Your exciting 10 Days Kenya Safari is a comprehensive 10 day safari in Kenya tour that allows you to truly discover Kenya’s rich culture, dramatic scenery, and iconic wildlife viewing in Masai Mara Reserve, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Samburu National Reserve, & Ol Pejeta Wildlife Conservancy.
Beginning and ending in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, this 10 days Kenya safari tour takes you to the wild Samburu National Reserve, home to enormous elephant herds and the Samburu Special 5 – rare animals only found in Samburu.
Next, visit Ol Pejeta, a prime sanctuary in Laikipia Plateau that hosts East Africa’s largest black rhino population; a population of southern white rhinos; our planet’s last 2 northern white rhinos; all of Africa’s Big Five animals; and orphaned chimpanzees.
You then explore 2 of the most famous Rift Valley lakes – Nakuru and Naivasha – taking in their fabulous birdlife and range of animals before finishing with Kenya’s showpiece, the Masai Mara.
The Mara is considered by many to be the best wildlife destination on earth, famed for the annual Great Wildebeest Migration and Big Cats – lions, cheetahs, and leopards. You sit back on morning and afternoon game drives and visit Maasai villages to learn more about the traditional ways of the Maasai.
You book or tailor this fantastic 10 Days Kenya Tour to your special interests and enjoy the very best of Kenya’s wildlife, culture, and scenery
Day 1 & 2: Samburu National Reserve
Day 3 & 4: Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Day 5: Lake Nakuru National Park
Day 6: Lake Naivasha
Day 7, 8, & 9: Maasai Mara National Reserve & Maasai Village
Day 10: Nairobi
Day 1: Drive from Nairobi to Samburu National Reserve, Afternoon Game Drive.
Day 2: Full Day Game Drives in Samburu National Reserve
Day 3: Transfer to Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Have an Afternoon Game Drive & Visit the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
Day 4: Full Day Wildlife Safari in Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Day 5: Visit Lake Nakuru National Park, Afternoon Game Drive.
Day 6: Transfer to Lake Naivasha, Boat Tour & Nature walk
Day 7: Travel To Maasai Mara National Reserve & Do An Afternoon Game Drive.
Day 8: Masai Mara National Reserve Full-Day Game Drive
Day 9: Game Drive in Masai Mara & Maasai Cultural Experience.
Day 10: Drive Back To Nairobi for Your Departure Flight.
Today your 10 days Kenya tour begins! Departure is at 7:30 am.
You will be picked up from your hotel in Nairobi. Take in the wonderful scenery as you drive north with your expert driver/guide.
After about a 5 hour’s drive, you arrive in the Samburu People’s homeland – an arid area rich in culture and traditions, where wildlife, people, and livestock walk side by side, sharing precious resources. Situated at an altitude of 800 to 1230m, rainfall levels are low. The resulting scenery is gorgeous in a way unique to arid areas – rugged and barren, overlooked by magnificent outcrops and rolling hills.
The exclusion to this is found on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River that flows through Samburu Reserve. Ewaso Nyiro has been vital to the survival of the area’s wildlife and people. Even during the driest times of the year, when the river slows to just a trickle/dries out completely, the underground water sustains the groves of doum palms and dense riverine forests along its banks, attracting a wealth of wildlife.
You’ll arrive in time for lunch at your camp or lodge.
After delicious lunch, have some time to rest and then take an afternoon game drive in Samburu Reserve. Look out for the iconic and rarely seen ‘Samburu Special Five’: reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, Beisa oryx, Somali ostrich, and the peculiar long-necked gerenuk. After a game drive, return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Elephant Bedroom Camp/Ashnil Samburu Camp
Midrange: – Samburu Sopa Lodge/Sarova Shaba Lodge/Samburu Simba Lodge
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive Distance & Time: – Approx. 300km (5 hours)
Activities & Services: –
Get an early start on day two of 10 days Kenya safari, embarking on a morning game drive in the game-rich wilderness of Samburu after breakfast.
Besides Special 5, Samburu is known for its population of lions. It is, in fact, one of the areas where Joy and George Adamson raised Elsa the lioness, of Born Free fame. It is also one of the best places to see leopards and huge tusked elephants in Kenya. Hippos, Cheetahs, Wild dogs, Crocodiles, Striped Hyenas, Grant’s Gazelles, Dik-diks, Impalas, Kudus, and Waterbucks also reside in the reserve.
After a morning game drive, return to your lodge for lunch and a short rest in the heat of the day. Afterward, set off on your afternoon game drive. Samburu not only boasts fantastic mammals, but also has a bird list of over 450 species, including regional specials like Vulturine Guineafowl, Taita falcon, and Golden pipit.
