East Africa
Big Five Safaris, Ancient Cultures & Zanzibar Sunsets
Join us on an extraordinary journey across East Africa, where breathtaking wildlife, authentic cultural experiences and idyllic Indian Ocean beaches combine to create memories that will last a lifetime.
From AUD$8999
5 July 2027
13 Nights
Women only
Inclusions
Trip Highlights and Activities
Join Ladies Who Travel Founder Melissa Delaware on an unforgettable hosted journey through Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar, operated in partnership with Intrepid Travel.
Designed especially for women who love meaningful travel experiences, this incredible adventure combines some of Africa’s most iconic wildlife destinations with authentic cultural encounters and time to relax on the idyllic shores of Zanzibar.
From searching for the Big Five in the Maasai Mara, to witnessing the endless plains of the Serengeti, descending into the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater, and connecting with local communities whose traditions have shaped East Africa for generations, this is a journey that goes far beyond a typical safari.
We’ll finish with several days in beautiful Zanzibar, where historic Stone Town, white-sand beaches and warm Indian Ocean waters provide the perfect ending to an extraordinary adventure.
Travelling with Ladies Who Travel means more than simply seeing the sights. It means sharing the experience with a supportive group of like-minded women, creating lifelong friendships, embracing new cultures, and making memories that will stay with you long after you return home.
An unforgettable combination of wildlife, culture, connection and relaxation in one of the world’s most remarkable regions.
Please Note: This is an adventure-style journey featuring comfortable mid-range hotels, lodges and safari camps. While all accommodation includes private facilities, the focus of this trip is on exceptional wildlife experiences, cultural immersion and unique locations rather than luxury accommodation. Flexibility, curiosity and a spirit of adventure will greatly enhance your experience.
Karibu! Welcome to Kenya.
On arrival, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your starting point hotel.
Your adventure begins in Nairobi – Kenya’s capital – with a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight, where you’ll meet your local leader and fellow travellers. If you arrive early, maybe head out to explore the National Museum of Kenya, the Karen Blixen Museum, or the highly recommended Bomas of Kenya, where traditional homesteads from several Kenyan tribes are displayed in an outdoor village.
Tonight, head out with your leader and fellow travellers for an included welcome dinner together.
- Included Activities: Airport arrival transfer
- Included Meals: Welcome Dinner
- Optional Activities: Kiambethu tea farm – USD55(minimum of 4 pax), Kazuri beads – USD10, Nairobi – Langata Giraffe Sanctuary – USD35, Half-day Nairobi city tour – USD 55
- Accommodation Hotel Boulevard
Begin your day with an early morning pickup (around 7:00am) from your hotel and head straight into Nairobi National Park for a sunrise game drive. As the city gently wakes, venture across the open savannah in search of lions, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, rhinos, and other wildlife grazing against the dramatic backdrop of the Nairobi skyline.
After your game drive, continue to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, where you’ll watch orphaned baby elephants enjoy their late‑morning mud bath and milk‑feeding session. This is also a chance to hear the touching stories behind their rescue, rehabilitation, and eventual release back into the wild.
Your next stop is the Giraffe Centre, home to the endangered Rothschild’s giraffe. From an elevated platform, you’ll have the opportunity to meet and hand‑feed these gentle giants while learning about the conservation efforts helping to protect them.
In the early afternoon, you’ll be transferred back to your hotel to enjoy the remainder of your day at leisure. Alternatively, time permitting, you may opt to stop for a delicious lunch at a local restaurant (lunch at own expense) before returning to the hotel.
- Included Activities: Nairobi National Park – Morning 4×4 game drive, David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust & Giraffe Centre
- Included Meals: Breakfast
- Accommodation: Hotel Boulevard
Transfer from Nairobi to the famous Maasai Mara – one of the best game reserves in Africa.
On the way, you’ll stop in Loita Hills – a remote region home to the traditional Maasai people. This is one of the key places where the Maasai people still practice their traditional way of life, with little influence from the Western world.
Visit the Tepesua Village, known for championing Maasai women’s health and education. Maasai Warriors will welcome you here by way of traditional song and dance. Meet your hosts and attend a talk full of insights into this remarkable and ancient culture.
Take a walk to the community village, which was founded for widows who can never remarry and lost their cows due to drought. The village offers support, safety and economic growth through the Tepesua Widows Income Project. Here, the women make handicrafts and sew handbags using sustainable materials as well as washable sanitary pads and backpacks to sell to visitors and locals. Learn about village life and be shown around a traditional Maasai home and its cattle enclosures.
