Big 5 Safaris

8 days—Kenya is home to the big five animals: buffalo, elephant, lion, leopard and rhino.

$2910-3260 USD

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Safari summary

Experience the East African Safari of a lifetime on a budget - travelling by custom tour vans and staying in comfortable and scenically located lodges on a full board basis.
Spend a night in vibrant Nairobi before driving to Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya and on to Lake Nakuru National Park in central Kenya. End off with game drives in what is arguably the finest wildlife viewing destination in Africa - Masai Mara National Reserve.The best wildlife viewing months in Kenya are during the Dry season from late June to October. The wildebeest migration usually reaches the Masai Mara in July and remains until October when they move back to the Serengeti in Tanzania. Wildlife viewing is good year-round, but this can differ for some parks.

About this tour

	Tour type	Custom, tailor-made, private
	Main focus	Game drives
	Activity level	Easy activity
	Best months	January, February, March, July, August, September
	Countries	Kenya
	Parks	Lake Nakuru Masai Mara Samburu

Fine details

Safari highlights

Night game drives

Itinerary

Day 1

Nairobi

Day 1: Nairobi Arrive at the international airport in Nairobi and receive a warm welcome from one of our team members. From the airport we transfer you to the Southern Sun Mayfair Hotel in Nairobi, your comfortable accommodation for the first night. Get some rest after your flight, take a dip in the pool and enjoy the big, leafy gardens of this friendly hotel. You also have the option (at extra cost), of transferring to the Nairobi Tented Camp, nestled in the trees of a ravine, inside the Nairobi National Park. This small tented camp offers eight guests accommodation in walk-in, canvas tents that are authentic, spacious and semi-permanent. At the tented camp you can get your first taste of the Africa safari experience - taking in views of the grasslands as well as the Nairobi skyline. Southern Sun Mayfair hotel: Bed & Breakfast

Day 2

Nairobi | Samburu

Day 2: Nairobi to Samburu National Reserve Day two starts with breakfast at the hotel, before we depart for Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya. For the duration of this safari our professional guide will drive you around in a 4x4 safari vehicle. We either have lunch along the way through the farmlands of Kenya or at our next camp. Reaching Samburu we make our way to Elephant Bedroom Camp, inside Samburu Game Reserve. An intimate tented camp, Elephant Bedroom Camp lies along the Ewaso Nyiro River, the life force of the reserve. Stay in one of 12 tented rooms amid the trees and bush indegenous to the area. After settling in and relaxing for a bit, we set off into the wilds on our first 4x4 game drive in the Big Five Samburu National Reserve. The reserve consists of hot, dry plains and scrublands fringed by mountains, including the tall Ol Olokwe Mountain. In Samburu you get the chance to encounter the traditional Samburu tribe, and gain insight into their customs and culture. The game drive takes us into the early evening, with a scenic stop for sundowners in the bush as the day fades into night in a show of colours. Then we head back to our exclusive safari camp for dinner and a laid-back night in the bush, under starry African skies. The spacious walk-in tents feature viewing decks with small plunge pools to cool off in on the hot days and nights. Elephant Bedroom Camp: Full Board

Day 3

Samburu

Day 3: Samburu National Reserve Get an early start on day three, embarking on a 4x4 game drive in Samburu National Reserve after breakfast. We may see large predators and some rare big mammals on our game drive, as well as some of the over 350 bird species found here. Some of the most remarkable species of the park are the Somali ostriches, long-necked gerenuk antelopes, Grevy's zebras and Somali giraffes. Cheetahs, elephants, lions and buffalos are frequently sighted, along with various antelopes, including striking-looking gemsbok, gazelles, waterbuck and tiny dikdiks. Return to the shaded camp for lunch and a break, before setting off on our afternoon 4x4 game drive in the arid Samburu Reserve. The afternoon game drive is followed by free time to nap or dip into your plunge pool, and enjoy dinner at the safari camp. Elephant Bedroom Camp: Full Board

