May 4-22, 2026

AU bus to Chicago O'Hare Airport for our flights to Nairobi, Kenya. Upon arrival, we'll transfer to the Adventist University of Africa (AUA), our base while in Nairobi.

Overnight: Adventist University of Africa (AUA)
Included Meals: In-Flight Meals

Our base during our time in Nairobi, the Adventist University of Africa (AUA) offers a peaceful setting surrounded by lush greenery and panoramic views of the Rift Valley. We will spend time in brief lectures and visit a variety of educational and cultural sites in and around Nairobi. Sabbath will be a rest day with optional activities or free time on the AUA campus.

Activities will be added here as they are confirmed.

Overnight: AUA
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Leaving Nairobi, we’ll travel south toward Amboseli National Park , watching the city give way to open countryside dotted with small towns and acacia trees. The drive offers sweeping views across the Athi Plains and, on clear days, the distant snow-capped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. As we near Amboseli, the landscape opens into classic savannah, where wildlife may appear along the roadside. In the afternoon, we’ll visit a Maasai village to learn about their customs, culture, and daily life.

Overnight: near Amboseli
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Known for its large herds of elephants, stunning views of Mount Kilimanjaro, and breathtaking scenery, Amboseli National Park is a photographer’s dream. Though set in a dry landscape, the park is nourished by underground streams from Kilimanjaro’s melting snows, creating lush swamps that sustain wildlife year-round. Game drives offer striking contrasts of dusty plains dotted with marshes and wet areas.

Overnight: near Amboseli
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

From Amboseli, we'll head to the the Namanga border where we enter Tanzania. Once across the border, the landscape shifts to lush highlands and fertile farmland leading to Arusha, gateway to the northern safari circuit. After lunch in Arusha, with Mount Meru rising dramatically above the horizon, we'll continue to Karatu, passing through lush coffee farms, Maasai homesteads, and the sweeping plains of the Great Rift Valley.

Overnight: Karatu
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Today we’ll visit the Hadzabe Tribe near Lake Eyasi, one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes in East Africa. With a unique language and centuries-old traditions, the Hadzabe live largely apart from so-called modern society, hunting and gathering based on seasonal rhythms. Their deep connection to the land offers a rare glimpse into a way of life that has endured for hundreds of years.

Overnight: Karatu
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest intact and unfilled volcanic caldera and one of Africa’s most remarkable wildlife habitats. Spanning 20 kilometers across and 600 meters deep, it supports an incredible density of animals within its enclosed ecosystem. The crater’s dramatic landscapes carry deep cultural and historical significance to the Maasai making it both a natural and anthropological treasure.

Overnight: Karatu
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Perched on the edge of the Great Rift Valley, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area opens into a breathtaking expanse of highlands, forests, and Maasai villages - an area where people and wildlife coexist in harmony. Traveling westward, we’ll descend into the vast Serengeti, transitioning from mountain coolness to sun-drenched plains, stopping for game sightings and breaks along the way.

Overnight: Central Serengeti
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Serengeti National Park, established in 1951 and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is world-famous for its vast open plains and the vast herds which migrate around the greater Serengeti. Named Siringet by the Masai, meaning "endless plains", the park is on the forefront of global conservation, human-wildlife interactions, and sustainable tourism initiatives. Our day will be spent in the park exploring on game drives, watching for leopards, lions, elephants, giraffes, and the great herds that define the Serengeti, with breaks and meals amid stunning landscapes and endless horizons.

Overnight: Central Serengeti
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Departing the Serengeti, we’ll journey north through rolling savannahs and small Tanzanian towns to the Sirari/Isebania border. After crossing into Kenya, the road winds through scenic farmland, acacia-dotted hills, and Maasai villages. As we approach the Maasai Mara, the open grasslands return and wildlife once again appears along the roadside.

Overnight: Maasai Mara
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Our day will be spent in the Maasai Mara exploring its rolling grasslands on game drives, watching for lions, elephants, cheetahs, and herds that cross the plains from the Serengeti. Though the landscapes share the same ecosystem, the Mara’s gently sloping hills and winding rivers reveal a distinct expression of this wilderness, offering sweeping views that capture the heart of Kenya’s natural beauty.

Overnight: Maasai Mara
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Leaving the Mara, we’ll travel back to Nairobi by road, trading the sweeping savannah for the green highlands dotted with farms and villages. The journey climbs steadily through the Great Rift Valley, with panoramic views and glimpses of rural life along the way, before descending into the bustle of Nairobi. In the evening, we’ll transfer to the airport for our overnight flights out of Nairobi

Overnight: in flight
Meals Included: Breakfast, & Lunch (possible dinner in flight)

Landing at Chicago O'Hare, we'll be greeted by a bus which will return us to AU.

Meals Included: in flight meals