BIG CAT SAFARI - KENYA FAMILY HOLIDAY(Trip #59596)

Tour Overview

Lake Nakuru Park and the Masai Mara See lion, elephant, hippo, giraffe and rhino Stay in small bush camp
Kenya is bisected by the Rift Valley and is a land of amazing beauty. From our lodge at Lake Elementaita we can walk to the lakeshore and enjoy the fantastic flamingo and birdlife that abounds here. Lake Nakuru National Park is perhaps the best small park in East Africa while the Masai Mara is, quite simply, the most prolific game park in the world. Whether it is in migration season or not, the game is usually teeming around our luxury bush camp on the edge of the Mara River. Nevertheless, it is not just game, it is towering escarpments, proud Masai warriors, exciting walking, incredible skies and impossibly beautiful sunsets which make this a magical destination.Read our MD's account of his family's visit to the Masai Mara The Sunday Times - writes about the perfect safari in Kenya (12 October 2008).  

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1
Start Air Kenya Terminal, Wilson Airport, Nairobi, arrival by 0830, for a 1000 flight. After a short (1 hour max) flight to the Mara, we transfer to our camp.

Day 2-3
Two full days in this remarkable game area. The game drives normally take place early in the morning and late in the afternoon, as this is the best time for viewing game. They last approximately 3-4 hours. You can choose whether to have a packed breakfast out on the plains or whether to return to camp. If you fancy a lie-in one day or an optional nature walk, this can easily be arranged. Meal times are a delight taken in the shade or under the stars in the evening. During time off you can relax in your private tents, the lounge or viewing tower. However it is the game and scenery that make this area so incredible: huge prides of predators feasting on an abundance of plains game. Once a year the plains darken with the annual migration of wildebeest and zebra. This is an astonishing spectacle of almost two million plains game searching for the best grass. It is impossible to predict the scale or the exact timings of the migration into the Mara as this varies from year to year but it occurs some time between July and October. At this time the plains game are relentlessly pursued by the big predators, including lions, leopards and cheetahs. As a climax, there is the also the option of taking a sunrise balloon ride over the African plains (subject to the weather conditions and availability).

Day 4
We head off early for a long and bumpy journey (approximately 6 hours) to Lake Elementaita. This is one of Kenya’s famous lakes and home to many thousands of flamingos. A picnic lunch will be taken en-route and you will arrive mid-afternoon in time to relax by the pleasant hotel swimming pool with views down to the lake.

Day 5
Early start for a full day's game drive at Lake Nakuru, about 30 minutes away. The National Park (285 km sq) is world-renowned for its teeming flamingo population made famous by Denys Finch Hatton's flight over it in the film 'Out of Africa'. Nakuru is also the best place in East Africa for white rhino and it is not unusual to see at least a dozen in a day. Coupled with this, there is a healthy buffalo population, many other plains game and frequent leopard sightings. A picnic lunch is taken at one of the picturesque picnic sites within the Park. We head back to Elementaita as the sun sets and enjoy dinner at the lodge.

Day 6
The morning is free to relax and swim. Alternatively there is time for a morning optional game walk (recommended) on which you might see plains game including gazelle, impala and sometimes giraffe as well as plenty of bird life. After lunch we head back to Nairobi (3 hours). Many groups enjoy a meal (at your expense) at the Carnivore. Here you can sample a variety of meats including ostrich and camel. (the other game meats are no longer available due to licencing restrictions).

Day 7
Those not flying with the group leave us in Nairobi.