have access to the breathtaking ecosystems blanketing the Serengeti, including endless savannah plains where wildebeest can be seen migrating and thick acacia woodlands where leopards can be spotted sleeping in the trees.

The Serengeti stretches far beyond the horizon with great sweeps of grassland that are dotted with up to two million mammals. Wildebeest gallop, hyenas snarl and vultures circle while lions hunt, elephants march and hippos bathe in the mud. It is all here, and it plays out in high definition. The Serengeti rumbles north, where it meets the Mara River and the Maasai Mara, and it continues west, towards the private Grumeti Reserve along the Serengeti's Western Corridor. You will arrive here by flight and soar over the plains from Ngorongoro to Grumeti.

You may be fortunate enough to witness the Great Migration, one of the world’s greatest natural spectacles. During the event, millions of wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, and other small animals race across the stretching savanna with snapping predators at their heels and cross immense rivers inhabited by hungry crocodiles. If you miss the migration, you will have nothing to worry about, as safari excursions in the premier wildlife-sighting spots across the Serengeti will show off the wonders of the natural world.

East Africa's dazzles from the sky and today's three flights will provide a string of incredible sights. First back to Nairobi to admire the Maasai Mara from the air and pick out the herds on the plains. Then, from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro International and the plane's route will dissect the volcanic peaks of Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro. After a 30-minute transfer to Arusha, you will take another light aircraft to Manyara and the Ngorongoro region, an idyllic introduction to the landscapes of Tanzania. The views continue by as you stay in your opulent lodge perched on the rim of the crater. Maasai warriors accompany you through the grounds as many wild animals pass through here, including elephants, and a personal butler will discreetly attend to your needs.

Ngorongoro is East Africa is microcosm as the crater is home to six different habitats and an astonishing diversity of the big game. The region will feel like a utopian world as an Eden for a colorful collection of species. Flamingo tinge the lake pink to guide you down towards pride of black-maned lions and giant elephant bulls. Warthog and hyena scurry around while large buffalo herds slowly graze. Impala and hartebeest are on the move past the watchful herds of zebra. Jackal appear, and then eland and the furtive moves of a leopard. Often, it's difficult to know which way to look.

Some 25,000 large animals occupy this crater and with a single panoramic photo, you can nearly capture all of them. It seems as if everything is here and creates a giant animal party, or a celebration of nature's perennial rhythm. There is also drama, as lionesses bite into a fresh zebra carcass, jackals harry for scraps, elephants clash by the water and then a huge ruckus erupts as hippos fight in the lake. While it may appear to like Eden, there is still the fabulous interaction between the cast of animals. You are permitted to spend six hours on the crater floor and with your accommodations near the rim, you can enter at sunrise before the day-trippers arrive around late morning. This scheduling will help to give Ngorongoro a more exclusive feel and let you see it at the most active time of day.

After breakfast, you will be picked up by your safari guide and transfer by road to Tarangire National Park. Upon arrival you will check in at the Kuro Tarangire Lodge. Kuro Tarangire lodge was opened in 2014, and is one of Tanzania’s newest camps and a classic Nomad safari experience. Tucked away in a secluded area of Tarangire National Park, this is a good option for those wanting Nomad’s tried and tested combination of luxury, environmental awareness and great guiding. Six large, light safari rooms made of canvas and thatch with verandahs and in door and outdoor showers and flush loos. Open-sided, airy, grass thatched lounge and dining room furnished with hides, canvas and a touch of colourful textiles. The family tent consists of two en-suite bedrooms.

Boasting sweeping golden pastures and Tanzania’s biggest elephant population, Tarangire National Park is a wilderness paradise you will enter after privately transferring from Arusha Airport. After you arrive at the park, settlements will give way for nature, and emerald landscapes speckled with diverse flora and fauna will unroll beyond you towards the horizon.

Tarangire National Park, notorious for its huge elephant population that increases throughout the dry season, a stay in Tarangire is perfect at the beginning or end of a Northern itinerary for those who enjoy a safari of solitude. The meandering dry Tarangire River is beautiful to drive next to and the baobab studded horizon is perfect for photo opportunities. Buffalo herds number in their hundreds and about ten-percent of the park is also covered by an incredible swamp that attracts an abundance of animals (both prey and predators) during the heat of the day. The variety in landscapes also makes Tarangire is birders paradise, from the open plains to the swamp, there are hundreds of species to tick off here.

Mornings in Tarangire National Park are magical, and you will be besotted with the blazing sunrise scenes from your marvelous campsite while the symphonies of the wilderness soundtrack these morning moments. You will enjoy a delightful breakfast followed by a short safari drive to conclude your stay in Africa, capturing enchanting portraits of the indigenous wildlife and staggering scenescapes of the far-reaching regions of Tarangire’s untouched wilds. Although the final experience of your trip, you will be thrilled to explore Tarangire one last time before you leave.