Nairobi – Masai Mara Reserve, Kenya – Nairobi
Kenya, being East Africa’s most popular safari destination, warmly welcomes visitors who have come to witness their beautiful country. Most often, the first word you hear upon arrival will be the Swahili greeting Jambo meaning ‘Hello’, often followed with Hakuna Matata, meaning ‘No worries!’
It is recommended that you arrive at least a day before departure in order for you to recover from any jetlag, as well as to have some time to yourself in which you will be able to relax and have a chance to see the city. The Kenyan capital of Nairobi has grown vastly in recent years, but still maintains a relatively small city centre that is ideal for walking, a very intriguing city market, and numerous craft and book shops, as well as a variety of cafes and restaurants to try out.
Departing from the gorgeous Nairobi early on our first day, we begin our travels across the impressive Great Rift Valley, a gigantic fissure in the Earth’s surface that stretches from the Red Sea all the way across Madagascar, through to our destination – the Masai Mara National Reserve. Many incredible views and photographic opportunities will be available during this short journey here, during which we travel in small, safari vehicles that provide us with much more intimate wildlife views.
Two nights will be spent camping on the edge of the Reserve, giving you time to explore the park on fantastic morning and afternoon game drives. The magnificent continent of Africa is depicted extremely well by the vast, sweeping plains, the low-hanging acacia trees, the abundant fauna and flora and the awe-inspiring views of the horizons. The ‘Mara’ is crossed each year between the months of July and October by massive herds of wildebeest, zebra and other grazing animals during their migration from the adjoining Serengeti plains toward southern Tanzania. The length of the animals’ stay is dependent on rainfall and subsequent grass growth throughout the rainy season. Predators, such as lion, cheetah and leopard as well as scavengers, such as hyena and vultures, shadow the grazing animals in wait. This enormously spectacular congregation of wildlife forms a fantastic display of Africa’s natural resources and inhabitants. This being said, however, the Mara is still excellent for game viewing at most any time of year and, regardless of when you can visit, we aim to see as many of Africa’s ‘Big Five’ as possible (elephant, lion, rhino, buffalo and leopard), as well as an array of other wildlife.
It is from the Mara that we return to Nairobi where we will usually camp overnight before heading south to Tanzania.
Trip Highlights: Great Rift Valley, Masai Mara Game Reserve, Game Drives
Accommodation: Masai Mara – Chronicle Tented Camp. Nairobi, Karen Camp (Camping in twin share tents with shared facilities)
Meals included: Breakfast x 2, Lunch x 3, Dinner x 3
Distance Covered: +/-300kms on days 1 and 3
Approximate Driving Time: 5 hours (first day), Full days including game drives (second day), 5 hours (third day)
