travello

12 Days Kenya Adventure Safari

12 days 11 nights

From

$1980

Overview

Embark on an unforgettable safari adventure through Kenya's six stunning national parks: Samburu, Ol Pejeta, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Amboseli, Tsavo West, and Tsavo East. Explore the breathtaking landscapes and encounter an abundance of wildlife in their natural habitat on exhilarating game drives. With hundreds of bird species to observe, this safari promises to be a birdwatcher's paradise. Optional activities such as cultural experiences with the Samburu people, walking safaris, bicycle safaris, and boat trips are also available for those seeking an even more immersive experience. Don't miss the chance to visit the Chimpanzee Sanctuary at Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Starting and ending in Nairobi, this safari also offers an extension to Mombasa for a relaxing beach holiday after your adventure.

Itinerary

DAY 1  Nairobi - Samburu National Reserve

Pick up in the early morning and drive north to Samburu National Reserve to arrive at the lodge in time for lunch. After lunch proceed for an afternoon game drive in the park, famous for the Samburu semi-nomadic tribesmen, the reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, gerenuk, beisa oryx and a host of big game including elephant and lion. Samburu people were drawn to this region by the reliability of the Ewaso Nyiro, northern Kenya’s biggest and least seasonal river, for watering their herds. The wildlife is plentiful here for the same reason – dozens of species of plains grazers and browsers gathering in the thick acacia and doum palm forest along the river banks to drink and seek shade. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 2 Samburu National Reserve

After breakfast, the morning and afternoon is spent on game drives exploring the park. The highlights of Samburu National Reserve is the spectacular scenic beauty, rivers and forests.  Focusing on the river banks and a few kilometres of dry bush on either side, the 104km² Samburu National Reserve is one of a pair of much loved reserves in northern Kenya, the other half being the 131km² Buffalo Springs National Reserve, on the south side of the river. Downstream, on the right bank and across the highway, lies the less well-known, 239km² Shaba National Reserve, with its gaunt scenery. A 24-hour entrance ticket to any one of the reserves entitles you to visit the others during the same period.  It is an area where the local people have a rich and colorful heritage. You can spend an afternoon visiting the Samburu cultural people or relax at the lodge at your own leisure. Meals and overnight at Samburu Sopa Lodge or similar.

Day 3 Samburu National Reserve - Ol Pejeta Conservancy

After breakfast, drive to Ol Pejeta Sanctuary to arrive at the camp for lunch and afternoon game drive. With the combination of amazing wildlife and stunning views across the open plains, Ol Pejeta guarantees an unforgettable safari experience. Ol Pejeta Conservancy is a 364sq km wildlife conservancy situated between the foothills of Mount Kenya and the Aberdares and its game-to-area ratio tops the Kenyan park and reserve league. It has over 10,000 large mammals and is the only park where the big 5 and chimpanzees can be seen. It is also where the fastest growing population of rhino in Africa can be found. There are southern white rhino, about 80 endangered black rhino and in a special sanctuary there are two of the world’s last remaining northern white rhino.

You have a chance to visit the Chimpanzee Sanctuary, a charming haven established by the Jane Goodall Institute to provide sanctuary to orphaned chimps, and the specially protected and fenced refuge of black rhino with its stunning forty specimens! Enjoy a game drive in the park where one could see reticulated giraffe, common or Burchell’s zebra, African elephant, Cape buffalo, warthogs, waterbucks, Jackson’s hartebeest, lion, cheetah, leopard, steenbok, striped hyena, suni, Thomson’s gazelle and impala. Over 500 species of birds have been recorded  here including the ostrich.