Continue to the outskirts of the Maasai Mara, where your permanent tented camp can be found.
- Included Activities: Loita local Maasai village
- Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Accommodation: Resian Mara Camp
This morning, you have the option to take part in a hot air balloon ride and bush breakfast, giving you a rare chance to see the open plains at sunrise, teeming with wildlife.
After, explore the Maasai Mara in 4WD safari vehicles with game drives in the morning and the afternoon today to give you the best chance to spot the Big Five. This is the quintessential African experience, and with sparse open plains and some of the world’s most impressive animals, you won’t soon forget this one.
Keep your eyes peeled for wildebeest, lions, leopards, antelope and giraffes along the way.
- Included Activities: Masai Mara National Reserve – full day 4 x 4 game drive
- Optional Activities: Masai Mara balloon safari – $ 500 per person
- Included Meals: Breakfast, lunch & Pastilla dinner at Chadia
- Accommodation: Resian Mara Camp
Today, journey across the Kenya–Tanzania border to your accommodation in Butiama – the birthplace of Tanzania’s first president. It’s a bit of a long travel day, so this is the perfect time to play road trip games or get stuck into a book.
Tonight, you’ll stay in a family-run lodge.
Your travel time today will be approximately 10-11 hours, including border formalities.
- Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Accommodation: Mwitongo Lodge
Enjoy a relaxed morning, taking in the magnificent views of Lake Victoria in the morning light.
Travel to Serengeti National Park, renowned for its incredible wildlife and vast, open landscapes. After passing through the park gate, experience the greatest commute possible as we slowly make our way to our permanent tented camp via the ‘scenic safari route.’ Along the way, stop to take photos of the abundant wildlife and stunning views.
Tonight, you’ll have a true African safari experience – with your comfortable safari camp set right in the heart of the Serengeti.
After dinner, gather around the campfire to share stories, then fall asleep to the sounds of the wild.
Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours, not including your safari en route to camp.
- Included Activities: Serengeti National Park – Afternoon 4×4 game drive
- Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Accommodation: Tukaone Serengeti Camp
Wake to another glorious day in the Serengeti National Park. Start the day with an early morning 4WD safari to spot the wildlife when they’re at their most active. Then, return to camp for a relaxed brunch.
This afternoon, head off again for another drive through the park. Return to camp for dinner and another night under the Serengeti’s stars.
There is another optional balloon ride this morning, offered as a pre-booked service, which will guarantee you a place. If you would rather wait and try to get a better price by booking this locally, you are welcome to – but keep in mind that this is a popular activity and places are limited.
Today’s game drives will depend on the time of year and how far the best possible animal sightings are likely to be from camp. To maximise your chances of epic wildlife encounters (and reduce time spent commuting to and from camp), you may do a full-day safari rather than separate morning and afternoon safaris.
- Included Activities: Serengeti National Park – Morning 4×4 game drive & Afternoon 4×4 game drive
- Optional Activities: Balloon ride – $ 600 per person
- Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Accommodation: Tukaone Serengeti Camp
Enjoy a final game drive through the Serengeti National Park this morning as you exit your camp inside the park and make your way to the park gate.
From here, drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation area, where you’ll hop in the park’s 4WD jeeps and descend to the crater floor. The jeeps have open roofs, and the animals here are less wary of humans and vehicles, making it easier to watch them up close.
Take in the spectacular views from the crater’s rim as you make your way to the bottom, where animals roam the lakes, rivers, woodlands and hills. Keep an eye out for wildebeest, lion, zebra, cheetah, buffalo, gazelle, endangered black rhino and the colourfully dressed Maasai people who often water their cattle at the lake here.
This afternoon, leave the Ngorongoro Crater and drive to Karatu – a small town on its outskirts and your base for the next two nights.
- Included Activities: Serengeti National Park Morning 4×4 game drive & Ngorongoro Crater – 4×4 Game Drive
- Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Accommodation: Karatu Villas Lodge
After breakfast, make your way towards Lake Eyasi, a vast seasonal soda lake, stopping at a scenic viewpoint to take in the magnificent views across its shimmering waters.
The area surrounding Lake Eyasi has been home to the Hadzabe people for more than 10,000 years and is one of the few places in Africa where traditional tribal life continues with little modern influence.
Today’s visit to the Hadzabe lands offers fascinating insight into this ancient culture and a chance to learn about their way of life. Meet community members and take part in daily activities such as hunting, gathering, and traditional dance, while learning about their unique ‘click’ language, believed to be one of the oldest still spoken today.
