You depart from the Boulevard Hotel of Nairobi and climb the escarpment to your first viewpoint stop overlooking the Great African Rift Valley. You descend into the Rift Valley, which for centuries has been home to the Masai Tribe whose people are regularly seen on the side of the road tending their flocks and herds. You arrive at your campsite, Acacia Camp, in the early evening in time to relax as the sun sets over the Masai Mara.

Today you can enjoy game drives through the Mara, widely considered to be Africa's greatest wildlife reserve. This 'Garden of Eden' with its gently rolling grasslands and abundance of game is also home to Africa's Big 5. Sitting around a campfire, watching the sunset and sharing stories of the day's sightings is the perfect way to round off a day's game viewing in the Mara.

You depart the Masai Mara early in the morning and travel to the 3rd largest town in Kenya, Nakuru, where you stop for the night. Nakuru is a cheerful agricultural town and a good place to re-stock and shop.

Today you cross the border into Uganda and travel via the lakeside town of Jinja, the Source of the River Nile, to Kampala, Uganda's capital city and your 'home' for the night.

You depart Kampala in the early morning and drive further into the depths of Uganda and your base in Kisoro.

From Kisoro, depending on permits, you will head to either the Magahinga or Bwindi National Parks in Uganda, the Virunga National Park in the DRC or Ruhengeri in Rwanda. Here you spend the day trekking through lush forest, in search of the gentle and elusive mountain gorillas.

A short drive through picturesque scenery takes you to Lake Bunyoni, the deepest crater lake in Africa and home to a large number of bird and fish species, as well as otters. You spend the night at the lake.

After your energetic trekking you can enjoy a whole day at leisure, surrounded by the beauty of Lake Bunyoni. You may wish to go swimming, visit the local villages or just sit back, relax and appreciate your tranquil surroundings.

Today you cross the equator for the 2nd time on your return to the city of Kampala. Stop for a photo of you standing in both hemispheres. You spend another night at Kampala, with the opportunity to sample Uganda's nightlife.

Choose between some of the best white water rafting on the Nile River or visiting the Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary where you can assist in the feeding of orphaned chimpanzee. Your overnight camp is right on the edge of the Nile River where there is an abundance of resident birdlife, and some truly amazing photo opportunities from right outside your tent.

Today is a full day's driving back towards Kenya. You cross the border before lunch and stop for supplies en route. Tonight you overnight again in the town of Nakuru.

You travel to Lake Nakuru National Park, famous for the thousands of flamingoes that inhabit its shallow waters. The park is also a sanctuary for black and white rhino, which are frequently seen along with other African wildlife including buffalo, giraffe, waterbuck, various antelope, leopard and the occasional hippo. After entering the park in the morning, the rest of the day is spent on a game drive.

Moving further east, you drive to Lake Naivasha where you set up camp in peaceful surroundings on the lake's shore. The highest of the Rift Valley lakes, Naivasha lies at about 1880m and is home to a multitude of birdlife, most notably the African Fish Eagle. Your afternoon is spent at leisure and you may have the opportunity (time permitting) to enjoy some optional excursions, such as a boat ride to the Crescent Island Game Sanctuary, Hell's Gate National Park or Elsamere, the retirement home of Joy Adamson (of "Born Free" fame).

After breakfast you leave Naivasha and return to Nairobi, arriving in the early afternoon. The truck will stop at the Boulevard Hotel for those who are scheduled to leave the tour here or for others to join. You then continue to your campsite for the night.

You depart Nairobi and drive south, crossing the border into Tanzania at Namanga, and continue to Arusha. This is a pleasant town situated at the base of Mount Meru, and is the starting point for your optional excursion to the Ngorongoro Crater and/or the Serengeti.

You are taken in locally operated Land Rovers, which are specially adapted for safari use. Depending on which option you choose, you will be away from the Arusha campsite for either one or 2 nights.

If you take up the 2-night/3-day option you will depart Arusha in the morning with your vehicles and guides. The drive to the Serengeti National Park takes you through the Masai town of Mtu Wa Mbu (Mosquito River) and up into the Ngorongoro Reserve for a glimpse of the Ngorongoro Crater before descending down onto the plains of the Serengeti. The abundance of game in this area is truly astounding. The afternoon will be spent game viewing before setting up camp in the midst of the national park, probably the best-known wildlife sanctuary in the world. At night you fall asleep listening to the sounds of the wild.

After a full morning's game drive in the Serengeti you return to pack up camp and head back towards the Ngorongoro Crater. You travel up to rim of the crater and your campsite for the evening. We suggest you pack your winter woollies as it can get very cold during night.

For those taking the 1-night/2-day option, you are collected from Arusha in the afternoon and transferred to the town of Karatu for the evening. Tomorrow you join the rest of the group for your Ngorongoro game drive.

In the morning you descend into the Ngorongoro Crater. With its 600m-high walls and 20km diameter, it is one of the natural wonders of the world. There is an abundance of wildlife and some say the crater floor offers the finest game viewing in Africa. After spending the full morning in the crater you will return to the campsite near Arusha for another night. Both optional excursions will follow the same schedule today.

You leave Arusha and head towards the Indian Ocean. Travelling through the town of Moshi, you cross the southern slopes of the highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro. You may catch a glimpse of this magical mountain's snowy summit. Continuing south you pass the Usambara Mountains through vast sisal plantations, and on towards Dar es Salaam.

Today is another long day's drive past beautiful lush scenery and palm trees. On arrival in Dar es Salaam, you set up camp for the night at a beach hotel/ campsite that is situated to the north of the city. Spend the evening at leisure, relaxing and preparing for your morning departure to the island of Zanzibar.

Please note: We can organise accommodation for you whilst on Zanzibar, although from past experience our clients usually prefer to explore this exotic island on their own. Therefore accommodation and food is for your own account whilst on Zanzibar.

A ferry from Dar es Salaam takes you to the legendary "Spice Island", your home for the next 3 nights. Zanzibar is steeped in history and was one of the major starting points for most East African explorers in their quest for new lands.

The next 2 days are spent exploring Zanzibar and its surrounding islands at your leisure.

Leaving Zanzibar, you take the ferry back to the mainland and Dar Es Salaam, with its colonial buildings and palm-lined port, where your safari comes to an end.