Kenya Safari - Itinerary
Sunday, November 3, 2019, we departed from Canada to Amsterdam.
Day 1 Monday, 04 November 2019 Arrival in Nairobi
Early arrival in Amsterdam gave us time to connect with our flight to Nairobi.
JAMBO - KARIBU!! Tourcan Vacation’s local representatives met us upon arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International airport with their traditional, unique & special welcome (bubbly, wet towels and a presentation of authentic safari hats and a beautiful authentic canvas pouch filled with safari essentials). We will then transferred to the Sarova Stanley Hotel, located in the heart of the central business district.
Overnight: Sarova Stanley Hotel
Day 2 Tuesday, 05November 2019 Nairobi
This morning we enjoyed our breakfast at the buffet at the hotel. Our guide driver will met us at the hotel for the start of a day of touring. The first visit was the Giraffe centre for a thrilling experience with the tallest mammals on earth. The Giraffe Centre borders on the famous Giraffe Manor, an ultra exclusive resort where the giraffes wake you up by poking their heads into the windows of your suite. At the Giraffe centre, they have the Rothschild giraffe, one of the three sub-species that is found in Kenya. We were able to feed the Giraffe’s with a bare hand, took some amazing photos beside them. This is a life-time experience and perhaps the closest one can get to these gracious creatures.
Next on the agenda was a visit the Daphne Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Here you have amazing moments interacting with young elephants and other species. This centre is a nurturing home for young elephants and other species whose mothers are not able to mother them due to death, in-capacitation or sickness.
After the elephants we visited a local orphanage, a charitable organization supported by Twiga Tours and Tourcan Vacation. We had the privilege of serving lunch to the orphans. We joined the orphans for lunch, after which the orphans showcased their skills and talents in song, dance and performances. A truly heart-warming experience.
The final stop before returning to the hotel is a local ceramic factory where local women are employed to make handicrafts for sale to visitors and local businesses.
Overnight: Sarova Stanley Hotel
Arrival in Nairobi and First Day Tours.
Day 4 Wednesday, 06 November 2019 Nairobi - Samburu Game eserves
Our guide driver met us at the hotel after breakfast, helped us load our luggage into the safari land cruiser and then proceeded to drive to Samburu. We arrived at the intimate 12-tent Elephant Bedroom Camp to a warm welcome and in time for lunch. We enjoyed an afternoon game viewing drive. The Samburu region is the best place to find several endemic Northern species; including the Gerenuk (Twiga gazelle) due to her long neck, the beisa Oryx, the Reticulated Giraffe, the Somali ostrich and Grevy’s Zebra. Samburu is also an ornithological paradise, home to many birds including local species such as the Palm Nut Vulture and the Vivacious Dove. After the exciting day, we enjoyed dinner and overnight at our camp.
Overnight: Elephant Bedroom Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Nairobi to Elephant Bedroom Camp Samburu National Reserve
PM Game Drive and dinner Samburu
Day 5 Thursday, 07 November 2019 Samburu Game Reserves
Today we enjoyed full morning and afternoon game viewing in both Samburu and Buffalo Springs Game Reserves. We were lucky enough to see a leopard as well as the elephants, the first two on our Big Five, as well as cheetahs, giraffes and the Gerenuk. The Samburu culture is a truly fascinating one, sharing a great deal of ancestral and linguistic ties to the Masai. The entire Samburu region is a place of breath-taking and magical beauty, a place where the vision of a deep red sunset silhouetting the doum palms along the river as a leopard emerges to hunt brings the perfect end to a day on safari...... We enjoyed another gourmet meal at our camp.
Overnight: Elephant Bedroom Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Samburu Game Drives
Day 6 Friday, 08 November 2019 Samburu Game Reserves - Lake Nakuru National Park
This morning, after breakfast, we drove to Lake Nakuru National Park with a brief stop at the Thompson's Falls for a breath-taking view of the great scenery. We arrived in time for lunch. That afternoon we enjoyed a nature walk led by the camp’s naturalist. As the night fell, led by a professional and experienced night game spotter, we departed for a night game viewing drive.
It cannot get more exciting than this! This is an opportunity to see some of the nocturnal animals that we may not see during the day, as we enjoy. What about spotting an aardvark! An African myth goes that if one spots this rare animal at night it is so lucky and may live for over 100 years!! This might be your night!! Unfortunately, it wasn’t ours. We returnedd to the lodge for dinner and overnight!!
