Kenya highlights

During this popular Kenya highlights tour, you'll see all of the highlights throughout Kenya in the space of two weeks. Thinking of Kenya, two things that come to mind are wildlife and culture. Both of these elements are well represented during this itinerary. You'll go on game drives through various wildlife parks, straight through wooded areas and across the African plains and with a little luck you may even spot the entire Big 5. Naturally the world famous Masai Mara is on the itinerary as well. At the end of this trip, you can stretch out on Diani Beach with its pearly white sands, swaying palm trees and crystal clear sea.

During our Kenya highlights tour, you'll sleep in comfortable tented camps in unique locations and beneath the stars in our own private camp. Everything you'll need at the private camp will be brought along, from personal chef to tent and from toilet to shower. You'll experience the real Africa, close to nature.

During the safari you'll travel in a small international group of up to 6 people. Travelling in a small group makes this safari more affordable. However, if you would prefer to do an independent safari we can arrange for a personal driver to drive you through the country or take a look at our completely private Kenya and Tanzania safari.

Duration	13 days/ 12 nights	Accommodation	Hotel in Nairobi - tented camps and private camp during safari - beach resort directly on the beach Comfort-level 2, 3 & 4 (see accommodation)
Price	Please see our Contact Us page for further details	Includes	Accommodation for 12 nights - all meals except in Nairobi (only breakfast) and at Diani Beach (breakfast and dinner) - transport - park entrance fees - game drives - English speaking driver/ guide - airport transfers - domestic flight from Nairobi to Mombasa
Transport	Safari van with convertible roof	Excludes	International flights

Day 1 – Nairobi

Travel time approximately 20 minutes

After you arrive and you've picked up your luggage you'll be greeted by our driver in the arrival hall. The drive to your quiet, small-scale hotel should take approximately 20 minutes. The hotel for the Kenya highlights trip is located just outside of the hectic city centre. It has recently been renovated and you can expect to be welcomed with a bit African smile by the friendly staff. There is fun bar and restaurant at the hotel that takes orders all day long. If you feel a bit peckish after arrival, you're sure to find something you like on the menu; form ostrich steak and tiger shrimp to vegetarian meals. Later on you can sit back and relax with, perhaps your very first African beer on the veranda before you call it a night, reflecting on the first day of you Kenya highlights tour.

Day 2 - Nairobi - Lake Naivasha

Travel time approximately 2.5 hours

Our English speaking driver/ guide will pick you up at the airport or at your hotel in Nairobi. You'll travel with only those travelling with you in a 4x4 Toyota mini van. The roof is convertible, so you'll have a 360 degree view during your safari. As soon as you leave the city you'll enter an entirely different world. It's approximately a 2.5 hour drive to your first Kenya highlights: Lake Naivasha, an enormous fresh water lake surrounded by rugged rock formations and dense forests. You'll drive past the Great Rift Valley, an immense trough that runs from Egypt to Mozambique which contains all of Kenya and Tanzania largest lakes.

After lunch you'll explore the surroundings during a walking safari lead by a guide. The area you'll walk through is filled with monkeys, goats and birds; however you may also see giraffes, buffalos, warthogs and hippos. As the sun begins to set, you'll reach the highest part of the crater in which the fresh water lake lies. A glass of champagne will be waiting for you and you'll be able to enjoy the breathtaking view of your surroundings and the sunset.

You'll spend the second night of your Kenya highlights tour in our tented camp at the edge of a small crater near Lake Naivasha.

Day 3 - Hell's Gate National Park and Lake Naivasha

After breakfast you and your driver/ guide will take a short drive to the second of the Kenya highlights on this trip: Hell's Gate National Park. This relatively small wilderness park is named after the massive red hued cliffs that surround an area filled with springs and geysers. There are also geysers and rock formations in the park and a deep gorge runs through the middle of it. This is where you'll go on your first game drive to spot wild animals; however you'll also go on a walking safari through the savannah lead by your guide. This is quite a unique experience since this is one of the few parks that allow this. You'll have lunch in the park thanks to your driver who will bring along a lunch pack for you. Afterwards you'll be taken to Lake Naivasha where you'll go on a boat trip across the lake, a real high point of your Kenya highlights trip. You're sure to see hippos and many different types of birds here such as the osprey.

