12 Days Best of Kenya Safaris

Day 1-2: Amboseli the Land of Elephants

Depart Nairobi for Amboseli National Park (5 hours), a fantastic park with great views of Mount Kilimanjaro and is one of the best places in Africa where you can encounter large herds of elephants up close! Amboseli has several habitat types ranging from savannahs and woodlands to swamps and wetlands, and the west side of the park is dominated by a lake that often dries up during the dry season, all of which help make Amboseli home to over 600 species of birds, big cats and many other species of mammals including all the Big Five. You’ll arrive in time for lunch at Ol Tukai luxury Lodge, located within the park itself and is one of the best places to watch elephants with the backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro. The lodge holds evening birding talks, lectures by wildlife researchers and cultural talks. After lunch you’ll head out onto the plains for a late afternoon game drive to explore the park. The next day will be spent on morning and afternoon game drives, with all meals at the lodge.
Main Destination: Amboseli National Park
Accommodation: Ol Tukai Lodge
• Luxury lodge located inside Amboseli NP
Meals & Drinks:
• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 3-4:Safari in the wilderness of Tsavo

After breakfast you’ll continue your safari onto Tsavo West, which is about a two-hour drive through wilderness and will include a stop at the Shetani lava flows. On entering the park you’ll head to the stunning Kilaguni Lodge located inside the park, arriving in time for lunch. Situated between Mount Kilimanjaro and the volcanic Chyulu Hills, this stone-built safari lodge has great views of the surrounding hills and overlooks its own water hole, which is often visited by elephants, buffalos and a wide variety of plains animals. The lodge has a restaurant, lounge and bar all overlooking the water hole, there is also a swimming pool, sun deck and gift shop. After lunch you’ll head out on a late afternoon game drive, which will include a visit to the Mzima Springs, returning to Kilaguni for dinner and an evening relaxing and watching the wildlife arrive at the watering hole. You will spend the next day on morning and afternoon game drives with lunch and dinner at the lodge.
Main Destination: Tsavo West National Park
Accommodation: Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge
• Luxury lodge located inside Tsavo West NP
Meals & Drinks:
• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 5-6: Return to Nairobi for a day of sightseeing

After breakfast you’ll head back to Nairobi with a picnic lunch, arriving in time for dinner at the luxury, boutique Anga Afrika tented camp, a small camp on the outskirts of the city, set in a peaceful site with lots of trees and bird-life with a focus on service and good food. Next morning you’ll head out for a day sightseeing, the first stop will be the elephant orphanage, where you can meet rescued baby elephants being rehabilitated for release back into the wild. Lunch will be at the historical Karen Blixen Coffee House, followed by a short visit to the Karen Blixen Museum, originally the centerpiece of a farm owned by author Karen Blixen and made famous by the 1985 film ‘Out of Africa’ based on Karen’s autobiographical book of the same name. Finally, you’ll head over to the Giraffe Centre to meet and feed the giraffes, the centre is a breeding programme for the now rare Rothschild giraffe, which can only be found in small numbers in the wild. You will return to camp for dinner.
Main Destination: Nairobi
Accommodation: Anga Afrika
• Luxury tented camp located in or near Nairobi
Meals & Drinks:
• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 7 A trip over the escarpment and up the Rift Valley to the premium Lake Nakuru

After an early breakfast you’ll depart Nairobi for the premium Lake Nakuru (3 hours) where you could see over 400 different species of birds including large numbers of pelicans and sometimes flamingoes. Nakuru is a great place to get up close to white rhino and you can also see the rare Rothschild giraffe here, which you can identify by its white lower legs that look like socks! There are many other plains mammals here, 56 have been identified in the park including zebra, buffalo, waterbuck and lions. On entering the park you’ll enjoy a short game drive on route to your accommodation at Sopa Lodge. The lodge is situated at the top of a ridge and has stunning views over the park and lake. The lodge has a restaurant, separate bar and lounge, pool and small shop and all the rooms are very spacious with great views. After lunch you can enjoy the views before heading out on a game drive to explore the lake area. At sunset you will head back to the lodge for dinner and an evening relaxing.
Main Destination: Lake Nakuru National Park
Accommodation: Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge
• Luxury lodge located inside Lake Nakuru NP
Meals & Drinks:
• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 8: A trip to Lake Naivasha for a boat safari

After breakfast, you’ll head out on a morning game drive, leaving the park late morning to head down the Rift Valley to Lake Naivasha and the Sopa Resort (1.5 hours), where you’ll arrive in time for lunch. The lodge is located close to the lake shore and has beautiful gardens and there is often wildlife wandering around such as bushbuck, zebra and giraffe. The lodge has a restaurant and very nice lounge and bar area with leather sofas and fire places for the cool Naivasha evenings. The rooms are spacious, Swahili style chalets either with a balcony or a glass fronted lounge area for relaxing and wildlife viewing. After lunch you’ll head out on a boat safari across the lake where you may see hippos and many species of birds including fish eagles and pelicans. Towards the end of your boat safari you will stop off at Crescent Island for a guided nature walk. You’ll retire to the lodge for the evening, have dinner and watch the hippos come up from the Lake to graze in Sopa’s grounds.
Main Destination: Lake Naivasha
Accommodation: Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort
• Mid-range hotel located in or near Lake Naivasha
Meals & Drinks:
• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 9-11: Journey to the savannah plains of the Masai Mara for abundant wildlife and the Big Five

After breakfast, you’ll leave Naivasha for the open grassland of the Maasai Mara (4.5 hours). Rich in biodiversity and home to a large variety of bird species and wildlife, this reserve offers great game viewing and bird watching opportunities. The Maasai Mara is regarded as the jewel of Kenya’s wildlife reserves and is home to the annual wildebeest migration, which involves over 1.5 million animals! There have been 95 species of mammals, amphibians and reptiles, and over 400 bird species recorded on the reserve. You’ll arrive in time for lunch at the Sarova Mara Game Camp, situated inside the national reserve. The tented camp is high quality with standard, club and family tents available. The dining is of a high standard and there are also a number of other activities available such as fishing and bush walking. The next two days will be spent exploring the savannah grasslands on game drives tracking down the Big Five, along with the many other species of mammals, reptiles and birds.
Main Destination: Masai Mara National Reserve
Accommodation: Sarova Mara Game Camp
• Luxury tented camp located inside Masai Mara NR
Meals & Drinks:
• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 12: After breakfast and a morning game drive it’s time to head back to Nairobi

After breakfast and an early morning game drive, you will head back to Nairobi with a picnic lunch (5.5 hours). Alternatively stay for lunch at the lodge and fly back to Nairobi in the afternoon (optional extra). You will be dropped at your preferred location (airport/hotel etc).
Main Destination: Nairobi
Accommodation: No accommodation (End of tour)
Meals & Drinks:
• Breakfast & lunch (Dinner not included)
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
End of tour (See Getting There for more details)
• Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
• You’ll be dropped off at the airport.