Photo safari in Kenya

In flight

Arrival at Nairobi International Airport. French-speaking welcome and assistance at the airport.

Nairobi is the fourth largest city in Africa, a vibrant and exciting place and although it has developed a reputation that tends not to favor tourist visits, the city has some fascinating attractions: its coffee culture, a frenetic nightlife, the National Museum, the Karen Blixen Museum and above all, 20 minutes from the city center, wild lions and buffaloes roam peacefully in the world’s only urban reserve.

Dinner on your own. ($)

Breakfast at the hotel, followed by a briefing from your driver-guide, then drive via Narok to the famous Masai Mara reserve.

The Masai Mara National Reserve is, along with the Serengeti in Tanzania, the most famous natural park in Africa. The image of acacias on the endless plains is, for many, the illustration of Africa. The great annual migration across the Serengeti and Masai Mara is the largest mass movement of terrestrial mammals across the planet—with more than one million animals following the rains. But the observation doesn’t stop there; the large prides of lions, the elephants and giraffes of the savannahs, and the gazelles are some examples of the incredible fauna present in Masai Mara. Apart from traditional safari vehicles, the Mara is also famous for its hot air balloon flights or horseback safaris, which are fabulous ways to discover this earthly paradise.

Check-in and dinner at the Masai Mara Sopa Lodge.

Then in the late afternoon, photo safari in search of big cats and other animals, at the time when the light becomes ideal for photos until sunset.

Dinner at the lodge.

First morning photo safari, from dawn, before breakfast, as it’s the best time to observe the animals waking up and seeking out water points to refresh themselves.

Return to the lodge for breakfast, then free time.

Morning photo safari until lunchtime.

Lunch at the camp and free time.

In the afternoon, back into the bush. Maasai Mara offers you the best opportunity to see the main wild animals, notably the “Big Five.” Elephants, rhinoceroses, lions, leopards, and buffaloes wandering on the slopes of hills covered in acacias, along the river. During the day, you will visit a Maasai village.

Dinner at the lodge.

Breakfast. Then departure for Lake Naivasha, first descending into the “Rift Valley,” with impressive landscapes.

Arrival and check-in at the lodge.

Upon your arrival, dinner at Naivasha Sopa Lodge.

Afternoon, departure for a walking safari accompanied by a local guide on Crescent Island, a small private reserve located in the middle of Lake Naivasha, where you will have the opportunity to walk among giraffes, gnus, antelopes, and zebras.

Lake Naivasha is the highest-altitude lake in the Rift Valley, and although it has no outlet, it is one of the only two lakes in the “Rift Valley” that provides fresh water. This magnificent lake is bordered by papyrus and acacias and is home to more than 400 species of birds. Although it is more than 10 km wide, it is very shallow, and its surface area varies considerably depending on rainfall, to the point that in the early 1990s, it was completely dried up. Lake Naivasha and Crescent Island, a crescent-shaped peninsula, are a sanctuary for birds and host hundreds of species, including ibises, herons, and weavers.

Dinner at the lodge.

Breakfast, then departure for Lake Nakuru National Park with its impressive landscapes.

Lake Nakuru, the site of thousands of flamingos feeding in the shallow waters of the lake or taking off in unison, is an iconic Kenyan site and that’s where it happens. The soda lake and its surroundings host more than just flamingos, with over 400 bird species, and the national park is a sanctuary for the Rothschild giraffe, black and white rhinos, and many other plains game.

Then arrival in Nakuru Park and photo safari with picnic dinner. Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site, this salt lake, where thousands of flamingos have settled, is a must-see. You will discover numerous animal species, such as leopards, antelopes, Rothschild giraffes, hippos, and white and black rhinos strutting around the lake. The forests of euphorbias and yellow acacias add to this majestic spectacle.

Resumption of the journey to Naivasha in the late afternoon.

Check-in, dinner.

Breakfast and then departure for Amboseli National Park, located at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. This magnificent park is dominated by the colossal mass of one of the most majestic volcanoes: Kilimanjaro (5,892 m). Famous for its herds of elephants, the park offers rich and diverse wildlife.

