Combining the ‘big-three’ locations of Lake Naivasha, the Laikipia Plateau and the Masai Mara will provide you with incredible opportunities to view wildlife, particularly between July and October when the Great Migration is in full swing.
This itinerary allows you enjoy game drives, walking and boat safaris, and even view wildlife from horseback, in locations where you can experience an overwhelming sense of space, colour and drama. To conclude, enjoy a relaxing stay on the secluded Mfangano Island, where the deep blue waters and verdant islands of Lake Victoria are rich in fish and birdlife, and offer an ideal setting to match any Indian Ocean beach.
We work with a variety of safari camps and lodges in Kenya, all of which are hand picked and have superb guides, great food and wonderful views; most offer game drives in open 4-wheel drive vehicles (day and night time). Some recommendations are detailed in the itinerary below, however we will tailor the itinerary to ensure that you will be staying in a property that best fit your needs and requirements.
Suggested Itinerary
Day1: Depart UK
Day2: Arrive Nairobi & transfer to Lake Naivasha
On arrival at Nairobi this morning, you will be met and transferred by road to Lake Naivasha, taking approximately two hours. Once you have settled in, the remainder of the day is free to relax and recover after your journey until a late afternoon game drive or other activity.
You have an entire day to enjoy the various activities from Loldia, which include game drives and walks, horse riding, a boat trip on Lake Naivasha, birdwatching, or trips to Lake Nakuru, Hell's Gate National Park, Lake Bogoria or Crescent Lake.
Days4-6: Fly to Laikipia Plateau
This morning you will be transferred to nearby Naivasha Airstrip in time for the short flight to the Laikipia Plateau. On arrival at Loisaba Airstrip, you will be met and transferred to your lodge and the rest of the day is free before heading out for a late afternoon walk.
There are plenty of activities to keep you occupied during your stay here: get back in touch with nature on walks along the river, accompanied by local Laikipiak Masai guides who will pass on their wealth of knowledge. You could also enjoy a shady picnic beside the river, a refreshing dip in the natural rock pools below the camp, or bask on the lodge's main deck overlooking the plains, lulled by the sound of the river which flows all year round. Other activities include game drives, guided walks, bush breakfasts and sundowners.
Accommodation: Sabuk Lodge, 3 nights
Days7-9: Fly to the Masai Mara
After an early morning activity, you will be transferred to Loisaba Airstrip in time to check in for a flight to the Masai Mara. Once you have checked in to your accommodation, the remainder of the day is free to relax until your late afternoon game drive.
Over the next two days the daily rhythm is the same: you rise just after dawn to head out on an early morning game drive in a custom-built four-wheel-drive vehicle - this is a good time to see both birds and animals before the heat of the day becomes too much. You will then return to camp for brunch, before some relaxation time.
Following afternoon tea, it's time to head out on a late afternoon game drive as the temperature cools in the bush. After sundowners, return to camp, when there are good opportunities to see some nocturnal wildlife.
Alternatively, depending on where the wildlife is on that day, you may spend all day out and about, without returning to camp, in which case a picnic lunch and refreshments will be provided.
Today after an early morning game drive you will be transferred to Musiara Airstrip in time for a domestic flight to Lake Victoria. It's then a 20 minute boat ride to Mfangano Island.
Lapped by the gentle waters of Lake Victoria, shaded by giant fig trees and lost to the world, Mafangano island Camp is an oasis of tranquility. There are no vehicles - all transport is by colourful local canoe. Although the accent here is on relaxing, there's plenty to keep you occupied from the varied menu of activities on offer, including excellent birdwatching (the birds sing all day long at Mfangano - over 350 species have been recorded around the lake, and the camp has a resident ornithologist).
Accommodation: Mfangano Island Camp, 2-nights
Day12: Fly to Nairobi & depart
Once again the morning is free to relax or indulge in an activity before lunch in camp. In the afternoon you will be transferred by boat to Mfangano Airstrip in time to check in for the afternoon flight back to Nairobi and transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for an onward overnight flight to London.
Depending on schedules, you may have several hours between flight connections in Nairobi, in which case you will be taken to a restaurant in the city for dinner before transferring to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Day13: Arrive UK
Key info
Our trip ideas are offered to inspire you and can be tailored to suit your requirements.
Duration and price including flights from/to UK: 13 daysfrom £7,795 pp
Duration and price excluding international flights: 11 daysfrom £6,995 pp
The wildlife of the Laikipia Plateau is abundant and it serves as one of the last refuges for the black rhino. Yet its tranquility and remoteness is the major attraction, and walking safaris with Masai guides in the African bush offer a feeling of solitude rarely found elsewhere in Kenya.
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Where: Central Province
Ideal for viewing: black rhino, greater kudu, leopard, lion, reticulated giraffe
Although Lake Nakuru is relatively small, it is known for one of the greatest bird spectacles on earth – thousands of fuschia-coloured flamingos. Over 400 species of birds are found here, and the surrounding national park is famous for its sizeable population of rhinos and the rare Rothschild’s giraffe.
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Where: Rift Valley Province
Ideal for viewing: lesser flamingo, greater flamingo, Rothschild’s giraffe, white rhino, black rhino
Kenya’s finest wildlife sanctuary, the Masai Mara is a paradise of gently rolling grasslands studded with acacia trees. Remaining as the ancestral homelands of the Masai, a curious harmony between man and wildlife exists that allows a route for the large migrations and a home for predators and plains wildlife.
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Where: Rift Valley Province
Ideal for viewing: cheetah, Grant’s gazelle, leopard, lion, Thompson’s gazelle
The highest and purest of the Great Rift Valley’s lakes, Naivasha offers outstanding birdwatching, with more than 400 species recorded. It supports a variety of other wildlife, including a good population of hippo, and its lush vegetation provides a perfect setting for Joy Adamson’s house.
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Where: Rift Valley Province
Ideal for viewing: Grant’s gazelle, impala, red and blue sunbird, osprey, hippo
Excellent for: Vehicle safaris, Birdwatching
Suggested accommodation options are shown below.
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Governors’ Camp has a magical setting, nestling in the forest along the banks of the meandering Mara River, its waters teeming with crocodile and hippo. Exclusively reserved for Kenya’s colonial governor and his royal visitors in days gone by, the camp today is still considered one of Africa’s best.
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Set on the shores of Lake Naivasha, Loldia House is nestled under acacia trees on one of the country’s oldest farms, with breathtaking views of the lake. It is ideally situated for day visits to nearby flamingo lakes of Elementaita, Bogoria and Nakuru, where there is also a rhino sanctuary.
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