8-DAY SAMBURU/LAKES NAIVASHA & NAKURU/HELL’S GATE/MASAI MARA NATIONAL PARKS

7:30 am Are you ready for 8 days of safari action? Your Hidaya Africa Tours & Travel driver/guide will come by your hotel, residence, or place of your choosing to pick you up in a private 4 x 4 Land Cruiser Jeep. Pile in and let’s make tracks for Samburu National Reserve. On the way, look for the snow-capped summit of Mt. Kenya, the country’s tallest peak. We’ll traverse Kenya’s central highlands, and stop at local markets to shop and soak up the ambiance. We’ll cross the equator and pause to take photos and note the moment. Arriving at Samburu, take in the immense sweep before us of plains and big sky. We’ll embark on our safari’s first game drive looking for some of the park’s many elephants as well as lion, cheetah, and buffalo. There will be plenty of time here for game drives but also relaxation. Just talk to your guide about your wishes. Toward evening we’ll retire at your Samburu accommodation for dinner and a relaxing evening.

You’ll quickly notice that safari means an early rise. We’ll be up with the sun and the birds to enjoy the morning light touching the treetops. This is a day of unlimited game drives… and also relaxation. Your choice. You’ll be tracking for big game here but small, unusual species as well. Samburu is known for some unique animals like the Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, and the Beisa oryx – a large antelope. The park is bisected by the Ewaso Ngiro River which provides life-sustaining waters to the thirsty wildlife. Should you want to see more greenery, we’ll hop over to neighboring Shaba and Buffalo Springs reserves. These two oases offer forests, woodlands, and even some ancient volcanic formations. We can also visit the local Samburu people in their nearby village for a cultural encounter with these pastoral herders. Our second safari evening will be at our Samburu lodge or tented camp.

Before we leave Samburu, let’s take a final game drive and perhaps discover some more big game – lion, leopard, or elephant. Now we’re on our way to Lake Nakuru and along our journey, we’ll stop at Nyahururu and witness the tower of cascading waters that is Thompson’s Falls. There’ll be more waterfalls at Lake Nakuru, along with pretty acacia forests and the blue alkaline lake. Adorning the shores, look for pelicans, kingfishers, ostrich, herons, eagles… and some bright, pink flamingoes. The rhinos at Nakuru are special – you may see some white rhinos grazing along the lakeshore. And the unique sanctuary here provides a haven to a large population of endangered black rhinos. You might even spot a leopard in this picturesque, versatile park. We’ll settle in for the evening at your Lake Nakuru accommodation.

The early morning light playing upon the acacia woods and the lake add another level of luminance to the park’s pretty elements. We’ll take a quick game and bird-viewing drive before heading for Lake Naivasha and its neighboring parks. Hell’s Gate Park is known for its steaming vents, heated mineral pools, and dramatic canyons. We can take a walking or a bicycle safari, meandering past grazing gazelle, antelope, and zebra. At Lake Naivasha we’ll settle into a peaceful sailing safari across the lake, gliding by the local hippos, while nearby on the shore, grazing antelope will keep an eye on us as we sail by. Another small, gem of a park is a short visit away – Crescent Island Sanctuary holds peacefully grazing animals like impala, gazelle, and waterbuck. We’ll take a guided walking tour past them and enjoy the many exotic birds also sharing this pastoral space. It’s been a busy day exploring four parks! We’ll rest up at our Lake Naivasha accommodation.

There’s something special about an early morning drive along a scenic lake. We’ll take one more turn around the park before heading out to the great Masai Mara Reserve. The grand park will greet us with its golden savannahs and rolling hills. We’ll have time for our first of many game drives here over the next four days. The Mara is known for its numerous prides of lions as well as cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, and other large game like elephants and buffalo. Get ready for some prodigious wildlife viewing. We will spend the first of three evenings at our Mara accommodation.

We designed this longer safari to give you plenty of time to get to know the Masai Mara, its wildlife, and its land. Today and tomorrow you’ll have opportunities to explore the reserve and even revisit your favorite viewing spots. The Mara is rich with wildlife – over 95 mammal species – predators and grazers inhabit this great fertile tract. All the big cats are here as well as rhino, elephant, and buffalo. But the biggest display of wildlife by far is the spectacle of the Great Migration (July – October) when uncountable wildebeests, zebras, gazelle, and more flood into the park showing a powerful torrent of nature’s raw energy. We’ll go down to the Mara River, site of the crossing to witness the incredible numbers of wildlife pouring in. It’s a scene of unquestioned drama as the grazers cross the river, filled with waiting crocodiles. And then on the welcoming banks, lions, leopards, and cheetahs lie in wait. Still, most of the vast influx makes it through and they continue, stretching in trains out to the horizon. This is a sight you’ll not soon let go of and will share in the coming years. Toward evening we will head back to our Mara accommodation to rest up from this memorable day.

Very few get to enjoy two full days exploring this immense and busy park. Talk to your driver/guide as to how you would like to spend your day – discover new areas, revisit favorite spots or add some relaxation time. It’s all up to you. For a different sort of view of the Great Migration, consider our optional pre-dawn hot air balloon safari. You’ll alight as the morning sun awakens the park revealing the land and wildlife below. Witness the migrating wildlife streaming out to the far reaches. This is an unforgettable vision. For an added cultural take on this iconic park, we suggest an optional visit to a Maasai village. You’ll meet the local people and learn about the pastoral lifestyle up close. The Mara offers brilliant sunsets – enjoy this evening’s as we head back to our safari lodge or tented camp for our final night on safari.

Our eighth day on safari – you’re practically pros. Let’s go for another game drive to visit or revisit some favorite viewing areas. A big safari breakfast follows and then it’s time to head back to Nairobi. We should arrive around 4:30 pm and we’ll take you to your hotel, residence or another place of your choosing. Over a week on the safari trail – six parks – and more types and numbers of wildlife than you probably imagined. But that’s what we do – give you the best and richest safari experience. Hope you took lots of photos and are holding many treasured memories. From the entire team at Hidaya Africa Tours & Travel, a big thanks for your time, trust, and commitment to our natural world.