Safari highlights: This is an exciting safari which offers you the best of Kenya. The safari starts in Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and ends at the same airport, where you will be dropped off after your safari. You will visit the above parks and reserves and will travel with an experienced driver/guide in a private safari minivan. During your safari, you will have an opportunity to spot plenty of wildlife species ranging from the big five, giraffes, zebras, different species of reptiles and other wild animals found in the plains. You will spend the nights in 3 star budget tented camps while on safari. You will also have the option of camping throughout the safari whereby we will provide a chef to prepare meals for you.
Detailed Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrival – Nairobi
Upon your arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be warmly received by our experienced driver/guide or Tour Manager who will brief you on your Safari and escort you to a Nairobi hotel for overnight and rest.
3-star hotel: Kenya Comfort Hotel
Camping option: Wildebeest camp
Meals: Bed and breakfast
Day 2: Nairobi – Amboseli National Park
After early breakfast, you will be met at the hotel by the driver at 7.00am and immediately depart to Amboseli National Park arriving in time for check in at the tented camp. You will then have a short rest before having lunch. After lunch, depart for a game viewing drive till evening.
Amboseli is renowned for its huge elephant herds, which may range up to one thousand. Few visitors go home without seeing a herd of them right beneath Mount Kilimanjaro, which is Africa’s highest Mountain. It sits on the upper slopes of Amboseli National park. Mt. Kilimanjaro snow white peak lies across the border in Tanzania. Seeing the Kilimanjaro hovering above the clouds in the early hours of the morning is quite an experience. For the enthusiastic photographer, animal pictures arising against the dramatic backdrop of the mountain is quite a thrill. Apart from the Elephants, Amboseli is a home to; buffalos, black rhinos, zebras, wildebeest and other plain animals.
3-star tented camp: Sentrim Amboseli
Camping option: Kimana Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 3: Amboseli National Park
You will spend the day enjoying a full day game drive exploring the vast lands, looking out for numerous attractions such as lava flows, caves, the famous and beautiful Mzima Springs as well as the fantastic view of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The Amboseli is also home to numerous species of birds, reptiles and insects.
Large concentrations of wildlife occur at the Amboseli National Park in the dry season, making it a popular tourist destination. The park proudly contains five main wildlife habitats which include: open plains, acacia woodland, thorn bush lands, extensive swamps and marsh. A temporary lake, Lake Amboseli, lies within the basin. The climate is normally hot and dry as the park lies within the rain shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro. There are more than 400 recorded species of birds as well as reptiles such as python, black mamba, monitor lizards and chameleons.
3-star tented camp: Sentrim Amboseli
Camping option: Kimana Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 4: Amboseli National Park – Tsavo East National Park
After breakfast, you will depart to Tsavo East for game drives. Upon arrival you will check in to the tented camp and carry packed picnic lunch before departing for game drives within the park. Visit various attractions within the park as you view wildlife such as giraffe, elephant, warthog and others. In the evening transfer back to the tented camp for dinner and overnight.
Tsavo East National Park is one of the planet’s last biodiversity strongholds. The park features bushy grasslands, open plains, semi-arid acacia scrub and woodlands. It offers a vast untapped arena of arid bush which is washed by the azure and emerald meanderings of the Galana River, guarded by the limitless lava reaches of the Yatta Plateau and patrolled by some of the largest elephant herds in Kenya. The park offers some of the most magnificent game drives in the world, vast herds of dust-red elephants, fat pods of hippo, giant crocodile and a variety of bird life set against a backdrop of endless bush.
3-star tented camp: Sentrim Tarhi Camp
Camping option: KWS Bandas
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 5: Tsavo East National Park – Tsavo West National Park – Nairobi
After breakfast you will carry packed picnic lunch from the tented camp and immediately depart to Tsavo West National Park for game drives. Upon arrival, you will venture into the park to spot wildlife such as herds of elephant, giraffe, warthog and other plains game. In the late afternoon, you will depart to Nairobi where you will spend the night.
The Tsavo West and Tsavo East National Parks form one of the largest National Parks in the world and covers a massive 4% of Kenya’s total land. Tsavo West is the most famous of the two and is painted on a sprawling canvas of endless skies, hills, liquid lava flows, rivers, sparkling oases and a cloud shadowed African savannah. The magic Mzima Springs is fed by over 250 million litres of fresh water gushing from the lava flows of the Chyulu Hills. It provides a continuous supply of water to Mombasa town. The park is famous for the numerous prides of maneless lions that patrol the plains and predate on the herbivore herds. It offers some of the most magnificent fame viewing in the world with vast herds of dust-red elephant, hippo, giant crocodile and a wide variety of bird life.