The landscape of Amboseli National Park is dominated by the snow-capped summit of Kilimanjaro, vast plains, acacia forests, swamps, and the Ol Doinyo Orok mountains. Renowned for observing Maasai giraffes, elephants, lions, or even cheetahs, Amboseli is, unsurprisingly, one of the most popular reserves in Kenya. The park is perfectly suited for birdwatching, especially near the lakes and swamps. It is also known as the best place in Africa to approach elephants in the wild. You will also have the opportunity to meet the Maasai people and appreciate the spectacular view of Kilimanjaro, the world’s highest isolated mountain.

You will travel via Nairobi to the camp; upon arrival, check-in and dinner at the camp.

In the afternoon, photo safari in this park located in Maasai territory, with the sumptuous Mount Kilimanjaro as a backdrop—the roof of Africa, where splendid landscapes blend dense wildlife and acacia forests.

Dinner, return, and check-in at the hotel.

After breakfast, departure for a photo safari until dinnertime.

Dinner at the camp and free time.

In the afternoon, you will depart for your last photo safari in Amboseli National Park.

Return to the Kibo Safari Camp and supper.

Breakfast at the camp, then departure towards the private Taita sanctuary. This reserve owes its name to the impressive Taita mountain range and is located in the heart of Tsavo Park.

Dinner at the Taita Hills Lodge, where it is not uncommon to see numerous elephants come to drink just a few meters from the restaurant terrace!

You will conduct a first photo safari in the sanctuary in the afternoon, along the river in search of elephants at the foot of the hills where you may have the chance to encounter lions, cheetahs, elephants, and Taita Apalis.

At the end of the day, departure towards the Sarova Saltlick Lodge, built on stilts, facing a waterhole, where animals come to drink right in front of you.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

In the evening at nightfall, you will conduct a night safari.

After breakfast, you will head to Tsavo East National Park. This national park, the largest and oldest in the country, is characterized by rugged and arid landscapes, except along the Galana River. The red soils of Tsavo color the landscapes, the rivers, and even the animals that populate the park.

Most of Tsavo National Park is closed to the public and serves as a study and breeding area for wildlife. The authorized visiting areas evoke the Africa of early 20th-century explorers with its endless plains dotted with sparse baobabs. Beyond the park’s boundaries, these same inhospitable plains are traversed by nomadic hunters and herders of the Wata tribe… Wildlife is concentrated along the Galana River in superb landscapes.

Arrival in the park, and photo safari right from the park entrance, after the first encounters with elephants, buffaloes, giraffes…

Check-in and dinner at the lodge.

Afternoon photo safari within this park with its rich and varied wildlife, but which also offers magnificent landscapes to its visitors: the Yatta Plateau, Lugard Falls on the Galana River, and Mudanda Rock which overlooks a watering hole where many elephants come to drink in the dry season.

Return to the lodge before sunset. Dinner and overnight at Ashnil Aruba Lodge.

Route to Diani Beach (journey approximately 200 km / 4 h)

Breakfast, return towards Mombasa. Transfer to your hotel located on the south coast.

Check-in at the hotel on an all-inclusive basis.

Diani Beach: famous for its magnificent palm trees and white sand, bordered by azure waters, Diani Beach is a seaside resort located on the magnificent shore of the Indian Ocean in Kenya.

Dining:

• Meals are served in buffet form: international and African cuisine at the Karibu Restaurant, Jodari Restaurant, and Maridadi Restaurant.
• Snacks, sandwiches, and pastries available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Tapa Tapa Bar, Jambo Pool Bar, Swahili Lounge, and Kipepeo Bar.
• Local drinks unlimited from 10 a.m. to midnight at the Sultan Lounge, Suli Suli Bar, and Porini Bar (selection of beers, spirits, water, and wine by the glass at meals, sodas, and non-alcoholic beverages).
  A la carte restaurants “Le Marhaba” and “Tangezi,” with seafood specialties, open from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. (with supplement).

Sports and Leisure:

• 3 pools, Wi-Fi, sun loungers with umbrellas, beach towel rental, darts games, TV room, currency exchange, table tennis, pétanque, billiards, children’s animation club.
• 3 lighted tennis courts, volleyball, soccer, archery, aquagym, aerobic stretching.
• With supplement: windsurfing, catamaran, glass-bottom boat, snorkeling, scuba diving, big game fishing, and 18-hole golf nearby.
• An international animation team organizes daytime sessions of aerobics, aquagym, games, and sports. In the evening: shows of traditional dances and acrobats.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Dinner on your own ($).

Free day until transfer time.

Transfer from your hotel to Mombasa airport for your domestic flight to Nairobi for your return to Canada.