Home / Safaris / African Splendour
Elephants

African Splendour

Get a Free Brochure
Destination
South Africa: Cape Town. Zimbabwe: Victoria Falls.
Kenya: Nairobi, Maasai Mara.
Tanzania: Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti
Duration
17 Days
Door-to-door
Price
Starting from
$35,400

​The Best of East & Southern Africa

We’re not sure why, but great journeys often involve great contrasts. African Splendour is a case in point. On the full 17-day safari (the first 5 days in Southern Africa are optional), we range through 34 degrees of latitude and four countries, but, most engagingly and contrastingly, we experience the diverse excitements of Cape Town’s urban pizzazz, the watery colossus of Victoria Falls, and the wondrous game lands of the Serengeti-Maasai Mara ecosystem, where the wandering rains compel the planet’s most momentous movement of big, interesting mammals. (And then there’s the Ngorongoro Crater, which really can’t be contrasted with any other place, because there really isn’t any other place remotely like it, at least on our home planet.)

Those with a little less time can begin the safari on Day 7 in Nairobi before heading off to the quite engagingly contrasty Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti, and the Maasai Mara, high on the list of Africa’s supreme splendours.

Feeling the cool wind of the night and smelling the good smell of Africa, I was altogether happy.Ernest HemingwayGreen Hills of Africa

Highlights

  • A magnificent and varietal passage through fabled East and Southern African landmarks: buzzing and beautiful Cape Town, epic Victoria Falls, and the legendary game reserves of East Africa.
  • A sterling collection of carefully curated hotels, camps and lodges, including the Belmond Mount Nelson in Cape Town, the famed Victoria Falls Hotel, the stunning Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, and Sir Richard Branson’s personal camp in Kenya.
  • A rich variety of experiences: wine tasting in the gorgeous Cape Winelands, exploring the wondrous Cape Point Nature Reserve on the continent’s southern tip; land and air views of stupendous Victoria Falls; eventful game drives and walks in the heart of East Africa’s big game country.

Itinerary

Download Itinerary
Day 1 En Route

En route to Southern Africa for optional 17-day safari; otherwise, begin on Day 7 in Nairobi.

Days 2 to 4 Wonders and beauties of Cape Town and environs

After a late afternoon or early evening arrival in South Africa’s second-largest and most scenic and snazzy city, we’ll settle into Cape Town’s grande dame hotel, the pink, very pretty, much-loved Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel.

Nelly, as it’s affectionately known, lies in the centre of City Bowl, the rocky natural amphitheatre that embraces old Cape Town. During our two full days we’ll make an excursion to the area’s famed Cape Winelands, lunching at an estate and strolling through the Wineland’s charming Dutch and French Huguenot towns of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. We’ll visit Cape Point Nature Reserve and, a little farther south, the Cape of Good Hope. And we’ll take the Aerial Cableway to the top of 3,500-foot Table Mountain, centre stage of Cape Town’s amazing amphitheatre. And we’ll visit and perhaps lend a hand at one of Micato-AmericaShare’s inventive and inspiring programmes in Cape Town.

Days 5 & 6 Titanic Victoria Falls and the Royal Livingstone

A lovely flight northward via Johannesburg delivers us to Victoria Falls, Mosi-oa-Tunya, “The Smoke That Thunders,” not the highest or the widest but the world’s grandest and most booming waterfall, a large lakesworth of water flinging itself 360 feet straight down every minute of every day, right before our delighted eyes.

We have a couple of days to appreciate the Falls’ subtly shifting moods. We’ll cruise on the Zambezi River, watching elephants and giraffes enjoying their own sundowners, we’ll helicopter over the Falls on the Flight of Angels, and we’ll wander from one misty vantage point to another, returning for sustenance and leisure to our stately Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe, within walking distance of the world wonder.

