Explore three of the most breath-taking big game parks in Kenya with this seven-day safari adventure using the prestigious Sarova luxury hotel chain for accommodation. Starting off in the Nairobi hotel where Ernest Hemingway dreamed up his African novels and continuing the adventure in the ‘Born Free’ location, Lake Nakuru and the Maasai Mara, this Kenyan highlights programme combines good game viewing with stylish accommodation.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Shaba National Reserve: one of the Northern Kenya’s desert gems, known as the ‘celebrity’ wildlife park that played a lead role in Hollywood classics Born Free and Out of Africa. The main attractions are reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, Beisa oryx, the Somali ostrich and the gerenuk.
Maasai Mara National Reserve: situated in south-west Kenya and is one of Africa’s Greatest Wildlife Reserves, and where the world’s largest multi-species migration takes place. Across the vast plains of the Mara, visitors are able to witness lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, and an infinite variety of other species in their natural habitats.
Lake Nakuru National Park: on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, lies the beautiful Lake Nakuru National Park. Visitors can enjoy the wide ecological diversity and varied habitats that range from Lake Nakuru itself to the surrounding escarpment and picturesque ridges. It is ideal for bird watching and game drives.
Day 1: ARRIVAL NAIROBI
After landing at Nairobi Airport, you will be met by a tour representative and transferred to the Sarova Stanley Hotel or similar. This legendary establishment traces its origins all the way back to 1902 when its late Victorian splendour made it Kenya’s first luxury hotel. The Stanley soon became a byword for opulence and sophistication, attracting big game enthusiasts and colonial administrators. Its immortal status was cemented by the experiences here of Nobel Prize-winning novelist Ernest Hemingway, whose short story, ‘The Snows of Kilimanjaro’, did so much to popularise safaris. Hemingway would gather with fellow adventurers at the Thorn Tree Café – named after the tree on which travellers would pin messages – to plan safaris or regale them with tales of ones just completed. The Stanley has long since been modernised but the spirit of the past is still palpable in every corner.
Overnight in Nairobi.
Day 2: NAIROBI – SHABA NATIONAL RESERVE (415 Kms – 7 hrs)
Leave Nairobi early after breakfast and travel northwards to Samburu, passing near Thika. Continue through breathtaking scenery dotted with rushing mountain streams and plantations of tea and coffee in the shadows of Mount Kenya, the country’s highest mountain and second in Africa. Circumventing Mount Kenya, pass through the town of Nanyuki before reaching the dusty outpost of Isiolo, the last major stop on the journey to the remote northern frontier district. From here, it’s a fairly short hop to Shaba National Reserve. It earned worldwide fame in the 1960s as the setting of the popular movie, "Born Free". Arrive at Sarova Shaba Lodge in time for lunch and then head off for an afternoon game drive returning to the lodge as the sun sets. Surrounded by trees and located on a rocky bend of the River Ewaso Ngiro, the Sarova Shaba offers a luxury seldom found in a large African bush lodge. There are 80 chalet rooms and four luxurious junior suites as well as one honeymoon suite. The tranquil flow of sparkling spring waters throughout the grounds creates an atmosphere of peace and serenity as they collect and cascade, attracting a great variety of birds. Crocodile feeding demonstrations and evening entertainment are provided by local Samburu villagers. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Overnight in Shaba.
Day 3: SHABA NATIONAL RESERVE (5-6 hrs on game drives)
Breakfast follows an early morning game drive in the lush and verdant Shaba National Reserve, which was also the setting for the multiple Oscar-winning classics, "Out of Africa". There is a large pride of lions as well as elephants, leopards, gerenuks, and elands while rare species such as the reticulated giraffe also make this habitat their stomping ground. For the remainder of the morning, you can relax by the pool, which features an island reached by a bridge from the bar, or the terrace, which overlooks the river. After lunch, there will be another game drive, returning to the lodge for sunset.
Overnight in Shaba.
