Ultimate Kenyan safari

Welcome to Kenya, the land where safaris were born! You’ll be picked up from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) by your local leader and driven to Trademark Hotel in Nairobi, where you can freshen up. Depending on your arrival time, we can take you to the Giraffe Centre to meet endangered Rothschild’s giraffes.

Today you’ll travel to the Laikipia region and meet a Maasai women’s cooperative, which engages in the sustainable farming of aloes for beauty products as well as authentic tourist visits. The ladies also offer guided walks amongst a habituated troop of baboons. These primates are often seen as being in conflict with humans but here the women show how humans and baboons can live in harmony.

You’ll be driven with a picnic lunch to Ngare Ndare Forest. Azure pools glisten at the bottom of waterfalls and 200-year-old trees create a high canopy that supports a rich variety of bird and wildlife, including elusive colobus monkeys! There is a 450 m-long bridge suspended 30 ft above the ground – the longest in East Africa – that you’ll walk to enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the forest. There’s also a platform at the end of the bridge from which you can view elephants and other animals drinking water in the swamp. You’ll then hike a forest trail, ending at the waterfalls. You can rest and swim here before returning to Nanyuki.

Today you’ll go on a game drive in Solio Conservancy, known for its mind-blowing rhino-viewing experiences. The 45,000-acre Solio Game Reserve is internationally recognised as one of the most successful private rhino conservation sanctuaries in East Africa. Sightings of up to 40 rhinoceroses at a time are not uncommon.

Today you’ll descend the escarpment into the famous Great Rift Valley. These flat lowlands are dotted with stunning natural lakes. Many are soda lakes and are home to flocks of pink flamingoes and other waterfowl. The flamingoes move between Lake Nakuru and Lake Bogoria depending on local rains and conditions. The park is another great place to see rhinos, buffaloes and lions, so you’ll go on a game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park.

Today you're driven to Maasai Mara National Reserve, which is famous for hosting part of the Great Wildlife Migration. This migration is a never-ending, cyclic mass movement of two million hoofed animals, most notably wildebeests, zebras and gazelles. When the migration herds cross the reserve’s Talek River, they’re hoping to avoid the crocs eager to take them out!

It's an early, predawn start today if you want to go on a hot air balloon ride over the Maasai Mara as the sun rises! A truly stunning adventure! In the afternoon, explore the wide open plains of the region on a game drive. Spot herds of elephants, wildebeests and zebras, and look for prides of lions resting in the shade of thorn trees. In the evening, enjoy another exciting game drive.

This morning you’ll embark on an exciting half-day walking safari across the savannah. The walk is led by a local Maasai warrior. Watch wild animals interact with one another and learn about the local Maasai way of life, which involves living alongside some treacherous wildlife! In the afternoon, set off on another exciting game drive in Mara Naboisho Conservancy, which offers some of the very best game viewing in the greater Mara region, and is particularly famous for its predator sightings! Anyone keen to see leopards, cheetahs and lions?

You’ll spend another day in Maasai Mara National Reserve, and hopefully witness Great Migration river crossings! The herds have to gather the courage to plunge across, trying to avoid the hungry crocodiles or being swept off their feet and drowned by the current. It’s high drama as they launch themselves into the waters and strive for the other side!

Today you’ll travel along the floor of the Great Rift Valley to visit its only freshwater lake: Lake Naivasha. Take an afternoon boat ride on the lake, which is a great way to see waterfowl and hippopotami. You’ll get out on Crescent Island, where you can walk safely among the giraffe and zebra populations that call the island home. They’ve also grown accustomed to human visitors, so you can often get fairly close.

Travelling southwards today, you’ll pass through dry landscape before reaching the fertile land of Amboseli National Park, famous for its big-tusked elephants. The area is also renowned for its amazing views of Mount Kilimanjaro to the south in neighbouring Tanzania. The snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro makes an incredible backdrop when taking photos of the wildlife!

Today you’ll enjoy further game drives in Amboseli National Park, seeking out those animals you haven’t managed to spot yet! Apart from its elephants, Amboseli is also known for its lions, Masai giraffes, Cape buffaloes, cheetahs, spotted hyenas, impalas, Grant’s zebras, wildebeests and hundreds of species of birds.

There will be time for one last game drive today before you’re driven for about four hours back to Nairobi, where you’ll catch an evening flight back home. We hope you leave Kenya with many magical memories!