Explore East Africa
The Signature East Africa Safari
Journey Overview
Overview
This is the safari most people picture when they imagine Africa. Open plains, big skies, and long days in the field looking for the animals that made East Africa famous. What changes the experience is rarely the destination itself — it is the guiding, and how much time you are willing to spend waiting.
Signature journeys concentrate on the well-known wildlife areas of Kenya and Tanzania, where game viewing is consistently rewarding and the landscapes are as memorable as the animals. Because you travel privately, the day is not set by a group timetable. You can be out before sunrise, stay with a herd for an hour, or turn back when it suits you.
Guiding is led by a KPSGA Silver Badge professional, which shapes how much you actually see and understand: reading tracks, recognising behaviour, and positioning the vehicle long before anything happens. The days below are a typical shape and can be lengthened, shortened or moved to different parks.
Journey Overview
What Makes This Safari Special
Your Journey, Day by Day
Arrival in Nairobi
Arrive in Nairobi and meet your guide. The evening is given over to settling in and running through the days ahead, including what to expect in each of the areas you will be visiting.
Into the Maasai Mara
Travel to the Maasai Mara and settle into camp. A first afternoon in the field is less about covering ground than about learning how the reserve reads — where the resident prides move, and where the plains game are concentrated.
A full day in the Mara
A long day in the field with a packed breakfast, out early while the light is still low. With a private vehicle there is no need to return for fixed mealtimes, so the day follows the wildlife rather than the clock.
Rift Valley and Lake Nakuru
Continue to the Rift Valley and Lake Nakuru National Park, a change of habitat after the open grassland. The afternoon is spent in the park, with its rhino, waterbuck, buffalo and prolific birdlife.
On to Amboseli
Travel to Amboseli, where elephant families gather around the swamps and Kilimanjaro rises behind the plains on clear mornings. Head out again in the late afternoon as the light softens.
A final morning, then Nairobi
A last early drive before breakfast, then the return to Nairobi for onward travel — or an extension to Tanzania, the Kenyan highlands or the coast.
A Glimpse Of The Journey
Gallery
Your Safari Includes
- Private guiding by a KPSGA-certified professional guide
- Private safari vehicle and driver-guide throughout
- Accommodation as agreed in your final itinerary
- Park and conservancy entry fees for the areas visited
- Game drives as set out in your itinerary
- Airport transfers and ground logistics within the itinerary
Typically Excluded
- International and domestic flights unless stated in your itinerary
- Visa and eVisa fees
- Travel and medical insurance
- Personal expenses such as laundry, phone and internet
- Tips and gratuities for guides and camp staff
- Balloon flights and other optional activities
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I see the Big Five?
Lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino are all present in the areas these journeys visit, and many guests see most of them. Wildlife is wild, though, so no operator can promise a particular species on a particular day. Good guiding and unhurried time in the field are what improve the odds.
How many days should I allow?
Most guests find that a week gives enough time for two or three areas without spending every day on the road. Shorter trips work best concentrated in one or two parks.
What kind of vehicle is used?
A private safari vehicle with a window seat for every traveller and an open roof hatch for viewing and photography. You do not share it with other guests.
How early do the days start?
Wildlife is most active around first light, so early starts are usual. Because the vehicle is private, you can also choose a slower morning and a longer afternoon instead.
Which parks are included?
It depends on your itinerary. The Maasai Mara, Amboseli and the Rift Valley lakes are common in Kenya, and the northern circuit in Tanzania. We will suggest a combination based on your dates and how much travelling you want to do.
Is this suitable for a first safari?
Yes. These journeys are built around the classic wildlife areas, which is the most rewarding introduction to East Africa, with a guide who can explain what you are looking at as you go.
Make It Your Own
Like This Journey? Let’s Tailor It Around You.
Change the duration, add another destination, upgrade the accommodation or slow the pace. This itinerary is only the starting point.