African Splendour Safari

Day 1: Depart Home We board our flights in anticipation of the magnificent holiday that awaits us.

Day 3: Cape Town A full-day tour explores this dramatically beautiful city, including a spectacular cable car ride up Table Mountain, offering a splendid view of Cape Town. Then it's off to the Cape Point Nature Reserve of Flying Dutchman fame, and the fabled Cape of Good Hope, revealing dramatic and beautiful panoramas along the way. This evening we are invited for cocktails and dinner at the home of our esteemed Cape Town hosts-a delightful way to end the day.

Victoria Falls

Day 5: Victoria Falls This morning we enplane for Victoria Falls, connecting in Johannesburg. In the afternoon we check into the magnificent Royal Livingstone Hotel, Zambia-side of the falls. From the hotel we hear the roar of the plummeting torrents and see cascades of billowing mist. Lunch is served alfresco on stunning verandas and the afternoon is spent at leisure, delighting in the views, the gracious service and amenities.

Day 7: Johannesburg We fly to South Africa and find ourselves absolutely enchanted with our accommodations at theWestcliff Hotel, evocative of a sprawling Mediterranean village cascading down landscaped gardens with lush greenery, fountains and panoramic views over the leafy suburbs.

Arusha | Lake Manyara

Day 9: Lake Manyara We depart by air to Lake Manyara via Arusha where mahogany forests, marsh, grass, scrubland and over 350 species of birds populate this magnificent tangle of vegetation. On our game runs here, we seek the famous tree-climbing lions, a sight not as rare as you might think. Charming rooms at the Lake Manyara Escarpment Luxury Lodge and a superb dinner await us.

Ngorongoro Crater

Day 11: Ngorongoro Crater We descend into the giant crater of this extinct volcano and spend the morning tracking animals. This magnificent natural amphitheatre contains the largest concentration of animals in all of Africa, including a high density of lions and thousands of flamingos inhabiting an alkaline lake. Because the grass is short, game is easily spotted. The ever-changing mood and tenor of this great caldera will endlessly hold our attention.

Serengeti

Day 13: Serengeti National Park Returning to the Manyara airstrip, we fly to the Serengeti, the jewel in the crown of Tanzania, located deep in the heart of the famous migration corridor. Its far-reaching plains of endless grass, tinged with the twisted shadows of acacia trees, have made it the quintessential image of a wild and untarnished Africa. After two days of intensive game runs we will feel passionate about this land. Our home, the exquisite Serengeti Pioneer Camp, is the epitome of the classic safari camp with antique-filled luxury tents ensconced in the gloriously golden Serengeti Plains. We’ll be reminded at every turn why Pioneer is a deft balance of splendid isolation and modern luxury.

Arusha

Day 15: Maasai Mara Our journey continues by air across the tapestry of East Africa to Arusha and Nairobi, where we pause for lunch before continuing by air to the Maasai Mara. And here, once again, we find the Africa of our imagination—a pristine wilderness of arcing vistas and a sea of richly rolling grasslands. And here, our splendid expedition reachs a grand finale with a visit to a Maasai village and sundowner cocktails on the plains. Two glorious days and nights are enjoyed in the cosseted comfort of Mara Explorer or Ngare Serian tented camps.

Day 17: Arrive Home