This route takes you to breathtakingly beautiful places of Kenya: from Mount Kenya to Samburu National Reserve, then to the three most amazing lakes of the Great Rift Valley, and finally to the Maasai Mara National Park. Enjoy close encounters with Kenya’s two most intriguing tribes: Samburu and Maasai.
Day 0. Welcome to Kenya
Arrive to the Nairobi International Airport and meet your Empakaai Cultural Safari crew. Transfer to your hotel in Nairobi.
Day 1. From Nairobi to Mount Kenya
We leave Nairobi in the morning and start our drive towards Mount Kenya. On our way we pass through villages of Bantu tribes. The magnificent Mount Kenya will be in our view during the today’s journey. We make photo stops along the road. Our destination is the Bantu Mountain Lodge, where we have lunch upon arrival. This afternoon we are going to visit Freedom Fighters caves (the Mau-Mau Caves), located at the foothills of Mount Kenya. The rest of the afternoon we will be doing a nature walk in this beautiful area, spotting birds and monkeys.
Day 2. From Mount Kenya to Samburu National Reserve
In the morning we start our drive towards the picturesque Samburu National Reserve. Our first stop will be in the town of Nanyuki where we do some shopping and have a cup of coffee. After leaving Nanyuki, it will take us a couple of hours to arrive to the Samburu National Reserve. Tonight we stay at the Community Camp, which is a campsite run by the local Samburu community. The campsite is located just outside the Samburu National Reserve gate. This afternoon we will visit a village of the Samburu tribe, where we get familiar with their unique way of living, talk to people and see their traditional dance. Engaging with the Samburu will be easy as the Empakaai guide comes from this area and speaks the local language! We’ll stay at the Samburu village until evening. We close the day with an evening game drive in the Samburu National Reserve.
Day 3. From Samburu National Reserve to Thomson Falls
This morning we get up early to get a chance to admire the beautiful nature of the Samburu National Reserve and to watch its amazing wildlife waking up under the morning sun. A morning game drive is on the program. We plan to be back to our camp to have brunch, and then continue our journey to Thomson Falls. Today we visit the charming Thomson Falls, named after their discoverer Josef Thomson. Tonight we have a dinner at an old colonial building and spend our night at the Thomson Falls Lodge.
Day 4. From Thomson Falls to Lake Nakuru
Early morning after breakfast at the lodge we start our drive direction Lake Nakuru National Park. We will visit the city of Nakuru and do some shopping at a local supermarket. The city of Nakuru is the fourth largest city of Kenya and was established during the colonial era. We’ll check in to our hotel and then continue with our afternoon program. This afternoon we get a chance to visit a local orphanage, where we will interact and play with children. We have our dinner at the hotel and call it an early night, as we have a morning game drive planned next day.
Day 5. From Lake Nakuru to Lake Baringo
We start the day with a morning game drive in the Lake Nakuru National Park. Here we have a good chance to see white rhino. If we are lucky, we might see black rhino too. Leopard and lion can also be spotted here. We continue our game drive after lunch. As soon as we leave the Lake Nakuru National Park, we will start driving towards Lake Baringo. We arrive to our hotel late in the afternoon. Tonight we visit a village of a local Maasai tribe. We spend the rest of the evening with the Maasai. Enjoy their hospitality, see how they live and, if there is a chance, take a look at a local school.
Day 6. From Lake Baringo to Lake Naivasha
This morning we will go bird watching at the Lake Baringo during morning hours. We come back to our hotel to have brunch. Then there will be a local boat waiting for us to take us to watch hippo’s, crocodiles and African Fish Eagle at the Lake Baringo. We will admire beautiful islands situated on this amazing fresh water lake. After lunchtime we leave the lovely Lake Baringo and drive to Lake Naivasha. We reach the Crater Lake Game Sanctuary, where a local guide can show us around. Later this afternoon we arrive to the Crayfish Hotel at Lake Naivasha.
Day 7. From Lake Naivasha to Maasai Mara NP
In the morning after breakfast we are going to do a game walk at the Crater Lake Game Sanctuary. This is a beautiful area, where we will see giraffe, zebra and various antelope. After the game walk we will enjoy our lunch and start driving to the Maasai Mara National Park through the Narok district. Our destination for tonight is Mara Springs Safari Camp, where we will enjoy sounds of the wildlife throughout the night.
Day 8. From Maasai Mara NP to Nairobi
Next morning we will have an early breakfast and start our morning game drive in the Maasai Mara National Park. We will be game driving the entire morning and finally arrive to a Hippo Pool to have lunch. Elephant, lion, zebra, antelope will certainly be there and, if we are lucky, we may see cheetah and leopard! After lunch, we continue admiring wildlife, while game driving on our way out of the Maasai Mara National Park. We will come out of the Park gate in the early evening hours, and after dinner we start our drive towards Nairobi.
Day 9. Goodbyes (or not just yet)
Transfer to the airport to fly home, or go on another trip with us starting in Nairobi.
Contact us at info@empakaaiculturalsafari.com. We are happy to answer all your questions, discuss your preferences and help you to book your trip.