Journey through Kenya's rolling grasslands and open savannah on a wildlife adventure in the birthplace of the modern safari. Search for the Big Five in the tropical highlands of Aberdare, embark on safari across the vast plains of the Masai Mara, and spot flamingos perched in Lake Naivasha as you experience Africa's unsurpassed natural beauty.
Dotted with small fishing villages, deserted islands and home to historic Stone town, the Zanzibar archipelago evokes tales of myth and romance filled with Swahili princes, Omani Sultans and Shirazi merchants - the paradisal 'Spice Islands' offer the perfect relaxing end to your adventure.
Depart on your scheduled flight to Nairobi.
Breakfast & Dinner
Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel and check-in. Enjoy a quick breakfast and some time to freshen up before setting out on your first adventure. Visit the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and enjoy an up-close encounter with young, orphaned elephants at the most successful elephant rescue and rehabilitation programme in the world; the centre helps vulnerable animals intending to reintroduce them to the wild. Head back to the hotel for an afternoon of leisure and dinner.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
This morning, travel from the urban energy of central Nairobi into the contrasting greenery of the outlying coffee-growing region. The area produces much of Kenya's 'black gold' - the robust coffee beans that are its greatest export. Tour a local plantation and learn more about its cultivation and harvest processes before sampling some freshly brewed coffee. Continue to the Aberdare Highlands, passing open plains and vast stretches of grassland before ascending into the verdant, tropical forests of Aberdare National Park. After lunch, transfer to your hotel and set out on a guided bush walk along one of the many trails winding across this wildlife-rich region. Your knowledgeable guide will lead you through lush vegetation in search of elephants, buffalo, rhinos and the unique, red bongo antelopes which inhabit the park.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After breakfast, depart for Lake Nakuru National Park. Stop en route at Thomson Falls where you'll witness the mighty roar of this waterfall as it cascades down over 74 metres. Arriving into Lake Nakuru National Park, check into your hotel before embarking on a late afternoon safari through the wetlands. This bird lover's paradise, located in the Rift Valley region, is one of Kenya's finest safari areas. Amongst others, it boasts white rhinos, the endangered Rothschild giraffe, lions and it's best-known residents - vast flocks of pink flamingos perched in a central lake.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Observe the park's wildlife stirring from their sleep on today's early morning safari. Return to your hotel for breakfast, then depart for Lake Naivasha. Enjoy a scenic drive, with the chance to spot animals dotted along the passing landscape, before arriving at your final destination in time for lunch. Lake Naivasha is the Rift Valley's highest lake, renowned for its shimmering expanse of water and the multitude of animals residing along its tree-lined shores. An afternoon at leisure allows you to relax and soak in the beauty of your natural surroundings.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
This morning, journey to the private island sanctuary of Crescent Island Game Conservancy, located in the middle of Lake Naivasha. With its flat topography, a dense concentration of wildlife and unique island location, the reserve is often referred to as Naivasha's best-kept secret. Travel into the heart of the island as you search for animals and over 200 species of bird life. Return to the lake's shores and continue onward to Elsamere Lodge Conservation Centre. Refresh yourself with high tea at Elsamere Lodge and the visit the adjoining Joy Adamson Museum, dedicated to conservation heroes Joy and George Adamson. Browse through the museum exhibits which depict the Adamsons' conservation efforts and their experience raising the orphaned lion cub which later inspired the book and movie 'Born Free'. Later this afternoon, return to the main lake area for some time at leisure when it is possible to see hippos, buffalo, giraffes and colobus monkeys along the shore.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After breakfast, depart on a drive through the savannah as you make your way to Masai Mara Game Reserve. One of Africa's most famed wildlife reserves, Masai Mara is home to a fantastic year-round concentration of wildlife and the annual Great Migration. Arrive at your lodge in time for lunch before an afternoon safari carries you into the depths of the reserve. Go in search of the Big Five and over 450 species of birds and wildlife; the rolling grasslands allow for easy viewing, and the reserve offers some of the highest odds for spotting big cats.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Witness the Kenyan landscape bathed in an early morning glow as you set out on a sunrise safari. Sunrise is one of the most picturesque and rewarding times to spot wildlife, who congregate around waterholes in large herds. Enjoy breakfast al fresco in the bush, before enjoying a visit to a traditional Maasai Village and immerse yourself in the song, dance, colourful robes and everyday activities of the local villagers. After lunch at your lodge, enjoy the last safari of your trip.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Depart Masai Mara Game Reserve in the morning as you travel back to Nairobi. After lunch in Nairobi, head to the Giraffe Centre established in 1979 to preserve the Rothschild Giraffe. You will then go to the hotel and refresh before enjoying a farewell dinner.
Today you will transfer to the airport for your flight to Zanzibar. Upon arrival check in to your hotel.
Enjoy your time at leisure to relax or explore the island at your own pace. Zanzibar, known for its stunning beaches and rich cultural heritage, offers a variety of experiences. You can unwind on the pristine sands, swim in the turquoise waters, or take a leisurely stroll along the shore.
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK.
