Highlights of Kenya

Land Tour

7 days

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Highlights of Kenya
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  • Itinerary
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$AUD 961 per day

Departure: Nairobi, Kenya

Arrival: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO), before , Kenya

Kenya has been a hugely popular destination for generations of travellers seeking a classic African safari. Our tried and tested itinerary encompasses the world-famous Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru National Park renowned for its herds of rhino and flocks of pink flamingos and the Aberdare Mountains. Combining the Mara's vast grasslands with wildlife as far as the eye can see, with the impressive backdrop of the Great Rift Valley and the rainforest of the Aberdares, Kenya is the perfect choice for a safari adventure.

Maasai Mara - spend three days in one of Africa's greatest wildlife reserves, home to one of nature's most spectacular events, the Great Migration.

Aberdare Mountains - spend a night at The Ark, featuring floodlit waterholes with four viewing decks to provide superb game viewing from the comfort of the lodge.

Travel in comfort - purpose built six seater 4x4 Land Cruiser safari vehicles, offering optimal game viewing and guaranteed window seats.

2025 Dates - This tour has been amended for 2025 and will be part of our new Upgraded range. To view please visit Upgraded - Highlights of Kenya

Highlights
Spend three-day in one of most famous wildlife park in the world; the mighty Masai Mara|Explore this fantastic country from the comfort of our purpose-build 6-seater 4x4 vehicles|Take in the beauty of the Aberdare Mountains and enjoy a safari in the wildlife heaven of Nakuru

Tour information
Transport: 4WD
Tour staff: Explore Tour Leader
Meals :Breakfast 7, Lunch 6 & Dinner 6

Gallery
Itinerary
Day 1 - Join trip in Nairobi
Arrive in Kenya's fast growing capital city, Nairobi, gateway to the country's famous national parks.

For those arriving on time our Leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 6pm for the welcome meeting and after there will be the opportunity to have dinner. There are no other activities planned today, so you are free to arrive in Nairobi at any time. If you would like to receive a complimentary airport transfer today, you'll need to arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO), which is 30 minutes from our hotel. Should you miss the welcome meeting, your Leader will inform you of any essential information at their earliest opportunity.

Our hotel is located just five kilometres from the city centre and a short thirty-minute drive from the airport. It is the perfect location to relax and unwind after your flight, featuring a large outdoor swimming pool set in landscaped gardens and a welcoming open plan reception area with bright murals covering the walls. The hotel has a coffee shop, a lively bar and a restaurant. Alternatively you can get a taxi to one of the city's malls for a wider choice of eating options.
Day 2 - Drive into the Aberdare Mountains with commanding views of Mount Kenya. Overnight stay at The Ark lodge
Heading north out of Nairobi and climbing steadily out of the Great Rift Valley, we head into the Aberdare Mountain range. With an altitude of over 2,500 metres, the air is noticeably cooler compared to Nairobi and the rolling hills are covered in dense forests and open moorland. After around two and a half hours we reach the Aberdare Country Club where we break for lunch. Originally a colonial family home, the country club retains much of its former grandeur and has breathtaking views of the plains below, the Aberdare Mountains to the west and Mount Kenya to the east.

After lunch it's a short transfer to one of Kenya's more unusual safari properties, The Ark. Modelled after Noah's Ark, The Ark features four viewing decks with balconies and vast viewing windows to provide superb game watching, all from the comfort of the lodge. Keep an eye out for your first glimpse of elephant on your way in. After settling into our rooms there is ample time to head to one of the viewing areas or down to the bunker to quietly watch the floodlit waterhole which attracts a host of wildlife including elephant, buffalo, monkey, warthog, baboon and on occasions hyena. There is also a wonderful range of forest birds to be spotted including hornbill, wagtail and giant kingfisher. Before dinner at the lodge, there will be an informal talk on the local flora and fauna and the wildlife that inhabit the Aberdare National Park.

Going to bed early ds not mean missing the action either. During the night the resident ranger stays on watch and will buzz your room if an interesting animal comes to the waterhole with one ring for elephant, two for rhino, three for leopard and four for other unusual sightings. You're free to turn the buzzer off if you would rather have a full night's sleep.
Day 3 - Travel to Nakuru National Park via Thompson Falls.
Today is a longer travelling day driving to Nakuru, a journey of around four hours. En route we stop at the striking Thompson Falls on the Ewaso Ngiro river. The waters originate on the western slopes of Mount Kenya and descend over a seventy-meter waterfall just outside the town of Nyahururu.

