Lion Kingdom – Ultimate East Africa Safari
Seasonal Information
Step into Africa and experience where the circle of life begins – and ends. Staying in three of Africa’s most iconic safari locations, this is the introduction to the bush and the kingdom of animals that inhabits it. Witness the rumbling herds that make up Africa’s great migration as you move from the Masai Mara to the Serengeti, take in mighty lion prides before ascending the Ngorongoro Crater and entering another world within its depths. This is the ideal family safari.
- Game drives in some of the most exceptional locations for animal viewing in Africa
- Experience of elephant and rhino conservation efforts and the opportunity to participate in lion conservation
- Meeting the animals that inspired the Lion King
- Exhilarating walks in the bush
- Stunning views and photographic opportunities
Step into the magical world that inspired the Lion King – endless plains and rich sunsets, a riot of animal life and breath-taking experiences.
Your journey begins in the energetic capital of Kenya, Nairobi, where you’ll spend the day interacting with orphaned animals and staying at the height of luxury before embarking on your safari adventure. This city brims with culture and nature, hosting a lively arts and nightlife scene as well as its own national park and several different wildlife sanctuaries. Recharge your batteries in the secluded district of Karen, before setting off on day two to the Maasai Mara.
The Mara is where your safari begins and the beauty of the bush unfolds around you. Prepare to meet a host of familiar faces like warthogs, lions, red-billed hornbills and elephants – to name a few. The Maasai Mara is home to a true array of wildlife as well as iconic sunsets, making it one of the best locations for photography on the continent. Game drives and bush walks will set your pulse racing and introduce you to sights and sensations that will stay with you for life.
Next, it’s on to the Serengeti. This renowned National Park is home of the great migration, the incredible phenomenon that sees two million animals traverse Eastern Africa in search of food and water – bringing with them intense predator-prey showdowns and dramatic views of endless herds. The Serengeti is a wildlife haven. Your first camp is nestled on the banks of a river, set in an undisturbed region that makes for intimate game-viewing experiences and rare wildlife encounters. Your second destination moves with the migration, giving guests unparalleled access to the travelling herds and the experience of truly wild camping.
After the endless plains of the Mara and Serengeti, it’s time for a change of landscape as you arrive at the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This is the earth’s largest intact caldera, and within its walls lives an entire cast of animals, from giant-tusked elephants to endangered black rhino. Staying perched on the crater rim, you’ll enjoy panoramic vistas, thrilling game drives and the possibility for energetic hikes in the surrounding beauty.
You will be welcomed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by a member of the andBeyond team who will transfer you to Hemingways Nairobi.
Embrace the hakuna matata lifestyle, visiting the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (an orphanage for rhinos and elephants). Here you can enjoy a highly personal experience, spending time with the animals and their keepers as well as witnessing feeding. Learn about the stories of each orphan from an experienced guide.
You will then return to your hotel for a delicious dinner. Hemingways Nairobi is set in the beautiful neighbourhood of Karen and boasts spacious, verdant gardens complete with a delightful pool. This is a boutique, intimate hotel where private butler service and dining under a Michelin-starred chef ensure a luxurious stay in peaceful surrounds. Bedrooms have a private balcony with a charming view of the Ngong Hills.
Though your stay will be short, Nairobi is a fascinating city with a national park on its doorstep and the highly recommended Karen Blixen Museum. For those intending to stay a little longer, crocodile farms and a giraffe offer excellent experiences for animal lovers, while a healthy arts and culture scene lends itself to city exploration.
Recommended activities (at additional cost):
- Karen Blixen and Nairobi National Museum
Following an early breakfast, you will be collected from your hotel for your flight to the Maasai Mara, where the andBeyond Bateleur Camp team will welcome you.
Let the sights and sounds of the bush wash over you and reawaken Lion King memories. The Mara’s picturesque landscape provides a stunning backdrop, as you explore rolling grasslands and watch dramatic, watercolour sunsets.
Prepare to encounter a host of familiar animals – warthogs roam the camp, red-billed hornbills fly overhead and thrilling game drives take a tour of the savannah’s animal kingdom. Watch majestic lions hunt their prey, thundering wildebeest herds pour through valleys and trumpeting families of elephants play at watering holes. Giraffe, buffalo, cheetah and zebra are all on show too.
