Sample Itineraries

Landing at Kilimanjaro Airport, you're met by your guide and transferred to a leafy lodge in Arusha. Trip briefing over dinner.

Full-day game drive among Tarangire's giant elephant herds and iconic baobab trees. Overnight near the park.

Drive across the Serengeti's endless plains, game-viewing en route to your central camp. Sundowners under the stars.

A full day tracking the migration herds and their predators — lions, cheetahs and leopards on the hunt.

Morning game drive, then journey to the Ngorongoro highlands with views over the crater rim at sunset.

Descend into the crater floor — a natural amphitheatre teeming with the Big Five and flamingo-fringed lakes.

Relaxed morning before your transfer to the airport, or extend your trip to Zanzibar's beaches.

Met at Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to a garden lodge outside Arusha. Trip briefing and an early night before the flight into the park.

A light aircraft from Arusha onto a Serengeti airstrip — an hour in the air instead of most of a day on the road. Your guide meets the plane and you game-drive your way to camp.

• Sunrise game drive, when the cats are still moving.
• Back to camp for a late breakfast and the heat of the day.
• Afternoon drive through a different sector of the park.
• Sundowners on a kopje, then dinner under canvas.

A full day built around wherever the migration is. Depending on the month that means the southern calving grounds, the western corridor or the northern river crossings — your guide will know before you arrive.

• Optional hot-air balloon flight at dawn, with a champagne breakfast on the plains.
• Or a slow morning in camp and a long afternoon drive.
• Optional guided walk with an armed ranger, where the concession allows it.
• Last night in the Serengeti.

A final morning game drive, then the flight east to Zanzibar. Transfer to your hotel on the coast, and the first swim of the trip before sunset.

A guided walk through Stone Town — the old fort, the House of Wonders, the carved doors and the market — followed by a spice-farm tour and a Swahili lunch.

• Nothing scheduled — the point of the day.
• Optional snorkelling trip to Mnemba atoll.
• Optional dhow cruise for sunset.
• Final dinner on the beach.

A last morning by the water before your transfer to Zanzibar Airport for the flight home or an onward connection.

Met at Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred into Arusha. The rest of the day is yours to recover from the flight, with a briefing from your guide over dinner.

Leave after breakfast and climb through Mto wa Mbu and the Rift Valley escarpment to the Ngorongoro highlands. Arrive in time for the view over the crater rim as the afternoon light drops into the bowl.

• Early descent — the gate opens at dawn and the floor is best before the vehicles arrive.
• A full morning inside the caldera: lion, elephant, buffalo and one of the best chances of black rhino left in East Africa.
• Flamingos on Lake Magadi when the water level suits them.
• Picnic lunch by the hippo pool, then the climb back out.
• Overnight on the rim.

Cross the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and drop down onto the plains, with the Olduvai Gorge as an optional stop on the way. Game-viewing continues as you drive, arriving at your Serengeti camp in the afternoon.

A full day in the park — out early for the predators, back through the heat of the day, and out again in the late afternoon when the plains turn gold and everything starts moving.

A last morning game drive, then a light aircraft back to Arusha rather than the long road. Afternoon at leisure and a night in town.

• The Cultural Heritage Centre — East African art, carving and Tanzanite under one roof.
• The Maasai curio market for beadwork and cloth, with your guide to help you bargain.
• The clock tower, said to mark the midpoint between Cairo and Cape Town.
• A working coffee estate on the slopes outside town, from cherry to cup.
• Lunch in town, then your transfer to the airport.

Arrival, gear check and a full climb briefing with your mountain guide over dinner.

Five days trekking through rainforest, moorland and alpine desert, acclimatising steadily toward the summit.

A midnight start rewards you with sunrise at 5,895 m on the Roof of Africa, then descent to camp.

Final descent, certificate celebration, then a short flight to the spice island of Zanzibar.

Rest those legs on powder-white beaches, or explore historic Stone Town and a spice-farm tour.

One last swim before your transfer to Zanzibar Airport for your flight home.

Drive south to Amboseli, famed for great elephant herds beneath snow-capped Kilimanjaro. Afternoon game drive.

Sunrise and sunset drives with the mountain as your backdrop, plus a Maasai village visit.

Travel to the world-famous Maasai Mara, arriving for an evening game drive on the golden plains.

A full day seeking lions, cheetahs and leopards. Optional hot-air balloon safari at dawn.

Morning drive before returning to Nairobi for your departure or onward connection.

Met on arrival and transferred to your hotel. Depending on your landing time, an afternoon at the Nairobi National Museum or the giraffe centre.

Drive north across the equator into Samburu National Reserve, arriving in time for an afternoon game drive along the Ewaso Ng'iro River.

A full day looking for the dry-country specials — Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and oryx — plus the leopards that work the riverine bush.

Long but scenic drive south into the Rift Valley. Afternoon game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park, one of Kenya's strongholds for both rhino species.

Continue southwest to the Mara, arriving for an evening drive as the light goes long and gold over the plains.

A full day in the reserve. Optional dawn balloon flight, and time with a Maasai community in the afternoon if you would like it.

A second full day — the one that turns a good big cat trip into a great one. Early start for the predators, and a picnic lunch out on the plains.