We continue to Nakuru National Park and the Sarova Lion Hill Lodge, our base for the next two nights. We'll have lunch at the lodge and then have our first game drive along the shores of Lake Nakuru on the lookout for both white rhino and the endangered black rhino as well as other mammals and birds. Our lodge for the next two nights is situated just above the lake, rooms are in cottages set in the landscaped gardens, there is a big swimming pool and terrace, a restaurant offering an extensive selection of dishes and a bar with an outdoor fire pit to which to retire to after dinner.
Day 4 - Full day on safari at Nakuru National Park famous for its population of black rhino
We maximise our time today to ensure we make the most of game drive opportunities in Nakuru National Park. Rising early before breakfast, we head out in 4x4 Land Cruiser safari vehicles, accompanied by our expert safari driver guides, on the lookout for both white rhino and the endangered black rhino. Sightings, whilst never guaranteed, are very likely at Nakuru National Park. It is not unheard of to see a dozen rhino in a day.

The park hosts herds of buffalo, zebra and giraffe, as well as flocks of striking pink flamingo on the lake, although the latter do move between lakes in the Great Rift Valley, so may not be seen at Nakuru and numbers have been in decline following flooding in 2012. Other birdlife is prolific on the shores of the lake with pink-backed and white pelicans found wading in the shallow soda lake shore as well as spoonbills, marabou storks and sacred ibis. We'll stop on the shores of the lake for photographs of the spectacular setting.

Returning to our lodge for a late breakfast as the day starts to heat up, the hottest part of the day is spent at leisure at our camp, offering the chance of a siesta, a dip in the pool, relaxation time reading a book or birdwatching. Our afternoon activity departs after tea, usually around 4pm, to return in the early evening. Game drives will vary depending on sightings and animal activity.
Day 5 - Travel to the world famous Maasai Mara game reserve, afternoon game drives
Bidding Nakuru farewell, it's a five-hour drive to the world-famous Maasai Mara game reserve. Our journey takes us across the floor of the Rift Valley and then up and over the Mau Escarpment, travelling through open bushland interspersed with rural villages and farming communities. The major settlement on our journey is the bustling and colourful market town of Narok, a major trading post full of market stalls selling fresh vegetables and fruit as well as livestock.

We arrive in the Mara (as it is known by locals) early in the afternoon in time for a late lunch. Our lodge for the next three nights is located along the Talek River, at the confluence of the Maasai Mara's four wildlife viewing areas, on the northern boundary of the Maasai Mara Game Reserve. Afternoon game drives depart around 3.30pm and return at as the sun gs down, after which there is time to freshen up and meet for a drink at the bar before dinner. Dinner is usually a set menu with seasonal fresh produce sourced from around Kenya, served in the well-appointed restaurant. After dinner we can retire to sit around a roaring fire to relive highlights of the day and admire the amazing stars of the African night sky.
Day 6 - Morning and afternoon game drives in the Maasai Mara in search of the big five
Covering an area of 1,500 square kilometres, the Maasai Mara hosts one of the largest concentrations of animals anywhere in the world. The wildlife is prolific at any time of year, but during the months between the end of July and October, huge herds of wildebeest and zebra migrate into the Mara from the adjacent Serengeti National Park, in search of fresh grasses that flourish after the rains, often pursued by predators such as hyena, lion and cheetah.

We will embark on two game drives today, one in the early morning and one mid-afternoon, with time in between at our comfortable lodge for taking a dip in the swimming pool or reading a book.
Day 7 - Third day of wildlife viewing in the Maasai Mara
Remaining in the Maasai Mara for a third day, we drive further into the national reserve. Depending on sightings, our safari guides will generally spend the maximum time on game drives, trying to cover as large an area as possible. The result of this is that you'll get the best chances of seeing a variety of wildlife.

The Mara hosts an abundance of mammals including lion, elephant and wildebeest as well as numerous antelope species from eland, hartebeest, bushbuck, gazelle to impala and waterbuck to name but a few. For keen birdwatchers there is an astonishing variety of birds to spot. Be sure to keep an eye on soaring vultures and eagles on the lookout for a recent kill.
Day 8 - Travel back to Nairobi where the trip ends
After an early breakfast we drive back to Nairobi, a journey of around five hours, making a brief stop at a view point across the Rift Valley outside Naivasha. The trip ends at the Tamarind Tree Hotel. The earliest your flight can depart is 4pm.

For those with flights departing later in the evening a complimentary transfer will be provided back to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) from the Tamarind Tree Hotel, provided we receive your flight details no later than 10 days prior to your tour departing.

For those departing Kenya today on late evening flights you may wish to book a day use room, please contact us for details, alternatively you are free to relax by the pool or explore Nairobi for some last minute souvenir shopping.
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