Kenya Millennial Safari

Duration: 12 days

Highlights: Nairobi, Aberdares Highlands, Solio Conservancy, Lake Naivasha, Hells Gate National Park, Masai Mara National Reserve, Diani Beach (optional extension)

A fun-packed itinerary that includes feeding giraffe’s in Nairobi, a boat ride at Crescent Island, a bicycle ride and hike in Hell’s Gate National Park, game drives in the Masai Mara and finally soaking up the sun at Diani beach.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrive Nairobi

Arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. After clearing customs and immigration formalities, you are welcomed by our representative and transferred to Somerset Westview, an apartment hotel located in Kilimani, Nairobi. The hotel features 162 one and two bedroom apartments with spacious living areas and kitchenettes fitted with contemporary amenities. There are an array of indulgent conveniences including a restaurant, a rooftop bar, a lounge, swimming pool, a gym and plenty more.

Overnight: Somerset Westview Nairobi

Meal Plan: D

Day 2 - Sightseeing in Nairobi

Today explore Nairobi with visits to the Giraffe Center, David Sheldrick Animal Orphanage and Ocean Sole.

Giraffe Centre: Giraffe Centre is the headquarters for AFEW, the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife. Made famous by ‘Daisy Rothschild’, a giraffe calf rescued from Soi, on the border of Western Kenya, Giraffe Manor was established in 1983 as a sanctuary for the then endangered Rothschild giraffe. The breeding programme has been a great success and visitors can now watch these gentle giants at eye level from a raised platform. There is also the opportunity to learn more about giraffe at the interpretation centre and hand-feed them whilst watching the semi-tame family of warthog’s snuffle around their hooves in search of titbits.

David Sheldrick Animal Orphanage: This afternoon, visit the famous David Sheldrick Animal Orphanage created by the late Dame Daphne Sheldrick in honour of her husband. Daphne is the widow of pioneer wildlife ranger David Sheldrick and has set up the orphanage on the edge of Nairobi National Park to successfully raise orphaned wild animals (mainly elephant and rhino) and reintroduce them into the wild. You have a semi private visit where you get to choose the elephant that you would like to adopt and watch them being fed and put to bed.

Ocean Sole workshop tour: Ocean Sole is a small enterprise that recycles flip-flops found on Kenyan beaches and waterways and turns them into wonderful works of art. They eye-catching creations, from the life-sized giraffe to the palm sized rhino, are handcrafted by a team of men and women who cut, mold and sand the flip flops which are collected and delivered to the workshop in Nairobi. The vibrant creations, mostly animals, are sold in zoos, aquariums and museums around the world.

Forest Folk Stories: Take a short walk beneath the canopy of the Oloolua Forest – a dry tropical forest that once would have covered most of this part of Nairobi. The forest was once a hiding place for the Mau Mau Freedom Fighters during the war for independence but today provides a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle of the city and is a favorite walking spot for residents. A variety of wildlife still calls the forest its home and your walk will be accompanied by the sound of birds calling from the trees. As you near the clearing you will hear drums in the distance and a traditional song of welcome calls you in. From the shadows your storyteller appears, their stories seem to weave a spell around you which intermingles with the sounds of the forest. They will pull you into the magic of the tales that have been handed down from generation to generation; stories of great warriors and tricky tortoises that will leave you captivated.

After the tour, lunch at the Boho Eatery, a lovely restaurant, with colorful interiors, serving wonderful vegan and vegeterian meals  – payable directly and drive back to the hotel.

Overnight: Somerset Westview Nairobi

Meal Plan: B

Day 3 - Drive to the Aberdares Highlands

Have breakfast at the camp and depart Nairobi at 08:00 for Aberdare National Park (approximately three hours drive with photography stops). Arrive at the Aberdare Country Club in time for lunch. Enjoy an afternoon siesta before going for a game drive.

Enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at the club.

The Aberdare Country Club, is northeast from Nairobi, nestled on a slope of Mweiga Hill in the Aberdare Highlands, part of the Great Rift Valley. This captivating site was the homestead of an English couple that decided to settle in Kenya. Almost a half century later, their home, "The Steep", was renamed the Aberdare Country Club and opened for guests.

Considered a heritage property in Kenya, The Aberdare Country Club has retained the charm of a private home with the simple comforts of a country inn. Aberdare National Park lures those who want more than just a safari. With dense forests, 300 meter-high (985 feet-high) waterfalls and amazing hikes, this park is as much about the flora as it is the fauna. While trekking, keep an eye open for bush pigs, rare black leopards and buffaloes.

Overnight: Aberdare Country Club

Meal Plan: B, L, D

Day 4 - Half day tour of Solio Conservancy

After an early breakfast drive to the Solio Game Reserve for a half day game drive.

The family-run, private 71-square kilometer (27 sqaure mile) Solio Game Reserve, part of the larger Solio Ranch, is Kenya's oldest rhino sanctuary and an important breeding center for black and white rhinos; many of the horned beasts you see wandering national parks were born here. Day visitors can experience the dramatic clumps of yellow-fever acacia, wide skies and wild marsh, plus an abundance of rhinos as well as oryxes, gazelles, hartebeests, giraffes, lions, hyenas and buffaloes.

Return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, explore the sanctuary on a game walk or enjoy the hotel facilities.

Overnight: Aberdare Country Club

Meal Plan: B, L, D

Day 5 - Drive to Lake Naivasha

After breakfast, drive to Naivasha (approximately three hours with photography stops) and arrive in time for lunch. After lunch, enjoy an hour boat ride on the lake and a game walk on Crescent Island.

