Mountains to Masai Mara Safari

Once we’ve picked you up from the airport, your hotel, or residence, we will track north through Kenya to being your adventure across this landscape. The picturesque countryside will be a lovely introduction to the country, as you watch everyday life played out in the towns and villages that line the roads.

Upon entering Samburu, you will immediately have the opportunity to start spotting the stunning animals you have come to visit. This short game drive will take you to your accommodation in the park, and after lunch a more extensive game drive will be undertaken.

Samburu boasts riverine forests and a landscape that you won’t encounter again as you progress through your safari. This is your first chance to explore and become acquainted with the fauna of these grasslands. The evening will be spent at your camp or lodge and this is where you will take your dinner. The first day of your African safari will include:

• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Overnight stay inside Samburu National Reserve
• Lunch and dinner, no breakfast
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

Samburu’s landscape is dominated by the volcano of the same name that will be the backdrop to your exploration of this park. You will head out after breakfast at your accommodation, with your African safari guide on hand to help you track, spot, and identify the animals you see, including the reticulated giraffe and Grevy’s zebra, among many others.

The neighbouring park of Shaba will also be form part of your day’s game drive, with a challenging landscape that will add to the genuine African safari experience. The rugged park, dotted with trees and characterised by rolling grasslands hosts beautiful landscapes where nature plays out her cycles.

Lunch will be served picnic style, so as to ensure you get as much of the day within the parks as possible. You will return to your accommodation for dinner and rest before the next day of your African safari. The second day of your Kenyan safari includes:

• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Overnight stay inside Samburu National Reserve
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

Your day will start early, with a game drive through Sambruru before breakfast. You will have the chance to see the transition from darkness to daytime across the savanna, with the animals of the day awakening whilst the nocturnal creatures return to their slumber.

As you leave Samburu, you will be able to say a farewell to the reserve as you take a game drive towards the exit. You will arrive at Aberdares National Park in time for lunch which is preceded by another game drive.

Your afternoon will consist of a trip across the park to The Ark. The decks and balconies of this place overlook a watering hole and salt lick, so there is plenty of wildlife to watch. There are over 250 bird species in this park, many of them on display here, along with elephant, hippos, waterbuck, and plenty more.

To round off the day you will return to your chosen camp or lodge for dinner. Included in this day of your Kenyan safari is:

• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Overnight stay inside Aberdares National Park
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

Another early start will once again afford your chance to hear the dawn chorus as day breaks over the plains of Africa and awakens the animals. This is a calm et active part of the day, with the hunters setting out early and the grazers readying to eat through the day.

After breakfast, you will head out through the Great African Rift Valley and make your way to Lake Nakuru National Park. Here, you have high chances of seeing both white and black rhinos; both critically endangered yet making their homes and continuing their species’ legacy right here in the park.

An afternoon game drive will also take in the lake this park is named for. Massive flocks of flamingos feed and nest here, they arrive in such numbers that the water becomes obscured by the shades of pink and magenta of the animals displaying across the water.

Dinner is served in your chosen camp or lodge. The fourth day of your Kenyan safari includes:

• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Overnight stay inside Lake Nakuru National Park
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

An early breakfast and departure from Lake Nakuru will have you progressing towards Masai Mara and through the Great African Rift Valley. You will arrive at Masai Mara and immediately be immersed in the undulating landscape, filled with high concentrations of animals.

Your small game drive will take you to your accommodation for lunch and then you will take an extensive afternoon exploration of the Masai Mara. Here you can see such iconic animals as:

• Cheetahs
• Zebras
• Lions
• Hippos
• Elephants
• Giraffes

Plus the other animals that you so closely associate with African safari.

To round of your long day, you will return to your camp or lodge for your evening meal. Day five of your Kenyan safari includes:

• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Overnight stay inside Masai Mara National Reserve
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

Take this final opportunity to rise early and watch the sun rise over the acacia trees and volcanic boulders that punctuate the landscape. Dawn is a truly captivating time out on the savanna, and the light is perfect for soft lit photography, too.

After having breakfast at the camp, you will embark on a full day’s exploration of the Masai Mara. Along with big five of African safari, you should also be able to spot:

• Wildebeest
• Waterbucks
• Giraffes
• Zebras
• Hyenas

Along with others as you are ably assisted by your Kenyan safari guide.

The afternoon presents the optional extra activity of visit a village of the Masai people. Natives to the land, with millennia of experience as nomads, expertly thriving alongside the animals of the plains, they invite you to share in and understand their culture. You will be greeted with a song a dance that their culture is famed for, and have a chance to visit their village, learn of their culture and even see inside one of the homes. This activity has an extra fee of $20 per person.

After your day of learning and adventuring, you will return to your camp or lodge for your evening meal. This penultimate day of your African safari will include:

• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Overnight stay inside Masai Mara National Reserve
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

The itinerary for this day can take two forms, depending on your onward plans after the African safari is finished.

For guests who have afternoon flights departing from Nairobi, you will depart Masai Mara early in the morning so as to arrive at the famous Carnivore restaurant in Nairobi. Here you can partake in a gourmet lunch before we take you to the airport to catch your onwards flight.

Guests who have evening flights or a hotel stay in Nairobi on this day, you have the chance to take a game drive in the morning. It will be a perfect way to bring your journey to an end and afford you chance to see more of the Masai Mara. Lunch can be served at your accommodation, before your journey to Nairobi. Arrival will be around 5-6pm and you can request a hotel, residence, or airport drop off. Included in this final day of your safari in Africa is:

• No accommodation, this is the final day
• Breakfast and lunch, no dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra