14 days (not including air travel)
This itinerary is the perfect choice for nature lovers and photographers. It is not your ordinary safari but an opportunity to experience all that Kenya is famed for-extraordinary wildlife, picturesque Great Rift Valley, local cultures and pure forest jungles. See both small and large animals in equal measure; visit cultural sites and explore rhino breeding grounds.
Day 1: Amboseli
From Nairobi, drive south for 3-4 hours to Amboseli National Park for lunch and afternoon game drive.
Accommodation: Amboseli Serena Lodge
Meals: Lunch and dinner
Day 2: Amboseli
Whole day of game drives in the park. Viewing wildlife against the backdrop of the snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free standing mountain on earth and Africa’s highest peak, sets Amboseli apart as a unique wildlife destination. This is where you can see large herds of elephants and plains game, giraffes, gazelles, lions, leopards etc roaming the plains.
Accommodation: Amboseli Serena Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 3: Lake Naivasha
Breakfast and then drive for 5-6 hours to Lake Naivasha, a freshwater lake in the Great Rift Valley, famed for its birdlife. Covering over 140 square kilometres, Lake Naivasha — which derives its name from the local Maasai word Nai’posha meaning ‘receding waters’ — is a Ramsar world heritage site and home to some of the world’s rare birds, other wildlife and plants. Over 300 species of birds live around the Lake. The African fish eagle — one of the continent’s most loved birds, known for its graceful aerial skills and distinctive plumage — is among the birds that not only nest in the woodlands around the lake, but are major tourist attractions. Others include Pelicans, Herons, Storks, Kingfishers, Hammerkop, Egrets, Cormorants, Ibis, Red knobbed Coots, etc. There are also hippos in the lake. We take an evening boat trip to watch the birds and hippos.
Accommodation: Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 4: Hell’s Gate/ Lake Victoria
Transfer to Hell’s Gate National park for an exhilarating walk amongst wildlife and a hike down the gorge. The gorge baffles and awes explorers and it is said to resemble ‘hell’ hence the name Hell’s gate. There are soaring lava cliffs, steaming volcanic vents and hot springs.
If interested, we can also arrange for cycling in the park. Here, you walk or ride through herds of plains game that includes eland, gazelle, and zebra. Other wild animals in the park include the rare klipspringer, ostrich, waterbuck, impala, buffalo and warthogs.
After lunch we depart and drive through rich agricultural country with maize, tea and sugarcane plantations. Cool fresh air of the rich agricultural lands greets you as you traverse the “tea belt” of Kericho and we arrive at the lakeside city of Kisumu in the evening. Enjoy the warm evening breeze sweeping gently from the lake as you sip your favorite drink.
Accommodation: Milimani Beach Resort
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 5: Lake Victoria
Drive to Hippo Point from where we get onto the boat for a nature ride on Lake Victoria. We’ll head to the Dunga fishing village for interactions with the local fishermen. This is a popular fish landing site and you will witness how local fishermen arriving from nightlong fishing expeditions offload their catch of Nile Perch, tilapia and dagaa fish. Fishing is the major economic activity for the local Luo people here. We’ll also do a nature ride around the Dunga wetland for bird watching and we may also see hippos. We’ll then return to the lodge for lunch and afternoon relaxation. In the late afternoon we will drive to Kajulu hills for a nature walk, site seeing and sunset experience over Lake Victoria.
Accommodation: Milimani Bay Resort
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 6: Lake Victoria
Depart after breakfast and drive for an hour to Ndere village on the northern part of Lake Victoria. We’ll take a boat and ride on to Ndere Island National park, tour the Island through nature walks and short hikes. This is an area of great natural beauty with lots of birds and wildlife including Sitatunga antelope, De brazza monkey, baboon, impala, dikdik, Monitor lizard etc. Then on to Kit Mikayi village for a Luo cultural tour. Kit Mikayi is a rock formation about 40 metres high. Kit-Mikayi in the local dholuo language means “Stones of the first wife” or “First Wife Rocks”. According to the Luo folklore, Kit Mikayi, mother of the Luo tribe, rested at this site after her long journey south down the Nile valley. The site is popular with religious sects and individuals coming there to offer sacrifices and pray.
