Samburu, Mara, Serengeti & Zanzibar

The capital of Kenya, Nairobi is a major city and the primary transport hub for East Africa. It's a typically hectic place, but with some pleasant quiet suburbs, a good range of hotels and some interesting activities, notably the famous giraffe and baby elephant sanctuaries.

Set 230 km north of Nairobi, Samburu National Reserve is an arid and particularly atmospheric safari area, with a full range of wildlife, notably including Grevy’s zebras, reticulated giraffes and gerenuks. Guest accommodation is in a wide range of lodges, the best of which are mostly located in the peaceful private conservancies around the periphery.

Set 200 km west of Nairobi, Mara Confluence is the sector of the Maasai Mara which is best known for migration river crossings Jul-Oct and has a very wide range of lodge options. But some serious traffic issues.

Serengeti Mara is the prime but potentially busy area for migration herds and river crossings during the Jul-Nov dry season and a wonderful quiet backwater at other times, with guest accommodation in around 30 small lodges and camps, offering a good range of safari experiences.

Serengeti Southcentral is one of the most magical of areas, with migration calving Dec-Mar, superb Maasai interaction, incredible palaeontology and just two rather cool mid-priced lodges.

Situated immediately to the south of Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater is a mind-bogglingly amazing place, packed with wildlife year round. Guest accommodation is in a diverse range of camps and lodges, offering a range of safari, active and cultural activities. But there are significant traffic issues.

Set on the mainland coast of Tanzania, 250 km south of Dar es Salaam, Kilwa is a little-visited area with some extremely important and picturesque Swahili ruins. Offshore, there is one fabulously remote private island lodge.