8 Day Kenya Safari Samburu Aberdare Baringo Nakuru Masai Mara

Day 1: Nairobi – Drive to Mount Kenya/ Aberdare National Park (Forest Tree Lodge)
Day 2: Forest Tree Lodge – Drive to Samburu Game Reserve
Day 3: Explore Samburu Game Reserve
Day 4: Samburu – Drive to Lake Baringo
Day 5: Lake Baringo – Drive to Lake Nakuru National Park
Day 6: Lake Nakuru – Drive to Maasai Mara Game Reserve
Day 7: Discover Maasai Mara National Reserve
Day 8: Masai Mara – Drive to Nairobi

Day 1: Nairobi – Drive to Samburu National Reserve

Setting off on our 8-day Kenya road Wildlife Safari the first stop is Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya. Samburu has a permanent water supply resulting in spectacular bird life, including species endemic to this area of Kenya.

Arriving at our first lodge we have lunch and embark on our first wildlife adventure – an exciting afternoon game drive in Samburu. This region of Kenya is home to the uncommon Grevy’s zebra with huge fury ears, gerenuk antelope standing on hind legs to feed, Somali ostriches with distinct blue legs and the shy Oryx.

Other animals include Grant gazelles, impalas, waterbucks, dik-diks, hippos, olive baboons, warthogs, lions, leopards, cheetahs, buffalos, hyenas, elands, jackals, klipspringer, mongooses, bats and wild dogs.

After a rewarding day of game viewing in the vast Samburu Reserve, we return to our lodge for dinner and a relaxing evening under the stars.

Accommodation Options:
Luxury Accommodation: Saruni Samburu, Elephant Bedroom Camp, Sasaab Samburu Lodge
Mid-range Accommodation: Samburu Intrepids Camp, Sarova Shaba Game Lodge, Samburu Game Lodge, Ashnil Samburu Camp
Budget Accommodation: Umoja Camp Site, Lion King Bush Camp

Meal Plan {Lunch & Dinner}

Day 2: Explore Samburu Game Reserve

Day two is set aside for game viewing in Samburu National Reserve, exploring its open grasslands and diverse landscapes in search of the variety of wildlife found here. Elephants and Crocodiles are guaranteed sightings. Lions, hippos and giraffes are also found in the reserve.

The bird watching is excellent, with over 365 species, including numerous varieties of weaver birds and the martial eagle. Leopard sightings are also a special feature here.

The Samburu area is also home to interesting people with a rich heritage, making for a colourful cultural experience.

Accommodation Options:
Luxury Accommodation: Saruni Samburu, Elephant Bedroom Camp, Sasaab Samburu Lodge
Mid-range Accommodation: Samburu Intrepids Camp, Sarova Shaba Game Lodge, Samburu Game Lodge, Ashnil Samburu Camp
Budget Accommodation: Umoja Camp Site, Lion King Bush Camp

Meal Plan {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 3: Samburu – Drive to Aberdare National Park

After breakfast at the lodge, we travel up into the cooler Aberdare Mountains, making our way to our next game-viewing destination in the 4×4 vehicle. Arriving in the Aberdare Highlands we have lunch at the Aberdare Country Club or at the Outspan Hotel which looks out over the surrounding wilderness.

Once we have had lunch we move on to our nearby accommodation, The Ark Tree Lodge or the Treetops Hotel. Watch the animals that frequently visit the lively waterhole beside the lodge, from a series of viewing decks and areas at different levels.

Spotting animals at the floodlit saltlick and watering hole into the night, with common visitors including Elephants, Buffalos, Rhinos and even Leopards.

Accommodation Options:
Luxury Accommodation: Ark Forest Lodge or Treetop Forest Lodge

*  You can put in a request to be awakened during the night if your favourite animals show up. A herd of Elephants might be just feet away and if you are lucky, a leopard or large male Lion might put in an appearance.

Meal Plan {Lunch & Dinner}

Day 4 : Aberdare – Drive to Lake Baringo

After breakfast, we make our way to Lake Baringo, a well-known bird sanctuary. We arrive at our overnight accommodation in time for lunch and later in the evening you can enjoy a boat ride on Lake Baringo (optional extra) in search of Hippos, Crocodiles, and an array of birds, including fish eagles.

Lake Baringo is the most northerly of Kenya’s small Great Rift Valley lakes; creased with papyrus and well-developed acacia forest. Hippos, Crocodiles and monitor Lizards are effortlessly seen from the shore, as is a magnificent display of water birds.

This is Kenya’s bird-watching sanctuary with over 1200 different bird species native to the country and more than 450 sighted here – a bird watcher’s haven.