Day 4

Lake Nakuru | Samburu

Day 4: Samburu National Reserve to Lake Nakuru National Park First, breakfast and then we are off to central Kenya and the Great Lake of Nakuru. We drive through the beautiful Great Rift Valley on our way to Mbweha Safari Camp, our next stop. The camp offers accommodation in comfortable stone and thatch chalets, and looks out over the wilderness and the Eburu and Mau mountains. Mbweha Safari Camp is located inside the Congreve Conservancy, a private reserve covering some 6400 acres of bush, along the southern side of Lake Nakuru National Park. In the afternoon we head into the conservancy on foot, embarking on a guided walking safari to get close to the bush. Walking in the bush is both thrilling and fascinating as you may encounter all kinds of unexpected creatures, big and small. After our exhilarating bush walk we return to Mbweha Camp for dinner and wind down for the day. Mbweha Safari Camp: Full Board

Day 5

Lake Nakuru

Day 5: Lake Nakuru National Park Wake up early on day five, have breakfast and head out on a full-day game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park. Exploring this scenic and relatively small national park we are likely to spot hippos, baboons, rhinos (black and white) and a variety of antelope species. Other wild inhabitants include leopards and lions, giraffes, zebras and buffalos. The shallow soda lake attracts a diverse abundance of bird species, numbering over 400 different species, and as such is a birder's paradise and a Ramsar Wetland Area. When conditions are right, Lake Nakuru is visited by large flamingo flocks - an incredible sight. We return to camp after our 4x4 adventure in the scenic Lake Nakuru National Park, relax and have dinner. Fall asleep to the sounds of nature at Mbweha Safari Camp. Mbweha Safari Camp: Full Board

Day 6

Lake Nakuru | Masai Mara

Day 6: Lake Nakuru National Park to Masai Mara National Reserve Wake up in unspoilt nature and eat breakfast before we leave Mbweha Safari Camp and Lake Nakuru National Park behind. Today is the big day - we drive southwest to the Masai Mara National Reserve, one of the most celebrated wildlife reserves on earth. We drive through the picturesque Great Rift Valley and into Maasai country, where eye-catching red-robes stand out against the natural landscapes. The Maasai of Kenya are a proud semi-nomadic and striking-looking people, known for their fierce warriors, ceremonies and unique style of dress. We reach Tipilikwani Mara Camp in time for lunch, followed by our first 4x4 game drive in this epic East African game reserve. Driving across the vast and seemingly-endless open plains where wildlife roams freely, we experience the magnitude and incredible beauty of untamed Masai Mara. After our awe-inspiring game drive we return to Tipilkwani Mara Camp, set along the peaceful Talek River. We have dinner at the camp which looks out over the acacia dotted plains, and retire to our riverfront tented-rooms for a good night's rest. Tipilikwani Mara Camp: Full Board

Day 7

Masai Mara

Day 7: Masai Mara National Reserve A whole day in Masai Mara! We enjoy rewarding morning and afternoon game drives in our 4x4 safari vehicle. On our wildlife adventure in Masai Mara Reserve we are likely to see an abundance of diverse animals, many of them large and iconic mammals species. This world-famous reserve in home to the Big Five of Africa - lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant, so keep your eyes open and your cameras ready. Two of the best-known highlights of Masai Mara are the Great Migration and the sizeable big cat populations. During the annual Wildebeest Migration massive herds, over a million strong, can be seen moving across the plains and splashing through the rivers, attracting unwanted attention from hungry crocodiles, hyenas, lions and many other predators. The reserve hosts all of the big cats of Africa, in healthy numbers. Other animals to look out for, are foxes, jackals, giraffes, baboons, hippos, zebras and herds of antelopes - eland, gazelles, hartebeest, impalas and topi. After an action-packed day of game viewing we return to Tipilikwani Mara Camp to rest and have dinner beside the Talek River. Tipilikwani Mara Camp: Full Board

Day 8

Masai Mara | Nairobi

Day 8: Masai Mara National Reserve to Nairobi On the final day of our Kenya Lodge Safari, we leave the magnificent Masai Mara behind, after breakfast at Tipilikwani Mara Camp. We drive back to the city where you are dropped off at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport or post-tour accommodation in Nairobi at about 13:00, bringing our wildlife adventure to a close.

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