Accommodation: MilimaniBay Resort
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 7: Kakamega Forest
Leave after breakfast for a two hour drive to Kakamega Forest Reserve. There will be a stopover at Maseno for a photo session at the equator. This is your chance to be in two places at the same time! Lake Victoria straddles the Equator so you can be on the northern and southern hemisphere at the same time. You can get out of your vehicle and pose for photographs by the Equator sign at Maseno. Upon arrival at Kakamega forest, you’ll be struck by the relaxing impact of a cool environment devoid of the scorching heat and hustle and bustle of the cities. After lunch we’ll go on an afternoon nature walk. This is a tropical rain forest that is an extension of the original Congo forest and is home to a varied plants and animals more typical of Central Africa.
Accommodation: Rondo Retreat Centre
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 8: Kakamega Forest
Full day of exploration-walks along nature trails in the forest and bird watching. The magnificent feel of untamed nature in its manifestation of flora and fauna, coupled with a variety of birds to be seen and heard chirping make Kakamega forest an enchanting holiday spot. We start with a predawn hike up the Lirhanda hill including caves exploration. There are massive trees with beautiful forest canopies, numerous bird species and primates. The thick and mostly wet undergrowth supports insects and small animals. Over 300 species of birds have been recorded here and these include eagles, doves, Great Blue Turaco the African Emerald, Cuckoo, Yellow-bill, Bar-tailed Trogon, Blue-headed Bee-eater, White-headed Wood-Hoopoe and others.
Accommodation: Rondo Retreat Centre
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 9: Lake Baringo
Drive for 4-5 hours to Lake Baringo. This lake is one of only two freshwater Rift Valley lakes and is a famous bird watching site; the proximity of freshwater, lush marginal vegetation and drier savannah attracts over 500 species to the area – one of the highest densities in the world. Afternoon leisurely bird-walk around the lake with an expert ‘birder’ guide.
Accommodation: Tumbili Cliff Lodge or similar
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 10: Lake Baringo/Pokot village/Lake Bogoria
Morning bird walk and boat ride for bird watching. There are also hippos in the lake. Later visit to a Pokot tribal village. These people inhabit the highlands and plains of north-western Kenya and are both nomadic pastoralists and farmers. They have “a cow is life” approach to their existence as cattle supply virtually all their needs – food, clothing, wealth, pride and status.
Drive to Lake Bogoria famed for its pink flamingos and the rare greater kudu antelope. Other wildlife in the park include leopards, hyenas, mongoose, jackals, civet cats, baboons and 350 species of birds. You can also take a short walk to the hot springs and gushing geysers for which this park is renowned.
Accommodation: Tumbili Cliff Lodge or similar
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 11: Lake Nakuru
Drive to Lake Nakuru National Park for a whole day of game drives. Lake Nakuru is a world famous bird and rhino sanctuary where thousands of flamingos congregate to feed on Spirulina platensis, a blue-green alga that grows naturally in the lake. Found here as well are plenty of other interesting wildlife and birds such as rhino, leopard, lion, waterbuck, buffalo, impala, warthog, pelicans and a plethora of other birds.
Accommodation: Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 12: Solio Conservancy
We leave the Great Rift Valley and drive to the central highlands, made famous by Mount Kenya and the Aberdare mountain range. Lunch at the Rhino Watch Safari Lodge then drive into the Solio Conservancy for game drives. Solio is a private wildlife sanctuary with a large population of Black rhinos. This is the best place in the world to watch rhinos and leopards. There are also many other animals including zebra, lion, cheetah, hyena, as well as two northern species, the reticulated giraffe and the beisa oryx. The area is also a bird watcher’s paradise with over 100 species of birds recorded so far.
Accommodation: Rhino Watch Safari Lodge.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 13: Samburu
Drive through agricultural country and the cool central highlands of Mount Kenya region to the semi-arid northern Kenya. After a 4-5 hour drive we arrive at Samburu Game Reserve for lunch and afternoon game drive.
Accommodation: Samburu Sopa Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 14: Samburu
Whole day of game drives in Samburu. Samburu Park lies in the semi-arid north and is the home of the Samburu Special Five – Grevy’s zebra, Somali ostrich, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and the Beisa oryx, the five rare and endemic northern animal species.
Accommodation:Samburu Sopa Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 15: Nairobi
Morning game drive and return to Nairobi.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch