This 10 Days Kenya’s Big 5 & Conservancy Safari takes you beyond the typical safari experience.
You will visit conservation projects throughout Kenya protecting the country’s iconic wildlife. You will spend time in three spectacular conservation areas known for their high concentrations of African megafauna: Amboseli National Park, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, and Masai Mara.
Gaze at giant tusked African elephants of Amboseli National Park in the shadow of the snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro, and track rare wildlife species like African wild dogs and white and black rhinos through the thriving Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.
In the legendary Masai Mara National Reserve, observe herds of wildebeest, zebras and topis – and the fierce predators: lions, hyenas, leopards, and cheetahs that hunt them. Along the way, you will have a chance to meet wildlife conservationists who are finding creative solutions to the poaching and habitat loss that threaten East Africa’s incredible biodiversity.
Highlights
- Visit the Amboseli Elephant Research Project, home to the world’s longest study of elephants.
- Interact with orphaned elephants at Nairobi’s renowned David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
- Visit conservation projects throughout Kenya protecting elephants, rhinos, big cats, and more.
- Set out on safari in three wildlife conservancies known for their high concentrations of African megafauna: Amboseli National Park, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, and Masai Mara.
- Delve into Maasai culture during a village visit, and learn about wildlife conservation efforts carried out in partnership with local communities.
Details
Day 1: Welcome To Nairobi, Kenya
Arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, where our company representative will be on hand to facilitate your transfer to the hotel. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.
Day 2: Nairobi
After a good breakfast on day two of the 11 Days Kenya’s Big 5 & Conservancy Safari, meet your tour guide for briefing and then set out for Kazuri, a factory that employs single mothers and other marginalized Kenyans to make high-quality ceramic beads and jewelry.
After lunch at a local restaurant, visit the Giraffe Centre, established by the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife to educate Kenya’s children about their country’s wildlife. Learn about the center’s program for breeding endangered Rothschild’s giraffes and releasing them into the wild. Early this evening, enjoy an after-hours tour of the excellent Nairobi National Museum. Tonight, you will enjoy a good dinner at the hotel.
Accommodation
Luxury: Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi/Giraffe Manor/Hemingways Nairobi
Midrange: Tamarind Tree Hotel/Crowne Plaza Nairobi
Meals
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Included activities
- Visit Kazuri, a factory that employs single mothers and other marginalized Kenyans
- Tour Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s elephant orphanage
- Visit the Giraffe Centre
Day 3: Fly To Amboseli National Park
On day three of the 11 Days Kenya’s Big 5 & Conservancy Safari, take a flight to Amboseli National Park, where vast savanna and marshlands are irrigated by underground runoff streams from – the world’s highest freestanding mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro.
These landscapes provide a natural habitat for hundreds of African elephants, making the park one of the best places in Africa to spot these biggest land mammals on the planet. The safari begins on the drive to your booked sustainable safari lodge, set within view of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Enjoy lunch and time to settle into your room before setting out on a sunset game drive, on the lookout for cheetahs, lions, zebras, buffalos, elephants, hyenas, and other creatures scattered across the endless savanna plains. Return to the lodge for dinner.
Accommodation
Luxury: Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge/Oltukai Lodge/ Tortilis Camp
Midrange: Kibo Safari Camp/Satao Elerai Camp
Meals
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Included activities
- Amboseli – Sunset Game Drive
Day 4: Safari In Amboseli National Park
Enjoy early morning game drive in Amboseli National Park, keeping an eye out for the savanna’s smaller creatures, including around 420 bird species that have been identified here – from superb starlings to the iconic grey crowned cranes. Stop for a bush breakfast en route to the Amboseli Trust for Elephants, home to the longest running study of wild elephants in the world.
Initiated by Cynthia Moss and Harvey Croze and operated by the Amboseli Trust for Elephant, the project has centered on researching and monitoring the elephants of Amboseli for over 50 years.
The life histories of individual elephant herds have been painstakingly documented across generations, contributing greatly to our understanding of elephant behaviour and the bonds within and between herds. Meet a member of the team to hear about their time in the field observing herd dynamics and collecting biological samples. Travel back to the camp for lunch before a late afternoon wildlife drive.
Accommodation
Luxury: Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge/Oltukai Lodge/ Tortilis Camp
Midrange: Kibo Safari Camp/Satao Elerai Camp
Meals
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Included activities
- Amboseli morning 4×4 Game Drive
- Visit Amboseli Trust for Elephants
Day 5: Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
After a delicious breakfast, a short flight brings you to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, 251 square kilometers (25091 hectares) of golden savanna dotted with iconic umbrella thorn trees on the northern flanks of Mount Kenya –Africa’s second tallest mountain.
Considered a model in the conservation field, this healthy wildlife habitat is home to a number of rare wildlife species, including the dazzling Grevy’s zebra, the reticulated giraffe, and African wild dogs.
