10 Days Aberdare, Samburu, Ol Pejeta, Lake Naivasha, Maasai Mara

Day 1:  Arrival Nairobi

Our professional driver guide will be at the airport to meet and greet upon arrival. You will then be transferred to Ole-Sereni hotel for check in and overnight stay booked on bed and breakfast basis. Overlooking the Nairobi National Park, Ole-Sereni features an outdoor pool, 2 restaurants and a snack bar. The hotel’s health club offers aerobics, steam, sauna, massage facilities and a salon. Ole-Sereni Hotel is decorated with the typical style of a safari lodge, including bright colors, wooden details and artwork in raw materials. The contemporary rooms come with wall-mounted flat-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi and a small coffee table. In the bathrooms, black marble combines with large shower boxes, and bathrobes and slippers are available upon request. The main restaurant has a large deck where you can spot wildlife. It offers grills, Italian, Indian and Oriental cuisine. Evening entertainment and steaks can be enjoyed at Eagle’s, which offers views of the National Park and Nairobi’s skyline. The Waterhole Snack Bar offers light meals and snacks. Dinner is not included.

Accommodation: Ole-Sereni

Meal Plan: {Bed and Breakfast} Dinner on own arrangement

Day 2: Nairobi – Drive to Aberdare National Park (Forest Tree Lodge)

(Nairobi to Aberdare 220 Kilometers, Approximately – 3½ Hours drive). Depart Nairobi after breakfast. Our destination today is the Aberdare National Park. We travel overland through plantations of coffee and tea to The Aberdare Country Club, nestled on the slopes of Mweiga Hill. After lunch, set off for the Ark tree lodge, located in the forest on mountain slopes of the Aberdare Mountains at 7,000 feet. This outstanding lodge offers high altitude game viewing, including animals that are rarely encountered elsewhere: Giant forest hog, Bush pig, Tree Hyrax, large Spotted Genet, and the elusive Bongo Antelope. Wildlife can be observed from different levels – and from outside where you can see, hear and smell everything and inside where you can sit with a cup of tea and stay warm and cozy. You can put in a request to be awakened during the night if your favorite animals show up. A herd of Elephants might be just feet away and if you are lucky, a Leopard or large male Lion might put in an appearance. Dinner and Overnight at the Ark Lodge.

Main Destination: Aberdare National Park

Accommodation: The Ark Lodge

Meal plan: {Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner}

Approximate Transit time: 3hours 30 minutes

 

Day 3: The Ark Lodge (Forest Tree Lodge) – Drive to Samburu Game Reserve

(180 kilometers, approximately 3 Hours drive) This morning we travel by road to Kenya’s northern frontier. Wild and rugged, Samburu is fiercely beautiful with its arid savannahs watered by the lovely Uaso Nyiro River. It is also one of Kenya’s most protected areas and home to species only found north of the equator, from the reticulated giraffe to Gravy’s zebras and Beisa oryxes. We also enjoy Samburu Simba Lodge, our luxurious hostelry set beneath a canopy of acacia trees along the banks of the river for dinner and overnight at Samburu Simba Lodge.

Main Destination: Samburu National Reserve

Accommodation: Samburu Simba Lodge

Meal plan: {Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner}

Approximate Transit time: 3hours

 

Day 4: Explore Samburu Game Reserve

Dawn breaks in golden bands as we start our day in the bush by scanning the river from our tent’s veranda with a cup of steaming coffee in hand. Before the dew is off the grass, we’re off in pursuit of the Elephants, Lions, Leopards, and Cheetahs that thrive in the reserve’s grasslands and acacia woodlands. We roam the savannahs in our 4×4, on early- and mid-morning game drives then back to the lodge for lunch before the grand finale – one last game drive to see the “Special Five of Samburu”.  And so the day is spent in alternating pursuits of exploration in the bush and relaxation in our cozy camp or lodge.

Main Destination: Samburu National Reserve

Accommodation: Samburu Simba Lodge

Meal plan: {Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner}

Day 5: Samburu Game Reserve- Drive to Sweetwaters/ Ol Pejeta Game Sanctuary
This morning we depart Samburu Game Reserve and proceed north, driving through lush tea and coffee estates to Sweetwaters Tented Camp. Sweetwaters land, the Ol Pejeta Conservancy and its sumptuous ranch were once the private domain of famed multi-millionaire, Adnan Kashoggi. We visit the Chimpanzee Sanctuary, a charming haven established by the Jane Goodall Institute to provide sanctuary to orphaned chimps, and the specially protected and fenced refuge of black rhino with its stunning forty specimens! In fact Sweetwaters boasts excellent game viewing with the highest ratio of game to area of any park or reserve in Kenya. Moreover, the camp has its own private waterhole and salt lick so we’ll be guaranteed unprecedented close encounters. Whether its day or night game drives, camel trekking, lion tracking, al fresco dining or relaxing by pool, Sweetwaters is bound to delight. After Lunch proceed for the evening game drive where as we explore exotic Sweetwaters Sanctuary on two extensive game runs. Our camp also overlooks one of the busiest waterholes in the area and offers elephant, giraffe and myriad plains game. This is Africa as Teddy Roosevelt saw it years ago when he led one of the first safaris to tour Africa in comfort and splendor. Our tents at Sweetwaters will remind us of this bygone era. Overnight at Sweetwaters Serena Tented Camp.

