Big 5 Safari 11 days/10 nights Safari

12 photos

Nairobi National Park, David Sheldrick, Samburu National Reserve, Solio Ranch, Aberdares National Park, Syosambu Conservancy, Maasai Mara National Reserve

Description

Included/Excluded

Tour Plan

Reviews

Step into the world of the Big 5 on this exhilarating 11-day expedition. Explore Kenya’s most iconic wildlife destinations from the untouched wilderness of Samburu National Reserve to the close rhino encounters in Solio Ranch, the thick bush of Aberdare National Park, to the bird-filled shores of Lake Nakuru and Elementaita and finally the legendary big cats of the Masai Mara. These locations offer excellent opportunities to spot Africa’s renowned Big 5 game animals, and diverse landscapes.

Memorable Aspects;

Game drive in the world’s only national park in the capital city. It offers game drives with the Nairobi skyline as a backdrop, home to lions, rhinos, buffalo, and other wildlife.
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust experience: Baby elephants bottle-fed with a special milk formula, observing them play and interact in the mud baths, and learning about individual elephant stories and the broader conservation work of this Wildlife Trust.
Spotting the unique wildlife in Samburu, home to the Samburu Special Five
Farm to table dining experience at Trout Tree Restaurant; where the food’s journey is from water to plate immediately and local, accompanied by the sounds of nature and wildlife.
Safari walk: Accompanied by an armed ranger for a closer look at the bush.
Intimate wildlife encounters: With an expert local guide tracking, spotting movements and making sightings of elusive species.
Highland forest exploration in Aberdare
Night game drive: In the private Syosambu conservancy, you can experience the thrill of spotting nocturnal animals after dark.
Maasai Mara: Highest density of big cats and seasonal migration of wildebeests and zebras

Itinerary at a glance

Day	Highlights	Overnight
Day 1	Early morning game drive Nairobi National Park + Visit to Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage.	Nairobi
Day 2	Transfer to Rhino Watch Safari Lodge. Afternoon visit Aberdare Game Sanctuary for a Giraffe Walk.	Rhino Watch, Muiga Nyeri
Day 3	Transfer to Shaba & Samburu National Reserve. Afternoon Game drive.	Samburu
Day 4	Game drive Shaba & Samburu Game Reserves	Samburu
Day 5	Morning Game drive Samburu. Lunch at Trout Tree Restaurant. Afternoon at Leisure.	Rhino Watch, Muiga Nyeri
Day 6	Full Day trip to Solio Conservancy. Picnic Lunch. Afternoon Game drives.	Rhino Watch, Muiga Nyeri
Day 7	Full Day trip to Aberdare National Park. Picnic Lunch. Late afternoon depart for Mbweha Camp. Night Game drive.	Mbweha Soysambu Conservancy
Day 8	Transfer to Maasai Mara. Afternoon Game Drive.	Maasai Mara
Day 9, 10	Full Days Maasai Mara Game Drives	Maasai Mara
Day 11	Departure. Drive to Nairobi JKIA for departure flight.

Included/Excluded

Full board accommodation (breakfast, lunch and dinner) while on safari
Lunch at the Trout Tree Restaurant
Giraffe safari walk at Aberdare Game Sanctuary
PRIVATE transport and game drives in our top of the range customised 4 x 4 Land Cruisers (complete with a pop-up roof and sliding windows for optimised game and sightseeing)
Complimentary bottled mineral water per person per day often provided during game drives
Services of a professional, experienced English-Speaking safari driver/guide
Game drives and Park entrance fees to the listed parks and national reserves on the itinerary.
Night game drive experience in Syosambu Conservancy
All meet and greet services
Pick up and drop off at the Airport
Safari accessories: - First aid kit, wildlife referral books, a pair of quality binoculars, cool box and fire extinguisher.
24 hours stand-by Customer Service contact number

International flights - From/to home (we can help select your flights, but you'll have to book them on your own)
Items of personal nature. (e.g., Travel Insurance, Visa fees, Telephone call bills, laundry, Souvenirs etc.) Note: To enter Kenya, an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) is required.
Tips & gratuities to hotel, lodges, camp staff and driver guide(s) - (Note that gratuities should be given as a reward of exceptional service and is at your own discretion - Guideline US$ 10 per person per day)
Extra Meals and beverages not included in the accommodation meal plan
Cost incurred by all optional activities
Accommodation in Nairobi (Pre/Post Safari) Depending on your itinerary and arrival/departure times (we can arrange this for you at an extra cost)

Tour Plan

Day 1 Explore Nairobi National Park

An early start is set for the day to visit Nairobi National Park and the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage.

