Transfer this morning to Arusha airport for your flight to Manyara airstrip. Met on arrival and transfer to the Ngorongoro area for check in to the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge for three nights. Guests can be forgiven for losing track of which era, or even continent, they are experiencing at &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge. Nowhere else on earth can you wake up among all the trappings of an elegant baroque chateau – brocade sofas, gilt mirrors, beaded chandeliers and panelled walls – and be instantly transported into one of the most famous African landscapes with just one glance out the window of the lodge. In this place of dramatic contrasts, where Versailles meets Maasai, anything is possible and the natural luxury of the breathtakingly beautiful setting ensures the dramatic interior of your suite blends perfectly with its stilted thatch architecture.

The afternoon is at leisure to enjoy the view and amenities.

This morning you depart the lodge for a half-day excursion to the Ngorongoro Crater. This protected area is located in the Great Rift Valley. The Crater actually is a gigantic fracture of the earth’s crust. The magnificent landscape consists of volcanoes, mountains, plains, lakes, forests and archaeological sites. At 1600 meters altitude the bottom of the Crater (265 km square), dotted with watering holes, offers shelter to almost 30.000 animals in an area naturally enclosed by the slopes of the volcano. The Crater elephants are strangely, mainly bulls. There is a small number of black rhino. The bird life is largely seasonal and is also affected by the ratio of soda and fresh water on the Crater floor. You will also explore the wildlife: lions, elephants, zebra, hippo, buffalos, and rhino are just a few to be mentioned. Enjoy picnic lunch at the crater floor. After an exciting safari ascend the other side of the crater and proceed back to the lodge. Rest of the day at leisure to enjoy the facilities.

Rise early this morning for another exploration of Ngorongoro Crater with your guide.  You may choose to revisit some spots from the day before if you had some interesting sightings you’d like to build on or explore new areas of the Crater.  You won’t be bored with plenty of wildlife and areas to explore.  After your half-day excursion, climb the Crater wall again and proceed back to the lodge with the rest of the day at leisure.

This morning after breakfast you will transfer back to Manyara airstrip for your flight to Grumeti Airstrip. On arrival you are met and transferred to Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge for three nights. Located in the remote Western Corridor of the Serengeti, Grumeti provides a private Serengeti experience with exclusive game viewing in some of the most secluded parts of Africa’s most famous game reserve. 

The lodge is perfectly situated on the banks of a tributary of the Grumeti River. Using the natural bow shape of the river, and paying homage to the circular forms of a traditional Masai manyatta, the lodge unfolds to reveal an understated sense of luxury. Walking into the guest area upon arrival is a real wow moment. Spacious decks are perfect for enjoying sundowners overlooking the river and the camp’s rim-flow swimming pool provides a view of the seasonal hippo pools below. The proximity to water draws a profusion of wildlife throughout the day and night. Touching the earth lightly and seemingly floating across the landscape, 10 nostalgically elegant, and very spacious, guest suites offer natural light, an enormous bed, bath, an indoor shower (with a spectacular view), and sparkling private plunge pool. A new family suite has been incorporated featuring a small additional bedroom attached. Adorned with Kitenge fabrics and accentuated with stone walls, the lodge also features the vibrant colours of the fishing communities surrounding Lake Victoria and the grey tones representative of hippo hide that have been beautifully woven into deeply comfortable furnishings and bespoke, hand-made fittings.

Game Drives
Situated in the Western Corridor of the renowned Serengeti National Park, wildlife viewing is truly exceptional throughout the year. The camp’s location on a tributary of the Grumeti River means that it is ideally positioned for sightings of dramatic river crossings when the famous Great Wildebeest Migration is in the area. However, the wildlife experience can be even more spectacular when the Migration is not nearby, with a staggering density of year-round wildlife and relatively few tourists encountered in this part of the reserve. While the camp itself is sheltered in the riverside thickets and provides beautiful views of a river bend inhabited by hippo, game drives venture out into the wide open plains, where guests can enjoy the quintessential Serengeti landscapes in open 4×4 safari vehicles with canvas canopies. With the Grumeti River providing a permanent water source, the area is particularly rich in predators, with massive lion prides and extensive clans of hyena numbering up to a hundred frequently spotted. The river also attracts large herds of buffalo and elephant, while the open plains are the ideal habitat for cheetah. Riverside drives are bound to spot the massive crocodiles that the area is renowned for, while birders will be amazed by the number of endemic species spotted throughout the area. The thickets near the camp are home to colobus monkeys, which cannot be seen anywhere else in the Serengeti, while the area also plays host to a far lesser known migration, during which large numbers of topi antelope move across the plains.

You also have the option of doing a day trip to Lake Victoria or booking a Hot Air Balloon Safari at an additional cost.

Transfer to the Grumeti airstrip this morning to fly to the Mara Reserve.  You will make a stop at Tarime to cross the border by lan and complete your border formalities to enter Kenya. Continue on to Kichwa Tembo airstrip where you will be met and transfer to Bateleur Camp for four nights.

Bateleur offers a spectacular location set amongst the forest at the foot of the scenic Oloololo escarpment (the rim of the Great Rift Valley) in Kenya’s iconic Masai Mara National Reserve, is the classic and elegant Bateleur Camp. Here, amidst the reserve’s astounding year-round concentration of animals, including the seasonal Great Wildebeest Migration, guests can have an unsurpassed wildlife experience. Guests can almost exclusively explore this area on a game drive or on foot, enjoying access to pristine outdoor dining locations.

Comprised of just two intimate camps of nine Luxury Tents each and a Luxury Family Tent; each with its own private butler and housekeeper reflects the ambiance and glamour of Kenyan explorers of old. Slip into a world of hardwood floors, polished silver and copper bathtubs juxtaposed against the romance of the open Mara plains, with their abundant herds of wildlife. Beautifully handcrafted artefacts, fine antiques, leather buttoned Chesterfield sofas, books, and crystal and candlelight adorn the comfortable sitting and dining areas. Refreshing lap pools in each camp provide cool comfort in between captivating game drives. Delectable cuisine is served in a memorable setting beneath the stars and bush breakfasts and romantic sundowners offer an unforgettable African experience. Adventures at Bateleur Camp include twice-daily game drives, including spot-lit night drives. The camp also offers a range of additional activities such as bush walks, hot air balloon safaris, community excursions, a well- equipped gym and wellness treatments in our massage sala.

Game Drives
Game drives in the Masai Mara are unforgettable due to the abundance of wildlife and the spectacular landscapes. With gently rolling hills and wide open plains, this is the quintessential African safari experience. Travellers can expect to encounter large numbers of animals year round, with big herds of elephant, buffalo and other plains game. It is also common to see predator interaction. The Great Wildebeest Migration passes through the Mara for approximately three months each year. Game drives may last from a couple of hours to the whole day, with a picnic breakfast and lunch. If you are lucky enough to experience nature’s greatest spectacle, the Wildebeest Migration, it is a sight to behold. From July to October each year over two million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle embark on a cyclical movement through the Mara, driven by rainfall and the subsequent availability of grazing. Throughout their journey, the wildebeest face tremendous threats, crossing rivers teeming with wily crocodiles and encountering an abundance of predators following closely behind them.

Also on offer an included in your rate are walking safaris, night game drives, bush breakfasts and dinners.