Day 7 Nairobi and the serene Hemingways hostelry

We fly northeast from Zambia and Victoria Falls to Nairobi and Hemingways, a quietly ravishing haven for lovers of old-style panache mixed with modern amenities and great cuisine, wonderfully set in the lush suburb of Karen.

Days 8 to 10 Sir Richard Branson’s Mahali Mzuri in the Maasai Mara

We fly west from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara, the northern, more verdant section of the single most salubrious wildlife habitat on this or any known planet, the Serengeti-Maasai Mara ecosystem. Game drives in the Mara are especially fruitful….Our Mara headquarters is Sir Richard Branson’s Mahali Mzuri, whose innovatively designed, yet very African tents “resemble the tents of our youth like a Gulfstream G650 resembles a Piper Cub,” as we said a while back. Mzuri is auspiciously set next to one of the Mara’s prime migration pathways.

Days 11 & 12 A lightening of spirit in the storied Serengeti

Now— these are thrilling safari words!— into the Serengeti, amazing in its enormity, its almost infinite skies and long, golden reaches, its million-year quiet. We’ll make far-ranging game drives on the great plain and in its riverine forests, based from the stunningly deluxe Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, set on rocky bluffs, giving us vast, endlessly stimulating views.

Days 13 to 15 Lake Manyara and the epic Ngorongoro Crater

A typically spectacular flight and pleasant drive deliver us to The Manor at Ngorongoro, a marvelous 10-cottage, 20-suite retreat set within a 1500- acre Arabica coffee estate adjacent to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Those of us who began African Splendour in South Africa will recognize the Manor’s elegant Cape Dutch style; those who haven’t will simply be charmed. Our three nights at the Manor are a rare idyll.

We’ll enjoy a restful afternoon (or a very active one; the Manor offers horsebacking, mountain biking, swimming in the Manor’s pool, and estate walks, among other enjoyments), before a classic high tea and dinner in the private dining room or wine cellar.

And the next day we visit one of the earth’s natural masterpieces. We’ve got a lot of affection for Ngorongoro. Here’s the essence of the crater’s tremendous charisma: 25,000 or so large and very viewable mammals— from apex predators to galumphing hippos— inhabit the crater’s 100-square-mile floor, and zigzagging up the old volcano’s forested wall to its rim, and gazing for the first or fifth time at the lush lands and their inhabitants in the crater below, is a great moment in any traveller’s life.

We’ll descend to the crater and excitedly roam from morning to afternoon, stopping at mid-day for a charmingly luxurious bush lunch, before heading back to a serene evening at the Manor.

Now we encounter Lake Manyara. Africa is blessed with epic lakes (Tanganyika is the world’s second deepest; all the Rift Lakes are gigantic stunners), but many, including Ernest Hemingway, consider the smaller gem of Lake Manyara— with its diamond-white alkali rim, its million or so coral-coloured flamingos, and the deep sapphire waters at its centre— the loveliest of all. After a relaxed (or active) morning at the Manor, we’ll embark on a fine afternoon of game viewing around the lake (many tree-climbing lions frequent Manyara’s Africa-embodying scrublands, mahogany forests, and bird-thronged marshlands). And after cocktails and canapés in the bush, we head back to the Manor for a final night before regretfully getting ready to head home.

Days 16 & 17 Return to Nairobi for flights home

After flying back to Nairobi, we’ll relax in full service, meals-included day rooms at the Fairmont Norfolk hotel or the Four Points by Sheraton at the Nairobi Airport, have a quiet dinner, and head out to Jomo Kenyatta Airport for our late evening flights home, where we arrive, tired but exalted, on Day 17 of this mightily splendid safari.

