Tsavo East, Amboseli, Lake Nakuru & Masai Mara

Your driver/guide will pick you up early from your Kenya coast beach resort or hotel in a 4 x 4 Jeep for your safari journey.

We’ll head out on the Mombasa-Nairobi Highway, also known as the Early Explorer’s route to Tsavo East National Park.  (There is a small route variation from Malindi/Watamu resorts)

We’ll arrive at the southern gate of Tsavo East and take a break for refreshments before our first game drive. You may be struck by the vastness of Tsavo, its rugged plains, and endless sky.

We’ll head out on our first game drive and ready ourselves for some adventure.

This is a true wilderness where you’ll be looking for lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo, cheetah, ostrich, and many other hunters and grazers.

We’ll break for lunch and some relaxation time. Then jump into our 4 x 4 and look for wildlife amongst Tsavo’s famous watering holes where the thirsty game gather, especially as the day cools down.

Don’t be surprised if we catch a beautiful African sunset on our way back to camp.

Our first night will be here at Tsavo East at your choice of safari lodge or tented safari camp.

We’ll be up with the sun (or before) for an early morning game drive to watch the light break upon the plain and the first signs of wildlife.

Then we’re off to Amboseli Park at the base of majestic Mt. Kilimanjaro. The animal spotting here is brisk and fulfilling.

Amboseli is said to be perhaps the best spot in Africa for seeing free-ranging elephants. And with the great mountain in the background, it’s hard to take a bad picture.

As we get toward dinner time, look to see if the clouds covering Kilimanjaro’s snowy peak begin to part, offering a stunning vista of the famous iconic summit.

Tonight, we’ll stay at your choice of safari lodge or tented camp in Amboseli.

Our early wake up may again give us spectacular views of the mountain. Either way it will afford us a beautiful morning game drive as we exit the park, on the way to Lake Nakuru.

This will be an extended but beautiful drive, passing through Nairobi and the central highlands of Kenya.

You’ll see Masai herders, small farms, and homesteads along the way. As we enter the area of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, we’ll take breaks to enjoy the drama of the sheer walls of this natural wonder.

We’ll also pass and take in views of several Rift Valley lakes – Naivasha and Elementeita.

But Lake Nakuru Park is our destination and we will arrive in time for a late afternoon drive along the lake to see birdlife and a short game drive as well.

We’ll spend the night at Lake Nakuru, at your lodge or tented camp.

We’ll be up early to squeeze in every bit of viewing time enroute at the park. At the lake, we’ll be looking for flamingo, pelican, cormorant, and kingfisher.

This wonderful park also features a rhino sanctuary where we’ll find these fascinating and rare creatures. Time permitting, we’ll see if we can spot lion, leopard and the reserve’s baboons and monkeys.

But we’ve got a date with the world-famous Masa Mara Reserve and so it’s time to hit the road in our 4 x 4. We should arrive at the Mara in the late afternoon, in time for a game drive.

You’ll enjoy your first sight of this attractive park with its deep savannahs, showing off their distinctive acacia trees. The landscape is rich and varied here – be ready to see all sorts of wildlife.

This is the first of two nights spent at the Masai Mara, at your safari lodge or tented safari camp.

There’s nothing like catching the dawn over the plains of the Masai Mara. The early morning light brings out the gold of the savannah and the first stirrings of the park’s hungry inhabitants.

The park is famous for its great density of wildlife – plenty of lions here. During the months of the Great Migration (July – October) prepare to see the largest movement of animals on the planet – tens of thousands of zebra and wildebeest cross the Mara River following ancient cycles of survival.

We’ll enjoy our lunch down at the river where we’ll spot hippos and crocodiles in their natural habitat.

While at the Mara you can enjoy some optional activities – visit the local Maasai people to learn about their culture and perhaps pick up some souvenirs. A dawn hot air balloon ride over the park is a once-in-a-lifetime event. There’s nothing quite like watching the land and the wildlife come alive as you float above it all, taking in the immense horizon. Your driver/guide can make all the arrangements.

Our final safari night will be here at your lodge or tented camp.

After a leisurely breakfast at your lodge/camp, your dedicated driver guide will assist you with the checkout process and proceed to Nairobi – Kenya’s colorful capital city.

On the way, your guide will point out the Longonot extinct volcano which is a strato volcano located southeast of Lake Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya. It is thought to have last erupted in the 1860s and its name is derived from the Maasai word Oloonong’ot, meaning “mountains of many spurs” or “steep ridges “.

You can opt to drive via Naivasha for lunch/activities at an extra cost or drive straight to Nairobi and pass by Kiambethu farm for the tea farm tour inclusive of a three-course buffet lunch (at an extra cost) OR drive straight back to the capital and later transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International airport for your back home.

We’ll head back to the capital and should have you there in the late afternoon. Then we’ll bring you to your hotel, residence or the airport.

It’s been our pleasure hosting and showing you the best of Africa these past six days. We appreciate your trust and patronage and thank you for booking with African Vulture Safaris!