The Wildlife and River Nile

Samburu National Reserve is certainly among the more well-known of Kenya's wildlife areas and accordingly has become relatively famous over the years. The main areas for game viewing are along the banks of the Ewaso Ngiro river that runs east to west through the reserve. A great location as the surface waters dry off during the dry season, the game viewing is pretty much guaranteed along the riverbanks! Here, we expect to see Elephants, Beisa Oryx, Lions, Buffalos, Reticulated Giraffe, Grevy Zebras, Somali Ostrich Gerenuk, and much more. Samburu is the habitat where you’re to see some of the rare wildlife that is only found across Kenya’s equatorial line. Not to be forgotten is also the rich Samburu culture. Dinner and overnight at Samburu Simba Lodge.

Breakfast then depart Samburu for Lake Nakuru National park arriving in good time for lunch.
Lake Nakuru National Park is spectacular. It has been a blazing sea of deep pink flamingos – millions of them if the timing permits! Their intense fuchsias burst against Lake Nakuru’s deep blue alkaline waters. Quite simply… it has until some few years ago been the most brilliant show of birdlife on earth.
Alongside a little number of flamingos, other birdlife namely, pelicans, cormorants, kingfishers, ostriches, storks as well as herons and eagles happily call this park home.
Apart from birds, this special park offers stunning wildlife viewing opportunities. The park is known for hosting some endangered but beautiful species. You’re sure to see rare Rothschild Giraffe along with White Rhino, especially along the lakeshore. The park is also a sanctuary for one of Kenya’s largest populations of Black Rhino.
Other wildlife to be seen here are zebra, hippo, olive baboon, vervet and colobus monkeys, waterbuck, and hyena. Other big safari wildlife to be on the lookout for includes lion, cheetah, leopard, and buffalo.
We will later leave the park for yet another soda lake in its neighborhood, Lake Elmentaita. We shall arrive here for dinner and the night.

This morning after an early breakfast, we will leave for Jinja, Uganda. Jinja is most renowned for being the source of the River Nile – a major north-flowing river in north-eastern Africa and at a length of approximately 6,850 kilometers; it is the longest river in the world! For that reason alone, thousands of tourists include making a visit to Jinja to see the source of the river, but also to participate in all of the adrenaline activities that the destination offers.
Our arrival here should be in the early afternoon and this will be followed by some excursions the notable one being a visit to the source of the Nile River. We will, later on, drive to the Jinja Nile Resort for dinner and the night.

The city itself was established in 1907 and at that time, it was a former industrial city and the largest town in Uganda (the city of Kampala now has that title). The city of Jinja today is a fun place to explore as there are vibrant markets and cultural activities on offer. But your stay in Jinja would not be completed without participating in the active and adrenaline-based activities on offer. These include white water rafting on the Nile, bungee jumping, kayaking, horse riding, quad biking, and bike riding across farmlands and beautiful trails.
Today, we will definitely get out there, get active, and have some fun! Explore Jinja by participating in the plethora of outdoor and adventure activities they have to offer.
We will later head back to the Nile Jinja Resort for dinner and the night.

Following an early breakfast, we will leave Jinja and drive to Kenya. Our warm welcome in Kisumu city, also known as port Florence, is Kenya’s third-largest city with the third biggest metropolis. After breakfast, we will unmask the hidden face of Kisumu by undertaking a well-curated excursion, we will enable us to see the attractions of amazing Kenya’s only lakeside city. We will begin by visiting the museum where ethnographic exhibits and a display of the dominant Luo tribe, musical instruments and their traditional culture stands out prominently. Kisumu Museum is considered by many to be one of Kenya’s finest collections of artifacts.
We will then proceed to Kisumu Impala Wildlife Sanctuary for a leisurely walk. While here, a harem of impalas enjoy this grazing ground with zebras and hippopotamus that live in the lake. Spread over an area of less than 1sq km, this wildlife sanctuary acts as a holding point for problematic animals like baboons, hyenas, and leopards, which can be seen at a close range.
From the Impala Park, we’ll drive to the Dunga Ecotourism boardwalk in the swamp where you can experience some birdlife especially the biome restricted and the papyrus endemics of Lake Victoria. This will give us an opportunity to visit the fishing village where you will encounter the local anglers and fishmongers for some interactions.
From the lakeside, we’ll drive to Acacia Premier Hotel and settle down for dinner and the night.

