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Grand East Africa & Seychelles Voyage Big Game To Big Blue

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Duration

23 Days

Starts In

Nairobi

Route

Nairobi, Masai Mara National Reserve, Amboseli National Park, Tarangire National Park, Karatu, Zanzibar Island, Mahe Island

Few journeys ask this much of a single itinerary — and deliver this much in return. This is an expedition built in three distinct movements: first, a classic East Africa safari through Kenya's Masai Mara and Amboseli and into Tanzania's Tarangire and Ngorongoro Crater, tracing the region's most celebrated wildlife circuits and closing with genuine odds at the Big Five. Next, a deliberate pause on Zanzibar's white sand shores, where safari dust gives way to spice-scented sea air and the winding history of Stone Town. And finally, a full Aqua Lares crossing east into the Seychelles' most remote waters — Mafia Island's whale sharks, Aldabra's 100,000-strong tortoise population, and the untouched dive sites of Astove and Providence, closing at the conservation stronghold of D'Arros. Twenty-three days, two countries, and an ocean crossing few travelers ever attempt in one continuous journey — this is East Africa and the Indian Ocean experienced at their fullest, savannah to sea.

SAFARI & CRUISE ITINERARY - 23 Days / 22 Nights featuring Safaris in Kenya and Tanzania, followed by a 10-night Cruise to the Seychelles aboard the Luxury Aqua Lares. Includes 9 nights in Luxury Safari Lodges, 3 Nights in Zanzibar and 10 nights cruising; Safari portion of the itinerary includes all arrival & departure transfers, daily safari ranger - guided excursions, and wildlife encounters as indicated in the itinerary. Zanzibar and Seychelles Cruise includes luxury cabin accommodations, all onboard meals, soft drinks, all visits and daily excursions with bilingual Naturalist guide, onboard cruise director and snorkeling, Kayaking and paddleboarding equipment.

Includes

Accommodations as per itinerary
Meals as per itinerary; breakfast (B), lunch (L), dinner (D)
Shore excursions as per itinerary
On ship gourmet dining including buffet breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight snack
Keytours 24-hour emergency assistance
Cruise Cabin accommodation: at category shown in the itinerary
Private arrival and departure transfers as per itinerary

Excludes

Items of a personal nature
All other items not mentioned as included
Travel insurance; please inquire with your Keytours travel consultant
Gratuities for drivers, guides, and escorts

Itinerary

Day
1

Day 1: Arrival, Nairobi

Your journey begins as you arrive in Nairobi and transfer to a hotel near the international airport, with the afternoon left free to recover from the flight and settle into East African time. If you land early enough, you'll have time for an optional excursion before evening, perhaps a visit to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's elephant orphanage, an Out of Africa-themed outing tracing Karen Blixen's Nairobi, or a guided cultural walking tour through the city's streets and markets. Whichever you choose, plan to be back well before dinner, since tomorrow marks your first full day on the road, descending into the Great Rift Valley toward the plains of the Masai Mara.

Day
2

Day 2: Into the Mara, Nairobi to Masai Mara

After breakfast, you depart Nairobi and begin the descent of the Great Rift Valley escarpment on a road built by Italian prisoners of war during the Second World War, passing a small roadside chapel and the striking dish of the Longonot satellite station along the way. The landscape gradually opens into Kenya's agricultural heartland, with wheat and barley stretching toward the town of Narok, before you arrive in the Masai Mara in time for lunch. An afternoon game drive introduces you to the reserve's famous plains, home to the Big Five and, in season, the annual wildebeest migration, before you return to camp as the sun sets over the acacia-dotted hills

Day
3

Day 3: Life on the Mara Plains

An optional early start today brings the chance to take a hot air balloon safari, drifting silently over the plains at sunrise before descending for a bush breakfast set up in the open grassland a memorable way to see the Mara from above. Whether or not you take to the skies, the rest of your day unfolds around game drives, with morning and afternoon outings scanning the grasslands for lion, elephant, and the reserve's countless resident species as they move across the savannah. You'll also visit a traditional Maasai village, offering insight into a culture that has coexisted alongside this wildlife for generations, before returning to camp for your final Mara sunset.

Day
4

Day 4: Across the Rift Valley, Masai Mara to Lake Elementaita

Leaving the Mara behind, your route crosses Kenya's "breadbasket" vast fields of wheat and barley through Narok and onto the floor of the Rift Valley, arriving at Lake Elementaita around midday. After settling in and enjoying lunch, you set out on an afternoon game drive through neighboring Lake Nakuru National Park, one of the world's great ornithological spectacles. Resident flamingos line the shallows in their thousands, while black and white rhino graze nearby and the endangered Rothschild's giraffe moves through the acacia woodland. It's a striking shift in scenery from the Mara's open plains, framed by the dramatic cliffs marking the Rift Valley's western edge.

