7 Nights | 8 Days: Highlights of Kenya Safari

JAMBO – KARIBU!! It is ‘touch down’ at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Representatives of Twiga Tours, your hosts in Kenya eagerly await your arrival in traditional African style – wet towels and bubbly. It is a tradition in Africa to present a gift as an expression of our joy and happiness – what better gift than an authentic (branded) safari hat and other safari essentials! Thereafter transfer to your hotel in Nairobi, Kenya’s colourful capital city to check in to your city hotel. Rest of the day or evening is spent at leisure.

After breakfast we depart north via Nanyuki for the Samburu Game Reserve set in the rugged, semi-arid northern region of Kenya, with spectacular scenic landscape. Arrive in time for lunch, a short siesta then head out for an afternoon game viewing drive. 

The water of the great Ewaso Nyiro River, dotted with doum palms meanders through the reserve giving it an oasis setting and draws wildlife in great numbers to its banks. The verdant riverine forest is a stark contrast to the arid thorn studded plains. Samburu is visited by large herds of Elephants, drawn by the promise of water. In the dry season, the elephants use their tusks to dig deep into the dry river beds, unearthing precious water. These waterholes then become a focal point for other game.

The Samburu region is the best place to find several endemic Northern species; including the Gerenuk (twiga gazelle) due to her long neck, the beisa Oryx, the reticulated giraffe, the Somali ostrich and Grevy’s Zebra. Samburu is also an ornithological paradise, home to many birds including local species such as the Palm Nut Vulture and the Vinaceous Dove. Leopards are often seen at dusk. The Samburu culture is a truly fascinating one, sharing a great deal of ancestral and linguistic ties to the Maasai. The entire Samburu region is a place of breath taking and magical beauty, a place where the vision of a deep red sunset silhouetting the doum palms along the river as a leopard emerges to hunt brings the perfect end to a day on safari. Enjoy dinner and overnight at your camp.

Enjoy morning and afternoon game viewing in both Samburu and Buffalo Springs game reserves. Leopards are often seen at dusk. The Samburu culture is a truly fascinating one, sharing a great deal of ancestral and linguistic ties to the Maasai. The entire Samburu region is a place of breathtaking and magical beauty, a place where the vision of a deep red sunset silhouetting the doum palms along the river as a leopard emerges to hunt brings the perfect end to a day on safari…… Enjoy meals and overnight at your camp.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: Visit to a Samburu Manyatta to see how the tribe lives in this harsh surrounding.

After breakfast you set off to Mount Kenya National Park arriving at your ‘tree lodge’ for lunch. Mountain Lodge is situated in the shadow of Mt Kenya, Kenya’s highest mountain. It is the only ‘tree hotel’ ever to be built on the slopes of Kenya’s legendary Mount Kenya. It offers a matchless game viewing opportunity whilst combining a glorious panorama of mountain vistas with the primordial splendours of an ancient rainforest. Floating high on the flanks of Kenya’s highest mountain and secreted deep within her largest forest reserve, the lodge offers not only the champagne-clarity of mountain air, the tranquillity of the forest and a colorful cavalcade of wildlife but also the chance of scaling the icy peaks of Africa’s second-highest mountain. You can awake to the trumpeting of elephant, fall asleep to the symphony of the African night or sit in stillness and observe the fascinating interplay of the animals as they arrive to drink, bathe, spar and forage around the water hole. Down the secret viewing hide by the water’s edge, you will experience the awesome thrill of being only meters away from some of the most massive beasts on earth – the savannah elephants. Enjoy dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Please note: A warm jacket/sweater and a good pair of hiking boots is highly recommended.

After breakfast you depart for Lake Nakuru National Park with a brief stop at the Thompson’s Falls for a breath-taking view of the great scenery. You arrive for at your camp in time for lunch.

