Hemingway's Africa

Leave Nairobi behind and drive south towards Amboseli National Park. In late 1953, Hemingway and Mary spent considerable time in Kenya around the slopes of Kilimanjaro. Arrive at your safari lodge in time for lunch before heading out on your first afternoon game drive. As the sun drops behind Kilimanjaro, look out for elephants moving across the plains.

Enjoy a full day in Amboseli with morning and afternoon game drives. The combination of huge elephant herds, open plains and Mount Kilimanjaro makes this one of East Africa's most iconic landscapes. Between drives, relax at your lodge and enjoy the spectacular views.

Leave Amboseli behind and cross into Tanzania, travelling through the Great Rift Valley towards Lake Manyara, one of the placeses immortalised in Green Hills of Africa. Enjoy a game drive or scenic visit to Lake Manyara en route, before continuing into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The landscape changes dramatically as you climb into the cool, forested highlands. Arrive at your lodge in time to relax and enjoy views across the crater.

Descend into Ngorongoro Crater for a full day of game viewing. Hemingway reached the Ngorongoro area during his 1933 safari and spent Christmas here. Explore the crater floor, where lion, elephant, buffalo, hippo and black rhino can be found in an extraordinary concentration of wildlife. Return to the crater rim for another spectacular African sunset.

Travel west into the Serengeti, enjoying a game drive en route to your camp. As the landscape opens into vast grasslands dotted with acacia, it is easy to understand why this country made such an impression on Hemingway.

“I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up that I was not happy.” — Ernest Hemingway

Rise early for a morning game drive and watch the Serengeti come alive. Return to camp for breakfast and time to relax before heading out again in the afternoon. With a private vehicle and guide, tailor the day around your interests, whether tracking predators, following the migration or simply finding a quiet viewpoint.

Enjoy a final full day in the Serengeti. There is time for morning and afternoon game drives, photography and simply soaking up the atmosphere of the wilderness that so captivated Hemingway.

Hemingway's final African adventure

Leave Tanzania behind and fly to Uganda, where the final chapter of Hemingway's African story unfolded.

His 1954 expedition took him towards Murchison Falls, where his aircraft crashed beside the Nile. Today, the same landscape offers an extraordinary combination of wildlife, wilderness and one of Africa's most spectacular natural wonders.

Fly from the Serengeti to Entebbe. Arrive on the shores of Lake Victoria and settle into your hotel. Enjoy a relaxed evening, perhaps exploring the botanical gardens or simply taking in the views across the lake.

Fly or travel north-west towards Murchison Falls National Park. Enter the park and enjoy your first game drive, watching for elephants, giraffes, buffalo, lion and other wildlife as you make your way towards the Nile.

Explore Murchison Falls National Park, following the Nile towards the spectacular falls. This is where Hemingway's 1954 African adventure took a dramatic turn. Flying towards Murchison Falls, his aircraft struck a telegraph wire and crashed into the bush beside the Nile. Hemingway, Mary and their pilot survived and spent the night near the wreckage before being rescued.

Today, you’ll experience the same landscape from the safety of a game drive and boat safari along the Nile.

Enjoy a final full day in Murchison Falls National Park. Take a boat safari along the Nile towards the base of the falls, watching hippos, crocodiles and elephants along the riverbanks. Later, head out on another game drive or simply relax at your lodge.

Enjoy a final breakfast before your journey back to Entebbe for your onward flight.

Optional extension | Bwindi

Into the gorilla forest

For travellers who want to extend their East African adventure, add three nights in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in search of mountain gorillas. Spend time with expert trackers, explore the forest and experience one of Africa's most extraordinary wildlife encounters.

Although Bwindi has no direct Hemingway connection, it makes an exceptional addition for travellers who want to combine the literary journey with Uganda's most iconic wildlife experience.