Day 1 - Arrive in Nairobi

On arrival at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you are met by your representative after clearing immigration and customs. Thereafter, you are assisted to your vehicle for transfer to your Nairobi hotel and assisted to check into your rooms.

Nairobi is the largest city between Cairo and Johannesburg.  Though just south of the equator, it enjoys a spring-like climate. It is a modern city, yet its main avenues blaze with color from tropical bushes and vines. The nearby Nairobi National Park boasts the presence of all but one of the 'Big Five'. Nairobi has a wealth of international restaurants with cuisines of all types available, from Chinese to French and Italian. Several restaurants also offer local favorites. Nightlife varies from dining out to going to local nightclubs with discos and bands. Shopping in Nairobi varies from African clothing and craft shops to bazaar stalls and open-air markets where souvenir hunters find bargains ranging from woodcarvings to Persian carpets. There are 3 excellent museums, offering insights into the fauna, culture, and history of Kenya.

Overnight:  Bronze: Hilton Garden Inn | Silver: Movenpick Hotel

Day 2 - Ol Pejeta Conservancy

After an early breakfast drive to Ol Pejeta Conservancy in the shadow of Mount Kenya. The conservancy is famous for its rhino conservation program.

Ol Pejeta has magnificent views across its plains to the peaks of Mount Kenya; a variety of herbivores are found within the reserve and the big cats may also be seen. As a private reserve, you can enjoy activities such as escorted bush walks, night game drives, and camel riding. Orphaned rhino and warthog (one of which was the model for Pumba, from the movie the Lion King), which have been reared by hand, provide a wonderful treat for children, as does the chimpanzee sanctuary. The sanctuary homes chimps mainly from the Jane Goodall Institute in Burundi, where a great many were placed after being rescued.

The Conservancy has a strong commitment to endangered species and boasts of the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa. Ol Pejeta is also home to all the members of the Big 5, the endangered white rhino, the Jackson hartebeest, and the spotted hyena among many other wildlife species. It also plays host to the largest chimpanzee sanctuary in Kenya.

Overnight: Bronze: Serena Sweetwaters Lodge | Silver: Mutara Camp

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 3 - Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Morning and afternoon game drives to exploring Ol Pejeta. There are a variety of extra activities available including meeting the K9 anti-poaching unit, lion tracking, nature walks, and much much more.

K9 anti-poaching unit - Meet the K9 conservation unit – these friendly dogs have the most incredible sense of smell which you will get to see in action in a game of hide and seek with them. The accuracy of this sense is so high that it is often used as evidence in local law cases – incredible. 

Lion Tracking - Tracking Ol Pejeta’s collared lions is a unique opportunity to learn about this big cat. Head out with a lion tracker in search of the pride and, once you locate it, record each lion’s individual features including whisker patterns, scars, ear tears, and other characteristics. All the information gathered is passed on to the Ol Pejeta Ecological Monitoring Department which helps in the conservation of Laikipia lions. This is a fun, interactive experience suitable for guests of all ages.

Nature walk - Accompanied by an experienced armed ranger, a guided bush or bird walk brings you up close and personal with the sights, smells, and sounds of the African bush. Learn about game trails in the conservancy and spot insects, birds, and smaller species that you would have missed whilst on a game drive

Overnight:  Bronze: Serena Sweetwaters Lodge | Silver: Mutara Camp

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 4 - Drive to Lake Nakuru National Park

Today drive down into the Great Rift Valley and have an afternoon game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park. This little park is a haven for rhinos and guests will see a number of them grazing the shoreline of the lake or wallowing in the mud.

Lake Nakuru, a shallow, soda lake in the Rift Valley was once famous for being home to some of the biggest flocks of flamingos in the world. Due to the increase in water level, the flamingos migrated to other lakes in the Rift Valley. However, Lake Nakuru and its surrounds are home to many other bird species including pelicans, cormorants, black-winged stilts, avocets, and in the European winter dozens of migrant waders. From the large fish eagles with their enormous six-foot wingspan and haunting cry to the small and tiny jewel-colored pygmy kingfisher, life thrives here in feathered abundance.

Lake Nakuru National Park, created in 1960 specifically on account of the extraordinary bird life here, complements what the lake has to offer. Besides its magnificent bird life, it is also a rhino sanctuary, one of the best places in Kenya to see both black and white rhinos. As a result of the haven, you'll see Rothschild's giraffe here, relocated from Uganda in the mid-seventies to protect them. The park shares other secrets: it's home to the rare long-eared leaf-nosed bat and a resident population of tree climbing lions.

Overnight: Bronze: Lake Nakuru Lodge | Silver: The Cliff

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 6 - Drive to Masai Mara National Reserve

After breakfast drive to the Masai Mara National Reserve - the jewel in Kenya’s wildlife crown. Arrive at the camp in time for a late lunch and an afternoon game drive.

The Masai 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, which means 'spotted'; certainly, the vast grasslands here are dotted by the shadows of small clouds that scud across a huge sky above. Every year this special place witnesses the most incredible animal phenomenon on the planet - the great 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 zebras 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 hyenas.

Overnight: Bronze: Mara Eden Camp | Silver: Ashnil Camp

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 7 & 8 - Masai Mara National Reserve

Over the next two days, there are morning and afternoon game drives to explore the Masai Mara and search for the Big Five on the lush plains. The huge abundance of wildlife in this reserve is second to none and whilst out travelers will be treated to sightings of elephants, lions, cheetahs, and lots more. You have the option to visit a Masai village. We highly recommended an early morning balloon flight (additional cost) over the Mara plains with Champagne breakfast.

As the balloon is inflated against the first rays of sunrise your pilot will go through safety procedures. It's then time to climb aboard. Once aloft, the balloon floats gently over the plains, giving a bird's eye view of the game below as the sun creeps slowly over the horizon. Spread beneath you is a panorama of Africa - elephants looking improbably small; giraffe browsing amongst the treetops; antelope grazing; a pair of lionesses stalking a herd of wildebeest; an eagle guarding his eerie; and cheetah glancing up as the shadow of the huge balloon crosses their paths.

After around one hour the balloon lands and nearby breakfast is already being prepared. The smells of bacon, sausages, and eggs drift on the breeze as you begin breakfast with platefuls of exotic Kenyan fruits and homemade pastries and, of course, glasses of bubbly to toast your flight in a tradition initiated by the Montgolfière brothers.

Overnight:  Bronze: Mara Eden Camp | Silver: Ashnil Camp

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 9 - Drive to Nairobi - Depart

Drive back to Nairobi after breakfast to catch the international flight home.

Meal Plan: B