Rift Valley Explorer

On arrival at Nairobi International Airport, we meet you and transfer to Nairobi Serena Hotel or similar for check-in. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure – you can unwind and make use of the hotel’s modern facilities. A member of Leading Hotels of the World, Nairobi Serena sits by Central Park on the edge of the city centre, shaded by jacaranda, bougainvillea and acacia, with manicured gardens creating a peaceful, luxurious base in the bustle of the capital. Overnight in Nairobi.

After breakfast, we gather for a safari briefing and depart Nairobi, travelling through Kenya’s fertile highlands before descending the Rift Escarpment on a road built by Italian prisoners of war during the Second World War – look out for the small chapel they constructed at its base. We pass the Longonot earth satellite station, cross the valley to Narok, then continue through fields of wheat and barley to reach the Maasai Mara in time for lunch. In the afternoon, we head out on our first game drive, returning to the lodge at sunset. Mara Serena Safari Lodge evokes a traditional Maasai village and enjoys wide views over the plains from its pool and rooms – the main dining room features domes inspired by Maasai manyattas (villages), and an African al fresco barbecue is occasionally served by the pool. These plains are the setting for the annual migration, when millions of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle move between feeding grounds in Tanzania and Kenya. In the evening, we enjoy dinner at the lodge. Overnight in Maasai Mara.

After an early breakfast, we set out on a morning game drive in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, home to the Big Five – lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and black rhinos – alongside antelopes, gazelles and wildebeest. We return to the lodge for lunch, and you can take a siesta before we head out again for an afternoon game drive and a visit to a Maasai village, arriving back at the lodge as the sun sets. Dinner is served at the lodge. Overnight in the Maasai Mara.

After breakfast we leave the Maasai Mara and travel north through Kenya’s fertile ‘breadbasket’, passing wheat and barley fields on the way to Narok. We cross the vast plains of the Rift Valley and stop en route for a picnic lunch, keeping watch for giraffe and gazelle as we ascend the Mai–Mahiu road. We arrive at Lake Nakuru National Park for an afternoon game drive – the park is renowned for its birdlife, with the chance to see flamingos – and it also protects black and white rhinos and the endangered Rothschild giraffe. In the late afternoon we continue to our camp in Soysambu Conservancy. Overnight at Lake Elementaita.

After an early breakfast, we join an escorted bird walk, then leave the Rift Valley and travel back to Nairobi. On arrival, we drop you at either Nairobi city centre or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport – ready for your onward flight.