Return to your lodge in Karatu later in the day to relax and unwind.
Your travel time today will be approximately 5 hours.
- Included Activities: Lake Eyasi-Hadzabe Bushmen & Lake Eyasi-Soda Lake
- Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Accommodation: Karatu Villas Lodge
Begin the day with time to enjoy the optional activities available from your base in Karatu. You might choose to visit a local coffee plantation, join a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park or set out on a guided hike through the Ngorongoro Forest Reserve to the Elephant Caves, accompanied by an expert local guide and armed ranger. These experiences offer a chance to immerse ourselves in the region’s natural beauty, learn about local ecosystems and stretch our legs after several days of travel.
In the early afternoon, continue your journey toward Monduli for an enriching visit with the Pastoral Women’s Council (PWC). This respected organisation works to empower Maasai women through education, economic opportunities and the preservation of pastoralist cultural traditions. Spend time with community members, engage in meaningful conversations and gain a deeper understanding of grassroots, women‑led development in northern Tanzania.
After your visit, travel onward to Arusha, where you will spend the night.
- Included Activities: Pastoral Women’s Council visit
- Optional Activities: Karatu Village Visit – USD20, Karatu Coffee Tour – USD25, Ngorongoro Forest – Elephant Cave Trek – USD80 & / or Lake Manyara Game drive – USD100
- Included Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
- Accommodation: Njiro Legacy Hotel
This morning, bid farewell to your crew, transfer to Arusha Airport, and take an included flight to Stone Town, Zanzibar.
You’ll be unescorted for the rest of the trip; however, local representatives and your Ladies Who Travel host will be on hand to look after you.
Zanzibar is an archipelagic gem known for its idyllic beaches, vibrant markets, and layered history. Once a major hub in the East African slave trade and home to Arabian sultans, its past has shaped a distinctive culture where African, Arab, and European influences converge.
Join a local guide this afternoon to explore the many charms of Stone Town, the historic heart of Zanzibar. Discover its winding alleys and lively markets, sample local dishes, and gain insight into daily life on the island.
- Included Activities: Transfers from Zanzibar Airport to the hotel, One Way flight Arusha – Zanzibar, Stone Town – Local Food Tasting & Stone Town – Guided Walking Tour
- Included Meals: Breakfast
- Accommodation: Mizingani Hotel
This morning, you have the option to visit the spice plantations for a guided tour, where you’ll learn about the history of the region’s spice trade and have the chance to touch, smell, and taste spices like cinnamon, vanilla, and ginger, followed by a tea sampling.
Alternatively, you can head directly to the white sands and sparkling blue seas of the northern beaches.
- Optional Activities: Spice tour – $ 30 per person (minimum 4 pax)
- Included Meals: Breakfast
- Accommodation: Mnarani Beach Cottages
Wake up in paradise and perhaps start your day with a peaceful stroll along the coast as the sun rises over the Indian Ocean.
Enjoy a full day to soak up the best of island life – whether that means relaxing on the sand with a good book, in the warm, turquoise waters, or indulging in freshly grilled seafood for lunch. Speak with your local representative for recommendations on how to make the most of your time in this idyllic setting.
Tonight, head out on a final farewell dinner with your fellow travellers.
- Included Meals: Breakfast & Farewell Dinner
- Accommodation: Mnarani Beach Cottages
There are no activities planned for the final day.
- Included Activities: Airport transfers
- Included Meals: Breakfast
A Note About This Journey
This is an adventure-style itinerary designed for travellers seeking authentic experiences rather than luxury accommodation. While we stay in comfortable hotels, lodges and safari camps throughout the journey, some properties are located in remote areas where occasional interruptions to Wi-Fi, electricity or hot water can occur.
East Africa rewards travellers who embrace flexibility, curiosity and a spirit of adventure. The wildlife encounters, cultural connections and breathtaking landscapes are what make this journey truly unforgettable.
Accommodation Standard: Comfortable Mid-Range (3–4 Star)
Accommodation on this journey ranges from comfortable hotels and lodges to permanent safari camps located in some of East Africa’s most spectacular wildlife areas. Expect clean, comfortable accommodation with private bathrooms throughout, generally equivalent to 3 to 4-star standards.
This is an adventure-focused itinerary rather than a luxury holiday. The emphasis is on exceptional wildlife experiences, cultural encounters and staying in locations that provide the best access to the destinations we’re visiting. Some properties are remote, and occasional issues such as slower Wi-Fi, power interruptions or variable hot water can occur, particularly in safari regions. Flexibility and a spirit of adventure will greatly enhance your experience.
