This great 11 Days Kenya Safari Tour is wonderful 11 days wildlife safari in Kenya tour that combines community visits, dramatic landscapes, and fascinating wildlife viewing in four of Kenya’s top destinations; Masai Mara, Tsavo West National Park, Amboseli National Park, & Lake Nakuru National Park.
Day 1, 2, & 3: Tsavo West National Park
Day 4, 5, & 6: Amboseli National Park
Day 7: Lake Nakuru National Park
Day 8, 9 & 10: Maasai Mara National Reserve & Maasai Village
Day 11: Nairobi
Day 1: Visit Tsavo West National Park; Afternoon Drive.
Day 2: Full-day safari in Tsavo West National Park
Day 3: Unlimited game drives in Tsavo West National Park.
Day 4: Drive to Amboseli National Park, Afternoon Game Drive.
Day 5: Whole Day Safari in Amboseli National Park.
Day 6: Full-Day Game Drives in Amboseli National Park.
Day 7: Tour Lake Nakuru National Park, Afternoon Game Drive.
Day 8: Travel To Maasai Mara National Reserve & Do An Afternoon Game Drive.
Day 9: Full-Day Game Drive in Masai Mara National Reserve.
Day 10: Morning Game Drive & Afternoon Maasai Cultural Experience.
Day 11: Transfer Back To Nairobi for Your Departure Flight.
You will leave Nairobi at around 8.00 am, making your way southwest. You are heading for Tsavo National Park, about 127km (3½ hours) drive away. As part of the broader Amboseli ecosystem, something is captivating about Tsavo – a feeling of vast space and ancient magic of the truly wild.
Thick red soils stain the tough skins of its sizeable elephant population, and the sight of a herd of red elephants crossing the Tsavo River beneath lush raffia palm trees is unforgettable.
The sometimes-harsh beauty of Tsavo captured the heart of Denys Finch Hatton (‘Out of Africa’ – Karen Blixen’s lover) in a way no other wild space ever had, and it was here that he was killed when the plane he was piloting crashed.
From untimely deaths to man-eaters and poaching wars, Tsavo has not had the easiest road but now, combined, Tsavo East and West account for the largest of Kenya’s protected spaces with over 2,000,000 hectares and one of the world’s largest protected wilderness areas.
You’ll arrive at your lodge on the west side of Tsavo (Tsavo West National Park) early afternoon and settle for lunch.
After lunch, you will have some time to relax and then set out on an afternoon game drive looking for animals in the park, including maneless male lions, Buffalos, elephants, lesser kudu, klipspringers, and more. After your first game drive in Tsavo, return to the lodge for dinner, and overnight.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge/Salt Lick Safari Lodge
Midrange: – Ngulia Safari Lodge/Voi Wildlife Lodge/Satao Camp
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive Distance & Time:-
Activities & Services: –
On day four of your 5 Days Kenya Safari Tour, you have a whole day dedicated to exploring this unique area. Tsavo West is more developed than Tsavo East National Park. It’s topographically captivating, and its dramatic mountains, hills, inselbergs, and sheer cliff faces are a result of ancient volcanic eruptions.
Below the volcanic Chyulu Hills, a natural reservoir of water percolates through the porous rock before finally emerging, filtered, at Mzima Springs. You can enter a glass viewing chamber to watch the life underneath the surface of a crystal-clear pool – including Crocodiles, Hippos, and thousands of primeval-looking fish.
The dense date and raffia palms and a variety of other fruiting trees attract a diversity of bird and primate life, making the springs a veritable oasis, especially during the dry season. Not far from the springs, are the spectacular Shetani lava flows. “Shetani” means “devil” in Kiswahili: the flows were formed about 200 years ago and local peoples believed that it was the devil himself emerging from the earth.
This vast expanse of folded black lava spreads for 50km2 across the savannah are now inhabited by nimble klipspringers, ubiquitous hyraxes, and lounging leopards. The nearby caves, formed by the same volcanic activity can be freely explored, by those brave enough to do so! After exploring Tsavo, you will return to your lodge to freshen up and enjoy a delicious dinner.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge/Salt Lick Safari Lodge
Midrange: – Ngulia Safari Lodge/Voi Wildlife Lodge/Satao Camp
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Activities & Services: –
Your exciting 11 days Kenya safari tour starts today. Your safari driver guide will pick you up from your accommodation in Nairobi at around 7:30 am.
