8 Day Kenya Wildlife Safari (BS-YOI)

Karibu! Welcome to Kenya.

You can arrive at any time on day 1 as there are no activities planned until the important welcome meeting tonight at 6pm. Your leader will leave a note at reception telling you where this important meeting will take place. Please ask a member of reception for this information. After the group meeting there is the option of joining the group for dinner.

Your leader will collect your local payment and park fees at this meeting. Please bring USD notes/bills printed after 2003 in large denominations.

Nairobi is a bustling city that is constantly alive with a wide array of restaurants, clubs, pubs and discos. If you arrive early, head out to explore the National Museum of Kenya or the Karen Blixen Museum (author of Out of Africa), or Bomas which displays the traditional homesteads of several Kenyan tribes in an outdoor village.

We spend tonight in a hotel.

Leaving Nairobi in the morning, we drive north to the Lake Nakuru National Park (160km, approx. 3 hours), reaching it in time for lunch. The lake is nestled in a beautiful park of light acacia forest, a habitat which attracts large flocks of white pelicans, cormorants and a huge number of flamingos that transform the lake into an incredible shimmering pink haze. The savannah areas of this park also boast many fascinating mammals including giraffes, leopards, waterbucks and rhinos. We set up camp, before enjoying an afternoon game drive.

While tonight's campground is beautifully located, it is very basic, having drop toilets and cold showers.

We leave Nakuru after an early morning game drive, and head off to Lake Naivasha, one of the few freshwater lakes in the Great Rift Valley. The drive to Naivasha takes approximately 2.5 hours (70km). The road is under construction and is dusty, bumpy and slow.

Lake Naivasha has floating islands of papyrus reeds and a border of flat-topped acacias. It is also home to a healthy population of hippos and a tremendous variety of birds.

The following day is free to take part in some of the many activities available or to relax in the beautiful lakeside surroundings. Optional activities include a boat trip on Lake Naivasha, a walking safari within the Hell's Gate National Park, cycling trips or a visit to the Elsamere Conservation Centre (Joy Adamson's old home) to name just a few.

These nights we camp. There are hot and cold showers and flush toilets.

We depart Lake Nairvasha in the morning and do a spot of food shopping, taking our lunch break en route to our camp site at Loita Hills. Distance travelled today is about 200km and takes approximately 5 hours. The first 60km is on tar sealed road but the rest is rough, dusty and bumpy!

Today's drive crosses the Great Rift Valley, Africa's immense and spectacular great divide, and takes us into the remote region of Loita Hills, home of the traditional Masai people. Here, we visit the Masai, known for their vibrant red dress and elaborate jewellery, and gain an insight into the culture and ancient ways of these proud East African warrior tribesmen.

After setting up our tents, it is time to meet our Masai hosts as we receive a fascinating talk offering insights into this remarkable and ancient culture from a local elder.

Tonight is in a bush camp with drop toilets and no shower facilities.

It is 70km from Loita to Masai Mara which will take us 1.5 hours. The road is good but dusty when dry and could be slippery and soft when wet.

Enter the world-famous Masai Mara and explore this marvellously diverse environment.

After breakfast we head off to the local Masai village for a detailed encounter into the lives of these fascinating people. Enjoy being shown around a traditional Masai home, cattle enclosures and participate in the milking of the precious cattle before the chance to experience an optional warrior dance and participate in spear throwing.

After lunch and a rest at our Mara campsite, we will set off for our first game drive in this famous reserve. While we hope to discover the "big five" there is a multitude of wildlife to view. We will need to be very lucky to catch a glimpse of the elusive leopard!

On our second day here we spend the entire day in the reserve. After a pre dawn coffee and snack we head off in our wildlife spoting quest. We take our brunch by the side of the Mara river - a great chance to spot crocs and of course hippos.

An optional balloon ride over the Masai Mara at sunrise is an unforgettable experience. If you have pre-booked this activity (please see Important Notes) you will be picked up and drive to the launch site, receive a safety briefing from your pilot and help inflate the balloon. You then glide through the dawn, sometimes at tree height providing amazing wildlife photography opportunities, sometimes ascending to get an overview of the enormity of the Masai Mara plains and the teeming herds of early morning wild life movements. Upon landing and before being returned to your accommodation you'll be treated to a five star bush breakfast!

(Please note if you are taking a balloon ride over the Mara you will be taken to the launch place from our campsite before dawn and returned to the group when you have finished your ride).

These nights we camp in a campground with toilets and showers.

Today we leave the open expanses of the African bush behind and return to the urban environment of Nairobi where the tour ends early in the afternoon. It is 250km to Nairobi. The first 192km is rough and slow with the final 58km on good tarmac. Total driving time to Nairobi is 6 hours, we usually arrive around 1pm.

If you will be spending time here after our journey ends, there are various sights to see. The Langata Giraffe Centre offers a chance to observe the critically endangered Rothschild giraffe and the nearby Carnivore restaurant will fill you up with as much barbecued meat as you can handle.

No accommodation is provided tonight, but we are able to organise additional nights in Nairobi. Please ask us at time of booking.