3-star hotel: Kenya Comfort Hotel
Camping option: Wildebeest camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 6 : Nairobi – Samburu National Reserve
After breakfast depart for Samburu National Reserve arriving in time for check in and lunch. After lunch you will depart for an afternoon game drive within the Reserve.
Samburu National reserve is a wild life haven. Here you will spot Africa’s big cats: lions, cheetahs and the elusive leopard. Some animals are unique to this northern Kenya Park; gravy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, kudus and gerenuk. The Ewaso Nyiro River, the boundary with the neighboring Buffalo Springs National Reserve, is where the elephant’s buffalo and other animal’s species gather for a drink. You will find the scenic semi-arid landscape quite dramatic. The reserve is located within the lands of the colorful semi-nomadic Samburu tribesmen. The Samburu People are semi-nomadic pastoralists with amazing cultures; their dressing to start with is fascinating, they dress in very traditional clothing of bright red material used as skirts and multi-beaded necklaces, bracelets and earring. Following closely is their special relationship with cattle, sheep, camels and goats thus milk is their staple food. At times they mix it with blood. Meat is only eaten on special occasions. The Samburu, whose language is also called Samburu, are known to make soups from roots and barks and eat vegetables if they grow within their vicinity.
3-star tented camp: Sentrim Samburu Camp
Camping option: Edwards Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 7 & 8 : Samburu National Reserve
You will spend two full days enjoying game drives within the Reserve. A visit to the Samburu villages can also be arranged so that you can observe their amazing culture, mode of dressing, special relationship with cattle, sheep, camels and goats, as well as learn how they manage to co-exist with wild animals.
In addition to Kamunyak, the renowned lioness famous for adopting Oryx calves, the Samburu National Park boasts of some several species of animals which are considered unique to the region, including its unique dry-country animal life. All three big cats, Lion, Cheetah and Leopard can be found here, as well as Elephants, Buffalos and Hippos. Other mammals frequently seen in the park include Gerenuk, Grant’s gazelle, Kirk’s Dik-dik, Impala, and Waterbuck. Rhinos are no longer present in the park due to heavy poaching. There are over 350 species of birds which include Somali Ostrich, Kingfisher, Sunbird, Bee-eater, Marabou Stork, Tawny Eagle, Bateleur, Guinea fowl and Vultures. The Ewaso Nyiro River contains large numbers of the Nile crocodile
3-star tented camp: Sentrim Samburu Camp
Camping option: Edwards Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 9 : Samburu National Reserve – Lake Nakuru National Park
After breakfast you will depart Samburu National Reserve for Lake Nakuru. En route, you will visit the beautiful Thompson Falls for a scenic view. Upon arrival at Lake Nakuru you will check in to the guest house for lunch. After lunch you will depart for a bird viewing and game viewing drive around the park especially looking out for the beautiful pink flamingoes, buffalo, giraffes, warthogs, and different species of gazelles, Colobus monkeys and baboons. In the evening you will be transferred back to the guest house for dinner and overnight.
Millions of fuchsia pink flamingoes dominate Lake Nakuru National Park, as well as the fish eating pelicans and many other species of birds. The lake is renowned as the most extraordinary bird spectacle in the world. Thousands of both little grebes and white winged black terns are frequently seen as well as avocets, ducks, stilts and the migrant waders. However visitors to the Lake Nakuru may also catch a glimpse of Thomson gazelles, impala, waterbucks, giraffes, buffaloes or even black rhino. Lake Nakuru National Park is a park that consists of various habitats such as the dying out euphorbia forest or the yellow barked habitat.
Guest House: Lake Nakuru Guest House
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 10 : Lake Nakuru National Park – Lake Naivasha
Enjoy an early morning pre breakfast game drive to view wildlife when it is most active. Afterwards depart to Lake Naivasha where you will spend the rest of the day. Upon arrival you will have lunch at the camp then depart for a tour around the lake. If you so wish, you may also enjoy a 2-hour boat ride on Lake Naivasha. In the evening you will be transferred back to the camp for overnight.