Following a short tour briefing, you be will be driven south for around 3-4 hours. You’ll pass through impressive Kenyan landscapes and quite rural villages before reaching Amboseli National Park, which is situated in the shadow of the snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro.
You’ll arrive at your lodge or tented camp in the park time for lunch. After lunch, you’ll have some time to rest and then set out on an afternoon game drive. Amboseli is Kenya’s second most popular game park after Masai Mara National Reserve. The park is famous for being the best place in Africa to get up close with free-ranging elephants and the glorious views of Africa’s tallest mountain.
Amboseli is relatively arid with sparse vegetation, dusty volcanic soils, and a dry, Pleistocene lake basin. But, it has lush wetlands where majestic herds of African elephants gather with snow-capped Kili in the background! Besides elephants, Amboseli is home to herds of Zebras, Wildebeests, Giraffes, Buffalos, and Antelopes as well as their predators such as lions, Leopards, Cheetahs, and hyenas.
You’ll return to the lodge at sunset for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge/Tortilis Camp/Oltukai Lodge
Midrange: – Kibo Safari Camp/Satao Elerai Camp
Meal Plan: – Lunch & Dinner
Drive Distance & Time: – 127km (3½ hours)
Activities & Services: –
On day five of your 11 days safari Kenya tour, wake up and have a hearty breakfast at the lodge before heading out for the day.
You’ll carry packed picnic lunch for a full-day game drive. Despite having a wide range of wildlife, elephants are the most celebrated residents of Amboseli. They are present in high numbers and boast some of the biggest body and tusk sizes in Africa.
The Amboseli elephant population is one of very few in Africa that has been able to live a relatively undisturbed existence. In 1979, there were estimated to be 1.3 million elephants in Africa. By 2014 the Great Elephant Census estimated there were only around 352,000 elephants across Africa.
These original losses were largely driven by the ivory trade, but modern declines have also been compounded by growing human populations and habitat loss.
Amboseli’s elephants have been relatively increasing partly due to the presence of researchers. Many of Amboseli’s elephant herds and bulls have been the subjects of the longest-running study of elephant behavior in the wild.
This park is where biologists first observed some of the most amazing behaviors of these graceful giants. It was in Amboseli that herds were first recognized as close-knit families, and where elephants were observed celebrating births, forming friendships, and grieving over the death of a family member.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge/Oltukai Lodge/Tortilis Camp
Midrange: – Kibo Safari Camp/Satao Elerai Camp
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Activities & Services: –
Today, have another full day to enjoy all that Amboseli has to offer.
After breakfast, you go on a morning game drive and this early morning is one of the best times to see Mount Kilimanjaro and elephants. Imagine a huge herd of giant African elephants slaking their thirst against the backdrop of the snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro – if you get the right angle, you have got a pretty impressive selfie of Africa’s biggest land animal set against its tallest mountain.
After a morning game drive, you return for a few hours of relaxation and lunch. In the afternoon you go out again for a game drive. Of course, Amboseli isn’t home to elephants exclusively. Lions, leopards, Hyenas, and cheetahs hunt here, while Masai Giraffe and buffalo are frequently seen on game drives.
There is abundant plains game, too, from Zebra and Wildebeest to common waterbuck, gazelle, and impala.
Look out for smaller mammals present in plentiful numbers, including black-faced Vervet monkeys and Yellow baboons, Black-backed jackals, and Bat-eared foxes. There are also over 420 bird species.
Optional Activity: Visit a Local Maasai Village: In the late afternoon, you can visit a local Masai Village before returning to the lodge for dinner. Learn about the culture and traditions of Maasai people from this part of Kenya and see how they are using conservation to their advantage.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge/Oltukai Lodge
Midrange: – Kibo Safari Camp/Satao Elerai Camp
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Activities & Services: –
Day seven of your 11 days Kenya safari tour starts with a leisurely breakfast at the lodge/camp. After breakfast, you will be driven for about 5 hours south to one of the soda lakes in the Great Rift Valley, Lake Nakuru.