Morning game drive, then the drive or a short flight back to Nairobi for your onward connection.

Arrival in Rwanda's tidy capital, a city tour and the moving Genocide Memorial, then dinner and rest.

Scenic cross-border drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home to nearly half the world's mountain gorillas.

The main event — trek through dense forest to spend a magical hour with a habituated gorilla family.

Travel back into Rwanda to the foothills of the Virunga volcanoes. Optional Iby'Iwacu cultural village visit.

Track playful golden monkeys through bamboo forest, then relax with views of the misty peaks.

Transfer to Kigali for your onward flight, hearts full and camera rolls overflowing.

Met at the airport and transferred to a lakeside hotel on Lake Victoria. Briefing over dinner and an early night before the drive west.

Drive through tea country and crater-lake highlands to Kibale, arriving in the afternoon. Optional guided walk in the Bigodi wetland for red colobus and birds.

Morning briefing and into the forest to find a habituated chimpanzee community — noisier, faster and more chaotic than a gorilla trek, and a completely different experience.

South to Queen Elizabeth. Afternoon boat trip on the Kazinga Channel, level with hippo, buffalo and one of the densest concentrations of water birds in Africa.

Morning game drive through the Ishasha sector looking for the tree-climbing lions, then continue south into the forested hills around Bwindi.

The centrepiece. An early briefing, then a trek that may take one hour or six, and one hour with a habituated gorilla family at the end of it.

A short transfer to Lake Bunyonyi to rest tired legs — canoeing, island walks or simply a chair and a view over the terraced hills.

Fly or drive back to Entebbe for your onward connection.

Met on arrival and transferred into the city. An afternoon at the Genocide Memorial and Kimironko market, then dinner in town.

A two-hour drive up to Musanze in the shadow of the Virungas. Afternoon free, with an optional visit to the Dian Fossey Fund's Ellen Campus.

Early briefing at the park headquarters, then into the forest with your guides and trackers for one hour with a habituated family.

A gentler morning tracking golden monkeys in the bamboo, then down to Lake Kivu for a lakeside afternoon and a boat trip at sunset.

The Congo Nile road along the lake shore — one of the most beautiful drives in East Africa — to the edge of Nyungwe Forest.

Morning chimpanzee tracking or a guided forest walk, then the suspended canopy walkway high above the valley. Afternoon at leisure on a tea estate.

Drive back to Kigali through the hills, with time for lunch and craft shopping before your evening flight.

• Fly into Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport / Hoedspruit.
• Meet & greet, transfer to lodge.
• Check-in, relax at leisure.
• Optional evening game drive (if time permits).
• Overnight stay in Kruger.

• Early breakfast at the lodge.
• Full-day game drive in Kruger National Park.
• Spot the Big Five and diverse wildlife.
• Explore varied landscapes: savannah, bushveld, rivers.
• Picnic lunch inside the park.
• Return to lodge for dinner & overnight stay.

• Early morning safari drive — best time for predators.
• Return for breakfast & leisure at lodge.
• Optional activities: bush walk, bird watching, or spa.
• Evening safari drive with sundowner.
• Dinner & overnight stay.

• Morning safari or optional Panorama Route excursion (Blyde River Canyon, God's Window, Bourke's Luck Potholes).
• Experience local culture & scenic viewpoints.
• Return to lodge, relax at leisure.
• Night safari (optional).
• Overnight stay.

• Breakfast at lodge.
• Check-out & transfer to airport.
• Fly back to Johannesburg / onward destination.

Fly into Kruger Mpumalanga or Hoedspruit, transfer to your lodge and settle in. An optional evening drive if your flight lands early enough.

Out at first light for a full day in the park, with a picnic lunch in the bush and the varied country — savannah, riverine forest, granite koppies — that makes Kruger worth the days.

A morning drive for the predators, then a guided walk with armed rangers. Evening drive with a sundowner stop as the light goes.

A day on the escarpment — Blyde River Canyon, God's Window and Bourke's Luck Potholes — before a last night in the bush.

Transfer and fly north to Victoria Falls, arriving in time to settle in and hear the falls before you see them.

A morning on the rainforest path along the full length of the falls, then an afternoon sunset cruise upstream among hippo and elephant.

A free day for whatever appeals — a helicopter flight over the gorge, white-water rafting, a day trip into Chobe in Botswana, or simply the other bank of the falls.

A last look at the Zambezi before your transfer to Victoria Falls Airport for the flight home.

Met at Victoria Falls or Livingstone airport and transferred the short distance to your hotel. If the light allows, a first walk to the bridge to see the gorge and hear the falls before the main day tomorrow.

A guided morning along the full length of the rainforest path, viewpoint by viewpoint, with ponchos in high water. Afternoon at leisure, then a sunset cruise on the calm river above the drop, among hippo and elephant.

• Cross the bridge for the opposite bank and a completely different angle on the falls.
• Or a helicopter or microlight flight over the gorge.
• Or Devil's Pool and Livingstone Island, when the river is low enough.
• Or white-water rafting in the Batoka Gorge, river level permitting.
• Or a day trip into Chobe National Park in Botswana.

A slow morning and a last look at the Zambezi before your transfer to the airport, or onward to the next leg of your trip.