Day 4: SHABA – LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK (325 Kms – 4.5 hrs)
Bid farewell to Shaba National Reserve after breakfast and travel south through Isiolo, crossing the northernmost foothills of Mount Kenya, passing through Nanyuki, and continuing to Nyahururu, still known by many as Thomson’s Falls because of its 75-metre waterfall, which can be spotted in the distance. Your next stop is the spectacular Lake Nakuru; enjoy a game drive en route to Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge. The waters of the lake are often shimmering pink, from the thousands of flamingos that line the shores. After lunch, depart for an afternoon game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park. Like all the beautiful flamingos, both black and white rhinos are being carefully protected and given a new lease of life in this fully fenced 188-square-kilometre park. The rhino population numbers more than 50 and continues to multiply. The Rothschild’s giraffe is another rarity that can be seen here, and the park has its fair share of buffaloes, leopards, zebras, elands, waterbucks and lions. Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge is situated in the heart of what is Kenya's most densely populated wetland national park, which is one of six internationally protected marsh areas, known as Ramsar sites, in the country. The lodge boasts commanding views of the lake and what seems like millions of flamingos, pelicans and marabou storks. Lush gardens surround the lodge and cottage, and there is an exciting programme of activities and evening entertainment. Here the ornithological landscape appears to bloom as if it were natural foliage. The lodge has 65 modern en-suite bedrooms, and meals are served inside the lodge, by the pool or under a forest of towering acacia trees. The Rift Valley bar on the ground floor has great views of the lake. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Overnight in Lake Nakuru area.
Day 5: LAKE NAKURU – MAASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE (345 Kms – 6.5 hrs)
Wake up to breakfast before leaving the flamingo-fringed Lake Nakuru to continue the adventure at the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Drive to the town of Njoro, where you begin your ascent over the top of the Mau Escarpment. Then, heading south, travel across the ‘breadbasket’ of Kenya, covered with acres of wheat and barley, towards Narok, the gateway to the Maasai Mara. Check-in at Sarova Mara Game Camp and enjoy lunch before departing for an afternoon game drive. Return to the lodge as the sun sets. The camp is located inside the eastern section of the Maasai Mara and hidden in a wonderful little-forested valley. During the annual Great Migration, the camp is teeming with wildebeests, gazelles and zebras as it situated right in the centre of their migration path. The 75 tents have a permanent roof and floor, zip-up fronts, attached bathroom, running hot water supply and electricity. Wooden walkways, built over wide lily ponds, link the tents and manicured lawns with the main dining and bar areas. Birdlife is abundant, with kingfishers particularly common. There is also a sparkling swimming pool surrounded by sun loungers. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Overnight in Massai Mara Reserve.
Day 6: MAASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE (5-6 hrs on game drives)
Enjoy an early breakfast before departing on a morning game drive. The Maasai Mara National Reserve is home to millions of wild animals, including the fabled Big Five of lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and black rhinos. There are also antelopes, gazelles, wildebeests, and many others. Return to the lodge for lunch and perhaps a siesta before setting off for an afternoon game drive and a visit to a Maasai village. Return to the camp as the sun sets. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Overnight in Maasai Mara Reserve.
Day 7: MAASAI MARA – DEPARTURE NAIROBI (310 Kms – 6 hrs)
Say goodbye to Maasai Mara before passing through acres of rolling wheat and barley farms, heading to Narok. From here, cross the vast plains on the floor of the Great Rift Valley while keeping an eye out for herds of giraffe and gazelle. Head up the rift escarpment and arrive in Kenya’s bustling capital at around midday. Once in the city, you’ll be dropped off in the city centre or at the airport for you to continue with your ongoing travel arrangements.
Passengers should bring only soft-sided bags on safari. Passengers arriving to Kenya may be asked to present a valid Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate. Travellers’ cheques are generally not accepted in east Africa. US banknotes cannot be older than 2004 and must have the latest security markings (large portrait of the president). Sun protection, sunglasses, a hat and mosquito repellent can be very useful during your stay.
