Gorillas & Masai Mara - Camping

The adventure begins in Nairobi, the capital and largest city in Kenya. Around 6pm say jambo to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead. Your tour leader then ensures a big Kenyan welcome by arranging a group dinner. Want to explore further? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.

After loading our things onto the vehicle, we depart Nairobi and travel approximately seven hours into the Masai Mara, a vast grassland teeming with life. Here wildebeest, gazelles, topis, zebras and buffalo abound in the rolling savannah, and never far away lay the predators: cheetahs, lions and hyenas. Between mid-August and late October, one of the greatest spectacles on Earth takes place in the Mara: the annual migration of thousands of wildebeest, gazelles and zebras trampling across the long grass. Nothing is guaranteed on safari, but with the help of our brilliant guides you should see and learn a huge amount about the Masai Mara wildlife as we drive through the park this afternoon.

Enjoy a full-day game drive in the Masai Mara to increase our chances of encountering many of the wildlife species in the reserve. We find a quiet spot inside the park to enjoy lunch by our vehicle, looking out across the plains.

Depart the Masai Mara after breakfast and drive (about 4hr 40min) to Lake Naivasha. En route, we stop in the Loita Hills to visit the Maasai village of Tepesua, where the community is known for championing Maasai women’s health and education. On arrival, we are welcomed by a traditional warrior song and dance, before our host explains about Maasai warrior training and we take a walk in the village. After arriving at Lake Naivasha, we take a boat onto the waters to see the natural beauty and spot the abundant wildlife. We also head to a hippo pool, where we can see these magnificent creatures swimming.

Lace up your boots for a three-hour hike to Crater Lake, with the chance to see plenty of birdlife en route. Hiking to the top of the hills for a magnificent view over the lake, we may also spot giraffes and zebras, who are also regular visitors. Return to camp for lunch, then leave for Elsamere, the one-time home of naturalist and author Joy Adamson, who wrote the 1960 classic Born Free. The property is a museum to the Adamsons and there are plenty of photos of Elsa the lioness. Later, we enjoy high tea in the grounds, with a scenic lake as our backdrop.

Explore Hell’s Gate National Park today, a compact park home to zebras, giraffes, leopards and plenty more. There’s also a Maasai cultural centre to visit, where we learn more about the culture and traditions of the Maasai. We take a game drive in the park, but there’s also the option of hiring bikes (paid locally) to explore on two wheels. This afternoon, there’s free time to relax at the beach or hotel pool; alternatively, take a walk into the local villages.

Bid farewell to Lake Naivasha and transfer (one hour) to Lake Nakuru National Park. We get into the action with an afternoon game drive, the length of which depends on the movement and activity of the animals, though it takes a maximum of three hours. On the floor of the Great Rift Valley, the park is home to a wide variety of animals, including lions, leopards, giraffes, zebras and buffalos.