Day
5

Day 5: Naivasha to Amboseli

Your morning begins gently with a boat ride on Lake Naivasha, drifting past hippos and waterbirds in the calm early light before the Rift Valley gives way to the road south. You continue through Nairobi and onward to Amboseli, watching the landscape shift from highland farmland to dry acacia savannah as you go. By late afternoon, you arrive at a camp on the park's edge, where Mount Kilimanjaro's silhouette is already visible on the horizon, its snow-capped summit set to dominate the days ahead. Settle in for the evening, with dinner served against the backdrop of Africa's highest peak as the light fades.

Day
6

Day 6: Giants of Amboseli

A full day belongs entirely to Amboseli, famed above all for elephant herds among the largest in Africa, seen here framed against Kilimanjaro's snow-capped peak in one of the continent's most photographed backdrops. Game drives move through swamp, savannah, and acacia woodland, bringing you into contact with lion, cheetah, and giraffe, alongside Amboseli's remarkable roster of more than 400 recorded bird species. A picnic lunch amid the wilderness offers a quiet midday pause before you return to camp for an afternoon at leisure, with time to unwind by the pool, reflect on the day's sightings, or simply watch the mountain's changing light before dinner.

Day
7

Day 7: Crossing Borders, Amboseli to Tarangire

A final glimpse of Kilimanjaro accompanies your departure this morning as you head toward the Namanga border, where your Kenyan guide hands off to a Tanzanian safari team for the continuing journey south. Crossing into Tanzania marks a shift in both landscape and rhythm, and lunch in Arusha gives you a chance to stretch your legs before continuing on to Tarangire National Park. Known for towering baobab trees and elephant herds that gather along the Tarangire River, especially in the dry season, the park offers a distinctly different safari character from what you've experienced so far. You arrive at a tented lodge by late afternoon, with dinner and your first overnight stay under canvas.

Day
8

Day 8: Rift Valley Roads, Tarangire to Karatu

A morning game drive gives you a final chance to take in Tarangire's dry-season wildlife, with elephant, giraffe, and a variety of plains game often gathered near the riverbed before the midday heat sets in. After lunch, you depart, with the route winding through Maasai villages and farmland en route to Karatu, a bustling town on the doorstep of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, known for its lively local market and roadside produce stalls. The remainder of the day unfolds at leisure at a lodge tucked against the Ngorongoro Forest Reserve, where cooler highland air and forest views offer a welcome change of pace before tomorrow's descent into the crater.

Day
9

Day 9: Descent into Eden, The Ngorongoro Crater

You depart early for the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, climbing the crater's outer wall before descending onto its floor — a self-contained ecosystem home to more than 30,000 resident mammals within just 102 square miles. Few places on Earth offer better odds of spotting all of the Big Five in a single day, and the crater's dense concentration of wildlife against a backdrop of grassland, forest, and soda lake makes for an extraordinary day of game viewing. A picnic lunch on the crater floor allows you time to take in the scenery before the afternoon ascent back to the rim, followed by dinner and a second night at the same lodge near the forest reserve.

Day
10

Day 10: Homeward to Arusha, Onward to Zanzibar

After breakfast, you begin the return journey to Arusha, arriving in time for lunch and a final look back at the northern safari circuit you've traveled over the past several days. From Arusha, a transfer delivers you to Kilimanjaro International Airport for a short flight onward to Zanzibar, trading the dust of the savannah for the salt air of the Indian Ocean. This ten-day arc through East Africa's northern safari circuit — the Masai Mara, Amboseli, Tarangire, and Ngorongoro — closes as the island comes into view below, its white sand beaches and turquoise water announcing an entirely different chapter of your journey ahead.

Day
11

Day 11: Island Time, Zanzibar

You settle into a beachfront resort and let the pace shift entirely, safari dust giving way to sea air and the unhurried rhythm of the Swahili coast. Spend the day at leisure by the water, floating in warm turquoise shallows or relaxing beneath a palm-thatched cabana, or venture out on an optional excursion into Stone Town's winding historic alleyways, where centuries of Swahili, Arab, and colonial influence converge in carved wooden doors and bustling bazaars. A spice farm tour further inland is another worthwhile option, revealing Zanzibar's centuries of trade history in fragrant groves of cardamom, clove, and cinnamon. However you choose to spend it, today is entirely yours.

Day
12

Day 12: Salt Air and Spice, A Day at Leisure

A second full day belongs entirely to the island, giving you space to swim, relax poolside, or continue exploring Zanzibar's coastline and coastal villages at your own pace. This is a deliberate pause between two very different modes of travel — the structured rhythm of safari behind you, and the open-ended days at sea still ahead — and it's worth treating it as such. Wander a nearby beach, browse a local market, or simply do nothing at all. Tomorrow you board Aqua Lares for the crossing to the Seychelles, so consider this your final full day of rest before island time gives way to ocean time.

