B=Breakfast, Lunch=Lunch, D=Dinner
All times are estimated and are subject to slight variations.
This unique, active safari has been a great choice for combining incredible wildlife viewing, hiking and African cross-cultural experiences. This is a premier nature and culture safari experience in East Africa for all who need a lifetime experience. You will enjoy a combination of fine lodges and private, catered bush camping in remote areas with great hiking. You will meet some of the most interesting tribes in East Africa, encounter great herds of wildlife on foot and from a spacious, comfortable, air-conditioned, radio-equipped safari van. Throughout, you will benefit from a guide who is both an expert naturalist, as well as a friend of the people in the communities you will visit. Rather than spending time in cities or resort areas, you will be exploring areas with few other tourists, but lots of opportunities to enjoy the wonderful people and wildlife of Kenya. Expect an inside view of the great Masai Mara (One of the seventh wonder of the modern world as depicted by ABC, USA) animal migration. If you make only one African safari, this is a great choice.
Cultural Trip
Number of Days: 13

Day 1: Nairobi
You will be met at the airport and transferred to the city hotel for overnight before departure for your safari (BB)

Day 2 – 3: Mbitini
This morning, you will drive to Machakos and visit the Akamba Peace museum. During our visit to the museum, we will be taught bead and weaving, kamba cultures, woodcurvers (the kamba people are considered the fathers’ of wood curving), get to harvest honey the traditional way. From the peace museum, we will head to Mbititni village for overnight and more activities. During your stay at Mbitini Village, you will get to learn more of the Kinengo Kenya that works with the local to uplifts their lifestyle. We will visit their farms where they grow fruits/ vegetables, trees, get to visit the schools that Kinengo Kenya are associated with. We will also participate in local tree planting efforts. To maximize our times among the locals, we will be camping in the village next to the Akamba Peace Museum. (2B, 2L, 2D)

Day 4 Mt. Kenya
With the great diverse that Kenya offers in terms of scenery, on this day we will head to the slopes of Mt. Kenya and onto Serena Mountain Lodge. The lodge has a viewing point in the form of a bunker. This allows one to have a close access to the water hole which attracts animals to drink water and salt.

Day 5- 6: Samburu Game Reserve
After breakfast we will head westward, toward Mt. Kenya Northern Frontier District of Samburu. You will be staying at the Samburu Serena Lodge. You will enjoy four game drives during your stay. After checking in and lunch at the lodge, there will be a short break before you head out for the afternoon game drive until late evening. This area is excellent for predators such as leopard and cheetah. You will almost certainly spot the local specialties: Gravy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe and fringe-eared oryx. During our stay in this region, we will also have a chance to visit the local Samburu people and get to learn how they live and visit their women weaving groups. The women have formed small groups where they weave and sell jewelries to raise money for their kids school fees. Overnight and meals at the Samburu Serena Lodge or equivalent. (3B, 3L, 3D)

Day 7 – 8: Lake Nakuru
Drive to the Rift Valley and proceed to the famous Lake Nakuru. You will be camping at the edge of Lake Nakuru National Park in a spacious, private campground. You may hear the sound of tens of thousands of flamingoes flying overhead at night. Plan on arriving in the evening, to your camp. On day 10, carrying our picnic lunch, you will have a full day visit to the famous Lake Nakuru Park. Besides the hundreds of thousands of flamingos, Lake Nakuru is a rhino sanctuary with a great success story in the breeding of rhinos. The two types of rhinos, black and white are both found in this park. You will also search for colobus monkeys, leopard, lion, elephant, Masai giraffe and many other species of birds and animals. Besides the day game drives to the park, there are night game drives for an additional cost, where you may see nocturnal species like porcupine, aardvark and spring hares. Overnight at our camp set in the Congreve Sanctuary. (2B, 2L, 2D)

Day 9 – 12: Masai Mara
From Lake Nakuru we head to the head for the world premier wildlife reserve, Masai Mara, where you will spend three nights at a lodge/ camp in the Masai Mara. While in the Mara, you will enjoy very early morning and evening game drives. One of these days, carrying a picnic lunch, you will head for a full day game drive in the reserve. This is the time of year when the great Serengeti herd of wildebeest numbering as many as one million animals, tends to concentrate on the rich grasslands of the Mara. Predators like lions, cheetah, hyenas and jackals are abundant and you will always be on the lookout for a kill. Weather and skies should be excellent for photography of what many people agree is the greatest large mammal wildlife spectacle on Earth. (4B, 4L, 4D)
Note: For those who would like to do a hot air balloon ride, we can arrange an extra day for this or have the ride on the second day in the Mara and then join the rest of the group for the full day in the reserve. Should one wish to have an extra day, we would arrange for the flight back to Nairobi after the balloon ride, on a mid-morning flight. Upon arrival in Nairobi, you will be transfered to the city hotel for a day room and evening transfer to the airport for homebound flight.

Day 13: Nairobi/ Airport
After breakfast, drive back to Nairobi. Dayrooms will be reserved for refreshments before evening transfers to the airport for homebound flights. (B)