Crescent Island is a private wildlife sanctuary on the eastern side of Lake Naivasha. Surrounded by water, the island is a peninsula that is accessible by boat as well as by road. There are more animals here per acre than any other Kenyan park. The terrain is flat, making it easy for walkers of all abilities to enjoy themselves. There is a lot of easy-to-see game e.g. giraffes, waterbucks, elands, wildebeests, zebras and impalas. It is also a heaven for birds with 200+ species recorded. The lake has a lot of hippos, which you can easily spot from the island. Among the resident birds are fish eagles, ospreys, lily-trotters, black crakes and a variety of herons.

Overnight: Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge

Meal Plan: B, L, D

Day 6 - Hells Gate National Park

Depart after an early breakfast for Hells Gate National Park where you have a guided walk and a bike ride through the savannah and thereafter swim at the Ol Karia Geothermal Plant.

Dramatic, vertical cliffs rising steeply from the floor of the Great Rift Valley mark the entrance to Hell's Gate National Park. The park, a World Heritage Site at the south end of Lake Naivasha, covers an area of 68.25 square kilometers (26 square miles) and was named by explorers Thomson and Fischer in 1883 for the geothermal activity that can be witnessed here, steam rising from the ground in ghostly white shapes.

Hell's Gate is home to numerous plains game, including Thomson's gazelle, impala, and Hartebeest as well as big-winged birdlife: Verreaux's eagles, augur buzzards and rare lammergeyer - or bearded - vultures, considered an old-world bird of prey can all be seen here.

The park presents as towering cliffs, gorges, extinct volcanoes - Olkaria and Hobley's - and rock towers; the most impressive is Fischer's Tower; formed 35 million years ago, it is 25 meters (82 feet) high and was named after the German explorer Gustav Fischer, who trekked through this area on a journey to try to find a route from Mombasa to Lake Victoria. Fischer's Tower is one of the park’s many popular rock-climbing sites.

Overnight: Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge

Meal Plan: B, L, D

Day 7 - Drive to the Masai Mara National Reserve

Depart for Masai Mara after breakfast (approximately five hours drive) and arrive in time for lunch. After settling in, head out for an afternoon game drive. 

Hidden among trees and shrubs along the Olare Orok River, with hardly any other camp in sight, Mara Legend Camp enjoys a special location in the Masai Mara. The river is home to pods of hippo whose grunts rent the air as they float and play in the waters. A small camp, Mara Legends only has 12 tents all lining the river and boast of heavy mahogany beds draped in mosquito nets, fluffy white towels and hot showers. After a day exploring the Mara, enjoy a hot meal in the restaurant and thereafter post-dinner drinks at the camp fire as you reminisce on your game drive, 

Overnight: Mara Legends Camp

Meal Plan: B, L, D

Day 8 - Maasai Mara National Reserve

You have the full day to enjoy the splendors of the Maasai Mara.

The jewel in Africa's crown, Maasai Mara is host to the most spectacular array of wildlife. Her 1,510 square kilometres (582 square emiles) of open savannah, woodlands and tree-lined rivers create an eco-system which supports huge numbers of bird and mammal species. Lion are found in abundance throughout the park as are elephant, giraffe, a variety of gazelle species and zebra. Cheetah and leopard are also regularly seen and, if lucky, you may also find rhino.

Game viewing is never dull in the Mara, and patience is often rewarded with unique sightings : a pride of lion stalking their prey; a solitary leopard retrieving its kill from the high branches of an acacia tree; male wildebeest sparring to attract females into their harem; or even a herd of elephant protecting their young from opportunistic predators. The annual wildebeest migration traditionally is present in the Mara from July-September and at this time nature's dramas unfold before your very eyes at every turn. As well as wildlife, the Maasai Mara is also home to many members of the colorful Maasai tribe who may be seen around the borders of the park - morans (warriors) loping across the plains, young boys herding goats, or elders grouped under a tree discussing matters of the day.

In the afternoon drive out to the Masai Village where you are guided through by an English-speaking Maasai, who lives in the village. He'll introduce you to the authentic, daily hustle and bustle of Maasai living. You also have the opportunity to browse through the Maasai Craft Centre and purchase artefacts and souvenirs, which are made in the village — all proceeds are given back to the community.

Overnight: Mara Legends Camp

Meal Plan: B, L, D

Day 9 - Drive to Nairobi and depart/fly to Diani Beach

After breakfast, drive to Nairobi (approximately six hours) and either end your safari here or be dropped off at Wilson Airport for your flight to Diani Beach. You are met on arrival at Ukunda airstrip and transferred to Eleven Pearl Boutique Hotel & Spa. Diani beach is Kenya’s most popular beach destination, with good reason. This multiple, award-winning beach offers 27 kilometres (17 miles) of soft, white sand, lush greenery surrounded by the emerald waters of the Indian Ocean. From swimming with dolphins to kite surfing, there’s tons of water and land activities for you to indulge in.

Overnight: Eleven Pearl Boutique Hotel & Spa

Meal Plan: B, L, D

Day 10 & 11- Diani Beach

Spend the day enjoying the myriad of activities that the resort has to offer including kitesurfing, snorkeling, skydiving, camel riding or venture out on a day trip to Wasini Island to see dolphins or just relax by the ocean and do nothing at all!

Overnight: Eleven Pearl Boutique Hotel & Spa

Meal Plan: B, L, D

Day 12 - Fly to Nairobi and depart

After breakfast, transfer to the Ukunda airstrip for your flight back to Nairobi. You are met by our representative and transferred to the international airport for your departure flight.