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This was a fantastic tour which not only met but exceeded my expectations! The optional hot air balloon ride over the Masai Mara was expensive but worth it for the experience. Visit to Elsamere held special memories for me. The two guided walks were great being able to get close to animals. Too many highlights to mention!
Kathy Bullen
26 Sep 24It was an absolutely magical and incredible experience. I loved every minute of it, especially the game drives. Our guides, Benson and Philip, were top-notch and provided lots of insight, knowledge, experience, and passion, making the journey even more memorable. The food and accommodation was excellent overall. 10/10. All the five-game drives were fantastic, and the breakfast out in the bush was an amazing experience.
Glen Pickard
21 Jun 24The holiday of a lifetime. Our guide, Fred, from Sense of Africa was brilliant, very knowledgeable, and took good care of us. Without him, we would have missed so much.
Shirley Hadden
04 Oct 23The holiday was amazing. People were friendly. The tour guide was knowledgeable and very helpful.
Regina Parry
23 May 23The order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions or for operational purposes. The schedules of the domestic airlines in country are subject to frequent changes. For this reason, we have indicated approximate times only. Your local driver guide will inform you of any schedule changes as they are informed of them. The driving times listed are point to point and do not include the duration of excursions or stops en route. Some road construction and/or weather conditions may lengthen the driving times. Our intention is to adhere to the day-to-day itinerary as printed; however, order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions.
If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of £295.00pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.
To enter Kenya, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive and at least two blank pages. You will require a tourist visa to enter Kenya, apply for an “eTA” online before you travel. The only legitimate website to apply for the eTA is www.etakenya.go.ke/en. The cost for the eTA is approximately £40 per person. The visa takes approximately 5 working days to issue and it is only valid for a 90 day single entry stay from the date of arrival. We work closely with The Travel Visa Company who will be able to arrange your visa on your behalf. Please call them on 01270 250 590 and quote 'Mercury Holidays'. When calling the Travel Visa Company they will advise you of any changes to the fees or the procedure, they will also advise you of all information they will require in order to apply for the visa. We recommend you check with your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy prior to departure for the most up to date guidelines regarding these.
Zanzibar visa requirements
To enter Tanzania/Zanzibar, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive and at least one blank page. You will require a tourist visa to enter Tanzania, and apply for an “e-visa” online before you travel. The cost of the visa is approximately £80 per person. The visa takes approximately 15 working days to issue and it is only valid for a 90 day single entry stay from the date of arrival. Upon arrival, you will also be asked to fill in a declaration form before going through customs. We work closely with The Travel Visa Company who will be able to arrange your visa on your behalf. Please call them on 01270 250 590 and quote 'Mercury Holidays'. When calling the Travel Visa Company they will advise you of any changes to the fees or the procedure, they will also advise you of all information they will require in order to apply for the visa. We recommend you check with your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy prior to departure for the most up to date guidelines regarding these.
Please note that final flight details will be confirmed on your final documentation which will be sent to you approximately 21 days before departure. Check in baggage is included with your flight. A printed E-ticket is no longer required at check-in, all you need to do is present your passport to the staff at the desk and your boarding pass will be given to you. Weight restrictions will be finalized on your final documentation. Should you wish to take additional luggage you will need to pay extra at check in. Check-In should be at least 3 hours before departure.
Luggage information
It is mandatory that your suitcase must be soft-sided (no hard shell suitcases) and should not exceed 60cm x 40cm x 33cm due to limited space on safari vehicles in East Africa.
We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras, including up to a 20% discount, which is given to all Mercury Holidays customers. To arrange your insurance with Holiday Extras, please visit https://www.mercuryholidays.co.uk/info/insurance for more details. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24 hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.
All visitors to Zanzibar (excluding residents) must have mandatory Inbound Travel Insurance from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC) for the duration of their stay (up to 92 days), with no exemptions for visitors who already have insurance coverage from their home countries. This fee is reported to cover various potential challenges that visitors might encounter while in Zanzibar, including health issues, loss of baggage, accidents, emergency evacuation, loss of passports, and even repatriation in the unfortunate event of death.
You can only buy this insurance from ZIC. Other international travel insurance policies will not be accepted. Go to the Visit Zanzibar website for more information.
You may be refused entry if you do not have the correct insurance.
If you have any questions that are not covered on the website, contact ZIC by emailing inbound@zic.co.tz.
It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, www.travelhealthpro.org.uk, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.
This tour is accessible to most people with a good level of fitness and normal mobility. It involves climbing of steep stairs and getting on and off coaches, boats and 4x4 vehicles. This tour is not suitable for anyone with walking difficulties.
The local currency in Kenya is the Kenyan Shilling but USD ($) is also widely accepted. You can exchange money before you leave the UK and there will be access to ATMs in most major cities (not available in the reserves) where you will be able to withdraw money in the local currency. It is a good idea to try and maintain a supply of small notes and change in the local currency for tipping or small purchases.
The currency in Tanzania/Zanzibar is the Tanzanian Shilling (Tsh) but USD ($) is also widely accepted. Credit cards are not widely accepted and some establishments only accept Tanzanian Shillings, so it is advisable to have cash in both currencies. You can exchange money before you leave the UK and there will be access to ATMs in most major cities where you will be able to withdraw money in the local currency.
