Kenyan Splendor

Duration: 10 days

Highlights: Nairobi, Chyulu Hills, Meru National Park, and Masai Mara National Reserve

On this safari, experience spectacular safari gems that Kenya has to offer. From the expansive picturesque plains of the Chyulus in south-western Kenya to the rarely visited yet wildlife rich Meru National Park.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrive in Nairobi

Upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and after clearing immigration formalities, you are met by our representative who transfers you to Hemingways Nairobi and assist you with check in.

Hemingways Nairobi is a boutique hotel in the serene, green suburb of Karen. The hotel bears South Carolina plantation style dimensions, huge verandas and enormous windows that let all the light in and deliver views across the knuckles of the Ngong Hills. Inside a graciously winding Gone with the Wind staircase leads from the lobby to the top floor.

The hotel sports 45 beautifully furnished rooms with high ceilings and king-sized beds. And, despite an elegant retro feel - punkahs gently paddle the air to keep it cool and potted palms dot the interior.

Hemingways prides itself on a uniquely individual service which includes a personal butler who assists with unpacking as necessary, pressing anything that's creased in transit, delivering morning tea and generally anticipating your every whim.

Overnight: Hemingways Nairobi

Meal Plan:

Day 2 - Fly to the Chyulu Hills

After breakfast, meet your driver guide at the hotel lobby and transfer to Wilson Airport for your scheduled flight to Chyulu Hills.

You are met at the airstrip by the Ol Donyo Lodge driver guide who transfers you to the lodge with game viewing en-route.

Ol Donyo Lodge is nestled in the Chyulu Hills, between Amboseli and Tsavo National Parks. Richard Bonham's home, on a quarter million-acre Maasai group ranch, offers accommodation in six Pool Suites, one Family Suite (two bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms) and a beautiful, centrally position mess/dining room. All the cottages are uniquely decorated making the most of local materials and have open fronts leading out to the veranda with spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro and beyond. As an exciting and beautiful destination, few places can compare with Ol Donyo Lodge. The open plains, rolling Chyulu Hills and snow-capped Kilimanjaro invoke images of Africa as it was at the turn of the last century.

Overnight: Ol Donyo Lodge

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 3 & 4 - Chyulu Hills

Over 7,000 wild animals make their home here, in this isolated, dramatic landscape. Ride next to giraffe on horse back or on a mountain bike; get up close to the wildlife on a walking safari accompanied by a ranger; watch the animals from your game drive vehicle or from an animal hide positioned close to a popular salt lick. After a day spent exploring the wild, enjoy a sundowner set up at vantage position on the ranch with your favorite drink at hand. 

Overnight: Ol Donyo Lodge

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 5 - Fly to Meru National Park via Nairobi

Enjoy an early breakfast and check out.

Join your lodge driver guide at the reception who transfers you to the airstrip for your schedule flight to Wilson Airport.

08:30: Depart for Wilson Airport in Nairobi to arrive at 09:50.

You are assisted to connect to your schedule flight to Lewa airstrip. On arrival, you are met and transferred to Elsa's Kopje in Meru National Park.

One of Kenya's most celebrated lodges, Elsa's Kopje offers a luxurious encounter with one of the country's wildest but least explored parks. Situated to the northeast of Mount Kenya, Meru National Park is a small but well-protected reserve, with sizeable populations of elephant, lion, leopard, oryx, Lesser kudu, and the world's largest buffalo herds. The lodge is perched on the summit of Mughwango Hill in the centre of the park, where George Adamson camped while rehabilitating the lions from the film Born Free; Elsa was the most famous of all the Adamsons' lions. Accommodation is in eight open-plan stone and thatch cottages, each individually designed to take advantage of the sweeping views over the river-striped wilderness below. Meru offers excellent walking opportunities, and Elsa's Kopje arrange bush breakfasts and sundowners, as well as seasonal rafting on the nearby Tana River.

Overnight: Elsa's Kopje

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 6 - Meru National Park

Spend the day exploring Meru National Park with a game drive, guided walk up the kopje, bush picnics and sundowner. The park includes a rhino sanctuary which is home to 70 black and white rhino. Join your guide for a catch-and-release expedition at a nearby stream.

Meru National Park contains a variety of landscapes and wildlife unmatched in any other Kenyan park of its size. Bordering the arid, open plains that dominate the park are a huge diversity of different ecosystems, ranging from emerald green swamps and towering indigenous forests in the west to huge palm groves and baobab-studded bush in the east. This rich slice of equatorial Africa is home to an equally broad variety of wildlife, from large elephant and buffalo herds to hippo and crocodile, leopard, cheetah and wild dog, and the lions that remain the park's most enduring symbol. Meru is best known as the inspiration of the film Born Free - the place where George and Joy Adamson released their famously friendly charges into the bush. The park's 870 square kilometres (335 square miles) are watered by five major rivers and surrounded by large protected buffer zones that provide a dispersal area for its animals, which include the world's largest herds of Cape buffalo.

