7 Days Samburu, Lake Nakuru & Masai Mara Safari

The 7-Day Samburu, Lake Nakuru & Masai Mara Safari starts with your pick-up at about 7:30 in the morning.

After  introduction with your driver-guide, we depart Nairobi and head north across the equator and near Africa’s second highest peak, Mount Kenya, making our way to the Samburu Game Reserve (in the northern hemisphere). Arrival at our first lodge/camp is in time for check-in and lunch. A brief relaxation follows and then an afternoon game drive wildlife adventure to run till sunset when we return to our lodge.

Overnight is at our lodge inside the reserve.

This day is set for morning & afternoon game viewing drives deep in the reserve, exploring its open grasslands and diverse landscapes in search of the variety of wildlife found here.

Samburu hosts a stunning scenery of beautiful forests, springs and rivers. It is part of a lava plain that includes varied habitats, from thorn scrub, red dirt and dried river beds, to broken volcanic rock, steep hills and rocky outcrops. This arid 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. Elephant and crocodile are common sightings and lion, hippo and giraffe are also found in the reserve. Bird watching is excellent, with over 365 species, including numerous varieties of weaverbirds and the martial eagle. Leopard sightings (though rare) are also a special feature here. The Samburu tribe call this home – an interesting people with a rich heritage, making for a colourful cultural experience (they are closely related to the Maasai and both speak a common Maa language).

As the day ends, we return to our lodge for dinner and a relaxing evening under the “African” stars.

After breakfast and check-out, we depart Samburu with an en-route game viewing drive. We travel back to the southern hemisphere and end at Lake Nakuru National Park, with arrival at the park in time for check-in & lunch at your camp/lodge, to be followed by a short rest. Later afternoon  we embark on a scenic afternoon game drive in this compact wildlife area to run until evening when we return to our camp/lodge.

This Kenyan game park has 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.

The Nakuru National Park surrounds the lake and was first gazetted to protect the rich bird life found here (over 450 species with a spectacular flamingo congregation when season is right), later becoming a national park to provide sanctuary for endangered species such as the rhino. There are about 25 white and black rhinos, one of the largest concentrations in the country. Predators are also residents of this park while Rothschild’s giraffes have been translocated into the park for safety. This small park (180 sq km) is also home to warthogs, baboons, waterbuck, buffaloes, reedbucks, zebras and the occasional leopard.

Evening finds us comfortably “perched” at our lodge in the park where we enjoy dinner and a relaxing evening after game spotting and bird watching around the lake.

Today we depart from our camp/lodge after breakfast and travel further down towards the famous Masai Mara Game Reserve, in southwest Kenya.

The drive takes us through beautiful Savannah grasslands and Great Rift Valley plains, right up to the reserve, with arrival at our luxury tented camp/lodge in time for lunch and an afternoon siesta. Later in the afternoon will we embark on a comprehensive game viewing drive to run until sunset when we return to our camp/lodge for dinner and overnight under the captivating African sky.

Following day is spent on exhilarating full day game viewing drives in the reserve.

On clear days, the Masai Mara offers fantastic orange-tinged sunsets worth capturing on camera. The Mara reserve covers 1510km² of incredible wide-open landscapes and fertile riverine woodlands, following the meanders of the Mara and Talek rivers. One glimpse is enough to explain its appeal as an iconic savannah, with a mass of amazing wildlife.

An optional hot-air balloon safari can be arranged upon request and at an extra cost.

After our action-packed days of wildlife sightings on the scenic plains of Africa, we return to our tented camp/lodge for dinner and overnight.

Spend another full day exploring the spectacular Masai Mara Park, sourcing for the abundant wildlife, such as Masai giraffe, baboons, warthogs, bat-eared foxes, grey jackals, spotted hyena, 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.

The ultimate treat in the reserve’s wildlife action is the spectacular annual wildebeest migration in July and to early October when millions of these herbivores move north from the Serengeti in search of greener grass before turning south again in October. Their movement pattern attracts other wildlife, especially the big cats (which prey on them) and other herbivores which get guarantee of grazing fields!

This will be our final night at your camp/lodge in the reserve

On this last day, we wake up for an early morning game drive in the reserve, to return to our lodge/camp for late breakfast and check-out.

Departure from the reserve and drive takes us back to Nairobi where we arrive in the afternoon. This marks the end of our safari.