This compact 7-day safari, contrasts the cool green of the forests of Mount Kenya, with the strikingly arid beauty of the northern Samburu National Reserve, before allowing for two whole days on safari in the magnificence of the world-famous Masai Mara National Reserve. Capitalizing on both road and air transport, it also features one of Kenya’s most renowned and gracious hotels and a two of her most charming luxury tented camps. 

Day 1, Saturday: Nairobi to Mount Kenya

Arriving at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be met by our representative and introduced to your dedicated driver/guide. Heading north of Nairobi, you will drive through the green valleys that skirt the foothills of Mount Kenya before winding up her forested slopes to arrive in the private wilderness that surrounds the Mount Kenya Safari Club. Lunch will be served at the Club while in the afternoon you are free to relax and enjoy any of the activities offered by the Club. Dinner and overnight at the Club.

About Mount Kenya National Park

One of the world’s highest National Parks, Mount Kenya is an extinct volcano some three-and-a half million-years-old, which sits astride the equator, and is uniquely capped with tropical ice. Cloaked in a mosaic of forest, moorland, rock and glacial ice, this national icon is crowned by the glittering peaks of Batian (5,199 m) and Nelion (5,188 m). Kenya’s highest mountain, an Afro-Alpine wildlife stronghold, and the nation’s namesake, Mount Kenya is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site and the sacred abode of Ngai, the God of the Kikuyu people.

Wildlife highlights: giant forest hog, tree hyrax, white-tailed mongoose, elephant, black rhino, suni, black-fronted duiker, bongo, leopard, Mount Kenya mouse shrew, hyrax, duiker and the endemic mole-rat. Birds: 130 recorded species.

Day 2, Sunday: Mount Kenya to the Samburu National Reserve

After a lavish buffet breakfast at the Club, continue your journey north to the Samburu National Reserve arriving in time for a relaxed lunch at Samburu Intrepids Club. In the afternoon, take your first game drive through this remote, arid and beautiful reserve. Return in the late afternoon in time for a swim, drinks overlooking the wildlife of the river, and dinner in the rustically thatched central dining room. 

About the Samburu National Reserve

Gloriously dramatic, the 104 sq kilometres of the Samburu National Reserve feature rocky battlements, tumbling scarps, palm-fringed rivers and mile upon mile of dry thorn scrub, which provides sanctuary for an exclusive range of essentially northern wildlife. A place of endless skies and hazy hills, the reserve skirts the forbidding cliffs of Ololokwe Mountain and is irrigated by the winding coils of the Ewaso Nyiro River, home to wallowing hippos and basking crocodiles. Standing on the edge of the vast desert once known as the Northern Frontier District, this harsh but stunning landscape provides one of the few sanctuaries in Kenya for the endangered Grevy’s zebra, the rare Beisa oryx and the blue-shanked Somali ostrich whilst large herds of elephant roam the gaunt hills by day, returning at dusk to bathe on the banks of the river. 

Wildlife highlights: elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, jackal, buffalo, hippo, zebra, oryx, gerenuk, gazelle, gerenuk, hyrax and klipspringer. Birds: 395 recorded species. 

Day 3, Monday: On safari in the Samburu National Reserve

Take an early-morning game drive: the best time to view the animals, which tend to be more active in the cool of the day. Return to camp for a full English breakfast and a little relaxation before lunch.  In the afternoon explore another area of this exceptionally varied reserve before returning to camp for dinner. 

Day 4, Tuesday: To the Masai Mara National Reserve

After breakfast in camp, drive to Samburu Airstrip for your flight to the Masai Mara National Reserve. Upon arrival at the airstrip, you will be met by your driver guide who will take you on your first game drive in this famous reserve, arriving at your luxury tented camp, Mara Intrepids in time for lunch. In the cool of the afternoon take another game-drive amid the rolling savannah of the Mara, which offers the ideal hunting ground for Kenya’s famous ‘big cats’, hosting Kenya’s largest population of lions.  In the late afternoon return to the camp in time for a swim, game-viewing on the riverside, and dinner. 

About the Masai Mara National Reserve

World-renowned for the breathtaking spectacle of ‘the greatest wildlife show on earth’, the annual migration of over one million wildebeest and their attendant cast of plains game and predators, the Mara is Kenya’s most visited protected area. Technically an extension of Tanzania’s renowned Serengeti National Park, the Mara constitutes only 4% of the entire Serengeti ecosystem but its rolling grasslands, meandering rivers and towering escarpments offer one of the world’s most rewarding and evocative wildlife arenas.

Wildlife highlights: large herds of elephant and buffalo, lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena, Masai giraffe, plains game, hippo, Nile crocodile, baboon, vervet, blue and red-tailed monkeys, nocturnal bush babies, and tree hyrax. More than 550 recorded species of birds.

Day 5 & 6, Wednesday and Thursday: On safari in the Masai Mara National Reserve

With two full days on Safari in the magnificent Mara, with morning and afternoon game drives, you have ample time to discover all that this globally famous wilderness has to offer. When it comes to game-viewing, there is nowhere in Africa richer in wildlife or more eventful in encounters than the Mara. A pristine wilderness of haunting beauty, it promises its visitors a profusion of wildlife, prolific bird life and the unprecedented opportunity of catching up with all the members of the ‘Big Five’ in one morning. All meals will be served at the camp.

Day 7, Friday: The Masai Mara National Reserve

After breakfast in camp, enjoy a short game drive to the airstrip where you will board your flight to Nairobi’s Wilson Airport, which lies just ten minutes from the city centre. Thereafter transfer either to your Nairobi hotel, or to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, which is a 20 minute drive away.