Lake Naivasha is the highest of all the Rift Valley Lakes at 1880 m above sea level. Being a fresh water lake, it has the greatest number of residents living on its shore. It has become the centre of the booming horticultural export business which is one of Kenya’s leading foreign exchange earner. This area is a birdwatcher’s paradise with over 450 species of recorded birds in the area, which are attracted by the yellow-barked acacia trees and blue water lilies. A small islet on the lake is home to a number of wildlife. Visitors can enjoy a boat ride safari as they view wildlife and birds from the tranquil lake. A private ranch (Kongoni Game Sanctuary) is located in the area which is a home to lions, leopards, cheetah and some translocated Gravy’s zebras.
Camp: Crayfish Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 11 : Lake Naivasha – Maasai Mara Game Reserve
After breakfast you will visit Hell’s Gate National Park for a fascinating experience within this unique park. In this park you will enjoy walking tours, trekking, and cycling. Other optional activities on offer include horseback riding, hiking, rock climbing and raptor viewing. You will then return to the camp for lunch. After lunch, depart to Maasai Mara via Narok, arriving in the evening.
The Maasai Mara, now the 7th wonder of the world and 4th most preferred tourist destination in the world is a home to wildlife in such abundance ad variety that it is difficult to imagine The annual migration of the wildebeest and the zebras from the Serengeti in search of water and pasture while being followed on their heels by the predators of the savannah; Lion, cheetah, wild dog, jackal, hyena, and vultures. It hosts over 450 species of animals which includes lions, rhinos, hippos, crocodiles, giraffe, wildebeests, zebras, buffalo, leopard, many kinds of antelopes and elephants.
3-star tented camp: Sentrim Mara Camp
Camping option: Enchoro Wildlife Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 12 & 13: Maasai Mara Game Reserve
You will spend two full days within the extensive Mara enjoying a full day game drive as you explore the vast lands, especially looking out for the big five, as well as a variety of other wildlife species. During your visit to the Maasai Mara, visitors may opt to enjoy a spectacular and unforgettable hot air balloon flight at an extra cost.
In November 2006 the Maasai Mara was named as the New 7th wonder of the world because of what experts termed as “the uniqueness of the area and the preservation it provides to so many species living in harmony”. It is understandable because this annual migration is the greatest wildlife spectacle on earth. The Mara reserve is quite a place to be, as it offers an out of the ordinary adventure, from the crafty hyenas, which may be heard laughing at night, to the variety of wildlife species in this diverse fauna. There is also an abundance of crocodiles and hippos in the Mara River. The banks of the rivers are covered in thick forest which gradually makes way for bush and grassland thus the excellent availability of food for the diverse wildlife.
Optional Balloon Flight
You can opt to carry your game viewing activity to another level aboard an adventurous balloon flight over the spectacular Mara at an extra cost. This package includes a champagne drink in the wild. This experience gives you a bird’s eye view of wildlife as well as enables you to take photographs at a different height.
3-star tented camp: Sentrim Mara Camp
Camping option: Enchoro Wildlife Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 14 : Maasai Mara Game Reserve – Nairobi – Departure
Enjoy an early morning pre breakfast game drive to view wildlife when it is most active, before sunrise. After breakfast, you will depart the Maasai Mara and return to Nairobi arriving in time for lunch at the famous Carnivore Restaurant. After lunch, depart for an excursion around Nairobi city which takes you to the city centre, parliament buildings, markets, curio shops, and shopping malls. After the excursion, you will be transferred to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to check in for your outbound flight to your next destination.
3-star tented camp: Sentrim Mara Camp
Camping option: Enchoro Wildlife Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
End of safari.
Package Includes:
– All park entrance fees and game drives while on safari
– All meals as indicated on itinerary while on this safari
– Accommodation in 3-star establishments or camps as indicated in itinerary
– Service of an experienced English speaking driver/guide
– 2 night’s accommodation in Nairobi
– Camping equipment during safari (utensils, tents, bedding)
– Excursion of Nairobi city as indicated in itinerary
– Transport in a private safari minivan with pop up roof for game viewing
– Driver allowances and park fees for vehicle and driver
– Chef’s allowances if using the camping option
– Applicable government taxes
Package Excludes:
– Optional hot air Balloon flight in Maasai Mara – US$ 450 per person extra
(Price is subject to confirmation at the time of booking.)
– Optional cultural visit to Maasai villages
– Extras at the tented camps i.e. drinks, telephone, laundry etc.
– Sleeping bag if using camping option
– Horse rides, boat rides and other optional activities during safari
– International or local flight fees and departure taxes
– Tips to tented camp staff or tour guide/driver
– Personal travel insurance
– Any other item not included in itinerary
Day 3 & 4: Masai Mara National Reserve (2 Full days)
Niche Africa Holidays 