10-Day Best Kenya Horizons Safari

Leave Nairobi after breakfast to Samburu for about a 6hrs drive heading north.  You will pass near Thika and continue north through some breathtaking scenery dotted with rushing mountain streams and fields of tea and coffee. After Nanyuki town, you’ll continue north, eventually reaching a dusty outpost known as Isiolo, the last major stop on the journey into the remote northern frontier district. From here it’s a fairly short hop to Samburu. You will arrive at the Lodge|Camp in time for lunch. Later you will depart for an afternoon game drive returning to the Lodge|Camp as the sun sets.

The full day is dedicated to enjoying the unique beauty of the reserve with morning and afternoon game drives along the banks of the Ewaso Ng’iro River. Samburu National Reserve is one of Kenya’s less visited game reserves. It is relatively small in size compared to other Kenyan parks but it has more to offer as well as several endangered species. It is the home to the unique rare species only found north of the equator that includes the reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebras, Beisa oryxes, giraffe-necked gazelle (gerenuk), and the blue-necked Somali ostrich as well as being home to the big five – elephant, lion, rhino, leopard, buffalo – endangered wild dog and pun cake tortoise. There are over 450 species of birds identified and aquatic species in the Ewaso Ng’iro River including vultures, kingfishers, marabous, bateleurs, guinea fowl, Somali ostriches, and others. Dinner and overnight at the Lodge|Camp.

An early morning start takes you north west for about a 6hrs drive as you head through Nyahururu, still known to many as Thomson’s Falls for its 237-foot cascade. Now travel in a southerly direction to your next destination, the spectacular Lake Nakuru.  You will arrive at the Lodge|Camp in time for lunch. Later depart for an afternoon game drive in the Lake Nakuru National Park and its lake which was once shimmering pink from thousands of the beautiful birds lining its shores. Later dinner and overnight stay at the Lodge|Camp.

After breakfast, depart for about a 4hr drive to Maasai Mara National Reserve travelling through floor of the Great Rift Valley arriving in good time for lunch at your lodge. Spend two nights here to explore, discover and experience the magic of one of the 7 Wonders of the Natural World – Maasai Mara Game Reserve.  See the immense big five and the wildebeest migration, which comes from Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park into Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve. The trees in the distance turn out to be giraffe’s family. The clump of bushes is a pride of lions. And the rock that moves may be a rhino lumbering out of your way. Proceed to the Mara River where you’ll enjoy a sumptuous picnic lunch at the river. In any event, the sheer mass and spectacle of the animals surrounding you will provide endless opportunities to fill many an album of treasured memories. Dinner and overnight stay at the Lodge|Camp.

Full day spent exploring the park in search of the big 5. Take full advantage of what the Mara has to offer. Choose from a wide range of activities including the optional hot air balloon safari that can be arranged at an extra cost, optional cultural visits to the local Maasai villages. The Maasai tribe is among the few tribes in Africa whose culture has lasted for years without changes and the locals are jointly living together and who partially contribute to the protection of wildlife and defined cultural tours as well. Birding can also be done throught the year with the reserve having a record of over 570 species of birds, with more than 50 bird species of prey which include eagles, vultures, storks and many others.

The Mara is one of the most famous ecosystems in the world and with reason, this huge expansion is home to an astonishing variety of wildlife, difficult to believe, over 450 species of animals have been recorded here. You might be lucky to see lions, rhinos, hippos, crocodiles, giraffes, wildebeests, zebras, buffalo, warthogs, hyenas, jackals, wild dogs, buffalo, leopard, many kinds of antelopes, and elephant. It is in the Mara that perhaps the most spectacular event of the natural world takes place. In dramatic fashion, see thousands of the great wildebeest, zebras, antelopes and elands, followed by gazelles as they cross over returning to their breeding grounds from Serengeti-Tanzania to Maasai Mara-Kenya between the months of July and October. Dinner and overnight stay at the Lodge|Camp.

After breakfast, we will drive to Naivasha arriving in time for lunch. Lake Naivasha is the highest lake of the Rift Valley located at an altitude of 1890 meters above sea level. This lake is a combination of volcanic rocks and sedimentary deposits with a length of 139 square kilometers. It is home to a population of more than 400 bird species and has a large population of hippos. Part of the movie “Out of Africa” was filmed in this area.

In the afternoon, conduct an optional boat ride that will enable you to see colonies of hippo, the fishing eagles in action, marabou stork, crocodiles, etc. Later proceed on an optional guided Crescent Island tour which is situated at the middle of the lake. Here you will be able to see wild animals that permanently live here like wildebeests, zebras, gazelles, giraffes and warthogs. We will disembark with a local guide and will continue trekking on foot through the island, walking at our pace around this incredible place. This will give you a chance to see and photograph the animals that reside here.

After an early breakfast, a road journey takes you into Amboseli National Park, set at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The Park may be best known for its herds of elephants and the ground-breaking research began by Cynthia Moss in the early 1970’s. Along with these gentle giants, other plains game such as zebra, wildebeest and buffalo are in abundance. Arrive in time for check in and lunch at Amboseli Sentrim Camp. Afternoon game viewing in the park before returning to your camp for dinner and overnight.

Full day in the park. Amboseli National Park is situated near the border of Kenya and Tanzania in the south east region of Kenya about 250 kms from Nairobi. Magnificent views of snow-capped Kilimanjaro are dominant. The best time to see it, however, is early morning or just around sunset. This is Africa’s highest mountain – some call it “the rooftop of Africa”. Game drives with all meals and overnight in the lodge.

Following an early breakfast, you’ll catch your last views of the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro as you depart Amboseli viewing game en route to the border of the park, then turn north along a good tarmac road across the beautiful and seemingly never ending Athi Plains, arriving in Kenya’s bustling capital city of Nairobi by mid-day. On arrival you will have your lunch at one of the best Nairobi restaurants and later transferred to the Airport for your onward travel arrangements.