Your journey will include a stopover at a viewpoint over the Great Rift Valley for spectacular views of a series of contiguous geographic trenches.
This famous valley, filled with lakes and mountains, stretches about 7000 kilometers from Lebanon in Asia to Mozambique in Africa. You’ll arrive at your lodge at Lake Nakuru just in time for lunch. After delightful lunch, you will have some time to rest before heading on an afternoon game drive around Lake Nakuru.
This beautiful lake is protected by the 188km2 Lake Nakuru National Park, an important sanctuary for the critically endangered Black rhinos and white rhinos, which are often seen at rest near the lake shore and under acacia trees.
You’ll also have an opportunity to see the rare Rothschild’s giraffe, Hippos, Zebras, Buffalo, prides of Lions, and possibly a lone Leopard. While exploring the park, you’ll also discover many different bird species, including spectacular flocks of pelicans and variable flocks of flamingos depending on weather conditions.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Sarova Woodlands/the Cliff
Midrange: – Lake Nakuru Lodge/Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge/Flamingo Hill Camp
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive Distance & Time: – About. 250km/5 hours
Activities & Services: –
Your day 12 days Kenya safari vacation begins with a good breakfast at 7.30 am.
You then embark on a very African beautiful drive of about 4 hours south to the famed landscapes of the Maasai Mara, surely one of the best locations for an African safari holiday. The area is home to Maasai communities whose rituals and ancient traditions remain an integral part of their everyday life.
And then there are the wild animals… The Masai Mara is home to the Great Wildebeest Migration, which is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa, and one of the ten wonders of the World. The reserve is also world-renowned for its exceptional populations of lion, African leopard, cheetah, and African bush elephant
On arrival, you will be driven to camp or lodge inside the reserve, where a sumptuous lunch will be waiting before a late afternoon game drive provides you your first chance to encounter some of the big games for which this reserve is so well known. You will stay out in the park until sunset and hopefully, you will find some predators as they start to become more active at this time.
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 nine of your 11 days Kenya safari trip, wake up early and enjoy a full-day drive in Masai Mara National Reserve with a bush picnic lunch. The Maasai Mara is home to some of the largest populations of big cats in Africa, as well as rhinos, hyenas, crocodiles, and more than 470 species of birds.
If you travel between July and October, then you’ll have a chance to see the dramatic Great Migration. Natural events occur all over the world, but few can rival the sheer size of the yearly animal migration through the Serengeti-Mara Ecosystem.
The numbers alone are hard to believe: up to 2 million White-bearded wildebeest, Gazelles, and Zebra – follow the rains and their ancient instincts on a death-defying, 3,000-kilometer (1,900-mile) journey.
The migrating herds undergo all manner of challenges and hardships as they move from region to region. They’re constantly under attack from predators, none more so than from Africa’s big cats – lion, leopard, and cheetah – and the massive crocodiles that lie in wait at various river crossing points.
Optional Activity: Hot Air Balloon safari: You may also want to try one of Mara’s most iconic experiences, a hot air balloon flight over the savannah; it starts at sunrise and you’re rewarded with a well-deserved champagne bush breakfast.
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: –
On your last full day of the 11 days Kenya safari tour, you’ll enjoy a morning game drive to discover more of what the wondrous Masai Mara Reserve offers. You will return to the lodge later in the afternoon for lunch and some downtime.
In the late afternoon, visit a traditional Maasai Manyatta to learn about the interesting culture of the famous Maasai People.
Your guide will lead you through the village as you discover their traditions and beliefs, and daily practices like demonstrations of how to make fire using sticks. At the end of the tour, you can buy some gift items or curios made by the villagers – a chance to give back to the local community.
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: –
Today, after breakfast, go on one more wildlife safari drive. Enjoy one final chance to see the “big five” before going on a 6-hour journey back to Nairobi, bringing this incredible 11 day Kenya safari holiday to a close.
Cate
Samuel
Robert
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