Camps & Lodges

Ask a Question

Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel

Cape Town, South Africa
Nestled at the foot of Table Mountain, the always-elegant, ever-indulgent Belmond Mount Nelson offers both tranquility and easy access for a pre-safari stay in Cape Town.
Learn More

Victoria Falls Hotel

​Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
A classic colonial-era masterpiece, the Victoria Falls Hotel is within walking distance of the thrillingly gargantuan cataract, one of the planet’s grandest wonders.
Learn More

Hemingways Nairobi

Nairobi, Kenya
One of Africa’s finest and most cheerfully luxurious hotels, Hemingways Nairobi is a supremely reposeful pre- or post-safari haven, set in Nairobi’s leafy suburbs, near Isak Dinesen’s beloved Ngong Hills.
Learn More

Mahali Mzuri

Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya
One of Sir Richard Branson’s inspired African creations, Mahali Mzuri is a small, inventively luxurious safari camp beautifully positioned in the northern Serengeti-Maasai Mara ecosystem, the unquestioned capital of world wildlife.
Learn More

Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti

Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti seamlessly combines thoughtfully enthusiastic luxury with a deep engagement with the pan-galactically spectacular Serengeti in Tanzania.
Learn More

The Manor at Ngorongoro Crater

​Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Deliciously situated in a coffee plantation next to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the elegant Manor offers close access to the stupendous Ngorongoro Crater itself, and, down below, flamingo-thronged Lake Manyara.
Learn More

Fairmont The Norfolk

Nairobi, Kenya
The Norfolk has been a meeting place for safariers since 1904. Photos of past guests (Churchill and Teddy Roosevelt among them) remind us that this is where grand adventures begin.
Learn More
Ask a Question

What's Included

Ask a Question
  • Luxury accommodations and all meals.
  • Highly-credentialed Micato Safari Directors and Driver-Guides during the East Africa portion of your journey and a Safari Director in Southern Africa.
  • 24/7 Concierge Team poised to meet last minute, unexpected, and unusual requests.
  • A variety of activities, individualized for you by your Safari Director at every safari location.
  • Every last gratuity, even substantial ones to Safari Directors, Driver-Guides, Game Rangers, Trackers, waiters, porters… and everyone else, from beginning to end of your safari.
  • Regional wine and beer at mealtimes, vehicles stocked with soft drinks and bottled water.
  • Daily valet laundry service. You can pack less and even return home with a bag of clean clothes… now that’s luxury!
  • Complimentary in-vehicle Wi-Fi as well as free Wi-Fi wherever else it exists on safari, including camps and lodges.
  • All airport transfers, game park, national park, and conservancy fees.
  • Extensive safety protocols perfected by 60 years of on-the-ground expertise.
  • Sublime safari swag! Bush hats, specially designed Micato Safaris duffels, luggage tags, document wallets, flashlights, and more.
  • For every guest on safari, Micato sends an African child to school.

Dates & Rates

Request a Booking

2024 Dates

To and from Home | Every date is a guaranteed departure

Jan. 06 – Jan. 22 May 25 – June 10 Aug. 10 – Aug. 26 Oct. 26 – Nov. 11
Jan. 13 – Jan. 29 June 01 – June 17 Aug. 17 – Sept. 02 Nov. 02 – Nov. 18
Jan. 20 – Feb. 05 June 08 – June 24 Aug. 24 – Sept. 09 Nov. 09 – Nov. 25
Jan. 27 – Feb. 12 June 15 – July 01 Aug. 31 – Sept. 16 Nov. 16 – Dec. 02
Feb. 03 – Feb. 19 June 22 – July 08 Sept. 07 – Sept. 23 Nov. 23 – Dec. 09
Feb. 10 – Feb. 26 June 29 – July 15 Sept. 14 – Sept. 30 Nov. 30 – Dec. 16
Feb. 17 – Mar. 04 July 06 – July 22 Sept. 21 – Oct. 07 Dec. 07 – Dec. 23
Feb. 24 – Mar. 11 July 13 – July 29 Sept. 28 – Oct. 14 Dec. 14 – Dec. 30
Mar. 02 – Mar. 18 July 20 – Aug. 05 Oct. 5 – Oct. 21 Dec. 21 – Jan. 06
Mar. 09 – Mar. 25 July 27 – Aug. 12 Oct. 12 – Oct. 28 Dec. 28 – Jan. 13
May 18 – June 03 Aug. 03 – Aug. 19 Oct. 19 – Nov. 04