Besides traditional game drives, night time drives are also possible, exploring the different world that the Mara turns into when the sun goes down. Some predators wait until it’s dark to hunt in the cool, while other nocturnal creatures wake up only as the twilight begins. Nature walks are also included, allowing children to let off steam and guests to explore the land and wildlife before them. Nothing beats the sensation of grass underfoot.
For a truly unforgettable experience, a hot air balloon safari over the expanse of the Mara will remain with you for the rest of your life. This silent, aerial perspective of the reserve gives rise to views of wildlife and photography opportunities that can’t be found elsewhere.
Additionally, for those curious about the Maasai people, who’ve roamed this land for thousands of years, a local village visit can be arranged. Witness daily Maasai rituals in the company of a guide from the village itself.
Your tent at Bateleur Camp allows you the height of luxury as well as the feeling of proximity to nature. Bathe inside or al fresco in the great bush and soak up the magnificent views from your private deck. Interiors hark back to the safaris of old, while delicious pan-African dinners are served up beneath the stars – to be followed by port and cigars by the fire. The camp’s pool is ideal for relaxing in the warm afternoons, while massages on the banks of the Mara allow guests to reconnect with themselves and their surroundings.
Recommended activities (at additional cost):
- Hot air balloon over the Maasai Mara
- Maasai village visit
Leave your tent flaps open and to watch an amazing Mara sunrise before catching your early flight, taking a short drive through Tarime and then another flight on to the Serengeti. You will be welcomed by the andBeyond Grumeti Serengeti team.
This is a secluded and flourishing area of the Serengeti, set on the banks of the Grumeti River – home to dramatic migration crossings and large families of crocs and hippos! As well as these extra-large river locals, there is a magnificent array of resident wildlife all year round. Game drives take you up close to the action, tracking the kings of the jungle at play or on the hunt. As well as being home to large lion prides, clans of hyena and the rare colobus monkey also live in Grumeti, and a pod of hippos can be found splashing in the river just outside the camp!
Freshen up between safaris in the glimmering pool and enjoy the rustic ambience of this nature-first camp. Shaded private verandas were made for lounging and are ideal for an evening cocktail. There are also spacious guest areas, a bar, pizza oven and traditional fires known as jikos. Sink into a comfy chair and let the sound of the bush at night carry you away.
After breakfast, you’ll head to andBeyond Serengeti Under Canvas. This very special camp moves five times per year to track the great migration, meaning it promises to bring you as close to the herds of millions of journeying animals as possible.
Expect vast herds of wildebeest, gazelle and zebra stretching over the landscape and descending en masse on watering holes and river crossings. Naturally, hungry big cats and hyenas are ever-present, with lions and cheetahs putting on a spectacular predatory show. Witness drama unfold as survival instincts contest each other and feel the sheer might of hundreds of thousands of animals moving in unison. Resident wildlife abounds and depending on which region of the Serengeti the camp is in, rhinos and other rare creatures can also be found.
Delight in the experience of camping in true wilderness and decadent comfort. See more stars in the sky than ever before and dine with fine silverware and crystal to a lantern-lit African evening. Tents are lit by chandeliers and boast spacious, fluffy beds, while guests find the ultimate comfort in gazing into the fire as tales of the day’s adventures are exchanged. Sip fine wines or toast marshmallows and revel in the beauty of the bush. Private butler service means that everything is taken care of and your mind is free to wander the Serengeti.
Wake up ready for a change of scene as you leave the Serengeti behind and travel to UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ngorongoro Crater.
This huge, stunning caldera forms its own ecosystem within the walls of the crater, as mists swirl above and create the feeling of having stepped back in time. Fantastic views from the rim take in the crater floor below, where lions and giant-tusked elephants roam. Explore this varied landscape of jungle, grassland and lake on game drives where all of the Big Five can be witnessed as well as a cornucopia of birdlife and a mass of flamingos thronging the shores of the soda ash lake.
