Karibu! Welcome to Kenya. Your adventure begins in Nairobi – Kenya’s capital – with a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight, where you’ll meet your local leader and fellow travellers. If you arrive early, perhaps head out and explore the National Museum of Kenya, the Karen Blixen Museum, or join a local guide on an Tuuur day tour who'll not only show you the sights but also lead you to the perfect lunch spot to try some local cuisine. When you've met your new travel buds, why not join your leader for an optional group dinner and get to know each other better. It’s very important that you attend the welcome meeting as we will be collecting insurance details and next of kin information at this time. If you are going to be late please let your travel agent or hotel reception know. Ask reception or look for a note in the lobby for more information on where the meeting will take place. Petty theft is common in Nairobi. As a general rule, the safest place for your valuables is on your person in a neck wallet or money belt. Your hotel room or reception may also have a safe in which to store things. If you do decide to go exploring, make sure you get local advice on where it is and isn't safe to walk – particularly for later in the day. Be careful not to leave bags unattended on chairs or the floor when you're in a bar or restaurant. Without being paranoid, appearing vigilant is a great deterrence to would-be thieves. Also, make scans of important travel documents and email them to yourself – this will save you hours of time in paperwork if anything does happen.

Transfer from Nairobi to the famous Maasai Mara – one of the best game reserves in Africa. On the way, you'll stop in Loita Hills – a remote region home to the traditional Maasai people. This is one of the key places where the Maasai people still practice their traditional way of life, with little influence from the Western world. Visit the Tepesua Village, known for championing Maasai women’s health and education. Maasai Warriors will welcome you here by way of traditional song and dance. Meet your hosts and attend a talk full of insights into this remarkable and ancient culture. Take a walk to the community village, which was founded for widows who can never remarry and lost their cows due to drought. The village offers support, safety and economic growth through the Tepesua Widows Income Project. Here, the women make handicrafts and sew handbags using sustainable materials as well as washable sanitary pads and backpacks to sell to visitors and locals. Learn about village life and be shown around a traditional Maasai home and its cattle enclosures. Continue to the outskirts of the Maasai Mara, where your permanent tented camp can be found. Your travel time today will be approximately 6 hours.

This morning, explore the Maasai Mara on a 4WD safari in the morning and the afternoon today to give you the best chance to spot iconic African wildlife. This is the quintessential African experience, and with sparse open plains and some of the world's most impressive animals, you won't soon forget this one. Keep your eyes peeled for wildebeest, lions, leopards, antelope and giraffes along the way. You also have the option to take a balloon safari this morning, giving you a rare chance to see the open plains at sunrise, teeming with wildlife. You'll be picked up before dawn and taken to the launch site for a safety briefing with your pilot. Then float through the sky, sometimes at tree level, offering incredible photo opportunities. At other times, you'll soar higher, taking in sweeping views of the vast plains and the early morning movements of the wildlife below. After landing, enjoy a glass of bubbly and bush breakfast before returning to camp to rejoin your group. The optional balloon safari over the Serengeti can be pre-booked at the same price as booking locally. You're welcome to decide once you're on the ground, but please note that this is a popular activity and places are limited. If you choose to participate, you will miss the morning part of the 4WD safari with the rest of the group.

Get ready for a long travel day as you journey toward the Kenya-Tanzania border and make your way to the magnificent Lake Victoria. This vast lake is the main source of the Nile, the longest river in the world, and spans the shores of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. On arrival, unwind with a lakeside dinner while you ponder the magnitude of the world’s largest tropical lake. Your travel time today will be approximately 10-11 hours, including border formalities.

Enjoy a relaxed morning, taking in the magnificent views of Lake Victoria in the morning light. Travel to Serengeti National Park, renowned for its incredible wildlife and vast, open landscapes. After passing through the park gate, experience the greatest commute possible as we slowly make our way to our permanent tented camp via the 'scenic safari route.' Along the way, stop to take photos of the abundant wildlife and stunning views. Tonight, you'll have a true African safari experience – with your comfortable safari camp set right in the heart of the Serengeti. After dinner, gather around the campfire to share stories, then fall asleep to the sounds of the wild. Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours, not including your safari en route to camp. Your safari tent is equipped with an ensuite, solar power, and private veranda. The camp is unfenced, and there's a good chance wildlife will be nearby or wander through camp, particularly at night. Your leader will provide a full safety briefing upon arrival.