2025 Dates

To and from Home | Every date is a guaranteed departure

Jan. 04 – Jan. 20 May 24 – June 09 Aug. 09 – Aug. 25 Oct. 25 – Nov. 10
Jan. 11 – Jan. 27 May 31 – June 16 Aug. 16 – Sept. 01 Nov. 01 – Nov. 17
Jan. 18 – Feb. 03 June 07 – June 23 Aug. 23 – Sept. 08 Nov. 08 – Nov. 24
Jan. 25 – Feb. 10 June 14 – June 30 Aug. 30 – Sept. 15 Nov. 15 – Dec. 01
Feb. 01 – Feb. 17 June 21 – July 07 Sept. 06 – Sept. 22 Nov. 22 – Dec. 08
Feb. 08 – Feb. 24 June 28 – July 14 Sept. 13 – Sept. 29 Nov. 29 – Dec. 15
Feb. 15 – Mar. 03 July 05 – July 21 Sept. 20 – Oct. 06 Dec. 06 – Dec. 22
Feb. 22 – Mar. 10 July 12 – July 28 Sept. 27 – Oct. 13 Dec. 13 – Dec. 29
Mar. 01 – Mar. 17 July 19 – Aug. 04 Oct. 04 – Oct. 20 Dec. 20 – Jan. 05
Mar. 08 – Mar. 24 July 26 – Aug. 11 Oct. 11 – Oct. 27 Dec. 27 – Jan. 12
May 17 – June 02 Aug. 02 – Aug. 18 Oct. 18 – Nov. 03

Price Per Person

Full Safari

Land Arrangements, Per Person (2024). Note: This safari also offers a shorter version starting on Day 7.

Jan – Mar May November Balance of Year
Double Occupancy $32,550 $31,550 $33,550 $34,550
Single Supplement $6,450 $4,750 $6,750 $7,450
Internal Flights $3,850 $3,850 $3,850 $3,850

East Africa Only

Land Arrangements, Per Person (2024).

Jan – Mar May November Balance of Year
Double Occupancy $21,950 $20,950 $22,950 $23,950
Single Supplement $4,150 $3,250 $4,250 $5,250
Internal Flights $2,150 $2,150 $2,150 $2,150

Please contact us for 2025 rates.
Bring the Kids! Contact us for child pricing.
Ask us about a private vehicle for your Classic Safari.

Video Inspiration

Enjoy this taste of a Micato Safari. While this video doesn’t literally represent this safari, it absolutely captures the spirit.

Options & Extensions

Ask a Question

Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

Walking in the soft mists of Rwanda’s ultra-lush Virunga Volcanoes, we suddenly come across a family of rare and fiercely protected mountain gorillas, a soul-stirring, heart-pounding, forever indelible experience.
Learn More

Hot Air Balloon Safaris Over Africa

Hot Air Balloon Safaris allow you to greet the African dawn from a fabulously airy vantage point.
Learn More

Namibia

We savour the ultra-dramatic Namib desert, based from the innovative luxury of the Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, Or choose to make the comfortably chic Kwessi Dunes your home away from home.
Learn More

Zanzibar

Zanzibar’s Indian Ocean air—perfumed by the cinnamon, cardamon, clove, and intense Arabic coffees—its serene white sand beaches and colourfully historic Stone Town make the Spice Island an ideally restful spot to relax before or after an invigorating safari.
Learn More

More Safari Inspiration

The Micato Grand Safari

Three lions
Destination
Kenya: Nairobi, Amboseli, Maasai Mara
Tanzania: Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti
Duration
15 Days
Door-to-door
Price
Starting from
$32,650
All Safaris