This is an enchanting wildlife safari with accommodation in carefully selected pristine and strategically located wildlife lodges. You will sample Kenya’s reknowned Masai Mara game reserve – the new seventh wonder of the world, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli both wildlife and ornithological paradises. It is especially fascinating as you get to see the contrasting Kenyan eco-systems of Masai Mara in the South west with it’s wide open savannah grassland and rolling hills, Lake Nakuru in the Rift Valley (Central Kenya) home to the White Rhino and thousands of flamingoes and Amboseli in the south – swampy and dry area with free ranging elephants and Mount Kilimanjaro standing majestically in the backdrop.
Day 1: Drive to Maasai Mara. 250Kms / 4-5hrs.
Morning pick up from your hotel or the airport then drive west from Nairobi, down the Great Rift Valley and across into Maasai Mara. After lunch at the lodge we do an afternoon game drive in the park – this park is perhaps the best game reserve in East Africa and on our afternoon to evening game drive here we’ll most likely see elephants, buffaloes, lions, zebras, giraffes and a whole ark-full of other animals and birds in their natural habitat. Dinner and overnight at Fig Tree Lodge.
Day 2: Explore Masai Mara.
A day to enjoy full-time game viewing in Maasai Mara. Now the seventh wonder of the modern world, Maasai Mara an extension of Serengeti Eco-system is a country of breathtaking vistas, vast rolling plains and rounded hills, acacia woodlands, dense thickets of scrub and the riverine Mara River ecosystem. It’s vast plains teem with endless herds of grazing game together with the associated predators – our expert naturalist guides and sturdy vehicles ensure you have the best chance of seeing them all and understand their habits. We return to the lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight. NB: Optional early morning balloon ride or a visit to a Maasai village in the course of the day can be organised today at an additional charge.
Day 3: Drive to L. Nakuru National Park. 250Kms / 4-5hrs.
An early morning game drive (6 am) in the Mara trying to spot any animals you may have missed the previous day, (for bird watchers this is best chance to see the numerous bird species of Maasai Mara). Return to the lodge for breakfast then make the road journey to Lake Nakuru and arrive in time for lunch at Lake Nakuru Lodge (or similar). Though smaller in size this park is spectacular and picturesque with abundant wildlife and where there is an excellent chance of seeing the rare rhino (both black and white species), the elusive Leopard, and the unusual Rothschild’s giraffe as well as vast herds of buffalo, lions, gazelles, eland, zebra and many more. The Park also has nearly 400 species of birds recorded within its boarders among them the millions of flamingoes which paint the lake edge with its shimmering pink color. Other birds include pelicans, ostrich, marabou, ibis, eagles, vultures, woodpeckers, barbets, among others. After an extensive afternoon to evening game drive we return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Drive to Amboseli. 400Kms / 6-7hrs.
Early breakfast then set off to Amboseli park with a brief stopover in Nairobi for early lunch. We’ll arrive at Amboseli Game Reserve in the late afternoon just in time for an evening game drive. This is also a smallish park famous for being the best spot in Africa to get close to free-ranging elephants. Other attractions of the park include the spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro – the highest free-standing mountain in the world and opportunities to meet the Amboseli Maasai tribesmen. Dinner and overnight at Mada Kilima Lodge.
Day 5: Explore Amboseli / Return to Nairobi. 250Kms / 4-5hrs.
Pre-breakfast game drives in Amboseli offering us the best chance to view Mount Kilimanjaro and wildlife in various habitats of Amboseli – open grassland plains, acacia woodland, rocky thorn bush, swamps and marshland. Amboseli ecosystem is home to gazelles, elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards, wildebeests, zebras, hippos among others and the presence of permanent swamp makes birdlife in Amboseli also abundant. After another exhaustive full morning game drive and lunch we journey back to Nairobi and arrive in the evening hours. NB: optional visit to a Maasai Homestead or do a walking safari with warriors possible at an additional cost.