Day
13

Day 13: Setting Sail, Zanzibar to the Indian Ocean

You board Aqua Lares at the Azam Marine terminal in Zanzibar and settle into your design suite as the ship's Cruise Director and Naturalist Guides welcome you aboard for the journey ahead. As the vessel departs Stone Town's historic waterfront, panoramic views from the sundeck take in the coastline one last time while the onboard team introduces you to the ship's signature Aqua dining experience over your first meal at sea. Ahead lies a journey spanning two nations and two oceans' worth of marine life, beginning with Tanzania's most storied island and continuing toward some of the most remote atolls in the Indian Ocean.

Day
14

Day 14: Giants of Mafia Island, Kilindoni Bay & Mange

Mafia Island announces itself in calm, turquoise water and a reputation as the only place in Tanzania where whale sharks reliably gather. At Kilindoni Bay, you slip into the water alongside these gentle giants — among the ocean's largest fish, and entirely harmless filter feeders — for an encounter you'll remember long after the trip ends. Return aboard for lunch, then spend the afternoon diving or snorkeling directly from the ship before it sails to Mange, a pristine sandbank rising from the shallows off Mafia's coast. As the light softens toward evening, sundowners on the Outdoor Lounge close out the day with coastal views on all sides.

Day
15

Day 15: Reef and Village, Chole Bay

Chole Bay reveals itself in lagoon-clear water and coral gardens thick with tropical fish, best explored on a morning snorkel or dive that puts you face to face with the reef's abundant marine life. After lunch back aboard, you step ashore for a cultural walk through a local village, where Swahili heritage, traditional crafts, and community-led conservation efforts offer a grounded counterpoint to the morning's underwater wonder. It's a chance to see how the ocean and daily life intertwine here, beyond the reef itself. As evening settles in, sundowners provide space to reflect on a day that moved seamlessly between reef and shore.

Day
16

Day 16: Crossing Toward Seychelles, A Day at Sea

With Assumption Island still a day's sail ahead, today belongs to the ship itself, giving you a chance to slow down and enjoy the journey between destinations. Unwind at the onboard spa or jacuzzi, or scan the skies for red-footed boobies working the waves for flying fish as the vessel cuts steadily east. Naturalist-led talks throughout the day offer insight into the geology and ecology linking Tanzania's coast to the Seychelles' outer islands — two ecosystems joined by one continuous ocean. World-class dining carries the day into evening, capped by stargazing from the Sun Deck as Aqua Lares continues its crossing under a wide, open sky.

Day
17

Day 17: Stillness at the Edge, Assumption Island

Assumption offers a deliberate change of pace — a remote, largely untouched atoll where the day's agenda is simply presence, with no set schedule pulling you from one activity to the next. Watch turquoise water stretch to the horizon from the deck, retreat to your suite for quiet moments, or keep watch for seabirds and the occasional flash of marine life beneath the surface as the ship holds position offshore. It's one of the more contemplative stops on the journey, and worth letting the day unfold slowly. Dinner and sundowners close things out in the stillness of one of the Indian Ocean's most secluded corners — a pause before Aldabra's spectacle tomorrow.

Day
18

Day 18: A Living Fortress, Aldabra Atoll

You wake to Aldabra, home to more than 100,000 giant tortoises roaming freely across its four islands — the largest such population found anywhere on the planet, and a genuine wonder of the natural world. Morning brings a visit to the Aldabra Research Station and the atoll's historic old settlement, offering context for the conservation work that has protected this ecosystem for decades, followed by a snorkel or dive off the island's west side. The afternoon's drift dive reveals a thriving population of tropical fish, sharks, and sea turtles, with manta rays an occasional, unplanned bonus in these famously isolated and richly biodiverse waters.

Day
19

Day 19: The Underwater Grand Canyon, Astove Island

Astove's reputation rests on the Astove Wall, a four-mile drop-off draped in soft coral and patrolled by sharks, rays, and reef fish, with visibility stretching to 40 meters in ideal conditions. Regarded as among the finest dive sites in the Indian Ocean, it delivers a scale and clarity that feels closer to open-ocean wilderness than a typical reef dive, and today gives you ample time to explore it by dive or snorkel. Whether you're a serious diver chasing a bucket-list site or a curious snorkeler content to take in the drop-off from above, Astove offers a genuinely rare underwater landscape few travelers ever witness firsthand.