You will start with a morning game drive in Nairobi National Park as early as 0630Hrs, so as to capture most of the animals early morning before the sun gets hot. Nairobi national park is the only national park in the world to be situated within a city. It is just7 kilometers away from the center of Nairobi with backdrop city skyscrapers.

Wildlife in the pack includes lions, leopards, African buffaloes, hippos, spotted hyenas, blue wildebeests, grant’s gazelles, common elands, impalas, olive baboon, black-backed jackal among others.

After exploring the park in the morning hours until 1100am head straight to the David Sheldrick Elephant orphanage where you will have an opportunity to interact with orphaned baby elephants until 12pm. When a tiny new-born elephant is orphaned, it is often because its mother and family have been killed to serve the brutal ivory trade. During this hour, visitors can observe the baby elephants being fed with milk bottles, playing in the mud, and interacting with their keepers. Visitors can also learn about the elephants' individual stories and the Trust's conservation efforts.

Thereafter, before we drop you back at your hotel, we can take you for lunch at a recommended Restaurant. (Meal at an extra cost)

Accommodation:

Budget: Ibis Style Nairobi Hotel , Weston Hotel , Kazuri Safari Camp
Midrange: Wildebeest Eco Camp , Tamarind Tree Hotel , Safari Park Hotel
Luxury: Ole Sereni Nairobi Hotel , Nairobi Tented Camp , The Tribe Hotel

Day 2 Nairobi to Rhino Watch Lodge

After breakfast, you will be picked by our safari driver ready to begin your safari.

Enjoy a 3-hour scenic drive to the Kenyan highlands in the central Kenya.

The drive may include stops at fruit markets or the Tana River where fishermen catch Tilapia. Arrive in time for lunch your Lodge and check in.

In the afternoon, visit Aberdare Game Sanctuary only 15 minutes away from the Lodge that offers the opportunity to go on a game walk with a herd of Giraffes which you can approach up to a few meters.

Later return to the Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation:

- Budget: Comfort Gardens Sweetwaters , Nanyuki
- Mid range: Rhino Watch Lodge
- Luxury: Fairmont Mt. Kenya Safari Club , Sarova Maiyan, Nanyuki , Maisha Sweetwaters Camp

Day 3 Rhino Watch to Shaba/Samburu National Reserve

After breakfast at the Lodge, drive north via Nanyuki and Mt Kenya to the Shaba National Reserve, a small gem in the wildlife wilderness just two-and-a-half-hour away.

Shaba reserve takes its name from a cone of volcanic rock and is one of Kenya's most pristine game reserves.

Arrive in time for lunch at Sarova Shaba Game Lodge. After lunch enjoy an afternoon game drive in Samburu.

Samburu game reserve is renowned for its rare species of animals that can be found in this park, like the long-necked gerenuk, Gravy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, and the Beisa oryx. Giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck elephant and zebra trek from the surrounding savannah plains to the water. Samburu is also considered one of the best areas to observe leopard, lion and cheetah.

Dinner and overnight at your Lodge.

Accommodation:

Budget: Samburu Sopa Lodge , Samburu Simba Lodge
Midrange: Ashnil Samburu Camp
Luxury: Sarova Shaba Game Lodge , Samburu Intrepids , Elephant Bedroom Camp , Surana Buffalo Springs

Day 4 Explore Shaba/Samburu National Reserve

Breakfast at the Lodge.

Then spend the whole day exploring these amazing game reserves, it gives you the refreshment of your mind as the reserves are not populated and not many people visit here. Samburu is known for sightings of the “Samburu Special Five” – unique and endangered species like the Grevy’s Zebra, Somali ostrich, the reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, and Beisa oryx. African wild dogs are also found on the rugged terrain of this expansive park.

The nearby Shaba and Buffalo Springs Reserves offer a bit more greenery, plus lava terraces and other volcanic formations. The Park also holds over 900 elephants, plenty of lions, rhinos, leopards, buffalos, gerenuks, Reticulated giraffes, Somali ostriches, wild dogs as well as pancake tortoise which is an endangered species. Along the Ewaso Nyiro River lies the Nile crocodiles basking in the sun waiting for their prey. In the local language, the name Ewaso Nyiro means brown water due to the color of its waters throughout the year.