As normal practice you may be asked for your credit card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay. If you do not have a credit card, you may be asked for a cash deposit. MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in hotels as well as American Express.
You will need to take money with you to cover any personal purchases such as tips, souvenirs, laundry, any meals not included in the itinerary as well as drinks and any additional snacks. We recommend you bring along a minimum of GBP £300 - £400 per person for these extras.
Tipping
It is at your discretion to tip your driver/guide, waiters, porters, and housekeepers. We recommend to tip approximately $2 per person per day for waiters, porters and housekeepers and $6 per person per day for your driver/guide. This is a total of $56 per person to budget for tips on your trip for the driver/guide plus extra for the other staff. Tips are accepted U.S dollars ($).
All visitors to Zanzibar (excluding residents) must have mandatory Inbound Travel Insurance from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC) for the duration of their stay (up to 92 days), with no exemptions for visitors who already have insurance coverage from their home countries. This fee is reported to cover various potential challenges that visitors might encounter while in Zanzibar, including health issues, loss of baggage, accidents, emergency evacuation, loss of passports, and even repatriation in the unfortunate event of death.
You can only buy this insurance from ZIC. Other international travel insurance policies will not be accepted. Go to the Visit Zanzibar website for more information.
You may be refused entry if you do not have the correct insurance.
If you have any questions that are not covered on the website, contact ZIC by emailing inbound@zic.co.tz.
The minimum number of travellers in your group will be 10, and the maximum will be 20. If in the unlikely event there are less than 10 people booked on your tour date, we will endeavour to reduce any disruption to your holiday and try to operate your tour with lower passenger numbers. If we are not able to operate your departure date, then you may be asked to change to a different date and a full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.
There is no minimum number of travellers for your extension however the main tour passenger numbers will apply for the main part of the tour. If in the unlikely event there are less than the required number of people booked on your main tour date then you may be asked to change to a different date. A full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.
In Kenya, guests will be met by drivers who are fully trained as driver guides with a wide knowledge of each destination.
Private Tour: If you have booked a private tour then you will be accompanied by a Driver Guide or a Driver and Local Guides. These will be available to you during all scheduled sightseeing. Private Tours can depart on any day of the week depending on flight and train schedules and the opening days of the attractions. They will follow the itinerary as described in the brochure unless you have been advised otherwise and you will still have all of the same meals, sightseeing and local excursions included.
Your beach stay in Zanzibar is not escorted by a tour guide. Your time here will be free to do as you wish. Details of your departure transfer will be confirmed by your guide at the end of your tour at Kilimanjaro airport, before you begin your extension stay in Zanzibar.
Throughout your tour, you will travel in a 7 seater vehicle that is adapted for both open road driving as well as safaris. It is mandatory that your suitcase must be soft-sided (no hard shell suitcases) and should not exceed 60cm x 40cm x 33cm due to limited space on safari vehicles in East Africa.
Your accommodation is selected for convenience, location, comfort or character, and can range from business hotels to lodges and camps. Hotel accommodation is generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist between the UK and Kenya. All group tour hotel have private bathroom facilities, other facilities differ depending on the accommodation. The safari lodges may also have restrictions on electricity accessibility at certain times of the day. If you have booked a triple share please note that your room will be a twin room with a rollaway bed or sofa bed added. This may limit the floor space in the room. Rest assured that all accommodation used by Mercury Holidays is regularly inspected by our staff and partners to ensure that standards meet your needs.
Breakfast is always western style and served in the hotel each morning. Lunch and dinner during your tour will be taken in local Kenyan restaurants or at the lodge/ hotel. A variety of restaurants are visited giving you the chance to experience a range of dishes and flavours.
Vegetarian and vegan meals can be catered for. Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information.
It is not recommended to drink the tap water, even in developed countries water may contain unfamiliar elements that can cause upset stomachs. In less developed countries water is not filtered in the same way, so to ensure your comfort and well-being, one large bottle of drinking water will be provided during your safari drives.
Zanzibar is a predominantly Muslim island and very conservative. Beach wear is acceptable at the beach or the pool, but modest dress is encouraged elsewhere. Woman – cover shoulders, midriff and legs to below the knees. Men – shorts are acceptable but working around shirtless is not. During Ramadan, both men and woman need to keep legs completely covered while in public. Due to the weather in Zanzibar, lightweight clothing is essential.
On your arrival in Nairobi you will be met by a representative from our local agent, Sense of Africa, holding a sign displaying: “Mercury Holidays”. The Mercury Holidays/Sense of Africa representative will show you to your transfer vehicle.
If you need to contact your representative during your stay the details are:
Sense of Africa: Mkungu Close, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya Telephone Number 00254 20 760 6000 E-mail eur@senseofafrica.co.ke
Emergency contact information: Please find below the emergency contact details Sense of Africa 24 hours Telephone: 00254 710 524 086 Email Address: csr@senseofafrica.co.ke
