This morning we drive our way over the scenic Athi Plains and into the bush country of Amboseli Park. Nestled in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, Amboseli is home to the legendary Maasai tribesmen and is world-famous for its tremendous variety of big games. A spectacular game run is planned. 

We stay tonight at the  Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge. Kilimanjaro dominates the view from every direction...animals are seen browsing in the grasses and drinking at the waterhole directly outside. And, nestled comfortably under huge spreading acacia tortilis trees are the thatch-covered tents. Your room is spacious and has a private veranda from which to enjoy the view, as well as an en suite bathroom where hot water abounds. Dinner at Serena is exceptionally good —  so very fresh and delightful, with vegetables and herbs grown right at the camp. Truly special, you are sure to revel in the experience of sleeping in nature and waking to the beauty of Amboseli. 

This morning we depart for the Mara, driving west over the dramatic Great Rift Valley to the unspoiled savannah of the Maasai Mara. Many special events are planned here. 

 Based on equally splendid Zebra Plains Mara Camp, we’ll game drive throughout the Mara, spend rewarding time with the local Maasai people, and make side trips to the Mara River and its tributaries for a gander at leviathan crocodiles and hippos. And we’ll have sundowners in the gentle evening warmth of the “true world” Ms. Dinesen wrote her mother about, breathing its clean and guileless air, watching Africa’s showy stars come out to dazzle, feeling like we might have dallied in these parts, 10,000 years ago.  

We drive to the Serengeti via Ndabaka gate... 

Three million or more large mammals—elephants, cheetahs, gazelles by the gazillions, wildebeest, zebras, giraffes “floating across the plain” lions, rhinos, and going on 60 more species— inhabit the great grassland, its riverine forests, and bustling, set-piece kopjes, rock islands that pop up from the plain.

We’ll spend our night at Serengeti Pure Tented Camp ...following and witnessing the Great migration. The camp is located not far from the Mara River and set on a fine collection of kopjes, looking out at what seems to be a golden eternity, with sunrise skies “banded with rose and lemon and the color of flamingo wings,” as Elspeth Huxley wrote. This is the kind of African place that Shrike loves to introduce our guests to, places that seduce us into slowing down.

Ngorongoro Highland is also the home of the Maasai people. The Maasai guarding his cattle is an enduring and proud figure across the plains of East Africa. Livestock represents status, wealth, and livelihood to these ancient people. Here we will also thoroughly enjoy a visit to a Maasai village, learn- ing about their tribal social systems, customs, and the place of the Maasai in today’s Africa. The residents live in their manyatta, or village, much as they have for centuries and we will have an opportunity to see the interior of these mud-hut homes, spotless and unadorned, contrasted to the Maasai themselves, bedecked with brilliantly colored beads and cloths. The bright smiles and warmth of the tribe once considered among the fiercest warriors on earth will surely win your heart. 

Then we’re off on the next leg of our journey to Ngorongoro, the eighth wonder of the natural world. Along the way we drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area — a region created to accommodate the grazing needs of the Maasai people and a unique test of the idea that humans leading a pastoral lifestyle can coexist with wildlife. 

We drive to Arusha this morning. A dayroom has been reserved at a hotel for our comfort while we enjoy a final day to shop or revisit a favorite site. Later this evening we proceed to the airport. As we bid farewell to Tanzania, we know this has been a journey to remember for the rest of our lives—a journey that the Shrike staff have been pleased and proud to share with you every step of the way.