Kenya Wildlife Safari

Passengers who purchase flights will depart 1 day before the tour starts and return 1 day after the tour ends.

For flight details, see Before You Depart.

Arrive in Nairobi today, Kenya's vibrant capital. Travelers who purchased our air-inclusive program will be met and transferred to the hotel. This evening, a safari briefer will host an orientation followed by a welcome dinner.

This morning, we'll visit the Afew Giraffe Centre where we can admire and feed the gentle and rare Rothschild’s giraffes. Next, we'll enjoy lunch at Karen Blixen Coffee Garden followed by a visit to the home of Karen Blixen, coffee farmer and famed author of “Out of Africa”. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure.

Note: 2024 departures will make an additional visit to Sandstorm Kenya, a family-owned company that started off making safari tents and expanded into other leather bags.

Over the next week, we'll venture into Kenya's most captivating wildlife sanctuaries, set amid the beauty of the surrounding wilderness. This morning we'll travel northward to the Central Highlands where we'll cross the Equator as we approach majestic Mt. Kenya, a dormant volcano with a glittering cap of snow and ice. After a stop for lunch, we'll continue our drive to Samburu National Reserve - Buffalo Springs in Kenya's semi-desert, rugged northern frontier. En route to our lodge, we'll enjoy your first game-viewing drive. We'll have time to settle into our comfortable lodge in the heart of the reserve in time for dinner. Later continue to Samburu, arriving late afternoon.

Set in an extraordinary region along the Ewaso Ngiro River, Samburu–Buffalo Springs is home to some of Africa's rarest game species. The river's permanent waters abound with crocodiles and hippos, and attract plenty of wildlife including the Grevy's zebra, the long-necked gerenuk antelope, the shy oryx beisa, and the Somali ostrich. Leopards, cheetahs, and lions are also found in the reserve. Our full day of game viewing starts with an early morning safari when the animals are most active. We'll need to keep our cameras ready, our game spotter will lead us in search of the animals and we'll have plenty of opportunities to photograph our sightings. We'll return to the lodge for breakfast and relax by the pool. This afternoon, we'll venture out on additional game viewing.

Today we'll travel southwest towards the central highlands. We'll stop for lunch before continuing to Lake Nakuru National Park, one of Kenya's finest rhino sanctuaries. Here, we'll admire the flamingos and other abundant birds dancing along the lake's shoreline. We'll experience a short game drive en route to our lodge this afternoon.

Note: 2024 departures will make an additional morning stop at Nanyuki Weavers & Spinners, a women's self-help project. This project was started to train poor, widowed and single women living near Nanyuki the craft of spinning, knitting and weaving in order to be self-reliant.

Today, we'll enjoy two game drives to explore Lake Nakuru National Park's extraordinary beauty and uniqueness. We may manage to spot some cape buffalo, African wild dogs, waterbuck, lions, and zebra along the way!

Today we'll drive to the fabled Masai Mara National Reserve, rich with wildlife, birds, natural flora, and stunning scenic beauty. The Masai Mara is the northern extension of Tanzania's famous Serengeti Plains and is Kenya's premier location for wildlife viewing as it's home to a thriving population of lion, cheetah, hippo, crocodile, zebra, giraffe, elephant, wildebeest, and impala. This afternoon we'll enjoy a thrilling game-viewing drive in this photographer's paradise.

Early this morning, we may join an exhilarating optional hot-air balloon safari above the Masai Mara's plains. Included in today's program are additional morning and late afternoon safaris led by our game spotter who will take us in search of the Big Five: elephant, lion, buffalo, leopard, and the much rarer rhino. In between game drives, we can relax at our comfortable lodge, take a dip in the pool, and enjoy the delicious food served.

Today is our last full day to bask in our beautiful surroundings with two game drives plus a visit to a Masai village. One of the most iconic tribal groups in all of Africa, the Maasai are the dominant ethnic group surrounding the Masai Mara. This nomadic warrior tribe once held vast swathes of pre-colonial Kenya and still retains many of their traditions as they live largely untouched by modern-day civilizations in areas surrounding Masai Mara. This evening, we'll enjoy a farewell dinner together.

After breakfast, we'll drive back to Nairobi, arriving mid-afternoon. The balance of the day is free to explore Nairobi independently or pick up our last gifts and souvenirs. This evening, we'll transfer to the airport for our return flight.

Note: 2023 departures on Emirates flights will include a day room and dinner. The Kenya Airways flight schedule does not accommodate a day room and dinner and these services are forfeited.