11-Day Big Five Tracking - Midrange Safari

• A transfer from the airport can be arranged for an extra cost.
• Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.

Explore Nairobi

An early start is set for the day to visit Nairobi National Park and the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage.

The day starts with an early morning game drive in the Nairobi National Park, the only National park in the world to be situated within a city, just 7 kilometers away from the center of Nairobi with backdrop city skyscrapers.

Wildlife in the park includes Lions, Leopards, African Buffaloes, Hippos, spotted Hyenas, blue Wildebeests, grant’s Gazelles, common Elands, Impalas, olive Baboon, black-backed Jackal among others.

Later at 11:00am head straight to the David Sheldrick Elephant orphanage where you will have an opportunity to interact, observe the baby Elephants being fed with milk bottles, playing in the mud, and interacting with their keepers. Visitors can also learn about the elephants' individual stories & the Trust's conservation efforts.

Thereafter, before we drop you back at your hotel, we can take you for lunch at a recommended Restaurant. (Meal at an extra cost).

Main Destination:

Nairobi (City)

Accommodation:

Wildebeest Eco Camp

• Mid-range tented camp located in Nairobi (City)

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
• Drinks not included

Nairobi to Rhino Watch Lodge

Day 2: Nairobi to Rhino Watch Lodge
After breakfast, you will be picked by our safari driver ready to begin your safari.

Enjoy a 3-hour scenic drive through the Kenyan highlands to the Rhino Watch Safari Lodge, located in the central Kenyan highlands at an iconic location surrounded by three wildlife reserves.

The drive may include stops at fruit markets or the Tana River where fishermen catch Tilapia.
Arrive at the lodge, check in, and enjoy lunch.

In the afternoon, visit Aberdare Game Sanctuary only 15 minutes away from the Lodge that offers the opportunity to go on a game walk with a herd of Giraffes which you can approach up to a few meters.

Later return to the Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Main Destination:

Aberdare Range (Mountain Range)

Accommodation:

Rhino Watch Safari Lodge

• Mid-range lodge located less than 1hr drive from Ol Pejeta Conservancy (Laikipia Plateau)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Rhino Watch Lodge to Shaba & Samburu National Reserves

After breakfast at the Lodge, drive north via Nanyuki and Mt Kenya to the Shaba National Reserve, a small gem in the wildlife wilderness just two-and-a-half-hour away.

Shaba reserve takes its name from a cone of volcanic rock and is one of Kenya's most pristine game reserves.

Arrive in time for lunch at Sarova Shaba Game Lodge. After lunch enjoy an afternoon game drive in Samburu.

Samburu game reserve is renowned for its rare species of animals that can be found in this park, like the long-necked Gerenuk, Gravy’s Zebra, reticulated Giraffe, and the Beisa Oryx. Giraffe, Buffalo, Waterbuck, Elephant and zebra trek from the surrounding savannah plains to the water. Samburu is also considered one of the best areas to observe Leopard, Lion and Cheetah.

Dinner and overnight at your Lodge.

Main Destination:

Shaba National Reserve

Best Time To Visit June to September and January to February

High Season December to March and July to October (Busy)

Best Weather June and December (Cool and fresh after rain)

Wildlife in Shaba NR

HippoCommon

ElephantOccasional

GiraffeOccasional

BuffaloOccasional

ZebraOccasional

LionRare

Show more

LeopardRare

CheetahRare

HyenaRare

White RhinoNone

Black RhinoNone

WildebeestNone

Wild DogRare to None

Accommodation:

Sarova Shaba Game Lodge

• Mid-range lodge located inside Shaba NR

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Explore Shaba & Samburu National Reserve

Breakfast at the Lodge.

Then spend the whole day exploring these amazing game reserves, it gives you the refreshment of your mind as the reserves are not populated and not many people visit here. Samburu is known for sightings of the “Samburu Special Five” – unique and endangered species like the Grevy’s Zebra, Somali Ostrich, the reticulated Giraffe, Gerenuk, and Beisa Oryx. African wild dogs are also found on the rugged terrain of this expansive park.

The nearby Shaba and Buffalo Springs Reserves offer a bit more greenery, plus lava terraces and other volcanic formations. The Park also holds over 900 Elephants, plenty of Lions, Rhinos, Leopards, Buffalos, as well as pancake Tortoise which is an endangered species. Along the Ewaso Nyiro River lies the Nile crocodiles basking in the sun waiting for their prey. In the local language, the name Ewaso Nyiro means brown water due to the color of its waters throughout the year.

Lunch, Dinner, and an overnight stay at your Lodge.

Main Destination:

Samburu National Reserve

Best Time To Visit June to September and January to February

High Season December to March and July to October (Busy)

Best Weather June and December (Cool and fresh after rain)

Wildlife in Samburu NR

ElephantAbundant

GiraffeCommon

ZebraCommon

LionOccasional

LeopardOccasional

BuffaloOccasional

Show more

HippoOccasional

HyenaOccasional

CheetahRare

Wild DogRare

White RhinoNone

Black RhinoNone

WildebeestNone

Accommodation:

Sarova Shaba Game Lodge

• Mid-range lodge located just outside Samburu NR

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Samburu to Rhino Watch Lodge

Another morning game drive in Samburu and a delicious breakfast may make it difficult for you to leave the Reserve.