Wake to another glorious day in the Serengeti National Park. Start the day with an early morning 4WD safari to spot the wildlife when they're at their most active. Then, return to camp for a relaxed brunch. This afternoon, head off again for another drive through the park. Return to camp for dinner and another night under the Serengeti's stars. You might also opt to take a balloon safari over the park this morning. If you have booked this activity, you will be picked up before dawn and driven to the launch site. After a safety briefing, take off and glide through the dawn sky, sometimes at tree height, getting some amazing photo opportunities. Sometimes you'll ascend higher, giving you an overview of the vastness of the plains. After landing, celebrate with a glass of champagne before tucking into a special bush breakfast. The optional balloon safari over the Serengeti can be pre-booked at the same price as booking locally. You're welcome to decide once you're on the ground, but please note that this is a popular activity and places are limited. If you choose to participate, you will miss most of the included morning safari with the rest of the group. Today’s included safaris will depend on the time of year and how far the best possible animal sightings are likely to be from camp. To maximize your chances of epic wildlife encounters (and reduce time spent commuting to and from camp), you may do a full-day safari rather than separate morning and afternoon safaris.

Enjoy a final game drive through the Serengeti National Park this morning as you exit your camp inside the park and make your way to the park gate. From here, drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation area, where you'll hop in the park's 4WD jeeps and descend to the crater floor. The jeeps have an open roof, and the animals here are less wary of humans and vehicles, which makes watching them up close easier. Take in the spectacular views from the crater's rim as you make your way to the bottom, where animals roam the lakes, rivers, woodlands and hills. Keep an eye out for wildebeest, lion, zebra, cheetah, buffalo, gazelle, and endangered black rhino. This afternoon, leave the Ngorongoro Crater and drive to Karatu – a small town on its outskirts and your base for the next two nights. Your travel time today will be approximately 3.5 hours, not including the safari as you make your way out of the Serengeti.

After breakfast, make your way towards Lake Eyasi, a vast seasonal soda lake, stopping at a scenic viewpoint to take in the magnificent views across its shimmering waters. The area surrounding Lake Eyasi has been home to the Hadzabe people for more than 10,000 years and is one of the few places in Africa where traditional tribal life continues with little modern influence. Today’s visit to the Hadzabe lands offers fascinating insight into this ancient culture and a chance to learn about their way of life. Meet community members and take part in daily activities such as hunting, gathering, and traditional dance, while learning about their unique ‘click’ language — believed to be one of the oldest still spoken today. Return to your lodge in Karatu later in the day to relax and unwind. Your travel time today will be approximately 5 hours.

Today is a free day to relax or choose from the various optional activities available from your base in Karatu. You might like to head to a local coffee plantation or take a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park. Maybe opt for a hike through the Ngorongoro Reserve Forest to Elephant Caves accompanied by an expert local guide and armed ranger. This is the perfect way to stretch your legs after a few days of travel. You'll hike through the Ngorongoro rainforest as your local guide explains the ins and outs of the area and points out interesting animal tracks and footprints. Marvel at the wild landscape and spot the varied birdlife as you walk. In the afternoon, you’ll head to Arusha, where you spend your last night. Your travel time today will be approximately 2.5 hours. The optional activity prices do not include transportation costs. These depend on the number of travellers booking the activity and can be split accordingly.

Your adventure comes to an end after breakfast today. A departure transfer to either Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK) can be booked at an additional expense. Alternatively, you can continue with your crew to finish in Nairobi where you'll be dropped at a centrally located hotel, however, no accommodation will be provided tonight. If you want to extend your stay in Arusha or Nairobi, just get in touch with your booking agent to organise additional accommodation. If travelling on to Nairobi, your travel time today will be approximately 5 hours. Any flights out of Nairobi should not depart before 9 pm tonight. We highly recommend you book post-trip accommodation and depart the following day. If you need additional accommodation, just speak to your booking agent beforehand. The drop-off point in Nairobi will be Hotel Boulevard.