FIVE-DAY AMBOSELI/LAKE NAIVASHA/MASAI MARA

7:00 am – Look for your Hidaya Africa Tours & Travel driver/guide to swing by your hotel, residence, or Nairobi airport in your private 4 x 4 Land Cruiser Jeep. Jump aboard and we’ll begin our safari down the Nairobi/Mombasa Highway. We’re heading through Masai country and in the distance, you’ll see the rising tower of Mt. Kilimanjaro, a sign we’re approaching Amboseli Park. We’ll arrive at the park late morning and freshen up at our accommodation – your choice of safari lodge or tented camp. Then it’s safari time – we’ll take the 4 x 4 through the park looking for elephants and other big game like lion, cheetah, zebra, giraffe, gazelle, and the birdlife that fill the park. Toward evening we’ll head back to our accommodation for dinner and to rest up from our busy first day on our African safari.

Safari means “journey” but it can also mean an early rise with the sun to see the animals in the morning light. We’ll explore the park tracking for elephants, big cats, and more. Amidst this natural splendor, we’ll enjoy breakfast and then a final game drive through the park as we look upon Kilimanjaro in the morning light. We’re now headed for Lake Naivasha journeying through the scenic vistas of the Great Rift Valley. We’ll pass through Nairobi and stop there for a memorable lunch at an iconic restaurant. Late afternoon we’ll arrive at Lake Naivasha and perhaps take a relaxing sailing safari across the lake, floating past bathing hippos as we dwell on the amazing natural world in which we find ourselves. Look for cormorant, pelican, and grazing antelope nearby on the shore. We’ll settle in for dinner at our Naivasha accommodation.

We’ll rise with the sounds of the birds and go for a game drive through the park. A big feature of this area is the number of nearby parks that nature has evolved for your enjoyment. We’ll head to nearby Crescent Island Sanctuary, a private reserve teeming with grazing wildlife and shorebirds. Neighboring Hell’s Gate National Park offers a different perspective with its towering cliffs and active steam vents. The optional visit here will have you on a walking or biking safari past antelope, giraffe, zebra, and buffalo. But soon we’re on the road toward the big park, the Masai Mara. We’ll be at the park in time for an afternoon game drive and take in the grandeur of this world-famous reserve, home to prides of lions and all the big cats. Dinner awaits at our Mara accommodation, where we’ll relax and get ready for a full day of safari at the park.

Here’s an idea: Let’s get up early for a morning game drive over the Mara’s golden hills and savannahs. The reserve is a wonderland of wildlife, the most in the region. With your expert guide, you won’t have to travel long before spotting the park’s big game. Come lunchtime, we’ll head down to the Mara River for a picnic, looking for the hippos and crocodiles who make the river their home. This is also the crossing site for the Great Migration of wildebeests, zebras, and gazelle – a spectacle of wildlife you won’t find anywhere else. You can also view this immense movement of animals from high above. Take an optional early morning hot air balloon safari over the park. You’ll rise at dawn as the park comes alive with light and the streaming wildlife, sometimes stretching out to the horizon. It’s an unforgettable vision. We also offer another optional experience, closer to the ground. Visit the Maasai people in one of their local villages. You’ll learn about their culture and lifestyle close up and get a new perspective on these indigenous people. Just ask your guide to make the arrangements. As evening falls, we’ll head back to our Mara accommodation for dinner and conversation about this busy day.

Our last safari morning on this five-day trek so let’s explore for more big game over the ever brightening hills and plains. We’ll dig into a final breakfast and enjoy the park one last time as we exit, headed back to Nairobi. We should arrive at the capital city at about 4:30 pm and bring you back to your hotel, residence, or airport. We promised you lakes, mountains, forests, savannahs, and all the wildlife they hold. We hope you took it all in and saved it as photos and precious memories. From everyone at Hidaya Africa Tours & Travel, a big thanks for your interest and your adventurous spirit.