9-day Splendours of Kenya

From the grasslands of the Masai Mara Game Reserve to the savannahs and forests of Samburu National Reserve and rhinos of Ol Pejeta Conservancy, our 8-day Splendours of Kenya (Silver Level) safari takes in three of the most picturesque regions in Kenya – creating a truly unrivalled cultural adventure that offers so much more beyond that of your regular safari. Wildlife galore and breathtaking scenery is but one facet of this safari.

There are 2 levels of accommodation for this itinerary: Standard and Superior

Standard                                                     Superior 
Day 1             Panafric, Nairobi                                      Panafric, Nairobi 
Day 2  
         The Ark                                                        The Ark
Day 3            Sarova Shaba Game Lodge               Elephant Bedroom Camp
Day 4            Sarova Shaba Game Lodge               Elephant Bedroom Camp
Day 5            Sweetwaters Serena Camp             Sweetwaters Serena Camp
Day 6            Sarova Lionhill Game Lodge            Mbweha Camp
Day 7            Sarova Mara Lodge                             Tipilikwani Mara Camp
Day 8            Sarova Mara Lodge                              Tipilikwani Mara Camp
Day 9            End                                                                 End

Highlights

  • Lake Naivasha
  • Mount Kenya
  • Shaba Game Reserve
  • Nairobi
  • Ol Pejeta Conservancy
  • Masai Mara National Reserve
  • Lake Nakuru National Park
  • Kenya

Tour Summary

Full Day by Day Itinerary

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Day 1 : Nairobi

A representative will meet you upon arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International airport. They will help you load your luggage in the vehicle and transfer to the Nairobi hotel for an overnight stay.

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Day 2 :

After breakfast, you will be assisted to check out. Our guide driver will help you load your luggage into the safari land cruiser then drive north through the rich agricultural and hilly mosaic of small farms, coffee plantations and pineapple to Aberdares National Park. Arrive to the ground serving hotel - the Country Club for lunch. In the afternoon transfer to your overnight Tree lodge built deep in the forest. Enjoy game viewing at the floodlit water hole and salt lick from the comfortable lounge areas or from your room at any time of night such as the savannah elephant, rhino, Cape buffalo, bush bucks, giant forest hogs, Sykes monkey, leopard, and the rare bongo. A ground level bunker provides excellent photographic opportunities and takes you closer than you would believe possible to the wildlife. A warm jacket/sweater is highly recommended. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

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Day 3 : Shaba Game Reserve

After breakfast we depart north via Nanyuki for the Samburu Game Reserve set in the rugged, semi-arid northern region of Kenya, with a spectacular scenic landscape. Arrive in time for lunch, a short siesta then head for an afternoon game viewing drive.

For guests staying at Sarova Shaba Game Lodge the game drives will be done in the Shaba National Reserve
For guests staying at Elephant Bedroom Camp the game drives will be done in the Samburu National Reserve

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Day 4 : Shaba Game Reserve

Enjoy the morning and afternoon game-viewing drive. Leopards are often seen at dusk. The Samburu culture is a truly fascinating one, sharing a great deal of ancestral and linguistic ties to the Maasai. The entire Samburu region is a place of breath-taking and magical beauty, a place where the vision of a deep red sunset silhouetting the doum palms along the river as a leopard emerges to hunt brings the perfect end to a day on safari...... Enjoy meals and overnight at our camp.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: Visit to a Samburu Manyatta to see how the tribe lives in this harsh surrounding.

For guests staying at Sarova Shaba Game Lodge the game drives will be done in the Shaba National Reserve
For guests staying at Elephant Bedroom Camp the game drives will be done in the Samburu National Reserve

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Day 5 : Ol Pejeta Conservancy

After breakfast depart south on a scenic drive towards Mt. Kenya, short game viewing on route, arriving at your Sweetwaters Serena Camp in time for lunch. Later in the afternoon, proceed on an afternoon game viewing drive within the reserve famous for plenty of plains games and the big five. It is also home to the endangered Chimpanzee and the Rhino Sanctuaries. Return to the lodge/camp for dinner and overnight.