If you want an additional activity today, a visit to a local Samburu village or guided bush walks can also be organized. After another great day in Samburu, return to your lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Elephant Bedroom Camp/Ashnil Samburu Camp
Midrange: – Samburu Sopa Lodge/Sarova Shaba Lodge/Samburu Simba Lodge
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Activities & Services: –
Your day 3 of the 10 days Kenya safari begins with a relaxed breakfast. Then, set off on a 3-4 hour drive south to Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
Situated in the Laikipia Plateau on the foothills of Africa’s second tallest mountain, Mount Kenya, this great 362 km2 (140 miles2) not-for-profit wildlife sanctuary is home to our planet’s last two northern white rhinos, as well as around 140 critically endangered Black rhinos; the biggest population of Black Rhino in East Africa.
The conservancy generates income through wildlife tourism and complementary enterprises, which re-invest in conservation and community development. You’ll get to your camp in time for lunch. After lunch, you enjoy a game drive in search of the Big Five and other African animals. You’ll also tour the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, housing abandoned, orphaned, and rescued chimps.
Sweetwaters is Kenya’s only place where you can see these highly intelligent apes who share about 98.6% of our genetic DNA and are considered our closest genetic cousins. Spend a few captivating hours observing the great primates as they go about their lives, and you might be surprised by how similar their behavior is to ours.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Sweetwaters Serena Camp
Midrange: – Ol Pejeta Bush Camp
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive Distance & Time: – Approx.250km (3-4 hours)
Activities & Services: –
Today, you have a full day to enjoy Ol Pejeta and all its beauty. You’ll enjoy a good breakfast and then set off on a morning game drive in a comfortable 4×4 safari vehicle to see the fantastic fauna and flora species of this fantastic wildlife area.
Besides being a sanctuary for the two northern white rhinos, 39 northern white rhinos, and over 140 super-rare black rhinos, Ol Pejeta contains all other Big 5 animals of Africa. It has one of the highest densities of predators in Kenya; over 100 spotted Hyenas, 70 Lions, 20 Leopards, 30 cheetahs, 33 African painted wolves (wild dogs), Black-backed jackals, Serval cats, Caracal, and Bat-eared foxes.
You’ll also look out for Grevy’s zebras, Plains zebras, Hippos, Hartebeests, Impalas, Giraffes, Gazelles, Elands, Bushbucks, Dik-diks, Baboons, Warthogs, etc.
You’ll return to the camp after your drive for a scrumptious lunch and a siesta. After lunch, set off on your afternoon game drive again. Ol Pejeta also boasts over 500 bird species. During your time here you can look for specials like D’Arnaud’s barbet, Hildebrandt’s starling, Abyssinian Scimitarbill, Taita fiscal, Temminck’s courser, Common ostrich, and Secretary bird.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Sweetwaters Serena Camp
Midrange: – Ol Pejeta Bush Camp
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive Distance & Time: – Approx.155km/3-4 hours
Activities & Services: –
Optional Activities:-
On day five of your 10 days Kenya tour, have breakfast at the lodge and say goodbyes to the friendly staff of Ol Pejeta. Then, drive southward for about 5 hours with breathtaking views of the Great Rift Valley to one of the soda lakes on the valley floor, Lake Nakuru National Park.
Characterized by a rocky landscape, acacia forests, and waterfalls, Nakuru is one of the most beautiful parks in Kenya. The park is a birder’s paradise and was once famed for its mega-flock of flamingos (sometimes more than 1.5 million of them at one time), which covered the lake in a blanket of pink plumes. However, since the major flooding of 2014, few flamingos choose to feed or breed here anymore.
What is special about this park is the good population of wildlife in a contained area where sightings are as reliable as you could hope for. You’ll reach your lodge in time for lunch. After lunch, rest a bit and embark on an afternoon game drive.
Besides flamingos, Nakuru has a glorious roster of other birds to enjoy, from pelicans, waterfowl, and fish eagles to Verreaux’s eagle. As well as prolific birdlife, the park has a healthy population of lions and leopards as well as many big game species including Cape buffalo, Hippos, Rothschild’s giraffes, and Rhinos.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Sarova Woodlands/the Cliff
Midrange: – Lake Nakuru Lodge/Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive Distance & Time: – About. 250km/5 hours
Activities & Services: –
Your day six of the 10 days Kenya safari starts with a leisurely breakfast.
