The Big Five & Big Cats Kenya Safari
May 19-29, 2025
Double Occupancy - $4,000/PP
Single Supplement - $1,500/PP
Unforgettable Wildlife Encounters
Discover some of Africa’s most iconic wildlife across Kenya’s renowned parks, from the majestic elephants of Amboseli set against Mt. Kilimanjaro to the vibrant lion, hippo, and giraffe populations in the Masai Mara. Unique sightings, like the rare gerenuk, offer a truly memorable safari experience.
Immersive Safari Experiences
Enjoy an array of safari adventures including game drives, guided nature walks, and the option to visit local Maasai villages. For an unforgettable perspective, float above the Mara’s golden plains on a Hot Air Balloon Safari, followed by a Champagne Breakfast.
Scenic Lakes and Birdlife Galore
Venture to Lake Naivasha for a tranquil boat ride with hippo sightings and continue to Lake Nakuru National Park, where prolific birdlife awaits. These serene lake experiences balance the thrill of Kenya’s big game with a peaceful connection to nature.
Arrive in Jomo Kenyatta Int’l airport – Nairobi (NBO); you will be transferred by our representative to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to acclimate to your new time zone and prepare for the African adventure that awaits you.
Nairobi is a surprising city, with excellent large hotels, small boutique properties and world-class restaurants. There is a strong British influence with everything from high tea to their bit of formal friendliness.
With an extra day, we can arrange for visits to the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and Giraffe Center. Sheldrick's is located in the Nairobi National Park. It is here that orphaned or hurt baby elephants and rhinos are taken to rehabilitate back into their natural habitats.
Giraffe Center or AFEW, is a non-profit organization that has been established to educate visitors on Kenya's wildlife and environment. It is on the grounds of the world-famous Giraffe Manor where you can kiss a giraffe from a raised platform. Overnight at Tamarind Tree Hotel. Meal Plan: Breakfast
After breakfast, check out of the hotel and board the 4×4 safari vehicle to drive north to Samburu National Reserve, arriving in time for lunch at Sarova Lodge. Afternoon is spent at leisure within the Lodge’s amenities before a late afternoon game drive. This offers a breathtaking sun baked landscape surrounded by mountains – to the west, the sheer sided slopes of majestic Ol Olokwe Mountain form a perfect back drop to any photograph. Animals commonly seen are elephants, lions, cheetahs, grevy zebras, reticulated giraffes, gerenuks, buffalos, oryx, grants gazelles, dikdiks and waterbucks. There are over 350 varieties of birds. These include the famous somali ostriches (distinguished by their unique purple / blue legs during mating season), kingfishers, humming birds, eagles, guinea fowls and vultures. The reserve is also home of the Samburu tribe, cousins of the Maasai, who share the same nomadic, cattle-herding existence and a strict adherence to their age-old rites and customs. Overnight at Sarova Shaba Lodge. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Full day in Samburu National Reserve with early morning, mid-morning and afternoon game drives in 4×4 pop-up roof safari vehicle. Overnight at Sarova Shaba Lodge. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
After breakfast we leave for the Aberdare arriving in time for lunch at The Ark Lodge. Set in the heart of the Aberdare National Park, iconic and yes, quirky. The Ark overlooks a floodlit waterhole and salt lick, which attracts a host of awesome wildlife. Resembling and named after Noah’s Ark, The Ark comprises of three decks from which numerous balconies and lounges provide a superb location for wildlife to be seen. So that you don’t miss any animal sightings, the night guard will buzz your room when special animals come to the waterhole. The Ark has four viewing areas for observing the ever-present animal activity.
There is also a ground level bunker – the perfect hideout for the discerning photographer. This is a circular pillbox-like structure, and it is from this vantage point that pictures of animals on the salt lick only yards away may be taken through the view holes in complete safety. "In this intimate recess one can almost, but not quite, pat the animals, hear their sounds and smell the aroma of the night. This is a magical corner, where there is close contact with the essence that tells of an unexplored Africa, and where, very often, the visitor may enjoy in solitary state the beauty of it all. Overnight at The Ark Lodge. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
After breakfast, we depart for Lake Nakuru National Park. Enjoy magnificent views of the Great Rift Valley Escarpment en-route to arrive in time for lunch at Sarova Lion Hill Lodge. Lake Nakuru was crowned a national park in the sixties and – in addition to its attractive lakeland scenery – it’s best known for its absolutely superb birdlife, with over 450 species recorded. This region of Kenya is also one of the densest rhino populations on the continent. Other many wildlife like buffalos, rhino, tree climbing cheetahs can easily be seen. Overnight at Sarova Lion Hill Lodge or Similar. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, check out and drive Southwest in the 4×4 pop-up roof safari vehicle to the world’s renowned Masai Mara National Game Reserve arriving for check in and lunch at Mara Sarova Camp. Your Camp is Located at the very Centre of the famous ‘Mara Triangle. Set high on a bush-cloaked hill with long views over the savannah and down to the winding coils of the hippo-filled Mara River, it stands Centre-stage to one of Africa's most dramatic wildlife arenas. In the afternoons you will enjoy several game drives in this remarkable game area. Throughout the year the Maasai Mara is a place of natural drama, a kaleidoscope of color and life. The famed "Big Five" - elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo - roam the reserve, together with hundreds of other species, from the fastest animal on earth, the cheetah to crocodiles and magnificent birds of prey. Overnight at Mara Sarova Camp or Similar. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Balloon ride: Participate in optional hot Air Balloon and a bush breakfast upon landing at an extra cost of $530 per person.