At the end of the day you'll return to the tented camp at Lake Naivasha for a second night in a row.

Day 4 - Lake Naivasha - Lake Nakuru

Travel time approximately 3 hours

After breakfast you'll continue on your Kenya highlights safari to Lake Nakuru National Park, approximately a 3 hour drive. You'll arrive in Nakuru around noon; this is where you'll spend the night in your own luxury safari tent near the edge of an immense crater. After lunch you and your guide will drive towards Lake Nakuru National Park where you'll very likely see the rare white rhino and if you're lucky you may even see lions. One of the most impressive sights to see here is a pink carpet near the edge of the lake made up of thousands of pink flamingos. A nearby scenic view area offers an excellent vantage point for taking incredible pictures of the flamingo carpet and the rest of the area.

You'll spend the forth night of your Kenya highlights trip in a tented camp in Lake Nakuru.

Day 5 - Lake Nakuru - Maji Moto

Travel time approximately 5 hours

Today, you'll get to meet the Masai tribe and be a part of their life. You and your driver will drive south across bumpy roads towards the Masai Mara, straight through the vast expanses of Masai territory. As you drive along, you'll see proud herders wearing bright red cloths waving to you. Our local representative actually had the great honour of living with the Masai in this area for several months. This is why we can offer you this experience of being a part of a Masai tribe, definitely a unique part of your Kenya highlights tour!

We'll set up our private camp near a natural spring and anything and everything you may need during your stay will be here: a (chemical) toilet, a shower, lightweight tents, mattresses and safari chairs. We also have an excellent chef that will prepare dinner while the Masai collect fire for the evening campfire. After lunch you'll go for a walk with the friendly Masai and they will tell you all about their culture and traditions. The Masai also enjoy telling you their ancestor's hunting stories and taking you to the most beautiful spots where you can look out over the immense savannah. In the evening you can take a refreshing dip in the warm water spring near the campsite. Afterwards, you'll huddle round the campfire for dinner whilst the Masai show you their dances and proudly tell you more tales.

You'll spend the fifth night of your Kenya highlights tour at our private camp in Maji Moto.

Kenya highlights - Experience Masai culture

Day 6 - Maji Moto

This morning, you can laze around for a little longer or perhaps splash around a bit in the spring. By this time, the chef will already be preparing a delicious breakfast for you. Enjoy a nice cup of coffee and a seat up slowly next to the smouldering embers of last night's campfire. Later on in the morning you'll trek deeper into the bush with the Masai and you'll visit their village. They'll gladly show you their manyattas, traditional huts made of branches and straw. The Masai will also show you how they hunt and the best way to throw a spear.

The children in the village might take you to see their school and sing their cheerful Masai songs out loud. They'll proudly show you their notebooks and love to learn a few English words from you. After visiting the school you'll say your goodbyes and head back to the camp. After another day of lasting impressions and unforgettable moments, our chef will serve another tasty meal for you this evening. After dinner you'll duck into your tent while the Masai stand guard outside.

You'll spend another night of your Kenya highlights tour at our private camp in Maji Moto.

Day 7 - On route to the Masai Mara

Travel time approximately 2 hours

After you've had time to have breakfast on Day 7 of your Kenya highlights tour, you'll embark on the two hour drive to the Masai Mara. This is one of the most famous wilderness reserves in the world, bordering the Serengeti in Tanzania. At the edge of the park your private camp will be set up and after lunch you'll be driven to the park gate for a game drive. The roof of the safari vehicle can be rolled down for a 360 degree view of the surroundings. Your driver will drive slowly over the park's sandy roads. It won't be easy to spot animals before he does, his trained eyes have years of experience and he can also tell you all about these animals of the Masai Mara.

Your drive will take you over plains and through forested areas, past rivers filled with crocodiles and hippos and past herds of zebras and wildebeest. From the tops of the trees birds of prey can be seen hunting smaller animals and with a little luck you may even see cheetahs and leopards. Once the sun sets, you'll return to camp where a cold beer and a tasty meal will be waiting for you.

You'll spend the night at our Masai Mara tented camp.