Overnight: Elsa's Kopje

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 7 - Fly to Masai Mara National Reserve

Breakfast at leisure and check out.

08:45: You are transferred to Lewa Airstrip for your scheduled flight to Masai Mara National Reserve that departs at 09:35 to arrive at 12:35.

On arrival at the airstrip, you are met by your Sanctuary Olonana safari driver guide who transfers you to the lodge for check in and lunch.

Spend the early afternoon at leisure and at about,15.30 depart on an afternoon game drive.

Sanctuary Olonana is a luxury lodge on a private stretch of the Mara River at the foot of the impressive Siria Escarpment in the Masai Mara Game Reserve. 14 exceptional suites, flaunt clean lines and organic materials. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors fold open to reveal magnificent Mara River views and the interiors have been finished with elegant nature-inspired furnishings to create an ever-present sense of being connected to the great outdoors. Sumptuous king-sized beds, with overhead fans and a daybed on the deck invite you to relax inside or out, while the sprawling lower lounge area offers panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.

Dramatic glass doors open out from the lounge to the terrace. An inviting fire pit is encircled by deckchairs, with each seat promising river views. Olonana takes a lot seriously - your comfort, conservation of the environment and support of the local Maasai community; the camp supports dozens of local efforts: Enkereri School, a women's bead project, an organic garden, and indigenous tree planting. Apart for going on game drives and relaxing by the pool or in the spa, you are invited to visit any of these initiatives: plant a tree and leave a positive mark on a piece of Africa.

Overnight: Sanctuary Olonana

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 8 - Masai Mara National Reserve

Spend the day exploring the vast Masai Mara National Reserve on game drives.

The Maasai Mara plays host to the most spectacular array of wildlife. 1,510 square kilometers (583 square miles) of broad biscuit-colored savannah sprawls as home to huge numbers of birds (almost 600 species) and animals and is adjacent to the enormous expanse of the Serengeti; the two make up the most diverse ecosystem on the continent.

The word 'mara' comes from the local dialect, Maa, as spoken by the Maasai and means 'spotted'; certainly, the vast grasslands here are dotted by the shadows of small clouds which scud across a huge sky above. Every year this special place witnesses the most incredible animal phenomenon on the planet - the wildebeest migration. The mass of plains game moving north from the Serengeti in search of fresh pasture returning south around October, a heaving line of grunting, snorting life that stretches for miles. At the Mara River they mass together nervously on the banks before plunging onwards; their pursuit of food overwhelming their fear of the crocodiles that lie in wait for the annual feast. This incredible spectacle involves the movement of over a million wildebeest and their fellow travelers, half a million Thomson's gazelle, half a million zebra as well as smaller herds of topi and eland all operating on the principle of safety in numbers. They are followed, inevitably, by predators, primarily lions and hyena.

Overnight: Sanctuary Olonana

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 9 - Masai Mara National Reserve

Today you have the opportunity to view the stunning, wildlife filled plains from above. There is nothing quite like a balloon safari at dawn. You arise early (before dawn), join your balloon safari driver and transfer to the launch site. Once you climb aboard the basket, the pilot begins to inflate the huge balloon and as the fiery red ball breaks over the rim of the earth you glide gently up into the sky. Watch as the park slowly comes to life at daybreak. The wildlife look miniscule from above!

The balloon lands after about an hour depending on the weather. After a champagne breakfast and presentation of flight certificates you drive back to the camp game viewing en-route.

You have the afternoon at leisure to enjoy an activity of your choice. You can visit the local Maasai community or explore the Mara on foot on a walking safari.

Overnight: Sanctuary Olonana

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 10 - Fly to Nairobi and depart

Breakfast at leisure and check out.

At 10:30, join your driver guide who transfers you to the airstrip for your schedule flight to Nairobi’s Wilson Airport that departs at 11:15 to arrive at approx. at 13:00.

You are met at Wilson Airport by your representative who transfers you to Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi Airport Hotel for lunch and day room use.

Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi Airport Hotel is conveniently located within the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport complex, offering fantastic respite for before or after a journey, or an excellent venue for business encounters. A free shuttle service takes you to the hotel once you arrive. Only 8 kilometers from Nairobi National Park, the rooms capitalise on these views as they overlook the savannah plains. In typical Four Points fashion, the interiors of the hotel are beautifully designed with chic, contemporary furniture and funky artwork, and the spacious rooms enjoy flat-screen TVs and enormous beds designed for utmost comfort. Beyond the rooms, the hotel has a rooftop pool, fitness centre featuring a Jacuzzi and spa, and impressive business centre for those needing to work or organise meetings. Visitors can also relish the luxury of 3 dining choices: try out some craft beer at Tazama Rooftop Bar and Grill, enjoy a range of international cuisine at Marketplace which is open 24-hours, or savour a quick bite at the Lobby Bar.

Later, check out and meet your representative at the reception who transfers you to the departure terminal for your outbound flight.

Optional Extension: We suggest adding Watamu to the end of this itinerary.