Day
20

Day 20: Uncharted Reefs, Providence Atoll

Providence unfolds in shades of azure, its lagoon and surrounding reefs still largely unmapped by recreational diving, giving today's excursions a sense of genuine discovery. As a snorkeler or diver here, you'll explore coral formations few outsiders have ever seen, moving through calm, clear water largely untouched by tourism. Above, red-footed boobies and other seabirds wheel over the atoll's low-lying cays, adding motion to an otherwise still, remote seascape. It's a place where wildlife still vastly outnumbers visitors, and where the sense of remoteness that has defined much of this crossing reaches one of its clearest expressions yet.

Day
21

Day 21: Mangroves and Coconut Groves, Saint-François Atoll

Morning tenders deliver you to Saint-François Atoll, where mangrove channels shelter juvenile sharks, scuttling crabs, and wading crab plovers, alongside a full range of ways to explore — snorkeling, diving, kayaking, and paddleboarding across an expansive barrier reef. Take your time moving between the mangroves and the open reef, since both offer distinctly different encounters with the marine life here. After lunch back aboard, you continue exploring the wider Alphonse group, where a lush coconut forest gives way to hard coral gardens just offshore, teeming with fish and offering one more chance to get in the water before the expedition's final stops.

Day
22

Day 22: A Conservation Frontier, D'Arros Island

D'Arros closes the expedition on a high note — a secluded coral cay in the Amirantes Group managed by the Save Our Seas Foundation, where sustained conservation work has produced one of the richest marine environments in the Indian Ocean. You begin with a dive or snorkel at St Joseph Channel among rays and reef sharks, then spend the afternoon at Turtle Town, where hawksbill and green turtles move unhurried through the shallows, offering an unhurried final encounter with the ocean life that has defined much of this journey. A final dinner on board toasts a trip that began on the plains of the Masai Mara and closes among some of the most protected waters on Earth.

Day
23

Day 23: Homeward Waters, Return to Mahé

A final breakfast on board offers a last look back at the extraordinary distance covered — from Amboseli's elephant herds to Aldabra's tortoise-covered shores, and every reef, atoll, and open-water crossing in between. Aqua Lares arrives at L'Escale Marina on Mahé, bringing your twenty-three-day journey to a close, one that has spanned two nations, a spice island, and one continuous crossing of the Indian Ocean's most remote and remarkable waters. As you disembark and prepare for onward travel, take a moment to consider the arc of the trip — savannah to summit, island to atoll — a genuinely rare combination of safari and expedition cruising in a single itinerary.

Frequently Asked Questions

What destinations are included in the Grand East Africa & Seychelles Voyage Big Game to Big Blue package?

The Grand East Africa & Seychelles Voyage Big Game to Big Blue package includes a remarkable journey through several destinations: Nairobi, Masai Mara National Reserve, Amboseli National Park, Tarangire National Park, Karatu, Zanzibar Island, and Mahe Island. This itinerary combines a classic East African safari experience with a luxurious cruise through the stunning Seychelles.

How long is the Grand East Africa & Seychelles Voyage, and how many nights do we spend in each location?

This itinerary spans 23 days and 22 nights. The breakdown includes: 9 nights in luxury safari lodges across Kenya and Tanzania, 3 nights in Zanzibar at a beachfront resort, and 10 nights aboard the Aqua Lares cruise ship in the Seychelles. Each segment offers a unique experience, from wildlife safaris to beach relaxation and ocean exploration.

Are all meals included in this tour, and what types of dining experiences can we expect?

Yes, meals are included in this package. You can expect a variety of dining experiences, including: - Daily meals during the safari portion (breakfast, lunch, dinner) - Gourmet dining aboard the Aqua Lares, including buffet breakfast, lunch, dinner, and midnight snacks. While most meals are covered, personal dining preferences or additional meals outside the itinerary are not included.

How do we travel between the various destinations in this itinerary?

Travel between destinations in this itinerary is facilitated through a combination of private transfers, domestic flights, and cruise travel. For instance, you'll have private transfers for airport and hotel connections, and a short flight from Arusha to Zanzibar. The cruise portion is conducted aboard the Aqua Lares, which takes you through the Indian Ocean to various islands.

Can we customize aspects of the Grand East Africa & Seychelles Voyage, such as accommodations or excursions?

Yes, this package offers customization options. You can discuss with your Keytours travel consultant to tailor accommodations, select optional excursions, or extend your stay in specific locations. Customization allows you to create a travel experience that aligns with your interests and preferences.

Is travel insurance included in this package, and how can we obtain it?

Travel insurance is not included in this package. However, you can inquire about options with your Keytours travel consultant. It's highly recommended to secure travel insurance to cover unexpected events or emergencies during your trip.

What should we know about gratuities and personal expenses during the Grand East Africa & Seychelles Voyage?

Gratuities for drivers, guides, and escorts are not included in the package price and are at your discretion. Additionally, personal expenses such as souvenirs, optional activities, and any meals not specified in the itinerary will also be your responsibility. It's advisable to budget accordingly for these additional costs.

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