You then check out of your lodge and take a slow drive of about 2 hours south to the beautiful rift valley freshwater Lake Naivasha, near Hell’s Gate National Park. On arrival, enjoy a delicious lunch at the lodge and have some time to rest.
In the afternoon, enjoy a relaxing boat ride across the lake with close-up views of hippos, crocodiles, waterbucks, and countless species of water birds.
After a boat tour, take a nature walk on the lake’s Crescent Island Game Sanctuary, strolling among Zebra, Giraffes, Colobus monkeys, and other peaceful, relaxed wild animals. There are no predators in the sanctuary. You’ll return to your lodge in the evening for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Chui Lodge/Kiboko Luxury Camp/ Enashipai Resort
Midrange: – Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort/Lake Naivasha Crescent Camp
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive Distance & Time: – Approx. 310 km (6 hours)
Activities & Services: –
Day 7: Travel To Maasai Mara National Reserve, Afternoon Game Drive.
You will start your day with an early breakfast at the lodge.
Then it is time for the final part of your 10 days Kenya safari, Masai Mara Reserve, considered by many to be the best wildlife destination on earth. Masai Mara is home to the Great Wildebeest Migration, one of the greatest wildlife shows on Earth, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa, and one of the ten wonders of the World.
The reserve is also home to one of Africa’s highest concentrations of Big Cats (lions, cheetahs, and leopards). Some say this scenic Kenyan game park is the best place in Africa to see lions in the wild, but others claim that neighboring Serengeti in Tanzania takes first place.
The lion pride of Masai Mara is the famous felines documented by the BBC in the popular TV series called Big Cat Diaries.
You’ll arrive at your lodge/camp in time for lunch and some relaxation time. In the afternoon, you enjoy your first game drive in Masai Mara. You’ll return to the lodge or camp at sunset and enjoy a relaxing evening, with delicious meals.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Mara Serena Lodge/Ashnil Mara Camp/Mara Leisure Camp
Midrange: – Mara Sopa Lodge/Jambo Mara Lodge/Basecamp Masai Mara
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive Distance & Time: – Approx. 237km/4 hours
Activities & Services: –
On day eight of your 10 days Kenya safari vacation, enjoy a full-day game drive in the Mara complete with picnic lunch and perhaps swap a morning drive for a hot-air balloon safari, an optional activity that takes you up a thousand feet above the savannah for stunning sunrise views.
The Masai Mara has a richly varied resident population of wildlife, including all the Big 5 along with rarer species like cheetah, bat-eared foxes, Caracal, Jackals, Serval Cats, Honey badgers, and Roan antelope. The breathtaking Great Migration occurs from around July until October when over two million Wildebeest, Zebra, Topi, Eland, and Gazelle trek from the Serengeti into Maasai Mara.
Driven by their quest for fresh grass, they flow across the landscape and are forced across crocodile-infested rivers: battling currents and leaping over hippos only to be forced to dodge the predators waiting on the opposite bank, which makes for thrilling predator action. You will return to camp or lodge and enjoy the last dinner in breathtaking Masai Mara tonight.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Mara Leisure Camp/Mara Serena Lodge/ Ashnil Mara Camp
Midrange: – Mara Sopa Lodge/Basecamp Masai Mara/Jambo Mara Lodge
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Activities & Services: –
You have another game drive in Masai Mara today.
As a result, you will make sure you pick up all the species that you still might need for your trip and target lists. You will start with a hearty breakfast and then a game activity. The Mara is not all about mammal species though, as the park also hosts over 450 different bird species – ranging from the prehistoric-looking ostrich to guinea fowl, Turaco, and an impressive galaxy of more than fifty species of raptors.
You return to the lodge at noon for lunch and some relaxation.
Visit an authentic Maasai Village in the late afternoon to learn more about the fascinating learn more about Maasai culture and life of the famed Maasai People (the ancestral inhabitants of the area).
Traditional cattle-herders, who migrated into this region from what is now South Sudan during the 17th and 18th centuries, the Maasai rarely hunted – except ritualistically when killing a lion as one of the tests of manhood.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Mara Serena Lodge/Ashnil Mara Camp/Mara Leisure Camp
Midrange: – Mara Sopa Lodge/Jambo Mara Lodge/Basecamp Masai Mara
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Activities & Services: –
Enjoy one last chance to view the “big five” in Masai Mara after breakfast at the lodge. Then, after a 6-hour ride back to Nairobi, your fantastic 10 days Kenya tour comes to an end.
Cate
Samuel
Robert
If you're looking for exceptional safari recommendations or require professional assistance, don't hesitate to reach out to us.