Drive back to Rhino Watch Lodge with lunch enroute at TroutTree Restaurant, a unique Farm to Table dining venue set inside and around a giant fig tree. Enjoy your lunch and drive to your Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Main Destination:

Aberdare Range (Mountain Range)

Accommodation:

Rhino Watch Safari Lodge

• Mid-range lodge located less than 1hr drive from Ol Pejeta Conservancy (Laikipia Plateau)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Full day Solio Ranch/Solio Game Reserve

Breakfast at the Lodge. Depart with picnic lunches for a day of game viewing at Solio Game Reserve.
The Solio Ranch is a privately owned and very special wildlife sanctuary. Surrounded by stunning landscapes, the ranch is dedicated to saving and protecting rhinos in Kenya.

Enjoy thrilling game drives, guided walks and serene picnics amidst the picturesque scenery and not only marvel at the grey giants, but also animals like Buffalos, Zebras, Giraffes, Elands, Oryx, Impala, Waterbucks, Thomson’s Gazelles and Warthogs.

Return to your Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Main Destination:

Solio Ranch (Laikipia Plateau)

Best Time To Visit June to September (Dry season)

High Season July to October (High-season rates apply)

Best Weather June to September and December to February (Less rain)

Wildlife in Solio Ranch

White RhinoAbundant

BuffaloCommon

ZebraCommon

Black RhinoOccasional

LionOccasional

CheetahOccasional

Show more

GiraffeOccasional

HyenaOccasional

LeopardRare

ElephantNone

WildebeestNone

HippoNone

Wild DogNone

Accommodation:

Rhino Watch Safari Lodge

• Mid-range lodge located less than 1hr drive from Ol Pejeta Conservancy (Laikipia Plateau)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Rhino Watch to Aberdare National Park to the Great Rift Valley (Mbweha Camp)

Early breakfast at the Lodge. Check out with picnic lunches and head to explore Aberdare National Park. The Park contains a wide range of landscapes – from the mountain peaks that rise to 4,300 m above sea level, to their deep, V-shaped valleys intersected by streams, rivers, and large cascading waterfalls. The main ecosystems within the mountain range are rainforest giving way to dense bamboo forests and then moorland.

We will spend a full day in the park. At lunchtime, we will enjoy a picnic at 3,500 m altitude surrounded by a breathtaking landscape of waterfalls and forest and the sound of screaming monkeys in the treetops.

Later continue your safari to arrive in the evening at Mbweha Camp, nestled in the awe-inspiring Great Rift Valley within the private 6400-acre Syosambu Congreve Conservancy, bordering Lake Nakuru National Park. Enjoy dinner followed by a night game drive in the Conservancy.

Overnight at your Camp.

Main Destination:

Aberdare National Park

Best Time To Visit June to September and December to February (Driest months)

High Season June to October and December to March

Best Weather June to September and December to February (Less rain)

Wildlife in Aberdare NP

ElephantCommon

BuffaloCommon

ZebraOccasional

HyenaOccasional

Black RhinoRare

LeopardRare

Show more

GiraffeNone

White RhinoNone

LionNone

CheetahNone

WildebeestNone

HippoNone

Wild DogNone

Accommodation:

Mbweha Camp

• Luxury cottage located inside Soysambu Conservancy (Lake Elementaita)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Mbweha Camp to Maasai Mara National Reserve

After breakfast at the Camp, proceed to the Masai Mara National Reserve to arrive in good time for lunch. Check-in, have lunch, and spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing in your tent waiting for the late evening when the temperature cools to head out on your first Maasai Mara game drive.

Maasai Mara is one of Africa’s greatest wildlife reserves brimming with abundant wildlife and birdlife. Game viewing is spectacular year-round; with opportunities of witnessing a pride of lions stalking their prey, observe a herd of elephants and their fascinating social structure, or see pods of hippo wallowing in the rivers.

Return to your Lodge at sunset for dinner and overnight.

Main Destination:

Masai Mara National Reserve

Best Time To Visit June to October (For general wildlife viewing) and July or August to October (For wildebeest migration)

High Season June to October and December to March

Best Weather June to October (Sunny, but not too hot)

Wildlife in Masai Mara NR

ElephantCommon

GiraffeCommon

LionCommon

CheetahCommon

ZebraAbundant

WildebeestAbundant

Show more

BuffaloCommon

HippoCommon

HyenaCommon

LeopardOccasional

Black RhinoRare

Wild DogVery Rare

White RhinoNone

Accommodation:

Mara Big Five Camp

• Mid-range tented camp located just outside Masai Mara NR

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Explore Maasai Mara National Reserve

Two full days in the Mara a game viewing extravaganza!

The itinerary is flexible, and you can plan with your guide the day’s schedule. You can have a relaxed breakfast and depart for a full-day game drive with a picnic lunch. You will have better chances to view wildlife all day and return to the lodge late in the afternoon.

Alternatively, you can depart an early morning game drive. Later, return to your accommodation for breakfast and relax until midafternoon. Then, depart on an afternoon game drive.

A nature walk has also been arranged for you today. With the leadership of an experienced guide and a Maasai ranger, learn about the flora and fauna in the area surrounding the camp. You get to dictate the walking pace as the guide answers your questions between stops.

Dinner and overnight at your Camp.

Main Destination:

Masai Mara National Reserve

Accommodation:

Mara Big Five Camp

• Mid-range tented camp located just outside Masai Mara NR

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Departure

After breakfast, enjoy a final, scenic drive through the park before transferring back to Nairobi for your departure or onward travel.

Depending on your next stay or departure flight details, you will be dropped off at your desired hotel or the airport for your homebound flight.

Main Destination:

Nairobi (City)

Accommodation:

No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

• Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
• A transfer back to the airport can be arranged for an extra cost.