21 Days Kenya, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania and Zanzibar

Day 1: Nairobi to Lake Nakuru National Park

You will set off from Nairobi early in the morning led by our safari guide from Mj Safaris and travel to Lake Nakuru National Park to begin your 21 Days Kenya, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, and Zanzibar Safari. En route, you will make a stopover at the Escarpment View Point for the fascinating sight of the Great Rift Valley featuring its volcanic topography as well as its lakes. While you are here, you will slope into the Great Rift Valley to explore Lake Nakuru National Park. In addition to the large population of flamingoes in the park, Lake Nakuru National Park is among the best places to see rhinos plus buffaloes in Kenya.

On arrival have lunch before heading out for a game drive; You will get the opportunity to view the large diversity of birds as well as baboons, lions, waterbuck, leopards, zebras among others. The park houses the black and white rhinos that are really exciting to see.

Day 2: Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara

Maasai Mara is one of the famous national parks in Kenya therefore you should make sure to visit it on your safari to Kenya. You will set off for the park when you have finished breakfast. Forming a section of the expansive Serengeti plains, Maasai Mara is the stage on which part of the Great Migration which takes place every year where about 1.7 million wildebeest plus over 500,000 zebra plus antelopes migrate across the Mara River while searching for water on the Maasai Mara’s vast plains. In case you visit when the annual Great Migration is not taking place, you can still get to see the Big Five in addition to other wild animals in Kenya.

You will then have your lunch at your lodge after which you will set off for an afternoon and evening game drive as you look for giraffes, big cats plus elephants.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 3: Explore the Masai Mara

You will begin the day very early in the morning in order to have the extra ordinary chance to see the beautiful Maasai Mara sun rise. After a short breakfast, you will depart for the park to see the sun light up the savannah as well as the big cats use the cool of the morning to hunt for prey.

On the other hand, you can go for an optional safari in a hot air balloon where you will get an aerial view of the park after which you will land down on the plains for a champagne breakfast among the wildlife. You can consult more with Taste for Afrika on including a hot air balloon safari to your adventure.

Head back to your lodge for a late breakfast before setting out again with a well prepared picnic lunch to the park for a whole day tour of Maasai Mara. You could also choose to lay back and unwind at your lodge in the morning, have a delicious lunch while there and proceed to the park in the afternoon when the sun has reduced.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4: Masai Mara -Nairobi-Arusha

This will be our final day in the Masai Mara. You will start your day with breakfast then leave Maasai Mara for Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, where you will get your flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport. You will be met and welcomed by one of Taste for Afrika’s guides who will then transfer you to Out Post Lodge in Arusha where he/she will give you a short orientation about the Kilimanjaro Climb and Zanzibar section of the safari.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Out Post Lodge

Day 5: Mt. Kilimanjaro Climb – Transfer to Machame Park Gate

We will begin the day by departing to Machame Park Gate 5,950 ft. When you reach the gate, you will register then you will start your ascent through the rich forest. Hikers will probably listen to a number of exotic birds high up in the trees as well as possibly see the sykes monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys as

they ascend through the entwined forested area. We will then proceed to a heathland then we shall arrive at the camp site where we will spend the night which is Machame Camp. The hike is a bit lengthy and the forest floor is muddy however the trail is not steep.

Altitude reached: 9850 feet.

Total ascent time: 6 to 7 hours in the forest zone.

Accommodation: Machame Camp and all your meals will be provided.

Day 6: Transfer from Machame Camp to Shiro Camp

Today, you will hike through the stunning heath land plus alpine moorland with majestic views of the Mountain Kilimanjaro summit. We will start up the steep track via a savannah of high grasses as well as trees of Giant Heather and Erica. Climb around huge boulders as you reach the moorland zone, characterized by lobelia and senecio plants plus volcanic rocks covered with lichen beards that preserve wild alpine flowers developing at their bases.

Altitude reached: 12600 feet

Total ascent time: 5 to 6 hours

Accommodation: Shira Camp and all your meals will be provided

Day 7: Transfer from Shira Camp to Barranco Camp

We will move closer to the peak as we reach nearer the Lava Tower. The hike will turn out to be more tedious as the path becomes steep as you reach the Lava Tower which is a volcanic plug that stands at a height of 300 ft. which indicates a bare pass at 15,000 feet. Later in the afternoon, you will slope the steep track into the Great Barranco Valley. Barranco Camp is located on a cool encircled on three sides with the Kibo massif plus the steep valley walls. Suspended glaciers sparkle in the sunshine in the middle of this strange terrain whose flora including the rare local Giant Lobelia, giant groundsels as well as Senecio Kilimanjari. We will then gradually climb to Barranco Camp.

Altitude reached: 12950 feet

Total ascent time: 5 to 6 hours

Accommodation: Barranco Camp and all your meals will be provided

Day 8: Transfer from Barranco to Karanga Valley Camp

You will start the day with sloping into the gorge, then we will hike its eastern wall at which point we shall be able to clearly see the ice fields in Mountain Kilimanjaro which is an equatorial irregularity. We will then proceed hiking up to Karanga Valley which is our camp area.

