Kenya Classic Sopa Experience

On arrival at Nairobi International Airport, proceed to the arrivals hall where we will meet you for your transfer to the hotel. Check–in is from 14:00 – if your flight arrives in the middle of the night, a pre–night must be booked, as waiting in the lobby is not permitted. Once you are settled, the afternoon is at leisure. The hotel is an African–themed resort set among landscaped gardens and indigenous forest, with distinctively designed rooms featuring private balconies, bathroom facilities and televisions. You could relax and make use of the facilities, or head into Nairobi’s city centre, then return for dinner at the hotel’s restaurant – not included. Overnight in Nairobi.

After breakfast, we depart Nairobi early, travelling through the fertile highlands before descending the Rift Escarpment on a road built by Italian prisoners during World War II – we pass the small chapel they built at its base. We continue past the Longonot earth satellite station, cross the valley to Narok and drive through wheat and barley fields to the Maasai Mara, arriving at Mara Sopa Lodge in time for lunch. In the afternoon we head out on our first game drive, returning to the lodge at sunset. Mara Sopa Lodge sits in the Oloolaimutia Valley, built into the hillside – rooms are spacious, there is a large pool with views and evening wildlife films, and modern comforts throughout. The lodge reflects the local Maasai and the surrounding abundance of wildlife and birdlife. Later, we dine at the lodge. Overnight in the Maasai Mara.

After an early breakfast, we head out on a morning game drive in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, home to abundant wildlife including the Big Five – lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and black rhino – as well as antelopes, gazelles and wildebeest. We return to the lodge for lunch and time to rest, then set off again for an afternoon game drive and a visit to a Maasai village, arriving back at the lodge as the sun sets, where dinner is served in the late afternoon. Overnight in Maasai Mara.

After breakfast, we bid farewell to the Maasai Mara and drive north across Kenya’s breadbasket via Narok, crossing the Great Rift Valley plains and climbing the Mau Escarpment. We arrive at the lodge around midday for lunch. In the afternoon, we set out on a game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park – its shores often blush pink with thousands of flamingos. This fully fenced 188 square kilometre park carefully protects both black and white rhinos, and we also look for Rothschild’s giraffe, buffalo, leopard, zebra, eland, waterbuck and lion. We then return to Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge – set on hills along the western edge of the Rift Valley overlooking the lake and surrounding park – for dinner.Overnight in Lake Nakuru.

After breakfast, we drive to Lake Naivasha for a one hour boat ride to explore its bird‑rich waters and watch for hippos. The lake sits at one of the Rift Valley’s highest elevations. We then continue to Nairobi for an early lunch – or a picnic lunch if road conditions require – before heading south to Amboseli National Park. We arrive at Amboseli Sopa Lodge by late afternoon, set in the heart of the park at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, one of the best places to view elephants at close range. The lodge offers modern, ensuite rooms with private verandas, several bars, a TV lounge and a pool with views of Kilimanjaro. Meals feature European, African and Asian dishes made with fresh ingredients, and the lodge is close to where Ernest Hemingway lived while writing The Snows of Kilimanjaro. We end the day with dinner at the lodge.Overnight in Amboseli area.

After breakfast, we set out on morning and afternoon game drives in Amboseli National Park, exploring its dry lake bed of evaporated salts, fragile grasslands and patches of acacia woodland. Wildlife is often seen across these habitats – rhinos, giraffes, gazelles, lions, cheetahs and leopards – with prolific birdlife around the swamps. All of this unfolds beneath Mount Kilimanjaro, which rises some 5,000 metres above the park. We pause for a warm picnic lunch in the park, then return to the lodge in the afternoon to relax. In the late afternoon, dinner will be served at the lodge. Overnight in Amboseli.

After an early breakfast, we take a moment to enjoy the last views of Mount Kilimanjaro before driving north across the Athi Plains to Nairobi. We aim to reach the city or the airport by about 1.30 pm for drop-off and onward travel arrangements – recommended departure flights are from 4.00 pm onwards.