
11 Days Explore Kenya Safari
Amboseli, Aberdare, Samburu & Lake Nakuru
Overview
11 Days Explore Kenya Safari
No wildlife event on the planet rivals that of Kenya, an exotic haven which holds abundant wildlife with splendid sceneries. Twice each year, the enormous herds of wildebeest and zebra, two million strong, make a great circuit across the Serengeti Plains as they travel from Tanzania into Kenya's famed Maasai Mara and back, following the new grass that sprouts with the seasonal rains. A host of predators follows in stealthy pursuit. Moreover, Kenya is also home to other several parks where each has its own unique character that if feels like arriving in a place only to find yourself traveling once more and traveling deep further. There’s simply no nature adventure on Earth to match this once in a lifetime experience.
Travel logistics
Start / Finish
Start
- Nairobi
- NBOJomo Kenyatta International Airport
Finish
- Nairobi
- NBOJomo Kenyatta International Airport
Highlights
What Makes This Safari Special
Big Five game viewing
Authentic cultural encounters
Flamingo-lined soda lakes
Game drives with a professional guide
Explore Amboseli National Park
Explore Aberdare
Day by Day
Your Itinerary
Arrival in Nairobi, Kenya's capital and your gateway to a dramatic procession of natural wildlife spectacle in East Africa. There will be a short briefing about your upcoming safari and depending on the time of your arrival, you can perhaps make a quick city tour or enjoy one of the local restaurants in the area. Otherwise, just have a relaxing stay at your hotel. This can be discussed once you have your flight details.
After breakfast, we depart for Amboseli National Park. Enjoy welcome drinks upon your arrival, check-in to your respective rooms, and take lunch.
In the afternoon, you'll meet up with your guide and drive to Amboseli National Park for your first game drive. This park is famous for offering an opportunity to have an up-close encounter with free-ranging elephants. On a clear day, you'll also have spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world.
After breakfast, we go for another game drive in Amboseli National Park. For half a day, you'll have a good opportunity to see some of the 'Big Five' and a variety of other game with the snow-capped Mt. Kilimanjaro at the background. We return to the lodge for lunch and spend the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying the wonderful atmosphere on the wild. You can also take at dip at the swimming pool.
Amboseli National Park, formerly Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve, is in Kajiado County, Kenya. The park is 39,206 hectares (392 km2; 151 sq mi) in size at the core of an 8,000 square kilometres (3,100 sq mi) ecosystem that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. The local people are mainly Maasai, but people from other parts of the country have settled there attracted by the successful tourist-driven economy and intensive agriculture along the system of swamps that makes this low-rainfall area (average 350 mm (14 in) one of the best wildlife-viewing experiences in the world with 400 species of birds including water birds, pelicans, kingfishers, crakes, hammerkops and 47 types of raptor.
Early breakfast at the lodge and afterwards depart with lunch boxes and drive to Aberdares. We arrive and check-in at Aberdares Country Club, which is a base hotel for the Ark. The Ark is a unique concept whereby animals come to drink water at the water hole below the Ark Tree lodge and guests watch the animals from the comfort of their verandah.
The Aberdare National Park covers the higher areas of the Aberdare Mountain Range of central Kenya and the Aberdare Salient to their east. Rhino Ark is a charity devoted to the protection of this critical habitat area.
Overnight: Ark Tree Lodge
Notice: Children under 7 years are not allowed at the Ark without prior arrangements. Small luggage allowed at the Ark and the rest should be left at the base hotel and retrieved the following day
After breakfast, your driver will pick you up and drive to Samburu. You will drive through the lush Kikuyu farmlands to the cool Kenyan highlands. Towards the Northern Frontier region, we stop at the equator for a qucik sight-seeing. On a clear day, you might be lucky to see Mount kenya - the second highest mountain in Africa
We continue our journey and arrive at Samburu Sopa Lodge where you will take lunch and check-in. In the afternoon, we go for a game drive in the reserve. This region is commonly known for its unique wildlife/birdlife i.e. the Beisa Oryx, Reticulated Giraffe, Somali Ostrich, The Gerenuk and The Gevy’s Zebra.
The Samburu National Reserve is a game reserve on the banks of the Ewaso Ng'iro river in Kenya. On the other side of the river is the Buffalo Springs National Reserve. The park is 165 km² in size and is situated 350 kilometers from Nairobi. It ranges in altitude from 800 to 1230m above sea level. Geographically, it is located in Samburu County.
Samburu National Reserve was one of the two areas in which conservationists George Adamson and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the Lioness made famous in the best selling book and award winning movie Born Free.
0630hrs Early morning game viewing
0830hrs Return to the lodge for buffet breakfast.
1230hrs Buffet lunch at the lodge
1600hrs Afternoon game viewing drive in the Park.