Traveling to the legendary Masai Mara National Reserve and settling into our comfortable tented camp, located just outside the reserve. Our arrival will be in good time for lunch before heading out for an afternoon safari through vast, acacia-dotted plains, driving past throngs of elands, impalas, zebra, and giraffes; and keep an eye out for lions, elephants, and the rest of the African “big five.” In the evening, relax at the camp and enjoy the scenic sounds of the night at the Mara Leisure Camp.

After breakfast, we depart for a whole day game drive in the reserve. No trip to Kenya would be complete without this traditional experience.
Spanning approximately 3,000 square km, the Masai Mara National Reserve and Greater Mara Concession Areas form the northern section of one of the most astounding animal migrations on the planet. While the region has become busier and busier over the last decade or so, a visit to this stunning area is still well worthwhile. Often seen as in its prime when the migratory herds arrive, from July to November, a visit out of season can be just as rewarding, and that’s the reason the BBC has based themselves here for the last decade or so.
What makes Masai Mara one of the world’s top safari destinations is its abundance of big cats – cheetahs, leopards, and lions – as well as the two million wildebeest, Thomson’s gazelles, and zebra that migrate annually across the vast grasslands in search of water. Watching elephants and giraffes grazing, photographing zebras and wildebeest, and with a little luck, you’ll even spot animals feasting on a recent kill. Drive back to the camp for dinner and the night.

Breakfast then depart Masai Mara for Lake Naivasha in Kenya. Our arrival here shall be in the early in the evening time. We will check-in at the camp for dinner and the night.
Head south through the Great Rift Valley to Lake Naivasha, a large freshwater lake surrounded by grassy banks and olive trees. Cruise the lake on a boat, watching for hippos, crocodiles, and buffalo; and peer through your binoculars to spot lovebirds, ibis, and the African fish eagle. The name Naivasha comes from the Maasai “Nai’posha”, which means “rough water”, though Lake Naivasha is generally calm as we watch for hippos, crocodiles, and birdlife. Bring your binoculars and scan for lovebirds, ibis, and fish eagles, watch buffaloes wallow in the swamps, and listen to colobus monkeys call from the treetops.
After lunch, we shall have the whole afternoon at leisure where we shall take the opportunity to visit Elsamere Conservation Center for the English tea on the lawns and the video show on the Adamsons’ lives. We shall later drive back for dinner and the night at Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge

This morning after breakfast, we will venture further outdoors to Crater Lake Game Sanctuary. This is a small private sanctuary themed around a volcanic crater lake with spectacular green water. The lake attracts many flamingos, and the surrounding Acacia forests and plains are teeming with plenty of game. Crater Lake Game Sanctuary is a green soda lake at the bottom of an extinct volcano on the western side of Lake Naivasha.
Crater Lake Game Sanctuary nature trails lead to the plains, woodlands, and around the crater with plenty of wildlife including over 200 species of birds. Besides the impressive bird, species recorded here, Masai Giraffes, Elands, Zebras, and other plains. After enjoying our day in this wilderness, we will drive back to the camp for lunch. From here, we will go back to Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge for dinner and the night.

From the cool waters of Lake Naivasha, we will leave for Amboseli National Park. This is probably the most photographed park in East Africa, Amboseli lies on the border between Kenya and Tanzania, in the lee of the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro. Comparatively quite small for a national park, at 392 square km only, it is also the second most visited of Kenya’s parks. This is to its benefit and to its detriment, to be honest. The park was made famous in the early 70s by the elephant research of Cynthia Moss and Iain Douglas-Hamilton and has since become a must-see for elephant fans due to the large numbers of elephants that congregate here.
Our arrival will be in the afternoon in this another Masai countryside and the plains below Mount Kilimanjaro where the park is situated. The waters from melted snow drain down Mount. Kilimanjaro under lava flows and surfaces in Amboseli, creating a green belt of swampland amidst dusty plains. Here buffaloes, lions, gazelles, cheetahs, wildebeest, hyenas, jackals, warthogs, Masai Giraffes, zebra, baboons, hippos, and waterbucks can be seen against the backdrop of the magnificent snow-capped mountain. Drive back to Kibo Safari Camp for dinner and the night.

This morning, we will leave Amboseli as we enjoy our last game drive on our way to Nairobi city where our tour ends in the afternoon.