Lunch, dinner, and an overnight stay at your Lodge.

Day 5 Samburu to Rhino Watch

Another morning game drive in Samburu and a delicious breakfast may make it difficult for you to leave the Reserve.

Drive back to Rhino Watch Lodge with lunch enroute at Trout Tree Restaurant a unique Farm to Table dining venue set inside and around a giant fig tree. Enjoy your lunch and drive to your Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Budget: Comfort Gardens Sweetwaters , Nanyuki
Midrange: Rhino Watch Lodge
Luxury: Fairmont Mt. Kenya Safari Club , Sarova Maiyan, Nanyuki , Maisha Sweetwaters Camp

Day 6 Full day Solio Ranch/Solio Game Reserve

Breakfast at the Lodge. Depart with picnic lunches for a day of game viewing at Solio Game Reserve.

The Solio Ranch Conservancy is a privately owned and very special wildlife sanctuary. Surrounded by stunning landscapes, the former ranch is dedicated to saving and protecting rhinos in Kenya.

Enjoy thrilling game drives, guided walks and serene picnics amidst the picturesque scenery and not only marvel at the grey giants, but also animals like buffalos, zebras, giraffes, elands, oryx, impala, waterbucks, Thomson’s gazelles and warthogs.

Return to your Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 7 Rhino Watch to Aberdare National Park to the Great Rift Valley

Early breakfat at the Lodge. Check out with picnic lunches and head to explore Aberdare National Park. The Park contains a wide range of landscapes – from the mountain peaks that rise to 4,300 m above sea level, to their deep, v-shaped valleys intersected by streams, rivers, and large cascading waterfalls. The main ecosystems within the mountain range are rainforest giving way to dense bamboo forests and then moorland.

We will spend a full day in the park. At lunchtime, we will enjoy a picnic at 3,500 m altitude surrounded by a breathtaking landscape of waterfalls and forest and the sound of screaming monkeys in the treetops.

Later continue your safari to arrive in the evening at Mbweha Camp, nestled in the awe-inspiring Great Rift Valley within the private 6400-acre Syosambu Congreve Conservancy, bordering Lake Nakuru National Park. Enjoy dinner followed by a night game drive in the Conservancy.

Overnight at your Camp.

Accommodation:

Budget: Sentrim Elementaita Resort , Sirville Elementaita Lodge
Midrange: Elementaita Mountain Lodge
Luxury: Mbweha Camp , Elementaita Manor , LK. Elementaita Serena Camp

Day 8 Soysambu Conservancy to Maasai Mara Reserve

After breakfast at the Camp, proceed to the Masai mara game reserve to arrive in good time for lunch. Check-in, have lunch, and spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing in your tent waiting for the late evening when the temperature cools to head out on your first Mara game drive.

Masai Mara is one of Africa’s greatest wildlife reserves brimming with abundant wildlife and birdlife. Game viewing is spectacular year-round; with opportunities of witnessing a pride of lions stalking their prey, observe a herd of elephants and their fascinating social structure, or see pods of hippo wallowing in the rivers.

Return to your Lodge at sunset for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation:

Budget: Sentrim Mara Camp , Mara Sopa Lodge , AA Maasai Mara Lodge
Midrange: Zebra Plains Mara Camp , Mara Big Five Camp , Mara Simba Lodge
Luxury: Mara Maisha Camp , Sarova Mara Game Camp , Mara Serena Safari Lodge

Day 9 & 10 Full day Maasai Mara game drives

2 full days in the Mara that you can make a game viewing extravaganza!

The itinerary is flexible, and you can plan with your guide the day’s schedule. You can have a relaxed breakfast and depart for a full-day game drive with a picnic lunch. You will have better chances to view wildlife all day and return to the lodge late in the afternoon.

Alternatively, you can depart an early morning game drive. Later, return to your accommodation for breakfast and relax until midafternoon. Then, depart on an afternoon game drive.

Dinner and overnight at your Lodge.

Day 11 Departure

After breakfast, enjoy a final, scenic drive through the park before transferring back to Nairobi for your departure or onward travel.

Depending on your next stay or flight details, you will be dropped off at your desired hotel or the airport for your homebound flight.