Cheetah Safari
For those looking for a slightly different tour, which takes in the arid beauty of Samburu, stunning views of Mount Kenya, the glorious and world‐renowned Masai Mara Reserve and the flamingos and rhinos of Lake Nakuru, this road safari makes the ideal choice. It offers optimum game‐viewing options, and the opportunity to view ‘The Big Five’ against a vivid selection of exceptionally varied backdrops.
Day 1: Arrival in Nairobi
Upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be met by our representative and transferred to the historic 5‐star Sarova Stanley Hotel. One of Nairobi’s oldest and best renowned city hotels.
Day 2: Nairobi to Samburu
After an early breakfast, drive north of Nairobi up the Great Rift Valley to the Samburu/Buffalo Springs National Reserve arriving in time for a late lunch at the lodge. After lunch, take a game drive in the twin Samburu and
Buffalo Springs Reserves, which provide one of the few sanctuaries in Kenya for the endangered Grevy’s zebra, the rare beisa oryx and the blue‐shanked Somali ostrich. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Distance/drive time: 380 km / 5.5 hours
Day 3: On safari in Samburu
Enjoy a full day on safari in Samburu (morning and afternoon game drives). In the evening, there is an option of sundowners before dinner in the central dining room.
A place of endless skies, dust‐red plains and palm‐fringed rivers, Samburu National Reserve lies on the fringes of the vast and arid desert once known as the Northern Frontier District, whose heat‐scorched scrublands extend all the way to the jade‐green waters of Lake Turkana and beyond. Physically dramatic, the 104 sq km landscape of the Reserve features rocky battlements, craggy scarps, dry river beds and fallen boulders rising out of the thorn scrub against a backdrop of the far‐distant hills and the great red table mountain known as Ololokwe.
Day 4: Samburu to Mount Kenya
Leave the lodge after breakfast and travel south along the flanks of Mount Kenya to enter 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. Straddling the equator, the mountain offers a unique mosaic of forest, moorland, rock and ice and is crowned by the glittering twin peaks of Batian (5,199 m) and Nelion (5,188 m).
Mount Kenya is Kenya’s highest mountain, a national icon, a climbers’ Mecca, the nation’s namesake, a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, and a wildlife stronghold. Anyone in reasonable health can attempt the steep trek to Point Lenana (4, 985 M), which is the highest point for trekkers. Wildlife highlights: includes; 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.
Distance/drive time: 220km / 3 hours
Day 5: Mount Kenya to Lake Nakuru
After breakfast, drive south to Lake Nakuru National Park in time for lunch at your lodge. In the afternoon enjoy your first glimpse of the Lake’s fabled 1.2 million flamingos, perhaps find rhinos grazing on the lakeshore (this park is the nation’s largest rhino sanctuary), and arrive back at the Lodge in time for a swim and a sumptuous buffet supper.
Distance/drive time: 240 km / 3.5 hours
Day 6: Nakuru to the Masai Mara
Leaving the lodge after breakfast, continue up the floor of Rift to arrive in the famous Masai Mara National Reserve, and arrive at your lodge in time for a late lunch. In the afternoon, enjoy your first game‐drive in the Mara.
World renowned for the breathtaking spectacle of ‘the greatest wildlife show on earth’, the awe inspiring annual migration of the wildebeest, 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. Returning to the lodge, enjoy a swim, perhaps relax with a sundowner at one of the lodge’s bars and dinner in the central restaurant.
Distance/drive time: 365 km / 5.5 hours
Day 7: On safari in the Mara
Spend all day on safari in the reserve with morning and afternoon game drives and breakfast, lunch and dinner at the lodge. 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.
Day 8: The Mara to Nairobi
After breakfast at the lodge, drive to Nairobi and take lunch at the world famous Carnivore Restaurant, rated among the top 500 restaurants in the world. Depart for your flight home.
Distance/drive time: 265 km / 4 hours