Day 4 Ol Pejeta Conservancy - Lake Nakuru National Park

After breakfast, drive to Lake Nakuru National Park, stopping at the look out where you can view this natural wonder. Here the road descends into the Great Rift Valley, as you descend take in the panaromic view of Lake Elementaita. It should be mentioned here that this road from Nairobi to Nakuru was the first overland road to be surfaced with tarmac in Kenya. Lake Nakuru National Park was once famous only as a bird sanctuary, especially for lesser and greater flamingoes. However, now it is home to the white rhino and Rothschild giraffe, as well as various antelope and leopard. The vegetation is of the drier type with the flat-topped acacia and candelabra cactus are a feature of the landscape. Arrive and check in at the lodge or hotel for lunch and afternoon game drive returning for dinner and overnight.

Day 5 Lake Nakuru National Park - Masai Mara National Reserve

After breakfast, depart for the Masai Mara National Reserve. The Masai Mara, Kenya’s finest game reserve, with its gently rolling grasslands is teeming with a plethora of animals and bird life. See the Thompson’s and Grant gazelles, topi, eland, zebra, waterbuck, giraffe, hippo, wildebeest, warthog, and crocodiles among others and over 450 birds species, with over 50 birds of prey including vultures. Check-in at the lodge or camp for lunch. The meals are buffet, enjoyed either in the dining area or under the shade of indigenous trees. The culinary affair is indeed one to delight the senses, have a few minutes relaxing and enjoy the surrounding before you depart for an afternoon game drive returning back for dinner and overnight.

Day 6 Masai Mara National Reserve

Spend the whole day in the Masai Mara Game Reserve with both morning and afternoon game drives or full day game viewing with picnic lunch. Masai Mara Game Reserve offers wonderful scenery and plenty of game. It is perhaps the only region left in Kenya where a visitor may see animals in the same super-abundance as existed a century ago. Masai Mara offers an absolutely unique variety of animals. The reason being that this hilly region is both humid and fertile and is crossed by Mara and Talek rivers full of crocodiles and hippos. The abundance of water and excellent availability of food are the reasons why the Masai Mara has the greatest population of wild animals in the whole of Africa. There is a particularly dramatic spectacle from July to October, the annual migration of huge herds of gnus and zebras, predators such as hyenas, jackals, leopards, and lions closely follow these herds. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 7 Masai Mara National Reserve - Lake Naivasha

After breakfast, check out and drive to Lake Naivasha. Arrive for lunch and later afternoon there are optional afternoon adventures to choose from. Hell’s Gate National Park is characterized by diverse topography and geological scenery while Lake Naivasha is a beautiful freshwater lake, fringed by thick papyrus. The lake is almost 13 km across, but its waters are shallow with an average depth of five meters. Much of the lake is surrounded by forests of the yellow-barked acacia also known as the yellow fever tree. These forests abound with bird life with Naivasha known as a world-class birding destination. The region surrounding the lake is well worth exploring while the main attractions of the park include the extinct volcano and crater forest as well as views of Lake Naivasha and the Great Rift Valley.

The main activities in Mount Longonot include hiking, rock climbing, biking, walking and birding. Lake Oloiden is a volcanic crater lake also found south of Lake Naivasha. It’s a small serene paradise that may often be overlooked but has brilliant activities. It’s a place to go if you are looking to relax in a tranquil yet awe-inspiring environment. It’s great for birdwatchers, you are likely to meet hippos and flamingoes and you can indulge yourselves in hours of fishing and boat riding. Crescent Island is a private wildlife sanctuary on the eastern side of Lake Naivasha. The Island features more animals per acre than any other park in Kenya. Here you can enjoy a fantastic and easy guided walking safari (around 1 hour) surrounded by a variety of animals including giraffe, zebra, Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelles, waterbuck, eland, and indeed many bird species. It’s also common to spot hippos bathing or basking in the sun. The Island is not fenced and the animals are free to roam to and from the mainland.

