Serengeti Trail

About this trip

Exactly what you do each day, where you sleep, and how it flows — written by us, from the real itinerary.

1. 1
   Day 1 · NairobiNairobi

   You'll meet your group at 6 pm in Nairobi. If you arrive early, the National Museum of Kenya and Karen Blixen Museum are worth visiting, or book a local day tour. Your leader can point you towards dinner spots where you can try Kenyan food and get to know your fellow travellers.

2. 2
   Day 2 · Amboseli National ParkAmboseli National Park

   

   Drive to Amboseli National Park, a 392-square-kilometre reserve famous for its large elephant population, including 'big tuskers' with tusks over 45 kg. On clear days you'll see Mt Kilimanjaro. Arrive and head straight out on a game drive to spot wildlife.

3. 3
   Day 3Naramatisho

   Cross into Tanzania and visit the Naramatisho Women's Centre, run by the Pastoral Women's Council. You'll be welcomed with traditional songs and dance, learn about their work supporting Indigenous pastoralist women, then visit the workshop to see Maasai beadwork before visiting a nearby Maasai village to understand daily life and traditions.

4. 4
   Day 4 · Ngorongoro Conservation AreaSerengeti National Park (Ngorongoro Crater)

   

   Pack your gear into a six-person jeep and head to Ngorongoro Crater for a 3-4 hour safari spotting black rhinos, lions, leopards, elephants and hippos within this intact volcanic caldera. Then drive onto the Serengeti plains, lush after rain or scorched during dry season, home to thousands of hoofed animals and predators.

5. 5
   Day 5 · Serengeti National ParkSerengeti National Park

   Rise before dawn for a game drive while animals are active, return for brunch at 11 am, rest during the heat, then head out again as evening cools. Alternatively, book a balloon safari: you'll be picked up before dawn, briefed on safety, then drift over the Serengeti at varying heights for aerial views and photography.

6. 6
   Day 6 · Serengeti National ParkKaratu

   Do a relaxed 4WD safari with a picnic lunch as you leave Serengeti National Park, taking in final views before the long drive to Karatu, where you'll stay for two nights.

7. 7
   Day 7 · KaratuKaratu

   Visit a local coffee farm hosted at the farmer's home. Pick ripe berries from the trees, watch the husk being removed, then roast, pound and grind the beans using traditional methods before drinking coffee with your host.

8. 8
   Day 8 · ArushaArusha / Nairobi

   Depart around 7.30 am for your final journey. You can end the trip in Arusha or continue to Nairobi, where you'll be dropped at a central hotel with no accommodation included. Extend your stay by contacting your booking agent if needed.

What's included

• Guide: On this trip you will be accompanied by three crew members - Group Leader, Cook and Driver who will usually be Kenyan. Your Group Leader’s role involves organizing the overall operation and smooth-running of the trip, managing trip logistics, coordinating the tipping kitty (where applicable) and will form work groups to take turns cooking, cleaning and shopping. (From time to time your leader may drive as well) Your Group Leader will work towards making the trip as safe and enjoyable as possible for all travellers. Intrepid trips are built around the co–operation and participation of all the group members under the supervision of the group leader. The group leader will show the group how to set up and use the equipment. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the countries visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. We also use local guides where we think more specific knowledge will add to the enjoyment of the places we are visiting, especially when tracking and identifying game - we think it's the best of both worlds. Regardless of the country of origin, our Group Leaders are chosen for their leadership skills and are wonderful ambassadors for our company and our beautiful continent and its people. Your Cook is responsible for the cooking and will help to coordinate the work groups for preparing the meals and washing up! Cooks are also responsible for organizing food shopping (they are always happy to have you on board) and most importantly, they make sure high hygiene standards are kept at all times while camping. Your Driver’s main responsibility is to get you to your destination safely; they are also responsible for the maintenance of the vehicles along the way. Everyone is expected to participate and carry their share of the workload/duties, making camp chores easier. The duties Rota system is adopted where all members share in general camp duties – cooking, shopping, washing up etc. If the whole group participates it will be quicker, easier, and more fun. We endeavour to provide the services of an experienced leader and crew; however, situations may arise where your leader is new to a particular region or training other group leaders.
• Meals: 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 6 dinners
• Activities: Amboseli National Park - Overland Vehicle Game Drive Naramatisho - Maasai Village Visit Naramatisho - Women's Centre Visit Ngorongoro Crater - 4WD Safari Serengeti National Park - Afternoon 4WD Safari Serengeti National Park - Morning 4WD Safari Karatu - Coffee Tour
• Transport: Our trucks are purpose-built, self contained safari vehicles. Our fleet of vehicles varies depending on your group size, trip route and style. Your vehicle type may differ from those listed above. It is also important to note that our overland vehicles are not air-conditioned, but all vehicles have windows that can be opened to allow for fresh air. Each seat will have access to a power socket to charge your devices. This outlet will use a UK/K: enyan 3 pronged outlet. There are many early starts with long hours spent driving on rough roads on all African itineraries. While most people love the chance to watch the changing landscape and daily village life, feedback shows that long periods of inactivity does not appeal to all clients. We provide the approximate distance covered each day and how many hours this normally takes to drive so that you can choose the safari experience that is right for you. African conditions are extremely tough on vehicles. While we fastidiously maintain our vehicles at our workshops, you should not expect Africa to be your traditional touring experience. While it's certainly our aim to avoid them, it's important that you set off on your trip knowing that the occasional breakdown can happen and are best treated as part of the African adventure. Due to wet weather there may be times when we have to take an alternative route which will mean longer travel times. Overland Vehicle, 4WD Safari Vehicle
• Accommodation: Accommodation on this trip is mainly in two-person canvas dome tents with camping mattresses supplied. The type and variety of accommodation are determined by conditions on each of our routes. Each route is different - on some, we use a mixture of campsites and wild camps; on others, we also use hotels. In Africa, it's not usually practical to camp when staying in towns and cities, so we use hotel accommodations and eat out in local restaurants. There may be the occasional night stop when we stay on the grounds of a hotel or at a campsite, which may also have rooms/cabins available. In this case, there may be a choice of camping or upgrading to a room. Rooms cost approximately USD : 40-100 per room per night for a twin room and cannot be pre-booked. Standards of these rooms vary greatly, and we recommend viewing the room before purchasing the night's accommodation. The day-by-day itinerary advises when upgrades may be possible (subject to availability). Keep in mind that if we are staying in dormitory accommodation, you may have to share with other passengers or be split into same-sex rooms. Campsites do have facilities, but they usually aren't to the same standard you would find in Western countries. For example, the bathroom facilities can be very basic. Toilet paper is rarely provided, and shower facilities can be as simple as a hose pipe spurting out cold water. Wild camps have no facilities at all. At times, there may be spare tents in the vehicles. Unfortunately, these cannot be used without the purchase of a single supplement. This is to ensure the tents avoid wear and tear or are clean and ready for the customers arriving on the next section of the trip., If you require a Sleep Apnea Machine to sleep please ensure that it is battery operated. Lodges and Permanent Tented Camps are often powered by generators which are turned off during the night. Hotel (1 night), Camping (with basic facilities) (3 nights), Camping (with facilities) (3 nights)

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