Accommodation Options:
Luxury Accommodation: Island Camp Resort, Sarmatian Lodge, Lake Baringo, Lake Baringo Club Hotel
Mid-range Accommodation: Sandai Resort, Soi Safari Lodge Lake Baringo
Budget Accommodation: Tumbili Cliff Lodge, 4DSem Acacia Accommodation, West Bay Campsite

Meal Plan {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 5: Lake Baringo – Drive to Lake Bogoria – Drive to Lake Nakuru National Park

A 30 km drive south brings us to the spectacular Lake Bogoria, with its natural hot springs and geysers as the main attractions. The lake has been called ‘the new home of the flamingo’ hosting a migratory population of up to two million of these pink birds at certain times.

It is the high salt and mineral content of this scenic soda lake that attracts huge numbers of flamingos, making the lake a visual delight. After lunch, we proceed to Lake Nakuru National Park, an important wildlife sanctuary covering 180 km².

This compact game park is home to Giraffes, Warthogs, Waterbuck, Buffaloes, Reedbucks, and the occasional Leopard. White and black Rhinos have introduced to the park some years ago and white rhinos can be spotted at the southern end.

The Kenyan game park has also retained its reputation as an ornithologist’s delight, with more than 400 species of bird found here. Bird species include the Great White Pelican, African Spoonbill, Yellow-billed Stork, Lesser and Greater Flamingo, and Long-crested Eagle.

We spend our second night at a comfortable lodge inside Lake Nakuru National Park. Enjoy the beautiful views of the lake and surrounding bush, perhaps even spotting animals and birds.

Accommodation Options:
Luxury Accommodation: Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge, Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge, Mbweha Camp Lake Nakuru
Mid-range Accommodation: Flamingo Hill Tented Camp, Lake Nakuru Lodge, Merica Hotel Nakuru
Budget Accommodation: Flamingo Hill Camp Nakuru, Hotel Kunste Nakuru, Milele Resort-Presbyterian Guest House Nakuru

Meal Plan {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 6: Lake Nakuru – Drive to Maasai Mara Game Reserve

This morning we have breakfast at the lodge/camp overlooking scenic Lake Nakuru. Then the time has come to explore Masai Mara – one of the most famous game parks on the planet, considered by many to be the finest wildlife safari destination in all of Africa.

We drive southwest in our 4×4 safari vehicle, passing through the Rift Valley Province of Kenya, en-route to Masai Mara National Reserve, which borders Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park.

After lunch, we enjoy our first game drive in Masai Mara Game Reserve. In this dream safari landscape of undulating plains scattered with acacias, we look out for the diverse and abundant wildlife of Mara.

We may come across herds of Wildebeest, Elephants, Zebras and Antelopes, along with prides of Lions, coalitions of Cheetahs, a crash of Rhinos and lone Leopards.

Accommodation Options:
Luxury Accommodation: Sanctuary Olonana, andBeyond Kichwa Tembo Camp, Cottars 1920’s
Mid-range Accommodation: Acacia House Mara Bush Houses, Elewana Sand River, Keekorok Lodge
Budget Accommodation: Ol – Moran Tented Camp, Kichakani Camp Masai Mara, Mara Springs Budget Camp

Meal Plan {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 7: Discover Maasai Mara National Reserve

Spend another full day exploring the spectacular Mara. Wherever you go in the Mara Reserve you will see an abundance of wildlife, such as Masai Giraffes, Baboons, Warthogs, Bat-eared Foxes, Grey Jackals, spotted Hyenas, Topis, Impala, Hartebeests, Wildebeest, Elephants, Buffaloes, Zebras and Hippos.

It is common to see Lions either basking after a heavy meal or surveying the plains for their next meal. Cheetahs and Leopards are harder to spot but are still reasonably common.

Kenya’s most popular and most visited game park, the Masai Mara is famous for hosting one of nature’s truly spectacular events – the Great Migration. From July to August, millions of Wildebeest, Zebra and Gazelle migrate from the Serengeti, across the Tanzania border and the Mara River to reach the sweet-grass plains of Masai Mara.

The drama of the migration is heightened as predators gather to meet the massive herds of grazers with the struggle for survival unfolding before you. The Great Migration is one of the most awe-inspiring wildlife spectacles on earth!

Accommodation Options:
Luxury Accommodation: Sanctuary Olonana, andBeyond Kichwa Tembo Camp, Cottars 1920’s
Mid-range Accommodation: Acacia House Mara Bush Houses, Elewana Sand River, Keekorok Lodge
Budget Accommodation: Ol – Moran Tented Camp, Kichakani Camp Maasai Mara, Mara Springs Budget Camp

Meal Plan {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 8: Masai Mara – Drive to Nairobi

Morning game drive to savour the beauty of the park, return to the lodge for breakfast. After, depart for Nairobi by road arriving late in the afternoon.

Meal Plan Breakfast}