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Overnight: Mbweha Safari Camp
Meal: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Samburu to Lake Nakuru
Day 7 Satuday, 09 November 2019 Lake Nakuru National Park
This morning we enjoyed breakfast and then departed for a full day of game viewing drives in Lake Nakuru National Park. The environment here is welcoming, one of the best places to relax, to unwind, to enjoy nature’s beauty. We saw Cape Buffalo and Black and White Rhinos, two of the Big Five. Our guides surprised us with a bush lunch on a hill top perch with spectacular views of Lake Nakuru. The park is one of the best game viewing parks with various animal species including prides of lion, Cape buffalo, waterbucks, wart hogs, the endangered Rothschild giraffes, the black & white Rhino, the Burchell’s zebra, impalas, and the elusive leopard among many others. Over 300 bird species have been recorded here too. The day was capped off with another gourmet dinner at our Lodge.
Overnight: Mbweha Safari Camp
Meal: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Lake Nakuru Game Drive, Bush Lunch and Night Safari
Day 8 Sunday, 10 November 2019 Lake Nakuru National Park- Masai Mara Game Reserve
After a hearty early morning breakfast, we embarked on our drive to the Masai Mara National Reserve, offering wonderful scenery and plenty of game. On the way we crossed the Equator several times. We arrived at the intimate 20-tent Tipilikwani Camp to a very warm welcome for lunch. After lunch we drove to Mara Ngenche Luxury Tented Camp on the banks of the Mara River overlooking a hippo pool, our home for the next two nights. In the afternoon we departed on an exciting game viewing drive. The Rolling plains and grasslands stretching far into the horizons as far as the eye can see is home to the black-manned lion, the savannah elephant, the Cape buffalo, wildebeest ,the elusive leopard,cheetah,the spotted & stripped hyena, the rhino,topi,burchelle’s zebra, the Masai giraffe among many others. We saw a pride of lions, the last of the Big Five. The Mara game reserve is one that can never disappoint. One is spoiled by the variety of bird and wildlife species in this game reserve. We returned back to the camp for dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Ngenche Luxury Tented Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Masai Mara, Tipilikwani Camp, Mara Ngenche Camp, Game Drives
Travel Map
Day 9 Monday, 11 November 2019 Masai Mara Game Reserve
We rose early at 4:00 am to drive to your Hot Air Balloon ride over the Mara plains followed by a champagne breakfast. The hot air balloon ride offered an hour of peaceful and serene landscape and wildlife viewing over the majestic plains of the Masai Mara. A truly memorable experience, as was the champagne lunch on the open savannah. After breakfast we joined the rest of the group to proceed on a full day of amazing game viewing drive. Just before lunch visit a local Masai village and learn how the Masai live. Lunch was at a local game lodge. After lunch we resumed our game drive. If you visit the Masai Mara, be on the look-out for the big five that the Masai Mara is famous for. These include the lion, savannah (African) elephant, the Cape buffalo, the leopard and the black rhino. You may even be so lucky to witness a leopard or a cheetah sprint and make a kill! Late in the afternoon, our guides surprised us with another sundowner and we watched the sun set before returning to the camp for dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Ngenche Luxury Tented Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Masai Village
Mara AM Game Drive
Mara PM Game Drive
Hot Air Balloon
Day 10 Tuesday, 12 November 2019 Masai Mara Game Reserve – Nairobi
This morning we enjoy our breakfast and some free time. A final game drive was available for those who wanted a last opportunity to see the Mara. Those on the final game drive had an amazing encounter with folicking gazelles and two more lion encounters. One encounter was after a kill and some of the lions were still feeding on the remnant of the carcass. Unbelievable but true, our good bush moments have come to an end. We said farewell to our wonderful lodge manager and his team then transfered to the Ole Kiombo airstrip in the afternoon for your scheduled flight to Nairobi. Not empty handed though. With us are photographs that have captured the special moments we have had on this safari to immortalize the experience. On arrival in Nairobi we transfered to Carnivore restaurant for dinner. After dinner you were transferred to Jomo Kenyatta International airport for our flight home.
Overnight: En route
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
Final Game Drive and departure
Day 11 Wednesday, 13 November 2019 Arrive in Canada
Early arrival in Amsterdam gives you time to connect with your flight home.
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