Escape to Kenya

You will be met on arrival in Nairobi and transferred in a minivan vehicle to Southern Sun Mayfair Hotel for one night. This first night in Nairobi is to allow you to relax and rest after the overnight flight, so that you are ready to start your safari adventure fresh the next morning.

The Southern Sun Mayfair is set on beautifully landscaped 5 acre grounds. The hotel's unique architecture echoes an Out of Africa theme, and offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy authentic African hospitality while being provided with services and amenities of an international standard, which include complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi internet access, a health club with sauna, swimming pools, a fully-equipped business centre and restaurant where guests can enjoy breakfast and exquisite dinner buffets daily. The tropical gardens add to the feeling of peace and calm.

Nairobi

1 night at Southern Sun Mayfair

After breakfast you will be collected by your tour leader, and driven in your shared 4x4 safari vehicle to Samburu National Reserve. The vehicle has sliding windows, a roof hatch and high ground clearance to optimise all round visibility for game viewing and photography. For maximum comfort and optimum enjoyment of the safari, all clients will be offered a window seat, which means a maximum of 7 passengers per vehicle. For the convenience of all clients, a cool box, pair of binoculars and wildlife reference books is standard equipment in all vehicles.

You will arrive at Samburu in time for a late lunch. Set on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River in Samburu National Reserve surrounded by doum palms and other beautiful indigenous trees and shrubs sits the small and exclusive Elephant Bedroom Camp, consisting of just 12 luxury tents - all furnished in rustic African style while offering all the comforts expected of a luxury camp. Huge herds of elephant, prides of lion or the solitary leopard amongst other game are regular visitors around the camp providing excellent game viewing in spectacular scenic background of rugged rolling hills.

Samburu Eco-System

2 nights at Elephant Bedroom Camp

After lunch, you will depart on a game drive in your 4x4 safari vehicle. Lion, cheetah and leopard can often be seen on game drives, as well as elephant, hippo, and buffalo. Giraffe, waterbuck and zebra wander the open plains, alongside gerenuks - rather odd looking members of the gazelle family, who are easily distinguishable by their extremely long necks, and their ability to stand on their hind legs to reach high into bushes in order to skim the leaves off the branches with their rough tongue. The river itself is home to a large number of Nile crododiles too. Over 365 bird species have been identified, including secretary birds, sunbirds, bee-eaters and the blue necked and legged Somali ostrich.

Depart today for more game drives in Samburu.

After breakfast, depart for the drive to your next camp, arriving in time for a late lunch. Nestled on the southern border of Lake Nakuru National Park, Mbweha Camp overlooks the scenic Eburru and Mau ranges. The accommodation features a spacious lounge, a dining area and 10 rustic cottages with thatched roofs. The afternoon is free.

Lake Nakuru National Park

2 nights at Mbweha Camp

There is the option to enjoy an escorted walk with a Mbweha guide during your free time, who will introduce you to the flora and fauna of the area.

Depart on a full day of game driving in the Park in your 4x4 safari vehicle. The Lake Nakuru National Park was created in 1968 to protect the huge flocks of greater and lesser flamingos that breed and nest at the edge of Lake Nakuru, and which give the lake it's characteristic pink rim. It is also one of the few places to see the endangered black rhino alongside the white rhino. Other wildlife that can be spotted includes Rothschild's giraffe, Cape buffalo, waterbuck, lion, leopard, zebra, gazelle, impala, eland and the hyrax. The Park also has extremely large pythons, who mainly inhabit the dense woodlands, but can often be seen crossing the roads or dangling from trees.

Depart after an early breakfast for the drive down to the Masai Mara Reserve, arriving in time for a late lunch. Tipilikwani is situated on the banks of the Talek River overlooking the mottled plains of the Masai Mara, where vast herds of wildlife co-exist with the colourful Masai people. Tipilikwani's tents enjoy river frontage and are decorated with warm, rich Masai colours.

Masai Mara

2 nights at Tipilikwani Mara Camp

After lunch, depart on a game drive to see what wildlife you can spot. The Masai Mara National Reserve is one of the most popular and most visited African game reserves. A true 'Out of Africa' safari destination, the reserve is mostly made up of open plains, baked golden by the African sun. Big cats, elephants, giraffe, wild dog, buffalo, rhino, hyena, wildebeest, gazelles and impala are just a few of the many animal species that can be spotted on your daily game drives (no night drives are allowed in the actual reserve itself), and more than 1,000 species of birds have also been recorded. The sheer density of game and birdlife makes this an exciting and rewarding safari destination, for first-time safari goers or for returning safari enthusiasts.

Depart today on game drives across the reserve. During the months of August through to October, you may be able to witness the 'Great Migration', where literally thousands upon thousands of wildebeest, zebra and gazelles gather to graze on the central Mara plains, tired and exhausted after their long and arduous trek from the Serengeti plains in neighbouring Tanzania to reach fresh grazing land.