Lewa Wildlife conservation and the neighboring Borana Wildlife Conservancy also harbor roughly 15% of the entire rhino population in Kenya. Settle into your comfortable safari lodge or camp before setting out on safari to track these and multitudes of other creatures, and cap off your day sipping sundowners on the beautiful savanna plains.
Accommodation
Luxury: Elewana Lewa Safari Camp/Lewa House/Laragai House
Midrange: Lewa Wilderness
Meals
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Included activities
- Lewa 4×4 Game Drive
- Lewa -Sundowner
Day 6: Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
If you wish, rise at sunrise for a guided bush walk, searching out the tracks of rhinos, lions, and leopards. Learn to spot the park’s flora and small fauna. Alternatively, have a morning wildlife game drive.
Travel to the conservancy’s office to meet with members of Lewa’s award-winning security team, whose effective patrolling of the reserve has ensured that not a single rhino has been poached in the past 5 years to date. If time permit, join the rangers and their highly skilled dogs for a tracking demonstration on the conservancy. Enjoy a leisurely lunch and free time before your late afternoon safari.
Accommodation
Luxury: Elewana Lewa Safari Camp/Lewa House/Laragai House
Midrange: Lewa Wilderness
Meals
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Included activities
- Lewa Wildlife Conservancy – 4×4 Game Drive
Day 7: Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
Learn about the fascinating Maasai people and their culture during a village visit. Learn about their traditional games and sports, music and dance, and everyday life.
Get acquainted with local families and visit a home to see how typical dwellings called manyattas are built using cow dung and grass. Watch for wildlife on your way back to lodge or camp for lunch. Enjoy time to relax or read in the shade before enjoying a delightful dinner.
Accommodation
Luxury: Elewana Lewa Safari Camp/Lewa House/Laragai House
Midrange: Lewa Wilderness
Meals
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Included activities
- Lewa Wildlife Conservancy -4×4 Game Drive
Day 8: Travel To Masai Mara National Reserve
After breakfast, have final safari in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy en route to the airstrip, and then fly to the legendary Masai Mara National Reserve, which stretches along Kenya’s southwest border.
The national reserve is famous for its large populations of African predators, including leopard, cheetah, hyenas, and lion. During the annual Great wildebeest migration, some 1.5 to 2 million wildebeests and zebras thunder through the park, searching for nutriuos grass. After lunch, get an intimate look at the area’s ecosystems on a 4×4 safari game drive.
Accommodation
Luxury: Mara Serena Lodge/Ashnil Mara Camp/Mara Leisure Camp
Midrange: Mara Sopa Lodge/Jambo Mara Lodge/Basecamp Masai Mara
Meals
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Included activities
- Masai Mara – 4×4 Game Drive
Day 9: Masai Mara National Reserve
At first light, head out on safari game drive to see animals that traversed the area during the night. View savannah plains game such as Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles, topi, impala, and eland antelopes – as well as their stealthy predators – at one of their most active times of the day.
Masai Mara is fabled to have one of the highest predator concentrations in all of Africa. Watch large pods of hippos submerged up to their nostrils in the water of the Great Mara River and huge Nile crocodiles sunbathing on the shore. After a picnic lunch, drive back to camp or lodge for a leisurely afternoon.
Accommodation
Luxury: Mara Serena Lodge/Ashnil Mara Camp/Mara Leisure Camp
Midrange: Mara Sopa Lodge/Jambo Mara Lodge/Basecamp Masai Mara
Meals
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Included activities
- Masai Mara – 4×4 Game Drive
Day 10: Masai Mara
Have a closer look at efforts to protect the Masai Mara on a visit to one of the region’s conservation NGOs, such as the Anne K. Taylor Fund, an organization that works with local Maasai communities to reduce poaching and human-animal conflict. Later, set off on one last safari, and then toast your adventure during a farewell dinner.
Accommodation
Luxury: Mara Serena Lodge/Ashnil Mara Camp/Mara Leisure Camp
Midrange: Mara Sopa Lodge/Jambo Mara Lodge/Basecamp Masai Mara
Meals
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Included activities
- Masai Mara – 4×4 Game Drive
Day 11: Nairobi/Home
Return to Nairobi by air and pay a visit to the imaginative social enterprise Ocean Sole, which creates art out of flip-flops and other plastics that wash up on Kenya’s shores. This afternoon, continue to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s elephant orphanage. The organization is the world’s most successful rescue and rehabilitation program for orphaned elephants. Enjoy the opportunity to shadow the center’s caretakers and get up close to the elephants during their afternoon feeding. Later, transfer to the airport for your evening flight home. Safe Travels!
End of the Tour
Inclusions
- Transfers upon arrival and departure
- Transportation provided on-trip
- Accommodation as indicated in the itinerary
- Meals as indicated in the itinerary
- Daily activities and excursions as indicated in the itinerary
Exclusions
- Airfare to and from destination, as well as internal airfare
- Trip cancellation insurance or any other travel insurance
- Visas when applicable
- Alcoholic beverages
- Tip and gratuities