Main destination: Sweetwaters Serena Game Sanctuary

Accommodation: Sweetwaters Serena Tented Camp

Approx Transit time: 4 hours

Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner}

 

Day 6: Sweetwaters/ Ol Pejeta Game Sanctuary -Lake Naivasha
Early morning game drive. Return to the camp for breakfast. Depart for Lake Naivasha with a stop at the Narok which is the Masai city. Arrive in time for lunch at Naivasha Simba Lodge. Afternoon spent at leisure with an option to take a boat ride with a visit to Crescent Island (extra cost). Lake Naivasha is a beautiful freshwater lake, fringed by thick papyrus is almost 13 km’s across, but its waters are shallow with an average depth of five meters. The waters of the lake draw a great range of game to these shores. Giraffes wander among the acacia, Buffalo wallow in the swamps and Columbus monkeys call from the treetops while the Lakes large hippo populations sleep the day out in the shallows. Dinner and overnight at the Naivasha Simba lodge.

Main destination: Sweetwaters Serena Game Sanctuary

Accommodation: Sweetwaters Serena Tented Camp

Approx Transit time: 4 hours

Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner}

 

 Day 7: Lake Naivasha- Maasai Mara Game Reserve

Morning nature walks at Lake Naivasha. Proceed to the famous Mara Game Reserve on a drive through the spectacular Great Rift Valley and Narok County arriving at Mara Sarova in time for lunch. You will spend 3 days here. Today we shall be a game viewing extravaganza! Mara remains the most exciting wildlife eco-system. It is host to the highest and most varied concentration of Wildlife Park in the region. The scenic appeal of the tree studied savannah plains; the moderate climate and diversity of wild game species makes it a one stop shop for game viewing activities. We shall traverse the Mara in the late afternoon game drive of unlimited game viewing encountering the “Big Five “and more of lesser game. All meals and overnight at Mara Sarova Game Lodge.

Main Destination: Maasai Mara Game Reserve

Accommodation: Sarova Mara Game Lodge

Meal plan: {Breakfast Lunch and Dinner}

Approximate Transit time: 6 hours

Day 8 & 9: Maasai Mara Full Day Game Drive Safari (with an optional Balloon Safari)
Early pick up as at 0430am, then be driven to the Balloon Ride departure point (optional at own cost), the ride normally takes not more than 1.5hrs, upon landing you will be served with Champagne breakfast, after the breakfast our driver will pick you up and proceed with the full day game drive. Note you can  opt to have an early morning game drives with picnic breakfast or have an early breakfast and depart with picnic lunch thus having the entire day for game drives returning back at the lodge before dark falls. You can also opt to visit Maasai  village to learn about their culture (optional at USD$30) The Maasai Mara is famous for its lions, elephants, leopard, rhino and buffalo that make the ‘big five’ though luck is essential for spotting the other two namely which are rather shy and elusive. The park’s animal concentration and abundance is second to none. We will cater for a picnic lunch at the hippo pool where with luck you may spot crocodiles basking on the rocks. Numerous plains game including antelopes, wildebeest, zebra and Maasai giraffe can be seen as well as scavengers like hyena and vulture. Rest of meals and overnight in the lodge.
Main Destination: Maasai Mara Game Reserve

Accommodation: Sarova Mara Safari Lodge

Meal plan: {Breakfast Lunch and Dinner}

 

Day 10: Maasai Mara Game Reserve- Nairobi
Wake up call at 0600am, have a cup of hot coffee or African tea, proceed for early morning game drive, the early morning Game safari offers you golden opportunity for early morning big 5 kills, African Jungle Male Lions are spotted along the trails as well as other Kenya big 5 including the documented the Big Cat Documentary, Lion, Leopard & Black Rhinos if lucky. The Kenya Trails Game viewing takes about 2-3 hours then return to the Lodge for full breakfast. After breakfast check out the lodge as you do your final game drive and drive to Nairobi arriving in the late afternoon where a day room is set for your refreshing at Tamarind Tree hotel then head for a Complimentary dinner at the Famous Carnivore restaurant. The transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is night and is done bringing this exotic African experience to an end.

Meal Plan :{ Breakfast, Lunch on own account, Dinner}

Accommodation: Tamarind Tree Hotel

Approximate Transit Time: 5 hours