This afternoon we depart on a game viewing drive circumventing Lake Nakuru. The lake is situated in the heart of the Rift Valley and is one of Kenya’s most famous soda lakes. Some of the interesting places to visit include the baboon cliff, the lion hill and the Mau escarpment. Over 300 bird species have been recorded here. This park also provides sanctuary for the endangered Rothschild giraffe, black and white rhino and the elusive leopard.

The scenery is breath-taking; a haven, rejuvenating the soul with the largest Euphorbia forest in Africa, great observation points including the lion hill, the honeymoon ranges and the Bahati hills. The landscape includes areas of marsh and grasslands alternating with rocky cliffs and outcrops, stretches of acacia woodland and rock. The lake catchment is bounded by Menengai crater to the north, the Bahati hills to the north east, the lion hill ranges to the east, Eburu crater to the south and the Mau escarpment to the west.

Enjoy dinner and overnight at the Lodge.

**Due to the rising water levels of the lake, the population of the flamingo has diminished, so the hue of pink from the flamingo is not as intense as it once was.

A hearty early morning breakfast then drive to the Masai Mara National Reserve, offering wonderful scenery and plenty of game. You arrive at the intimate, 20-tent Tipilikwani Camp to a very warm welcome for lunch, some leisure. This afternoon is the moment you have been longing for – you depart on an exciting game viewing drive. The Rolling plains and grasslands, stretching far into the horizons as far as the eye can see is home to the black-manned lion, the savannah elephant, the Cape buffalo, wildebeest, the elusive leopard, cheetah, the spotted & stripped hyena, the rhino, topi, burchelle’s zebra, the Maasai giraffe among many others. The Mara game reserve is one that can never disappoint. One is spoilt by the variety of bird and wildlife species in this game reserve….. For a long time, Mara Game Reserve has stubbed her authority as the ‘granary’ of wildlife in Kenya. You return back to the camp for dinner and overnight.

After a sumptuous breakfast, depart for a full day adventure. Be on the look-out for the big five that Masai Mara is famous for and that may have eluded you on your previous game drives; these include the lion, savannah (African) elephant, the Cape buffalo, the leopard and the black rhino. You may even be so lucky to witness a leopard or a cheetah sprint and make a kill! Return back to the camp for dinner and overnight.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Balloon Safari
Today’s adventure begins just before dawn. Flames from the hot air balloon burners light the darkness as the crew inflate their craft. The first, pink tongues of sunlight flicker across the skies and the hot air balloon fills then rises. Suspended in a basket beneath the rainbow-coloured canopy, you are off for a game-viewing adventure with an entirely different perspective. Apart from the occasional hiss of the burners, a lion’s roar, elephants crashing through the bush, baboons perched in the tips of the trees startled and screeching to see something above them, the flight above the Masai Mara Plains is magically silent. At the end of the flight, the passengers are treated to a champagne breakfast in the bush, complete with flowers. China and crystal are set out on the table that is placed under a convenient acacia tree. The finishing touch to the flight is a game drive back to the camp, and the possibility of seeing the same pride of lions, or herd of elephants that had been viewed while ballooning. A flight certificate is issued on completion of the balloon safari. Back at Camp enjoy a sumptuous lunch and a well-deserved rest.

Visit to an ‘off the beaten’ track Masai Manyatta
You may opt to visit a traditional Maasai Manyatta (off the beaten track) and experience the culture of this world famous community. The Masai still live as they did for centuries -interact with these nomadic people and experience their way of life as you learn about their customs and traditions.

Meals: LDBB

Accommodation: Tipilikwani Luxury Tented Camp

This morning enjoy your breakfast then check-out. Unbelievable but true, your good bush moments have come to an end. Bid farewell to our wonderful lodge manager and his team then depart to Nairobi.

Not empty handed though, with you are photographs – a capture of the special moments you have had on this tour to immortalize the experience. Your guide driver will transfer you to the Carnivore restaurant for lunch (if time allows) then drop you at the Jomo Kenyatta International airport for your onward flight.

Meals: L