Kenya Million Animal Safari

Upon arrival in Kenya, you will be met at the Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and transferred to a local hotel for your overnight.

Drive two hours to Mbitini to visit your guide Makau’s village and family home. On the way, stop at the Akamba Peace Museum in Machakos, the first administration center in Kenya. Enjoy the interesting artifacts found in the museum, as well as a performance by traditional dancers. You may also visit the local Kamba market. During your stay in this region, you will have the opportunity to visit some of the local schools and hospitals. You will also visit some of the women and pioneer groups, where the local women help each other during the land preparing times and have projects to support themselves, such as basket weaving. Overnight for two nights, camping in your guide Makau’s village.

Meals: 2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners

Depart for Katumbi Village in Mwingi, with lunch in Kitui en route. Katumbi is well off the main road and few non-Kenyans ever reach this area. Enjoy a walk to observe village life, watch some of the many birds and animals, and enjoy a demonstration of village crafts, music and dance. Mwingi is is one of Kenya’s main areas for harvesting honey. You will have the opportunity to see how the harvesting is done and sample the honey. Overnight for two nights, camping under a huge baobab tree at the edge of the village.

Meals: 2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners

Drive through the Kikuyu countryside to the lower slopes of Mt. Kenya, arriving at the Serena Mountain Lodge (tree hotel) in time for lunch. Relax and watch the wildlife from the balcony of the lodge. There is a unique opportunity to view wildlife at night from the floodlit game viewing at the Serena Mountain Lodge or take an optional guided nature walk.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Depart via the western slopes of Mt. Kenya and the Aberdares, to the floor of the Rift Valley. Stop to marvel at the incredible site of the escarpment and Thompson’s Falls. Continue to the Sarova Lion Hill Lodge, or similar, arriving in time for lunch. In the afternoon, enjoy a game drive in the park. Besides being home to the many pink flamingos, which the lake is famous for, there are approximately 400 other species of birds visiting the lake. There are also many species of game, including the introduced Rothschild’s giraffe, waterbuck, lion, buffalo, leopard, baboon, and many species of plains game. Lake Nakuru National Park was designated as Kenya’s first rhino sanctuary and has both black and white rhinos. Dinner and overnight at the Sarova Lion Hill Lodge, or similar.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Enjoy a morning game drive in Nakuru, then depart for Lake Naivasha. While here, you will have a chance to take a boat ride to the Crescent Island or go for a hike to Hell’s Gate, booked locally. Despite its name, Hell’s Gate is a peaceful park where you can walk, bike, or hike among towering cliffs and wild animals. Dinner and overnight at the Lake Naivasha Country Club.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Continue driving along the Rift Valley to the famous Masai Mara Game Reserve. Have lunch at the Mara Serena Lodge, or similar, to get a feel for this vast reserve before an afternoon game drive. You will spend another full day in the Masai Mara, Kenya’s most popular game sanctuary, on Day 10. The Mara will offer you the best opportunity to spot the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, and elephant). In August and September the great Serengeti herds of wildebeest and zebra, numbering as many as one million animals, tend to concentrate on the rich grasslands of the Mara. Predators like lions, cheetah, hyenas, and jackals are abundant and will always be on the lookout for a kill. Weather and skies should be excellent for photography of one the greatest large wildlife spectacles on earth.

Note: For those who would like to do a hot air balloon ride, we can arrange it for an additional cost. You will have a 45-70 minute flight over the Masai Mara and then enjoy a champagne breakfast on the plains. Afterwards, you will join the rest of the group for a full day in the reserve. Please let us know if you are interested in a balloon ride, as reservations fill quickly.

Meals: 2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners

Drive back to Nairobi, where day-rooms will be reserved for refreshment before transfer to the airport for your flight home. Or, extend your trip with a visit to Samburu National Park or Lamu Island.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch