Kenya – Empakaai Cultural Safari

Book your safari: Wildlife of Kenya in 8 days

This exciting and diverse safari takes 8 days on the road – 8 days of getting to know Kenya and watching its amazing wildlife (but it’s guaranteed that you will feel like you’ve been away for longer!). In total you will be in Kenya for 10 days, including the day of your arrival to Kenya and the day of your departure back home.

We book your preferred type of accommodation for you:

Together we will make the right choice of accommodation for you, taking into account your budget and your preferences. Many options are possible in all locations of this trip (and pretty much everywhere in Kenya). You can choose between camping in self-raised tents with public facilities, or spending a night in simple cottages or bandas (traditional houses with a thatched roof), or using comfortable tented camps with private shower and sanitary facilities attached to your tent. Beautiful comfortable hotels are ready for you in Nairobi and top class safari lodges are available in all National Parks in Kenya.

Transport for small groups:

Our safari vehicles are very comfortable for groups of 4-6 friends or family. The cost of renting your safari vehicle, hiring the professional and experienced driver, fuel costs will be shared by all travellers in your group.

No set departure dates! Travel when it suits you best.

Contact us as early as you approximately know your plan: for how many days you are available, how many people you travel with and when you plan to come. The earlier we start planning together with you, the better for availability of any additional options, especially during the popular months of July, August and December.

Here is the trip itinerary day-by-day:

Arrival Day:

Your flight arrival to Kenya!
I meet you at Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Welcome to Kenya!
Night in Nairobi (after maybe some sightseeing in the city, depending on your arrival time).

Day 1:

Nairobi: door to East African wildlife:

David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust: elephant orphanage
Karen Blixen House: Out of Africa
Afternoon game drive in Nairobi National Park
Dinner and night in Nairobi

David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and their amazing elephant orphanage

It’s feeding time at Giraffe’s center in Nairobi

Traditional atmosphere of good old days at Karen Blixen’s

Touch the history in Nairobi’s Karen Blixen House

Day 2:

Nairobi – Maasai Mara:

Scenic drive through Great Rift Valley to the famous and beautiful Maasai Mara National Reserve
Photostops and lunch
Sunset dinner and night in Maasai Mara

Day 3:

Maasai Mara National Reserve:

Early morning start (optional – hot air balloon starting before sunrise)
Game drive: magnificent landscapes and surprising wildlife. Picnic lunch
Campfire dinner and night in Maasai Mara

Day 4:

Maasai Mara – Lake Naivasha:

Visit to Maasai village after breakfast
Drive to the highest lake of Great Rift Valley – beautiful Lake Naivasha
Dinner and night on Lake Naivasha shores.

Day 5:

Lake Naivasha and Mount Longonot:

Hike to Mount Longonot green crater
Lunch in Naivasha town
Boat trip to Crescent Island

Can’t miss majestic pelicans while birdwatching on Lake Naivasha

Day 6:

Lake Naivasha to Ol Pejeta:

Scenic drive towards Mount Kenya
Lunch next to Thomson Falls
Sunset dinner and night at Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Day 7:

Ol Pejeta Conservancy:

Game drive with Mount Kenya views
Rhino sanctuary visit and story of northern white rhinos
Chimpanzee center experience (or horseback riding)

Chimpanzees recover and learn to live in wilderness here

Day 8:

Ol Pejeta to Nairobi:

Goodbyes to Mount Kenya
Photostops and lunch with a view
Dinner in Nairobi

Departure day:

Depending on your flight departure time, there is maybe time to visit:

Nairobi National Park
Giraffe center
Nairobi National Museum

Narobi National Park lets you experience wildlife while you are close to the big city

Transfer to Nairobi International Airport and your flight back home. See you back soon in your new Africa home!

Drop us an email on Empakaai.cultural.safari@gmail.com – we always listen carefully to your wishes and make suggestions to create a perfect travel plan.

On our instagram page @empakaai_cultural_safari you will find further inspiration and information about places to visit in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Kenya’s hidden gem: Meru National Park

Mount Kenya region

Welcome to one of the largest and most beautiful National Parks of Kenya. Meru National Park is a vast and varied ecosystem, situated to the east of Mount Kenya. It does not often get included into the trip itineraries, whilst it is definitely worth a long and thorough exploration. Meru National Park is a perfect destination for a curious wildlife enthusiast with passion for calm landscapes, long game drives, the story of Lioness Elsa of Born Free, encounters with Big Five and watching beautiful birds.

Meru National Park was one of the two areas where Joy and George Adamson raised the lioness Elsa. The grave of Elsa is located on the National Park’s territory: at the Park’s southern end, off the northern bank of Ura River.
This is a birdwatcher’s paradise with over 400 bird species recorded.
Established as a National Park in 1966 and governed by Kenya Wildlife Service.
Home of African bush elephant, hippo, Grevy’s zebra, leopard, cheetah, eastern black rhino, southern white rhino and many others.

Waterways, home to many wild inhabitants, define many game drive routes here

Grasslands and doum palms of Meru National Park

Roads are comfortable even for a full day game drive

Waterbuck, zebra, lesser kudu, hartebeest share generous grasslands

There are two roads to Meru National Park from Nairobi:

Via Nyeri and Nanyuki. This travel option is perfect for those who wish to visit Aberdare area, Mount Kenya and game reserves nearby (we recommend Ol Pejeta game reserve), and Samburu National Park. You will experience a drive with increasing altitudes, stunning scenery and many encounters with developing rural Kenya.
Via Embu to Meru. A busier road with local traffic, more suitable for experienced drivers familiar with the area.

Ikweta Safari Camp

We recommend Ikweta Safari Camp: the home of affordable safari luxury, just 2 km away from the Murera Gate of Meru National Park. Their tents are large, beautifully decorated with local crafts and well equipped with carefully maintained facilities. At Ikweta Safari Camp you will also find an excellent swimming pool, well supplied restaurant and a great setting for a romantic dinner under the star studded sky.

Relaxed, cosy and private
All comforts in your tent
Reading, chatting or just observing and listening to nature?
Nature is always nearby, even when you take a nap

Planning your trip to Meru National Park

Empakaai Cultural Safari team is always here to help you plan and organise your trip to Meru National Park, or create a tailor made trip including this exciting hidden gem of Kenyan wildlife.

Treat your body, mind and senses with wild nature of Meru National Park… and a stunning sunset!

Visit our Instagram @empakaai_cultural_safari for more impressions from Meru National Park. Write to us: empakaai.cultural.safari@gmail.com

BOOKINGS OPEN: 15 days small group safari to Kenya & Tanzania starts on 5 November

We are looking for 6 travelers ready to start intensive and exciting safari in Kenya and Tanzania:

– Start on 5th November in Nairobi

– Small group safari: 6 guests maximum

– 15 days in Kenya and Tanzania

– Extensions possible: beach time in Tiwi (Mombasa coast in Kenya) or in Zanzibar (Tanzania)

– Combination of camping, tented camps, budget hotels

– Five most beautiful National Parks of both countries: Lake Nakuru, Maasai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Amboseli. And many interesting places in between!

– Based on full board: a good cook will travel with us.

– Price starting at 2100 US Dollars, final price will be confirmed based on the final accommodation plan and included activities (all agreed with the group!)

Who would you like to join you on safari? Tell your friends and family, and we will be happy to welcome you to Kenya and Tanzania.

Are you ready for your dream safari in November? Drop us an email on empakaai.cultural.safari@gmail.com

And don’t forget to check our latest trip pictures on Empakaai Cultural Safari Instagram account @empakaai_cultural_safari

Memories for life

Every Empakaai Cultural Safari trip is special and unique, and our trip with Cindy, Fredrik, Carina and Patrik was all of that and even more. We opened up new destinations, such as Tsavo West National Park and Mombasa Coast. We saw wildlife in its pure and raw moments, when every detail of a cheetah hunt and capture was unfolding in front of us. We went through happy moments and challenging moments – and we admired the happy mood and the talent of Cindy, Fredrik, Carina and Patrik to enjoy every little detail and every nice moment. And we are now truly thankful to receive and share this wonderful review letter that we received from them:

” In May 2016, I received a new follower on Instagram – Empakaai Cultural Safari. I looked more closely at the profile and saw that Moses Nkapiani worked as a guide, especially in Kenya and Tanzania. Me and my husband have been in South Africa and Namibia before and we were interested to go back to Africa again, so I sent a message to Moses and asked him for advice – what he recommended? 10 days later, we had booked a flight to Nairobi and hired Moses as a guide! My husband’s brother and his wife also came with us.

Six months later, we landed in the early morning and fumbled out of the airport in a dark Nairobi. Outside I saw a tall and stately masai, with a red blanket over his shoulders. I recognized his face from Instagram – Moses!

Then a 16 days long adventure began and it has given us memories for life. We visited several of Kenya and Tanzania’s beautiful national parks – Masai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Amboseli and Tsavo West – and we got to experience so much. We saw a leopard with his prey in a tree, we saw two lions mate, a cheetah trap her prey and an impala which had just come into the world.
After we seen so many lion flocks that we lost count and seen our fourth leopard Moses found that we were very lucky and said; If you have an open heart luck comes to you. However, we believe that it had a lot to do with our guide. As masai, grown up in the bush, Moses have the right eyes!