1830hrs Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
The Samburu National Reserve is a game reserve on the banks of the Ewaso Ng'iro river in Kenya. On the other side of the river is the Buffalo Springs National Reserve. The park is 165 km² in size and is situated 350 kilometers from Nairobi. It ranges in altitude from 800 to 1230m above sea level. Geographically, it is located in Samburu County.
Samburu National Reserve was one of the two areas in which conservationists George Adamson and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the Lioness made famous in the best selling book and award winning movie Born Free.
Samburu is also the home of Kamunyak, a lioness famous for adopting oryx calves.
Enjoy your buffet breakfast at the club. After breakfast, you will be driven to Lake Nakuru and arrive for lunch at Lake Nakuru Lodge.
In the afternoon, another exciting game drive awaits. Lake Nakuru is famous for the big populations of Flamingos during dry season. The Park also has Kenya’s largest population of rhinos. Lake Nakuru is one of the Rift Valley soda lakes at an elevation of 1754 m above sea level. It lies to the south of Nakuru, in the rift valley of Kenya and is protected by Lake Nakuru National Park.
The lake's abundance of algae used to attract a vast quantity of flamingos that famously lined the shore. Other birds also flourish in the area, as do warthogs, baboons and other large mammals. Eastern black rhinos and southern white rhinos have also been introduced.
The lake's level dropped dramatically in the early 1990s but has since largely recovered. In 2013, the lake received an alarming increase in the water levels that led to the migration of flamingos to Lake Bogoria in search for food supply. .
Nakuru means "Dust or Dusty Place" in the Maasai language. Lake Nakuru National Park, close to Nakuru town, was established in 1961. It started off small, only encompassing the famous lake and the surrounding mountainous vicinity, but has since been extended to include a large part of the savannahs.
Breakfast at leisure. After breakfast you will meet up with your guide and head off to Lake Naivasha.
You arrive in time for lunch, but not first without a refreshing welcome drink!
Lake Naivasha is another tranquil place to relax while still enjoying the exotic surroundings. Being a fresh water lake, it does attract a wide range of birdlife including lily-trotters, pelicans, Goliath herons and of course the African Fish Eagle. Wildlife which can be found around the lake includes giraffes, impala, buffalo and hippo's.
After breakfast, you will meet up with your guide and head off Masai Mara. After enjoying your afternoon Kenyan tea and coffee, we finally head in the afternoon for an exciting game viewing adventure. Maasai Mara is one of themost popular parks in Kenya and you are just about to discover why. Masai Mara is bestowed with over 500 square miles of savannas, woodlands and tree-fringed rivers, all of which shelter an astonishing range of wildlife.
After game drive, we head back to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Spend another day at the Mara in Masai Mara with morning and afternoon game drive.
Masai Mara is bestowed with over 500 square miles of savannas, woodlands and tree-fringed rivers, all of which shelter an astonishing range of wildlife.
Breakfast at the lodge. After breakfast, check out and drive back to Nairobi.
Afternoon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta Airport for your departure flight.
Gallery
Photographs
Where You Stay
Handpicked
Retreats
Every lodge and camp is chosen for its location, character and comfort, so the place you rest is as memorable as the adventure itself.
What's Included
Inclusions & Exclusions
Included
- Park fees
- All activities (unless labeled as optional)
- All accommodation as stated in the itinerary
- A professional driver/guide
- All transportation (unless labeled as optional)
- All Taxes/VAT
- Roundtrip airport transfer
- All Meals (as specified in the day-by-day section)
- Drinking water on all days
Not Included
- International flights (from/to home)
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- Tips (tipping guideline US$20.00 pp per day)
- Personal items (souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
- Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
- Alcoholic drinks
Questions
Frequently Asked
The price covers park fees; all activities (unless labeled as optional); all accommodation as stated in the itinerary; a professional driver/guide; all transportation (unless labeled as optional). Budget separately for international flights (from/to home); additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour; tips (tipping guideline US$20.00 pp per day). Your personalized quote confirms the full breakdown line by line.
The prime months for this itinerary are June, July, August, September and October. That said, Kenya rewards visitors in every season. Tell us your travel dates and we'll advise exactly what to expect.
This is a private, tailor-made safari for your own party of 2 to 12 guests. You won't be grouped with strangers. The itinerary, vehicle and guide are yours alone.
You'll stay at Eka Hotel, Amboseli Sopa Lodge , Amboseli Sopa Lodge, The Ark Lodge, Samburu Sopa Lodge, Samburu Sopa Lodge , Lake Nakuru Lodge, Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge and Mara Sopa Lodge, as laid out in the day-by-day itinerary. If availability requires it, we substitute properties of a similar or better standard and always confirm before you travel.
Send an inquiry through the form on this page and our safari experts will come back with a personalized quote within 24 hours, free and with no obligation. Once the plan feels right, we lock in your dates and lodges.
Absolutely. Treat the 11-day program as a starting point. We can adjust the pace, upgrade or change lodges, add days, or combine it with other destinations. Tell us what your ideal trip looks like and we'll shape it around you.
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