Day 1 Nairobi to Amboseli National Park
We will pick you up from either your hotel or the airport. After your safari briefing, we will proceed to Amboseli National Park. Upon arrival at the camp, we will check in and have lunch. In the afternoon, we will depart for a game drive.Amboseli National Park is situated towards the southeast of Nairobi. Most of the park consists of a dry, ancient lake bed and fragile grassland with patches of acacia woodland, while in the southern area, you will find several small, rocky, volcanic hills. Around the swamps (Ol Okenya, Ol Tukai, and Enkongo Narok), the vegetation is lush with yellow-barked acacias and phoenix palms.Your dinner and overnight stay are at the camp.
After breakfast at the camp, we will proceed for a half-day game-viewing drive in the park. If lucky, you would have majestic views of Mount Kilimanjaro before clouds build up over the summit.We will return to camp for lunch, followed by an afternoon game-viewing drive in the parkAmboseli National Park is possibly the best wildlife area in the whole of Africa to experience elephants at a close range. Left unharassed by poachers, elephants feed and bathe in the swamps—seeing this is a highlight of any safari!Your dinner and overnight stay are at the camp.
After an early breakfast at the camp, we depart for Lake Naivasha via Nairobi. We drive via the Great Rift Valley viewpoint for a leisurely stopover.Later we arrive at Lake Naivasha, check in, and have lunch at the lodgeAt 1910m (6200ft) above sea level, the water is fresh, and the lake is fringed with dense clumps of papyrus (ancient Egyptian once used this to make paper). Kingfishers use the papyrus as a perch, and herons hide in it while searching for food—an area famous for bird watching (over 400 species have been recorded). It is also a favorite destination for weekend retreats. There are no crocodiles in the lake as the water is too cold for them due to the high altitude, but there are several hippos. Along the lakeshore, vineyards produce grapes for the country's fledgling wine industry.In the afternoon, proceed for a boat ride experience, and we can arrange a trip to Crescent Island at a cost.
After breakfast at the lodge, we will depart for the nearby Lake Nakuru National Park and enjoy game viewing en route to the camp.Upon arrival at the camp, we will assist you with your check-in and have lunch. We will also have a game drive in the park later in the afternoon.Lake Nakuru is an alkaline lake and is known all over the world for its large flamingo population. This area is also recognized as one of the world's natural wonders. Lake Nakuru is now a rhino sanctuary, harboring a population of over 40 black and over 60 white rhinos, but the flamingoes, of course, have always been the main attraction. Thousands of flamingoes are in residence, forming a stunningly beautiful deep pink band around the edge of the lakeshore.Later in the afternoon, we will return to the lodge for dinner and our overnight stay.
After breakfast at the camp, we will depart for the Masai Mara National Reserve.The Masai Mara National Reserve is considered one of the few places left on earth where wildlife still lives relatively undisturbed, in the numbers that once roamed the plains and forests of Africa. As the northern tip of the vast Serengeti ecosystem, the Masai Mara National Reserve hosts the spectacular seasonal migration of many thousands of wildebeest, zebras, and attentive predators.We will arrive at Osero Camp, check in, and enjoy lunch. Then, later in the afternoon, we will proceed to another game-viewing drive in the reserve.Our dinner and overnight stay are at camp.
After breakfast at the camp, we will depart for a full-day game-viewing drive in the reserve and enjoy a packed lunch. The reserve is well known for its black-maned lions and abundant resident wildlife, and it is one of the few places where it is possible to see the Big Five during a morning's game drive. In addition, many cheetahs are so tame they seek shelter from the hot sun under one's vehicle, and several even climb onto the roof of the vehicle to get a better view of prospective prey! Finally, for the bird enthusiast, almost 500 species have been recorded. Among these, 16 species of eagle, plus many hawks and falcons, six species of vultures, eight species of storks, four bustards (including the kori bustard, the world's heaviest flying bird), and nine species of sun-birds.Finally, later in the afternoon, we will return to the camp for dinner and an overnight stay.
After breakfast at the camp, you have an optional morning game drive in the reserve before our departure to Nairobi.Upon arrival in Nairobi, we can arrange lunch at a restaurant before your drop off at your hotel or airport for your departure back home.