Optional excursions include
1 hour boat ride : USD 30 per person
2 hours walking safari on Crescent Island Sanctuary: USD 50 per person
Walking/biking safari at Hells Gate National Park: USD 60 per person

Day 8 Lake Naivasha - Amboseli National Park

After an early morning breakfast, drive south passing through the Athi Plains where formerly the Burchell’s zebra, the Masai giraffe, and smaller herbivores roamed about freely. With human encroachment, wildlife is confined to game parks. There is an advantage to this because when you drive inside a park you’re rewarded with the sight of many different species of animals. Arrive in Amboseli National Park in time for lunch. Later embark on an afternoon game viewing in the park at the foot of Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro (19,340 ft). In the late afternoon, you may be lucky to see a lion or cheetah make a kill. Ideal photography opportunities with Mount Kilimanjaro the highest mountain in Africa providing a beautiful backdrop. Return back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 9 Amboseli National Park

After breakfast, enjoy morning game and afternoon game drives in Amboseli. Crowned by Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, Amboseli is one of Kenya’s most popular parks. In the early morning, Mount Kilimanjaro usually appears from its mantle of clouds as the wildlife heads to the area of Lake Amboseli, which is a wide salt pan consisting of permanent swamps. This area has much game, large and small, with a high concentration of elephant, rhino, buffalo, Burchell’s zebra, eland, Masai giraffe, and small species of the antelope family, the common waterbuck, klipspringer, Grant’s gazelle, impala, topi, and the diminutive duiker among others.  Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 10 Amboseli National Park - Tsavo West NationalPark

After breakfast, enjoy an en-route game drive as you proceed to Tsavo West National Park. Marked by a number of rocky outcrops and volcanic hills, the landscape is dominated by giant baobabs reputed to live a thousand years. This offers some of the most magnificent game viewing in the world together with other attractions including Shetani lava flow and Five Sisters – five almost identical cone-shaped hills located in one area. The scenery here is stunning – a low ridge of black lava outcrop, long luscious grass and conical hills that make the Five Sisters. Mzima Springs, replenished with two hundred and twenty million litres of crystal-clear water every day, comes from the underground streams flowing from the nearby Chyulu Hills. Wildlife sightings includes, elephant, rhino, hippos, lions, cheetah, leopards, buffalos, diverse plant and bird species including the threatened corncrake and near threatened basra reed warbler. A stop-over is made at Mzima Springs, the source of most of Mombasa’s fresh water: you can walk down to an underwater observation chamber where it’s possible to watch hippo or crocodile swim along the floor of this crystal clear spring. Arrive in time for lunch and afternoon game drive.

Day 11 Tsavo West National Park - Tsavo East National Park

After breakfast, drive to Tsavo East National Park to arrive for lunch and an afternoon game drive. When driving along the red earth tracks, keep your eyes open for the movement and signs of African wildlife, the more you look the more you will see. Don’t forget to enjoy the excitement as you point out the wildlife, it’s amazing to see one species living in close proximity to another; look our for giraffes–they are surprisingly well camouflaged as they nibble the tops of trees – look under the shady trees to find lions sleeping after a hunt out, and watch out as gazelles and cheetahs stroll across the road just in front of you. Chyulus Hills is a volcanic mountain range with a mix of volcanic cones and barren lava flows, of which the most interesting in Shetani, meaning “Devil” in Swahili. Tsavo East boasts of bushy grassland and open plains alternate with savannah and semi-arid acacia scrub and woodlands. The Yatta plateau is the world’s largest lava flow. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 12 Tsavo East National Park - Nairobi

After breakfast, early morning game drive in Tsavo East National Park before you return back to Nairobi, arriving late in the afternoon. Transfer to the airport for your flight back home or Nairobi hotel

Price

Included

✔️Accommodation & meals as per itinerary

✔️Drinking water

✔️A professional driver/guide

✔️Ground Transportation

✔️Round-trip airport transfer

✔️All activities (unless labeled as optional)

✔️Park fees (for non-residents)

✔️All taxes/VAT

Exclude

✖️International flights & visas

✖️Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour

✖️Tips (guideline US$10.00 pp per day)

✖️Personal items (souvenirs, travel insurance etc.)

✖️Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees

From

$1980

Price varies by group size