Altitude reached: 13900 feet

Total ascent time: 4 to 5 hours

Accommodation: Karanga Valley Camp and all your meals will be provided

Day 9: Transfer from Karanga Valley Camp to Barafu Camp

We will hike up via the Karanga Valley; the path becomes constantly upward, trailing the lava ridge to the Barafu Camp. The temperatures will drop further as you continue and the terrain will become scantier as we get closer to Barafu Camp. Barafu camp is located on a small, bare even place on a ridge, which is the base camp where you will start your summit attempt later that night at midnight.

Altitude reached: 15,223 feet

Total ascent time: 6 to 7 hours

Accommodation: Barafu camp and all your meals will be provided

Day 10: Summit Attempt to Mweka Camp

Today we shall make our summit attempt. A little after midnight, we shall begin the difficult journey that will involve 12 to 17 hours of trekking. You will start your hike at 12:30 to 00:01 am, walking through the Rebmann plus Tarzel glaciers to the edge at the Stella Point. The temperatures vary a little under freezing at midnight from about 10°F to -10°F (-12°C to -23°C) before the morning at the peak. Close to daybreak, we will reach the Uhuru Peak (summit) which is the tallest point in Africa, standing at 19,340 feet. Uhuru Peak will be the pinnacle as well as your prize for almost 6 to 7 hours of difficult climbing. We will then slope back to Barafu Camp where you will take a break then proceed your slope down to Mweka Camp which is at an altitude of 9840 feet

Altitude reached: 19,340 feet (Uhuru Summit), and later 9840 feet

Total ascent time: 6 to 7 hours; total descent time: 3 to 4 hours

Accommodation: Mweka Camp and all your meals will be provided

Day 11: Transfer from Mweka Camp to Park Gate

We will take our last slope to the park gate, a hike that will last almost three to four hours. We will then part ways with the porters and guides and then we will travel to Arusha and you will spend the night at Out Post Lodge.

Total ascent time: 6 to 7 hours

Accommodation: Out Post Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and Dinner

Day 12: Transfer to Lake Manyara National Park

You will start the day with breakfast before setting off to Lake Manyara. Located at the foot of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, the park is popular for its majestic beauty. You will get to view a variety of wildlife including hippos, buffaloes, impalas, elephants as well as many others.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation Options: Isoitok Camp (mid-range hotel) or Lake Manyara Wildlife Camp (budget Hotel)

Day 13: Transfer from Lake Manyara to Serengeti NP

Following a nice breakfast you will set off to Serengeti National Park. You will have a stopover for lunch which you will have packed on Kopje – rock outcropping in Serengeti National Park and then you will proceed into the park on a game drive.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation Options: Mbugani Camp (mid-range hotel) or Kati Kati Tented Camp (budget Hotel)

Day 14: Explore Serengeti

You will spend the whole day in Serengeti enjoying game drives. Based on the time of the year that you visit in the park and the migration, you may be able to see elephants, zebras, wildebeest, monkeys, baboons, antelopes, lions, hippos, giraffes as well as birds and other wildlife.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation Options: Mbugani Camp (mid-range hotel) or Kati Kati Tented Camp (budget Hotel)

Day 15: Transfer to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area

You will start the day with breakfast then travel to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. When you get there, you will slope down to the crater floor for a fascinating game drive and you will have a picnic lunch within the Ngorongoro Crater.

Since some of the animals move in and out of the crater whose walls are about 2000 feet high, you will probably come across flamingos, jackals, elephants, zebras, rhinos, lions, hippos, antelopes plus a variety of bird species. Your experienced guide will be communicating with the other safari drivers and will surprise you with his ability to find hidden animals.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation Options: Mbugani Camp (mid-range hotel) or Kati Kati Tented Camp (budget Hotel)

Day 16: Transfer to Arusha, Flight to Zanzibar

You will have breakfast then head back to Arusha in the afternoon where you will get your flight to Zanzibar. On arrival you will be me and welcomed by a e for Afrika tour guide who will lead you on this section of the safari. You will then be taken to your accommodation for dinner and the overnight

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation Options: Matemwe Beach Village or Zanzibari Hotel or any other accommodation facilities of your choice

Day 17 to 19: Zanzibar Beach Holiday

You will unwind and relax at the beaches in Zanzibar. There are so many water

sports that you can participate in including boat trips, snorkeling, scuba diving among others.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation Options: Matemwe Beach Village or Zanzibari Hotel or any other accommodation facilities of your choice.

Day 20: Spice Tour & Stone Town Tour

You will start the day with a nice breakfast then you will depart to Stone Town. En route, we will take the popular Spice Tour. We have come up with a unique Spice Tour which will provide you with knowledge about the spices as well as organically grown herbs. We shall also provide you with in depth information about the local uses of these herbs and spices in cooking or medicine. When the tour is over, you will have a delicious lunch and you will get to enjoy the different fruits and spices. This trip will enable you explore the popular Stone Town which is like stepping back in the past. You will also tour the Arab Fort, the Palace Museum People’s Palace plus the House of Wonders as well as other places. It is a captivating view of the spirit of Zanzibar. You will get to observe the ornately carved plus studded doors, countless mosques, vibrant markets, winding alleyways as well as the two cathedrals.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation Options: Tembo Hotel or Dhow Palace Hotel or any other accommodation facilities of your choice.

Day 21: Departure

Today will be the final day of our 21 day safari adventure with MJ Safaris. We hope you enjoyed your holiday and hope to see again marking the end of this 21 Days Kenya, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania and Zanzibar Safari.