There’s never a dull day at Ngorongoro. Perhaps most highly recommended is a conservation experience with KOPELion, a non-profit who are working to secure the future of this majestic animal. Or, if you’re feeling energetic, take a full-day hike of the Empakai Crater, a haven for birds that offers spectacular views. Cap off the day in this unique location with sundowners on the crater rim, accompanied by a Maasai warrior performance.
andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is just as special as its setting, combining grand, elegant French-style interiors with local influences and incorporating the highest level of service to bring together an exquisite romantic retreat with dramatic vistas. Enjoy tea in bed, brought by a personal butler and watch zebras drink from the camp’s tap. Dine in grand halls lit by chandeliers and delight in a well-stoked fireplace. There are even Maasai members of staff with whom guests can interact and learn skills like beadwork.
Recommended activities (at additional cost):
- KOPELion conservation experience
- Crater view walk
- Empakai Crater hike
- Lake Eyasi walk
- Private sundowners on the rim
After a final breakfast, we wave a fond farewell before you are transferred to Manyara Airstrip for a flight to Kilimanjaro Airport in time for your onward travel arrangements.
Dates are flexible so please make an enquiry and tell us a range of dates you are considering so we can check availability.
Karen, Nairobi
The suburb of Karen is assumed to be named after the author of the classic memoir ‘Out of Africa’, Karen Blixen. The Dane managed a coffee plantation in Kenya from 1914 to 1931 and fell in love with her surroundings. Her house has been turned into a museum, while modern-day Karen is still a spacious, verdant area, home also to the Giraffe Centre.
andBeyond Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp
The Serengeti National Park, whose name means “endless plains”, covers an incredible 14,800km² on Tanzania’s northern border with Kenya. The Great Migration is a spectacle that has to be seen to be truly understood – two million wildebeest, as well as hundreds of thousands of gazelle and zebra (and their predators) travel the land in search of pasture and water in a phenomenon unparalleled anywhere else in the world. The animals cover more than 1000 kilometres over the year. This park hosts an incredible range of ecosystems and a rich array of wildlife to match.
andBeyond Serengeti Under Canvas
As well as tracking migrating wildebeest, these camps offer the chance to meet all kinds of animals – from rhino in the north and cheetah in the south to baboon, impala, buffalo and great elephant herds. Each camp is unique but offers its own concentration of wildlife along the food and water-rich path of the migrators.
andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
Conservation is ever-important in this beautiful UNESCO world heritage site. Endangered black rhino walk the caldera and guests can gain an understanding of lion conservation efforts with the KopeLion team. The Olduvai Gorge, within the plains of the crater, is known by some as the cradle of human existence and has provided scientists with critical information about humans’ early evolution.
- Meet and greet service at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
- Accommodation
- Dinner & breakfast at Hemingways Nairobi
- &Beyond lodge inclusions: Three meals daily, soft drinks, house wines, local brand spirit and beers, teas and coffees, refreshments on game drives, laundry and safari activities
- Private visit to Sheldrick Trust
- All scheduled road transfers:
– Jomo Kenyatta International / Hemingways Nairobi / Wilson Airport
– Kichwa Airstrip / &Beyond Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp / Kichwa Airstrip
– Migori / Tarime
– Manyara Airstrip / &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge / Manyara Airstrip - All scheduled flights:
– Wilson Airstrip / Kichwa Airstrip
– Kichwa Airstrip / Migori
– Tarime / Grumeti Airstrip
– Grumeti Airstrip / &Beyond Serengeti Under Canvas
– &Beyond Serengeti Under Canvas / Manyara Airstrip
– Manyara Airstrip / Kilimanjaro Airport - National park fees / conservancy fees
- Crater fees at Ngorongoro Crater
- Tanzania Tourism Development Levy
- Emergency medical evacuation insurance
- Administration fee
- International inbound and outbound flights
- Visa costs
- Vaccinations
- Health insurance
- Travel insurance
- Additional travel requirements outside of included transfers
- Gratuities
- Additional activities
- Carbon offset through Climate Care
- Family travel
- Keen safari-goers
- Wildlife lovers
Suitable for ages 8 to 80
Some activities may require adult supervision
Seasonal Information
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