7 Days-6 Nights – Samburu – Aberdare – Lake Naivasha – Masai Mara

You will be picked up by your tour guide from Nairobi and proceed on a scenic road through the Rift Valley to the Samburu Game Reserve. You will pass through the highlands to the arid areas of Northern Kenya where on a clear day you will be able to see the Aberdare Range and the snowy peak of Mount Kenya. After a short stop at the equator for a photo, you will arrive at your lodge in Samburu.

After lunch, you will head out for a game drive. Samburu might be fairly small in size, but it more than makes up for that with its wealth of wildlife. The Ewaso Ngiro River runs through the reserve, attracting Elephants, Zebras and Kudus. Leopards hide in the riverine bush and the Lions are often spotted in the park.

Wake up for an early cup of coffee before heading out for your game drive. Breakfast and lunch can be taken at the lodge or enjoyed as a picnic in the wild. The best time to see wildlife in Samburu is in the morning since the animals are more active when it is not too hot. The conservancy is incredibly beautiful with its arid savannahs watered by the lovely Ewaso Ngiro River. Samburu is also one of Kenya’s most protected areas and home to species only found north of the equator, such as the Long-Necked Gerenuk, Grevy’s Zebra, Reticulated Giraffe, and Beisa Onyx. You are guaranteed to see most animals during the dry season as they converge at the Ewaso Ngiro River, their main source of water during the long dry weather. Elephants and Nile Crocodiles can be spotted during this time along the river as well. Birdlife is as plentiful as wildlife at the Samburu game reserve.  More than 350 different species of birds including Vultures, Kingfishers, Marabous, Bateleurs, Guinea Fowls, and Somali Ostriches can be spotted here.

Have breakfast and depart for Aberdares, a beautiful mountain range in the central highlands of Kenya. Aberdares has tall mountains, dense rainforest, thickets of bamboo, rushing rivers, and cascading waterfalls. It is also home to abundant birdlife and rare monkeys. You will check-in at the historic Aberdares Country Lodge and have lunch. Most of your luggage will be stored here, while you only pack an overnight bag to take with you to The Ark Lodge, where you are going to spend the night.

Depart for a game drive to view animal species of the forest like the Giant Forest Hog, Elephants, Buffalos, and Hyenas. Lions, Leopards, Cheetahs, Zebras can also be spotted in large numbers in the park.

Even after the game drive is over, you will be able to watch the wildlife from the comfort of your lodge. The Ark Lodge has four viewing areas from which one can observe the ever-present animal activity at the waterhole and saltlick. There is also a ground-level hide – the perfect spot for the discerning photographer. Gallery-worthy photographs of wild animals can be taken at eye-level from this unusual vantage point!

You will start your day early with a drive to Lake Naivasha. On the way, you will stop to view the scenic Thomson’s Falls.

Situated at 1880 meters above sea level, Lake Naivasha is Kenya’s highest freshwater lake. It gets its name from the local Maasai language, meaning “rough water” because of sudden storms. The water in Lake Naivasha is fresh and fringed with dense clumps of papyrus where Herons hide and Kingfishers perch. Naivasha is yet another area popular for bird watching with over 400 species recorded. As you tour through the acacia forests, you might see Hawks, Cuckoos, Woodpeckers, Shrikes and other birds. Curious Giraffes might peer through the thorn-leaves branches.

Lake Naivasha is one of the primary drinking holes for Buffalos, Zebras, Elands, Impalas, Waterbucks and other grazers, as well as a favorite place for Hippos to cool themselves during the day.

After an eventful morning game drive, you will arrive at the lodge for a late lunch. In the afternoon you can relax by the sun-heated pool while enjoying the beauty of lake shores where some wild animals roam. Or you can opt for a boat ride to the Crescent Island, biking to Hell’s Gate National Park, or hiking at Mount Longonot.

Wake up early and after breakfast drive through the picturesque floor of the Great Rift Valley to the crown jewel of East Africa – the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Year-round, Maasai Mara offers wonderful scenery and plenty of game. Its rolling plains and grasslands stretch into the horizons as far as the eye can see. Maasai Mara is one of the few places left on earth where wildlife still lives comparatively undisturbed, in numbers that once roamed the plains of Africa. As we continue to the Mara, you’ll see local homesteads and perhaps Maasai herdsmen in their colorful wraps, tending to their cattle.

You will arrive at the lodge to a very warm welcome for lunch. This afternoon is the moment we have been waiting for, as we depart on a game drive in the incredible Maasai Mara! We saved the best for last.

We’ll be looking for Lions, Leopards, Buffalos, Rhinos, and Elephants, plus the more than 95 other mammals that inhabit this massive habitat. The Mara Game Reserve never disappoints. It offers the best game and bird-viewing not only in Kenya but anywhere in Africa!

Wake up early and have breakfast – we have a full day of incredible game drive in Maasai Mara ahead of us! Depending on your preference, you can opt to return to the lodge for lunch or have it packed as a kpicnic.

Today we will be on the look-out for the “Big Five” that Maasai Mara is famous for – the Black-Maned Lion, Savannah Elephant, the Cape Buffalo, the Leopard, and the Black Rhino. Maasai Mara is a paradise for bird enthusiasts since almost 500 bird species have been recorded in this reserve.

If you are lucky enough to be in Mara in late summer or early fall, you will likely witness the greatest spectacle on earth: The Great Migration! This largest movement of animals on the planet only happens between the Serengeti in Tanzania and Maasai Mara in Kenya in the months of July through October. This is a sight to behold! More than a million wildebeest, alongside zebra and gazelle, cross Mara river and march north to graze on Mara’s lush grasses as part of the Great Migration’s annual cycle. When crossing, the wildebeest face tremendous threats, such as drowning in swirling water, breaking their legs, being snatched by hungry crocodiles or trampled to death in a stampede.

Many people say that observing and photographing thousands upon thousands of wildebeests taking a leap of faith from the high banks of Mara River into its treacherous waters is the most amazing sight they have ever seen!

Our safari guide can arrange an extended game viewing drive during the Great Migration, traveling further away from other vehicles and visitors. Luckily, with a private safari, you will have full control over your itinerary!

Optional activities in Maasai Mara:

• Balloon Safari over the Mara plains followed by a champagne breakfast
• A visit to a traditional Maasai homestead, where you’ll meet the Maasai, experience their unique way of life, customs, and traditions

Enjoy your breakfast in the morning and then check-out. You will have a short game viewing as you leave the park and drive back to Nairobi. Unbelievable but true, our good bush moments have come to an end. Don’t be sad though! You will not come back home empty-handed. You will have many adventure stories to tell and photographs that captured the special moments you experienced on this amazing safari tour!

Your guide will drop you off at the hotel in Nairobi or at Jomo Kenyatta International airport.