9-Day Big Kenya Safari

Day 1: Nairobi to Tsavo West

Today we depart by road for Tsavo West National Park. You will arrive in time for lunch and an optional afternoon or evening game drive. Tsavo West is the most visited section in Tsavo National Park, offering many attractions apart from its wildlife. The foremost is the famous Mzima Springs, where up to 227.3 million liters of cool, crystal-clear water flows out of the ground through porous volcanic rocks. The water is believed to originate from Chuyulu Hills via an underground river. Dinner and your overnight stay will be at the lodge.

Main Destination	Tsavo West National Park
Meals & Drinks:	Lunch and dinner (Breakfast not included) Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 2: Tsavo West National Park

After breakfast we will go on a full-day game drive with a picnic lunch in hand. One noteworthy place worth visiting here is the Roaring Rocks, which get their name from the wind that hurtles through them. From here there are wonderful views over Tsavo from the top of a 98m rock face; similar views can be experienced from the poacher's lookout. The volcanic Chaimu Crater, which is less than 200-years old and composed of black coke, is also worth visiting and can be climbed if one is interested. This area is a good place to look out for klipspringer, a small antelope that is as agile as its Swahili name: mbuzi mawe (mountain goat). In the southwest corner of Tsavo West is Lake Jipe, which has the Kenyan-Tanzanian border running through it. Dinner and your overnight stay will be at the lodge.

Main Destination	Tsavo West National Park
Meals & Drinks:	All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 3: Tsavo West to Amboseli

We will get an early morning start and drive to Amboseli National Park. You will go on an afternoon game drive after checking in at your accommodation and eating lunch.

Amboseli National Park is situated south of Nairobi. Most of the park consists of a dry, ancient lake bed and fragile grassland with patches of acacia woodland. In the southern area there are a number of small, rocky, volcanic hills. Around the Ol Okenya, Ol Tukai, and Enkongo Narok swamps, the vegetation is lush with yellow-barked acacias and phoenix palms. Dinner and your overnight stay will be at the lodge.

Main Destination	Amboseli National Park
Meals & Drinks	All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 4: Amboseli National Park

Rise early for good views of Mount Kilimanjaro before clouds build up over the summit. Despite its changing habitat, Amboseli National Park is possibly the best wildlife area in all of Africa to experience elephants at close range. Elephants feeding and bathing in the swamps form the highlights of any safari!

An optional visit to a Maasai village can be planned after breakfast. You will see the singing and dancing that are part of their daily lives and sacred rituals. A glimpse into their homes and social structure is a poignant experience.

Dinner and your overnight stay will be at the lodge.

Main Destination	Amboseli National Park
Meals & Drinks	All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 5: Amboseli to Lake Naivasha

In the early morning you will drive to Lake Naivasha, the highest and the most beautiful of the Rift Valley lakes. Sitting at 1910m (6200ft), the water is fresh and the lake is fringed with dense clumps of papyrus (ancient Egyptians once used this to make paper). Kingfishers use the papyrus as a perch and herons hide in it while searching for food. Naivasha is yet another area popular for bird watching (over 400 species have been recorded). It is also a favorite weekend retreat for Nairobi residents, who come here to sail, water ski, and fish. There are no crocodiles in the lake as the water is too cold for them (due to the altitude) but there are a number of hippos. Along the lakeshore, vineyards produce grapes for the country's fledgling wine industry. Dinner and your overnight stay will be at the lodge.

Main Destination	Lake Naivasha (Naivasha)
Meals & Drinks	All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 6: Lake Naivasha to Lake Nakuru

Across the equator, southwards of Bogoria, lies the Great Rift Valley and the famous Lake Nakuru National Park. Known all over the world for its flamingoes and its alkaline lake, this park is recognized as being one of the natural wonders of the world. It is also a rhino sanctuary, harboring a population of over 40 black and over 60 white rhinos. The flamingoes, of course, have always been the main attraction. At times there may be almost two million of them in the residence, forming a stunningly beautiful deep pink band around the edge of the lakeshore. You will arrive here in time for lunch then go on an afternoon game drive. Dinner and your overnight stay will be at the lodge.

Main Destination	Lake Nakuru National Park
Meals & Drinks	All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 7: Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara

Today you will go on an early morning game drive to Masai Mara National Reserve. This is one of the few places left on earth where wildlife still lives comparatively undisturbed in the numbers that were once common across all the plains and forests of Africa. As the northern tip of the vast Serengeti ecosystem, the Mara hosts the spectacular seasonal migration of many thousands of Wildebeest, Zebras and attendant predators. Arrive in time for lunch followed by an afternoon game drive. Dinner and your overnight stay will be at the lodge.

Main Destination	Masai Mara National Reserve
Meals & Drinks	All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 8: Masai Mara National Reserve

After breakfast, we have a full day game drive in the Masai Mara (lunch will be a picnic). The reserve is well known for its black-maned lions and abundant wildlife. This is one of the few places where it's possible to see the big five during a morning game drive. Many of the cheetahs are so tame they seek shelter from the hot sun under vehicles. Several even climb onto the roof to get a better view of prospective prey!

For the bird enthusiasts - almost 500 species have been recorded here. Among these include 16 species of eagle, many hawks and falcons, six species of vultures, eight species of storks, four species of bustard (including the Kori bustard, the world's heaviest flying bird), and nine species of sunbirds. Dinner and your overnight stay will be at a campsite or lodge.

An optional visit to a Masai village can be planned after breakfast. Alternatively, you can go on a hot air balloon ride.

Main Destination	Masai Mara National Reserve
Meals & Drinks	All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 9: Masai Mara to Nairobi

You will embark on a morning game drive after breakfast. Later you will return to Nairobi. Lunch will be eaten en route.

Main Destination	Nairobi (city)
Meals & Drinks	Breakfast & lunch (Dinner not included) Drinking water (Other drinks not included)