Maasai Mara – 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.

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: “The safari drives, tours, accommodations… all was perfect!”

We are delighted to receive this warm review from our recent trip!

Nuria, Elisabet, Jordi and Oscar did a 10-day Kenya and Tanzania trip with us last August. And here is what they shared with us:

“If you are planning a custom trip to Kenia and Tanzania, Empakaai Cultural Safari is THE TOUR OPERATOR!

Are you looking for a local (Maasai) experienced flexible and very kind guide? Moses is THE GUIDE!

We are four people and our trip in Kenya and Tanzania with Moses lasted for ten days. We had nothing but excellence throughout the planning and execution of the trip, with a fantastic guide on the ground, his knowledge of the countries and seamless coordination between all the different aspects of the trip.

They planned and adjusted the itinerary and dates to our interests, budget and convenience. We were interested in animals (of course!), but also people and history. Moses got the pacing just right. The safari drives, tours, accommodations… all was perfect! The drivers and cook were excellent! And there is no better guide in those countries than Moses, surely!

We highly recommend this tour operator to anyone planning on going to Kenia and Tanzania.”

The route was intensive, but very exciting:

Day 1: Nairobi to Nakuru

Day 2: Nakuru to Maasai Mara

Day 3 and Day 4: Maasai Mara

Day 5: Maasai Mara to Musoma

Day 6: Musoma to Serengeti National Park

Day 7: Serengeti

Day 8: Serengeti to Ngorongoro

Day 9: Ngorongoro to Mto Wa Mbu

Day 10: Mto Wa Mbu to Arusha (and then flight to Zanzibar)

Would you like to plan a trip to Kenya and Tanzania? Please drop us an emails to empakaai.cultural.safari@gmail.com and we will take it from there! And don’t forget to check out our Instagram account @empakaai_cultural_safari

Trip feedback: Kenya and Tanzania, 15 days

Happy to be back and let everyone know that our adventure in Kenya and Tanzania was excellent! And here is a letter from our friend Olena (instagram: @olena.oz) who was with us on the journey:

“A week ago we were in Nairobi, boarding our plane back to Amsterdam. They never ask at the customs if you are carrying some Africa back home with you (in your heart) – though I’m certain that everyone does.

If they asked, I’d tell them that my husband Henk has certainly kept some Lake Naivasha of Kenya, and some Karatu of Tanzania, in his heart and in his feelings. And maybe other places too, he just has not confessed yet. And that I am bringing back the bright buzz of Lake Victoria, the stunning calmness of Empakaai Crater, the “frozen-in-time” beauty of Amboseli crowned by Mount Kilimanjaro.

And then, our minds did not even start processing what had actually overcome us on this journey. Technically speaking, we did about 3,000 km in 2 weeks, including a couple of hundred km on “African massage” roads, 5 national parks, two country border crossings, one camping in the bush next to grazing wild buffalo, one dancing together with Maasai, and I can continue on and on for a long time….

A trip like this can only be enjoyable if someone is constantly working on the background to keep all things impeccably organized and delivered. Our luck is that we know Empakaai Cultural Safari run by the best trip leader in East Africa. He is very professional and he greatly enjoys his work. We can never thank you enough, Moses.

Ashe naleng for your friendship, positive mindset, sense of humor, for having friends in the most remote spots of Kenya and Tanzania, for your patience with us who were constantly showing up late for breakfast and (here comes the most challenging one!) for teaching Henk to embrace the concept of “pole pole” (“no hurry”).

Asante sana for your endless love for your land and culture. You know, those precious pieces of Africa that we took away in our hearts, they made us more enriched and wise people. They will also lead our paths back to your beautiful land very soon.

Still so many places in Africa waiting to be discovered with Empakaai Cultural Safari!”