Day 8 - Game drives in the Masai Mara

After an early wake-up call by your driver, a cup of coffee and some biscuits, you'll hop into the safari vehicle and drive towards the Masai Mara park gate for the next stop on your Kenya highlights trip. A warm sweater and a cap will keep you warm during the chilly early morning. As you reach the park, the sun will begin to rise and the savannah will turn orange. In the distance you may see one or two lonely acacia braving the elements.

After game-spotting for a few hours, straight through rugged terrain and endless plains, your stomach may start to growl. Gradually you'll return to the park gate, where a delicious breakfast will be waiting for you. Temperatures soar in the afternoon and most animals will search for shelter in the shadows. Once the temperatures drop somewhat you'll head out for the afternoon game drive in search of wild animals. At dusk you'll return to camp. After dinner you'll sit down by a crackling campfire.

You'll spend another night at our Masai Mara tented camp.

Day 9 - Masai Mara – Nairobi - Mombasa - Diani Beach

Travel time approximately 9 hours

Today you're up for a long day of travel. After breakfast you'll go on one last game drive through the Masai Mara and then you'll head back to Nairobi. You'll travel from the Masai Mara's bush to the tropical white sandy beaches of Diani Beach, the final stop on your Kenya highlights tour. The first part of the trip to Nairobi will lead you down a bumpy road for about 6 hours. Once you reach the airport you'll say goodbye to your driver/ guide. Although it's not compulsory, a gratuity is greatly appreciated. We usually gave a guide $20 per day, divided by the number of people in your travelling party. It's only a one hour flight from Nairobi to Mombasa.

After you arrive at Mombasa Airport you'll drive to the ferry that will take you to the tropical shores south of Mombasa. The coastal road will take you to Diani Beach in about 1.5 hour. Diani is located on a dreamy coastline of white sandy beaches, swaying palm trees and turquoise seas. We've found quite an extraordinary resort here, directly on a white sandy beach. The staff here are extremely friendly.

Day 10, 11 and 12 - Diani Beach

The way you spend the next three days of the Kenya highlights itinerary is completely up to you. You may feel drawn to the private pearly white beach with beach chairs or you could go for long sea-shell spotting walks by the surf. However you could also decide to go on a day trip; if you do it's best to book an excursion at the hotel reception desk. If you like you can go on a boat trip for a day on a local dhow, a traditional boat, or you could go diving, jet skiing, kite surfing or wind surfing. We definitely recommend a daytrip to Wassini Island. You'll be picked up early and the morning and you'll drive along the coastal road to the harbour where a beautiful, large wooden sail boat will be waiting for you. Once you reach sea you'll probably see dolphins playing in the waves. After a drink and about an hour of sailing, the anchor will be thrown out at a sandbank in the middle of the sea.

The sandbank is surrounded by a coral reef, an excellent place to snorkel. As the water slowly begins to rise, you can sunbathe on the sandbank until it disappears under water and the boat sets sail. On route to the harbour you'll also visit Wassini Island, where you'll sneak a peak at local fishermen's lives. The island's cheerful children will probably want to show you their homes and their school.

Before heading off, you'll be able to sit down to a delectable crab dinner at a restaurant overlooking the harbour and the bays. At the end of the day you'll return to the beach resort where you can have a seat at the cocktail bar and let the bartender surprise you with an exciting concoction. Beneath the swaying palms you'll be able to look out over the white sandy beach and the waves rolling onto the sands. Slowly you'll see the sun start to set; the end of a perfect day on your Kenya highlights holiday.

Day 13 - Diani Beach - Mombasa

Travel time approximately 1.5 hour

Today you'll say goodbye to Diani Beach, the shores of the Indian Ocean and the Kenya highlights tour. If you would like to spend more time here, naturally we can make arrangements for you to stay longer.

From Diani you'll drive along the palm tree lined coastal road back towards Mombasa. After crossing over at the ferry, you'll drive through the centre of town and on to the airport where you'll board a flight back to London with a layover in Nairobi. This marks the end of your adventurous Kenya highlights itinerary.

Kenya highlights

Accommodation pictures - Lake Naivasha tented camp

Accommodation pictures - Lake Nakuru tented camp

Tented Camp - Masai Mara

Diani Beach Resort

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