Enjoy full game drives for these two days in Mara. Technically Mara is an extension of Tanzania's renowned Serengeti National Park. The park stands Centre-stage to one of the most spectacular phenomena of the natural world -The Great Annual Wildebeest Migration, futured as one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World”. The Great Migration is the largest herd movement of animals on the planet. In fact, with up to 1,000 animals per km², the great columns of wildebeest can be seen from space.
The numbers are astonishing: over 1.5 million wildebeest and 300,000 zebras along with topi and other gazelle move in a constant cycle through the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem in search of nutritious grass and water, every year from July to September.
Guided by survival instinct, each wildebeest will cover 800 to 1,000km on its individual journey along age-old migration routes. Hungry predators including lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, wild dog and crocodiles make sure only the strongest survive in this natural spectacle also known as ‘the greatest show on Earth’. The journey is beset with danger: young calves are snatched by predators, the slow are brought down by prides of lion, brave beasts break legs on steep river slopes, crocodiles take their share of the stragglers, and the weak and exhausted drown.
The three groups of migrant grazers have different grass-eating habits: as one group eats the top of the tallest grass, the next group will eat away some of the medium-height grass, until finally it is almost completely eaten, and the herds move on. This means each group sticks to their own kind with only a small overlap in their distributions. The grasses of the plains have the highest protein content in the whole of the Serengeti, as well as being high in calcium.
It is unclear how the wildebeest know which way to go, but it is generally believed that their journey is dictated primarily by their response to the weather; they follow the rains and the growth of new grass. While there is no scientific proof of it, some experts believe that the animals react to lightning and thunderstorms in the distance. It has even been suggested that wildebeest can locate rain more than 50km away. One of the evenings after game drive, Visit to a Maasai Village for a glimpse into the lives of this semi-nomadic tribe. Kenya recognizes over fifty tribes of native people. The Maasai were the dominating tribe at beginning of 20th century. They are one of the very few tribes who have retained most of their traditions, lifestyle and lore. In common with the wildlife with which they co-exist, the Maasai need a lot of land. Unlike many other tribes in Kenya, the Maasai are semi-nomadic and pastoral: they live by herding cattle and goats. A Maasai warrior is a fine sight. Those young men have, to the utmost extent, that particular form of intelligence which we call chic; daring and wildly fantastical as they seem, they are still unswervingly true to their own nature, and to an immanent ideal. Their style is not an assumed manner, nor an imitation of a foreign perfection; it has grown from the inside, and is an expression of the race and its history, and their weapons and finery are as much a part of their being as are a stag’s antlers.
Overnight at Mara Sarova Camp or Similar. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
After an early breakfast in the Lodge, check-out and depart to Lake Naivasha arriving right in time for lunch. Enjoy the scenic views of this large freshwater lake surrounded by grassy banks and olive trees. Cruise the lake on a boat, watching for hippos, crocodiles, and buffalo; and peer through your binoculars to spot lovebirds, ibis, and the African fish eagle. Step ashore at Crescent Island—a peaceful wildlife sanctuary located in the middle of the lake— and enjoy a guided stroll in search of wildebeest, zebras, and giraffes. Overnight at Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge or Similar. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
After breakfast, checkout and we depart for Amboseli National Park arriving in time for lunch at Ol Tukai Lodge with game viewing en-route. The Lodge is Set against the magnificent backdrop of Africa's highest mountain, the glittering Mount Kilimanjaro.
Amboseli is a place of stark contrast, the name meaning “salty dust” in Maasai. Amboseli, despite its sometimes dry and dusty appearance, has an endless supply of water filtered through thousands of feet of volcanic rock from Mt. Kilimanjaro’s snow melt. These underground streams converge into clear fresh water springs in the heart of the park. If you are lucky, you may get to see the shimmering dry lakebed with false mirages of populated horizons.
Do not miss the dawn game drives, when the plains are golden with the new day’s sun and the predators are most active. This is truly a magical time. Overnight at Ol Tukai Lodge or Similar. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Full day in Amboseli National Park with morning and afternoon game viewing drives. Up at dawn – the Amboseli plains are golden with the new day’s sun. This is also the time that the lions go on their hunts. Every turn will bring a new wildlife surprise. Elephant are a dominant presence in Amboseli. Here, you are able to spot some of the older “tuskers” lumbering almost delicately before the backdrop of highest free-standing mountain in the world - Mount Kilimanjaro. Herds of zebra and wildebeest are easily seen. Amboseli is also the home to Cape Buffalo, hippo, eland, giraffe, as well as cheetah. Overnight at Ol Tukai Lodge or Similar. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Enjoy very early morning game drive followed by full breakfast. Thereafter we depart back to Nairobi and proceed to Carnivore Restaurant for lunch (at traveler’s expense). Meats are roasted on traditional Maasai swords over a huge charcoal pit that dominates the restaurant's entrance. The rough-hewn beams combine the rustic feel of a rural setting with that of a medieval banqueting hall. The Carnivore doesn't conform to the familiar restaurant traditions. After dinner, we shall transfer you to the airport for your homebound flight. Meal Plan: Breakfast
**Itinerary subject to change. Confirmed two weeks prior to FAM.
Photo courtesy of Classic Geo Adventures
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