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Day 6 : Lake Nakuru National Park

After breakfast depart for Lake Nakuru National Park, to arrive for late lunch. Afternoon proceed on a game viewing drive circumventing Lake Nakuru. The lake is situated in the heart of the Rift Valley and is one Kenya's most famous soda lakes. A major feature of this park is the bird life and it is world renowned as the home for millions of Flamingos. A rhino sanctuary also provides the opportunity to see the greatly endangered black rhino. Return to the camp/lodge for dinner and overnight.

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Day 7 : Masai Mara National Reserve

After breakfast depart for Kenya's famous game reserve. You start the day venturing through the Great Rift Valley travelling to the northernmost extension of the Serengeti Plains and one of the richest wildlife Game Reserves, the Masai Mara. It is perhaps the only region left in Kenya where the visitor may see animals in the same super-abundance as existed a century ago. Arrive for a late lunch at your lodge/camp. Enjoy an afternoon game viewing drive in this vast and expansive Reserve teaming with game. Be on the look-out for the 'big five' Mara is famous for and the most sought after in the early 20th century when Kenya was a hunters' paradise. These include the lion, Cape buffalo, the savannah elephant, black rhino and the elusive leopard. The vast savannah grasslands as far as the eye can see is home to impalas, Maasai giraffes, cheetah, waterbucks, warthogs, Thompson & grand gazelles, topis, the migrating wildebeests, thundering herds of zebra among many others. You return late in the evening to freshen up prior to dinner and overnight at the lodge/camp.

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Day 8 : Masai Mara National Reserve

Amka! Wake up for an early morning breakfast and a full morning’s game viewing drive to return for lunch. After lunch continue with the afternoon game viewing as you return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: Today’s adventure begins just before dawn. Flames from the hot air balloon burners light the darkness as the crew inflate their craft. The first, pink tongues of sunlight flicker across the skies and the hot air balloon fills then rises. Suspended in a basket beneath the rainbow-coloured canopy, you're off for a game-viewing adventure with an entirely different perspective. Apart from the occasional hiss of the burners, a lion's roar, elephants crashing through the bush, baboons perched in the tips of the trees startled and screeching to see something above them, the flight above the Masai Mara plains is magically silent. At the end of the flight, the passengers are treated to a champagne breakfast in the bush. The finishing touch to the flight is a game drive back to the camp, and the possibility of seeing the same pride of lions, or herd of elephants that had been viewed while ballooning. A flight certificate is issued on completion of the balloon safari. Back at Camp enjoy a sumptuous lunch and a well-deserved rest.

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Day 9 : Departure

This morning we enjoy our breakfast then check-out. Unbelievable but true, our good bush moments have come to an end. We bid farewell to our wonderful lodge manager and his team then depart back to Nairobi. Not empty handed though. With us are photographs – a capture of the special moments we have had on this tour to immortalize the experience. Our guide driver will drop you at the Jomo Kenyatta International airport for your onward flight.

Included

Arrival transfer from/ to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
Bed & breakfast board accommodation in Nairobi
Full Board Accommodation while on safari.
Park entry fees
Services of professional English Speaking guide-driver
Unlimited supply of drinking water in the safari vehicle while on safari.
Unlimited game viewing drives.
Use of a custom designed pop-up roof Safari Land Cruiser while on safari.
Complimentary Flying Doctors cover while on safari for Evacuation.

Excluded

International flight, passport & visa fees
Comprehensive travel insurance cover.
Cultural visit to a Maasai Village (Manyatta)
Balloon Safari ride in Maasai Mara
All personal expenses – laundry, telephones, soft & alcoholic drinks, tips to Camp Staff and gratuity to Guide/Drive
Any items not expressly specified in the itinerary