Unique Holiday Experience – Kenya

Arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and after clearing with Immigration and Customs formalities, proceed to the International arrivals area where you will be warmly met by a representative of Berleen Safaris and you will be transferred to Sarova Stanley/ Sarova Panafric.

Overnight at Sarova Stanley/ Sarova Panafric 

(Meals: Dinner)

After breakfast at your city hotel, depart by road driving across the equator from the Southern to the Northern Hemisphere, and onwards to the semi-arid region of the Samburu Game Reserve. 

The name Samburu is of Maasai origin, a ‘samburr’ is a traditional leather bag the Masai use for carrying honey and milk. This region is characterized by vast, open landscapes, dried riverbeds (depending on the season of the year) and its red volcanic soil. Rock outcroppings contrast against the dense woodland vegetation along the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River, the river that gives life to the reserve. The area is home to the Samburu tribe, who are ‘cousins’ to the Maasai people with their own distinct cultural traditions.

Arrive at the camp in time for lunch, followed by some leisure hours for a siesta or swim before you depart for an afternoon game viewing drive, and return to the camp before sunset.

All meals and overnight at Samburu Ashnil or Similar 

(Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

This full day in the reserve will be spent searching for the big five, the Samburu five and observing the vast unspoiled scenery during morning and afternoon game viewing drives. The park is plentiful with crocodiles that bask on muddy riverbanks and velvet monkeys that frolic in the late afternoon sun. Samburu is renowned for its rare species of fauna known as the ‘Samburu five’. These five particular animals are usually only found north of the equator – the long necked gerenuk, the reticulated giraffe which is characterized by its liver-colored geometric patches defined by narrow white lines, the Grevy’s zebra which is smaller than the common zebra and looks more like a horse, the beisa oryx with black horizontal stripe running across its lower flank and the Somali ostrich males which have blue-grey necks and thighs.

You will also have a chance to visit the local Samburu village where you get a chance to interact with the colorful Samburu people in their traditional setting and experience their culture. This is good opportunity to purchase traditional Samburu souvenirs, art and collectibles.

All meals and overnight at Samburu Ashnil or Similar 

(Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

After breakfast, drive to Sweetwaters Tented Camp. Sweetwaters land, the Ol Pejeta Conservancy and its sumptuous ranch were once the private domain of famed multi-millionaire, Adnan Khashoggi.

We visit the Chimpanzee Sanctuary, a charming haven established by the Jane Goodall Institute to provide sanctuary to orphaned chimps, and the specially protected and fenced refuge of black rhino with its stunning forty specimens! In fact Sweetwaters boasts excellent game viewing with the highest ratio of game to area of any park or reserve in Kenya. Moreover, the camp has its own private waterhole and salt lick so we’ll be guaranteed unprecedented close encounters. Whether its day or night game drives, camel trekking, lion tracking, al fresco dining or relaxing by pool, Sweetwaters is bound to delight.

All meals and overnight at Sweetwaters Tented Camp 

(Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

Last early morning game drive in Olpejeta Conservancy. Drive to Sarova Lion Hill to arrive in time for lunch via Thompsons falls. Afternoon game drives in search of wildlife in Lake Nakuru National Park.

Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge is nestled along the Lion Hill overlooking the spectacular flamingo pink rimmed Lake Nakuru. Its location affords panoramic views of the lake and the picturesque Lake Nakuru National Park. A short two-hour drive from Nairobi, Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge is a favourite with residents and visitors to Kenya. Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge is cleverly laid out in such a way that most rooms and sitting areas afford stunning views of the lake and the park. The Lodge incorporates natural landscaping with tall acacia trees, winding walkways and greens dotted with bird feeds.

All meals and overnight at Sarova Lion Hill or Similar

(Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

After breakfast, drive through the Rift Valley floor to Masai Mara National Reserve offering wonderful scenery and plenty of game. It is perhaps the only region left in Kenya where the visitor may see animals in the same super-abundance as existed a century ago. Arrive for lunch at your lodge .Enjoy afternoon game viewing drive in this vast and expansive reserve teeming with game. Mara game reserve is famous for her big five; the most sought after in the early 20th century, when Kenya was a hunters’ paradise. These include the lion, Cape buffalo, the savanna elephant, black rhino and the elusive leopard. The vast savanna grasslands as far as the eye can see is home to impalas, masai giraffe, waterbuck, wart hog, Thompson & grand gazelle, topi, the resident wildebeest among many others.

Dinner and overnight at Mara Sarova or similar
(Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

Spend two more days game viewing in this wildlife haven. 

Your driver guide will plan your days with you, which can be as active or as leisurely as you wish. You may decide to spend the whole day in the park with picnic lunches or enjoy a morning game drive and return to the camp for a leisurely lunch and time to relax before going out game viewing again in the cooler hours of the afternoon.

Masai Mara is one of Africa’s greatest wildlife reserves. Acacia dotted plains, tree-lined rivers and woodlands are abundant with wildlife and an array of birdlife. Game viewing is spectacular year round; you may see a pride of lions stalking their prey, observe a herd of elephant and their fascinating social structure, or see pods of hippo wallowing in the rivers. The Mara plays host to one of the natural wonders of nature – The Great Wildebeest Migration. An estimated two million animals migrate in a year-round pattern through Tanzania and Kenya, following the rain.

A visit to a Maasai is an interesting experience. As you arrive at the village, excited children and adults welcome you with song and dance, At certain times, one of the dancers will jump up and down gracefully. The jumps are several feet high! You will be invited to try jumping -(dancing), too, to your dismay you will be no match for their levitation act!! You will then be welcomed into one of the homesteads in the village, The village huts (called Manyatta) are made of cow dung and clay plastered over stick frames. this is quite practical, the Masai maintain cattle herds, and the dung is always in generous supply, and it’s free. You will have an insight into Maasai life. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about the history and lifestyle of these Maasai. 

Dinner and overnight at Mara Sarova or Similar
(Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

After breakfast, drive back to Nairobi where lunch will be served and later enjoy a city tour of Nairobi and last-minute shopping (If time permits) and later you are transferred to the Airport for your evening departure flight back home

Berleen Safaris look forward to hosting you!!!