7 Days 5 Parks Kenya Safari

7:30 am We’re embarking on a big trip so let’s get moving. Your Hidaya Africa Tours & Travel driver/guide will swing by your hotel, residence, or location of your choosing. Step into your private 4 x 4 Land Cruiser Jeep to begin your journey. We’ll head down the road, moving through farmland, passing small homesteads and toward the dramatic cliffs of the Great Rift Vally escarpment. We’ll get to the park around lunchtime. Settle into your safari lodge or tented camp and get ready for your first real game drive. You can plan with your guide where you’d like to explore and he’ll have plenty of ideas depending on your preferences. During the next week, discuss how active or not you’d like your safari to be. You can go for unlimited game drives or enjoy downtime at your accommodation. It’s your safari – you get to choose. The Masai Mara is world-famous for its big cats, big herds, and big vistas. The park is dense with wildlife, the most of any reserve in this part of Africa. After an afternoon, tracking for predators and grazers you’ll have your first taste of the safari life. We’ll head back to your accommodation for dinner and a relaxing evening.

We’re on safari so let’s rise with the birds and wildlife, eager to take on a day filled with possibilities. As you’ve seen, the park is an attractive mix of rolling hills and golden savannahs where you never know what animal will suddenly pop into view. Perhaps the Masai Mara is best known for its Great Migration (July – October) when at the Mara River a storm of wildebeests and zebras flood into the park on their yearly trek. Crossing the river is risky for these grazers as large numbers of crocodiles are lying in wait. And of course, the park is filled with predators like lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, and more. You’ll witness this dramatic interchange of hunter and prey as it has played out for eons. Add another unforgettable adventure to your African safari – we offer an optional hot air balloon ride over the great tracts of the park. You’ll rise with the sun as the new day breaks below and the wildlife come into view. Just ask your guide to make all the arrangements. Care to meet the region’s human inhabitants? We can arrange an optional visit to a local Maasai village. Here you’ll meet these fascinating indigenous people, see and learn how they live and survive in this modern age, tending to their crops and their cattle. It’s been a busy day so we’ll head back to our accommodation, have dinner and perhaps sit by a fire to recall our adventures.

Let’s take one more drive through the park and see if we can spot a lion or two. Now we’re on our way to Lake Nakuru and we’ll make rest stops to stretch, eat and admire the great landforms filling the vistas. Lake Nakuru is a high elevation Rift Valley lake, populated with all sorts of exotic birdlife such as pelicans, cormorants, kingfishers, ostriches, storks, and eagles. But of particular note, the bright pink flamingoes here are certain to catch your eye. Their numbers vary but at times they’ve dazzled en masse when their population has swelled. Though not large, the park is a stunner with its wooded hills, acacia forests, waterfalls, and tall succulent euphorbia trees along the lake. And this variety is reflected by the park’s wildlife – rare Rothschild’s giraffes, white rhinos, and a sanctuary to protect Kenya’s endangered black rhinos. Everything about Nakuru is unique and quite special. We’ll settle in for the evening at Lake Nakuru safari lodge or tented camp.

One of the great things about this area is the wonderful assortment of natural parks and reserves within easy reach of each other. It’s a quick drive to neighboring Lake Naivasha, home to a pretty lake with hippos and all sorts of birds and grazing wildlife on its shores. We’ll enjoy a different sort of safari today – a sailing safari across the lake. As we gently float past swimming hippos, we’ll keep an eye out for pelicans, cormorants, and fire finches. Over by the shore, we may spot giraffe, antelope, buffalo, and zebra grazing and perhaps looking back at us. Another nearby chill spot is Crescent Island Game Sanctuary, a small private reserve filled with active wildlife. We’ll take a guided walking safari and stroll past buffalo, giraffe, zebra, and lots of birdlife. We also offer an optional bicycle safari to nearby Hell’s Gate Park. You’ll find lots of busy grazing animals here like impala and eland. But the landscape is unusual – reflective of its name, the park shows off active steam vents and bubbling hot pools, in addition to dramatic canyons and cliffs. This has been a full day. Time to retreat to our Naivasha lodge or tented camp for dinner and rest.

This is a long but easy drive and we’ll make stops to relax and take in views of the Great Rift Valley escarpment along the way. Heading to Amboseli we’ll see the great rise of Mt. Kilimanjaro in the distance, like the heading on a compass, directing our way to the park. Africa’s tallest peak and the highest free-standing mountain in the world, Kilimanjaro is a signature feature of Amboseli, standing guard over its southern flank. We’ll arrive at the park in time for a game drive and to watch a welcoming committee of Amboseli’s famous elephants parade back from their favorite watering hole. Then we’ll settle in at our Amboseli accommodation for a relaxing dinner.

Though known for its populous herds of free-ranging elephants, the park features all the larger wildlife, so look for lion, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, rhino, giraffe, and smaller game like hyena, monkey, and baboon. We may also head up to Observation Hill, a noted lookout point – from here you’ll see views of the park’s marshes with their assortment of unique birdlife. Plus, great views in all directions, especially Kilimanjaro. In the evening, the cloud cover that often obscures the mountain’s snowy peak disperses leaving one of Africa’s most iconic views. We’ll spend our second evening at our Amboseli accommodation.

We’ll take a final drive through the park on our way to the train station. Take a last look (and pictures) of the elephants and Kilimanjaro. And here’s a bonus: your train trip will take you through the great plains of Tsavo West and Tsavo East Parks with the possibility of viewing more wildlife. At the train station, your guide will assist with your ticketing, ensuring you’re comfortably aboard. Settle into your air-conditioned first-class seat as you watch the parks fly by. In just a few hours you’ll arrive in Mombasa. This high-speed train is built for air-conditioned comfort with soft reclining seats. Your large picture windows will provide colorful vistas of the parks and their wildlife. Should you be hungry or want to stretch your legs, visit the buffet car for drinks and snacks. You’ll soon arrive at the modern train station in Mombasa. You’ve been on safari a full week… and have relaxed into the rhythms of the natural world. So many parks, landscapes, and even more kinds of wildlife have presented themselves to you day after day. We hope the memories and the moments stay with you for a long time to come. We at Hidaya Africa Tours & Travel, thank you for your time and commitment. Asante!