10 days
Overview
The Kenya Big Five Grand Safari is the most comprehensive single itinerary available for first time and returning visitors to Kenya who wish to experience the full spectrum of the countrys wildlife across its three most celebrated national parks. Over seven days and six nights this safari covers the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Amboseli National Park and Tsavo East National Park in a continuous journey that moves from the open savanna Big Five country of the Mara to the elephant paradise of Amboseli and concludes in the vast red wilderness of Tsavo East. The Maasai Mara component provides three consecutive nights in which lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant and buffalo are virtually guaranteed sightings within a single day, and the Mara River crossing experience during the wildebeest migration season adds a dimension of wildlife drama that no other destination on earth can match. Amboseli delivers the most iconic photographic experience in Africa with enormous tusker elephants moving through the swamps beneath the snow capped summit of Mount Kilimanjaro at 5,895 metres. Tsavo East closes the safari with the elemental experience of raw African wilderness on the largest scale imaginable, where red dust elephant herds numbering in the hundreds concentrate at Mudanda Rock and the crocodile filled Galana River provides hours of productive predator watching. Together these three parks deliver a complete and deeply satisfying introduction to the unparalleled wildlife heritage of Kenya.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1
Nairobi to Maasai Mara
A scheduled morning flight from Nairobi Wilson Airport to the Maasai Mara begins seven days of exceptional Kenya wildlife experiences. The 45 minute flight crosses the Great Rift Valley and descends over the open Mara plains to the airstrip where your dedicated guide and Land Cruiser await for an immediate afternoon game drive. The western Mara Triangle is explored on arrival, a consistently productive zone where lion prides, cheetah and large elephant herds are encountered almost without exception.
Wilson Airport departure, scenic flight over Rift Valley, Maasai Mara arrival, Mara Triangle afternoon game drive, initial Big Five encounter, sundowner on the plains
Day 2
Full Day Maasai Mara Central Plains and River
The second day in the Mara is dedicated to the full central plains circuit and the Mara River corridor, the most productive combination for maximum Big Five encounters. A packed bush breakfast allows the vehicle to remain on the plains during the critical mid morning predator activity window without returning to camp. The Mara River is visited for hippo, crocodile and the wildebeest crossing points that define the Migration season from July to October.
Sunrise central plains game drive, bush breakfast in the wild, Mara River hippo and crocodile, wildebeest crossing viewpoint, afternoon lion pride and cheetah tracking, evening sundowner
Day 3
Maasai Mara North Conservancy and Optional Balloon
The third day in the Mara explores the northern conservancies where strict vehicle limits create an exclusive wildlife viewing environment with off road driving permitted. An optional pre dawn hot air balloon flight over the Mara plains is the most spectacular way to mark the final morning in the reserve, drifting silently above the wildlife before landing for a champagne breakfast served on a white tablecloth in the open savanna.
Optional hot air balloon safari at dawn, Mara North Conservancy off road game drive, champagne bush breakfast, afternoon cultural Maasai village visit, traditional boma experience
Day 4
Maasai Mara to Amboseli National Park
Departing the Mara after a morning drive the road journey south to Amboseli passes through the open Maasai community lands bordering the Tanzanian boundary. The landscape changes from the tall grass Mara savanna to the shorter sparse scrub of the Amboseli ecosystem, and the first glimpses of Mount Kilimanjaro on the southern horizon signal the approach to the park. The afternoon drive covers the iconic Observation Hill circuit and the first swamp elephants.
Final Mara morning drive, road transfer through Maasai country, first Kilimanjaro views, Amboseli afternoon entry, Observation Hill panoramic views, swamp elephant photography
Day 5
Full Day Amboseli Elephant and Kilimanjaro Experience
Dawn in Amboseli is the single most photographically rewarding hour in the Kenyan safari calendar. The early morning light on the snows of Kilimanjaro and the elephant herds moving through the mist on the swamp edge create an image of Africa at its most elemental. A full day in the park allows exploration of all the major swamp systems, the open southern plains where cheetah and lion hunt zebra and wildebeest, and the acacia woodland margins where giraffe, impala and buffalo are abundant.
Pre dawn sunrise Kilimanjaro photography, full swamp elephant experience, cheetah and lion on southern plains, giraffe in acacia woodland, afternoon observation hill viewing, sunset over the plains
Day 6
Amboseli to Tsavo East National Park
A morning game drive captures the final Amboseli experiences before the road transfer east to Tsavo East through the connecting corridor between the two ecosystems. The entry to Tsavo East through the Tsavo Gate immediately immerses the safari in the raw red landscape that distinguishes this park from all others in Kenya. The afternoon drive along the Voi River produces the first encounters with the distinctively coloured red elephants of Tsavo.
Final Amboseli morning drive, road transfer to Tsavo East, Tsavo Gate entry, Voi River afternoon circuit, first red elephant encounters, Aruba Dam crocodile and hippo, red plains sunset
Day 7
Tsavo East Mudanda Rock and Return to Nairobi
The final morning in Tsavo East is dedicated to the Mudanda Rock experience and the Galana River before the road transfer back to Nairobi. The 1.5 kilometre inselberg of Mudanda Rock with its natural water pool below provides the most dramatic wildlife gathering in southern Kenya during the dry season. The Galana River drive concludes the seven day grand safari before the five hour return road transfer to Nairobi with a lunch stop en route.
Mudanda Rock sunrise elephant aggregation, Galana River final game drive, Lugard Falls visit, lunch en route, road transfer to Nairobi, private airport or hotel transfer
What's Included
Included
- Return airport transfers in a private safari vehicle
- All game drives in a customised 4x4 safari Land Cruiser with a pop up roof
- Full board accommodation throughout (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
- Professional English speaking Kenya Wildlife Service certified safari guide
- All national park and conservation area entry fees
- Bottled mineral water throughout the safari
- Flight between destinations where indicated in the itinerary
- Complimentary airport meet and greet service
- All government taxes and levies
Not Included
- International flights to and from Nairobi
- Visa fees (available on arrival for most nationalities at USD 51 per adult)
- Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
- Optional hot air balloon safari at the Maasai Mara (USD 480 per adult)
- Alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages beyond water
- Personal shopping and laundry
- Tips and gratuities for guides, drivers and lodge staff
- Any activities not specified in the itinerary
- Single supplement surcharge where applicable
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