And, it was not just us who were impressed by Moses. Another tour guide said; you know that Moses is one of Kenya’s best guides? And, another tourist who met Moses on a previous trip came up and said; you know you are lucky and pointed towards Moses.

We know that these statements aren’t a coincidence given everything Moses did for us and all the knowledge he possesses. Speaking of “If you have an open heart, luck comes to you”… of all people in the world, I managed to contact Moses. How lucky!
Now we have raised Moses to the skies (which he’s worth), but we should not forget the rest of the crew, Allan – our driver in Kenya, Tonkei – Moses son, Benjamin – our chef and our driver in Tanzania “The Jungle Master ‘. All the guys were superb!
And, then it is one more person who should have a lot of credit. Before the trip, we had contact with Moses colleague Olena and she was the one who made the whole trip possible. She was the one who answered all our questions and helped us put together a good program. Olena gave us a basic proposal, which we could rework together, according to our requests and our budget. Olena is incredibly helpful and is always quick to respond. She is super nice!

We can highly recommend a trip with Empakaai Cultural Safari. Everything was well organized and everyone took care of us in the best way. We experienced so much that it is impossible to describe everything. Besides all animal experiences, one of our best memories is our three nights in tents. The feeling of waking up in the African wilderness is both magical and powerful. During those nights, we also had our own chef who cooked good food for us. To camp a few nights is a must. Something else you can’t miss, is a visit to a Masai village and learn about their history and culture. It´s very interesting.

Take the chance to experience wonderful people, wildlife, other cultures, nature and feel life, real life! Asante sana Empakaai Cultural Safari!

Cindy, Fredrik, Carina and Patrik from Sweden”

Would like to know more about the trip of Cindy and family? Don’t wait too long with planning your own dream trip in Kenya and Tanzania – just go for it and we are here to help you!
Check our our Instagram profile for more inspiration and ideas (this button below will take you there):

Or drop us a quick email on empakaai.cultural.safari@gmail.com and we will be happy to discuss your plans with you! Welcome!

Trip feedback: Our mentor in Africa

We are very thankful for this positive review to our guests Sara and Alberto, who traveled with us on a private trip in October 2016.

Thank you dear Sara and Alberto, it was a pleasure to travel with you, as you’ve been open, flexible and enjoying every moment!

“Hello everybody!

We wanted to contribute our part to a great company and share our opinion with people who are thinking about making a trip to Kenya and Tanzania.

We returned two weeks ago after spending 19 days in Kenya and Tanzania. Before doing this trip we were going crazy trying to find something that would fit our needs. Now we say – we have not only found it, but we are totally delighted, with the trip, with the experience and above all with people whom we met. Thanks to them we have been able to live this adventure.

It began with Olena as we contacted her before the trip. She explained every detail, responded instantly and began to make this a reality. Titus our driver and guide in Kenya, Stanley and Costa, our guide and cook in Tanzania, each and every one of them made our trip an unforgettable experience. And we will never forget the great Moses, our mentor in Africa. He has been our guide, our teacher. He was not afraid to roll up his sleeves and help us, with border procedures, maintaining our security, or making hundreds of miles to take us to the airport and say goodbye to us. We can only be very grateful.

For people who are thinking of traveling to these countries – first we thought to do the trip by ourselves, but after our experience we know that this was the best way. Empakaai Cultural Safari www.empakaaiculturalsafari.com is a small company. Moses is in charge of getting everything done with the help of people we mentioned. Our trip had a very tight price, which was important for us, and we got it adapted to our needs, itineraries, accommodations, etc.

All in all our trip exceeded our expectations. We learned about the culture, mixed with people and got to know these two great countries.

Sara and Alberto”

The original text is posted on the travel forum Los Viajeros (in Spanish language):

Empakaai cultural safari: Kenia, Tanzania, Zanzíbar

And here is the trip itinerary of Sara and Alberto:

Day 1: Nairobi to Lake Nakuru

Day 2: Lake Nakuru to Maasai Mara

Day 3 and Day 4: Maasai Mara

Day 5: Maasai Mara to Lake Naivasha

Day 6: Lake Naivasha to Amboseli

Day 7: Amboseli

Day 8: Amboseli (Kenya) to Karatu (Tanzania)

Day 9: Karatu to Serengeti

Day 10: Serengeti

Day 11: Serengeti to Ngorongoro

Day 12: Ngorongoro to Mto Wa Mbu

Day 13: Mto Wa Mbu – Arusha – Zanzibar

Day 14 – Day 19: Zanzibar

Want to start planning your own adventure to Africa, but don’t know where to start? Just contact us on empakaai.cultural.safari@gmail.com

And on our Instagram account you will always see fresh photo impressions from our recent trips: animals of Africa, landscapes, places to visit, accommodations, activities and special moments! Our Instagram: empakaai_cultural_safari