8-Day Spirit of Wild Safari

Your Kenyan adventure begins the moment you land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, where our team greets you with a warm welcome and a friendly face. You are transferred through the leafy suburbs of Kenya's capital to your hotel, where the afternoon is free to unwind at around 1,800 m above sea level, in Nairobi's famously mild climate.

Before dinner your driver-guide will brief you on the days ahead, from road conditions to what to pack in your day bag. Enjoy a relaxed first evening and an early night: the wild country beyond the city is waiting. Overnight in Nairobi.

After breakfast, leave Nairobi and drive south-east across the plains of Maasailand towards the Tanzanian border, a journey of around 4–5 hours. As you approach Amboseli, the flat-topped dome of Mount Kilimanjaro begins to dominate the horizon, its snows floating above the haze on a clear day.

Arrive in time for lunch at your lodge, then set out on an afternoon game drive. Amboseli's permanent swamps, fed by underground water from Kilimanjaro, draw large families of elephants, buffalo, hippos and a wealth of water birds, while lions, cheetahs and hyenas patrol the open plains. Dinner and overnight in Amboseli.

Today is dedicated to the elephants that have made Amboseli famous. The park's herds are among the most studied in the world, and many individuals are known by name to the researchers who have followed them for decades. Spend unhurried time with a single family, watching calves tumble through the swamp grass while the matriarch leads the way and great big-tusked bulls wander in from the plains.

Your guide will explain elephant behaviour, from the low rumbles they use to keep in touch to the dust baths that protect their skin from the sun. After lunch, climb Observation Hill for a panoramic view over the swamps, then continue with a sunset game drive as Kilimanjaro turns pink above the plains. Dinner and overnight in Amboseli.

After an early breakfast and a last look at Kilimanjaro, leave Amboseli and drive back north through Nairobi and down into the Great Rift Valley, a long but scenic journey of around 6–7 hours with a lunch stop along the way. As the road descends, the views over the valley floor, the volcanic cone of Mount Longonot and the shimmering waters of the lake are spectacular.

Arrive at Lake Naivasha in the afternoon. If time allows, take a stroll in the grounds of your lodge, where colobus monkeys, waterbuck and even giraffes are often seen, and listen for the cry of the African fish eagle over the water. Dinner and overnight at Lake Naivasha.

Start the morning with a boat safari on Lake Naivasha, gliding past hippos, pelicans and kingfishers, with African fish eagles calling from the treetops. Afterwards, drive south-west via Narok to the Masai Mara National Reserve, around 5 hours, arriving in time for a late lunch.

In the afternoon, set out on your first game drive in the Mara, where rolling golden plains, lone acacias and herds stretching to the horizon create the classic image of Africa. Lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes and buffalo are all frequently seen. Dinner and overnight in the Masai Mara.

Spend a full day exploring the Masai Mara with a picnic lunch, so you can travel further and stay out with the animals when the action unfolds. The reserve borders Tanzania's Serengeti and forms the northern part of the same great ecosystem, and from around July to October it hosts the Great Wildebeest Migration, when over a million wildebeest, zebras and gazelles graze its plains.

If the herds are here, your guide will head for the Mara River in the hope of witnessing a crossing, as wildebeest plunge into the water past waiting Nile crocodiles. At any time of year, the Mara is a Big Five haven, with lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants and buffalo all regularly seen. Dinner and overnight in the Masai Mara.

Head out at dawn, when the predators are most active and the light is soft and golden. Morning is the best time to find lions returning from the night's hunt, cheetahs scanning the plains from termite mounds and hyenas at a kill. Return to camp for breakfast or enjoy it out in the bush, then continue exploring until lunch.

In the afternoon, visit a Maasai village near the reserve. The Mara is named after the Maasai, who described the land as spotted for its scattered trees and cloud shadows. Meet the families, watch the warriors' famous jumping dance and learn how their way of life is intertwined with the land and its wildlife. Finish with a sunset game drive before dinner and overnight in the Masai Mara.

Enjoy a relaxed breakfast with the sounds of the bush around you, then say goodbye to the Mara and begin the drive back to Nairobi, around 5–6 hours. Game viewing continues as you leave the reserve, so keep your camera ready until the very last moment.

After lunch on the way, continue to Nairobi, where you are dropped at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your departure flight or at your hotel if you are extending your stay. Kwaheri, and thank you for travelling with Gip Adventure.