Explore Elsa’s Homeland in Meru National Park: 12 days and 11 nights
AREAS VISITED: Mt. Kenya / Aberdares / Meru National Park / Samburu / Sweetwater / Lake Nakuru / Masai Mara
This safari option is unique because it has an additional days added from “The Best of Kenya” to explore the untamed national park of Mt. Meru. The natural trout fishing is often very good and the views are magnificent.
Activities: Game viewing, cultural interaction, and short strolls to breathtaking scenic overviews
Activity Level: Easy
Arrive Nairobi in the morning and drive through Kenya’s lush farmland, to Naro Moru village at the base of Mt. Kenya. You will get to the lodge in time for lunch. After lunch you have a few options of how to spend your time; visit Manyatta primary school, enjoy being at the Lodge which is a beautiful place to stroll and bird watch or relax by the pool with the spectacular views of Mt. Kenya in the background.
Lunch and dinner included.
Leave Naro Moru mid-morning and drive to the Aberdare mountain range. You will have lunch at the Aberdare Country Club and spend the afternoon riding horses amongst the giraffe, taking walks on the grounds of the country club, playing golf or spend a relaxing time by the pool. In the late afternoon you will take a bus up to The Ark where you will eat dinner and spend the evening watching the animals come to the salt lick and watering hole. It is a spectacular opportunity to watch during the day and nighttime the interactions and group behaviors of many different types of animals.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Leave in the early morning drive to Meru Park, which is an amazing, park because it is untamed wilderness. The park is one of the most scenic parks in Kenya with Mt. Kenya visible in the far distance. The park has incredible sunsets over nearby Nyambeni hills and is also known for the elephant herds and the rare Gerenuk antelope.
Breakfast and dinner included.
You will continue to explore this Kenya’s best-kept secrets. Meru was made famous by the book and film Born Free that recounted the story of the lives of George and Joy Adamson, and the lioness, Elsa. The Spotted Sphinx also tells about Pippa the Cheetah that Joy helped to raise. You will truly enjoy the wilderness and the wildlife of Meru National Park.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Today you will travel north passing through the equator and skirting by Mt Kenya through the Savannah and then finally to a semi arid area called Samburu game reserve. We will spend 2 days driving through this beautiful terrain of Samburu National Park looking for the animals unique to this region. We shall also interact with the Samburu tribe, who are cousins to the Masai tribe and enjoy seeing their traditional way of life utilizing camels as a nomadic tribe.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Today you will enjoy a full day exploring this arid but incredibly rich Eco- system looking for the unique wildlife. Animals to look for are the Grevy’s zebra, Reticulated Giraffe, Oryx, Gerenuk and other birds that are unlikely to see else where in East Africa. In the afternoon, we shall visit and interact with the Samburu tribe and enjoy seeing their traditional way of life. Dinner and overnight at the rustic Samburu Serena Lodge. Which is set in a landscape of endless skies, dust-red plains amidst the Acacia trees.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Leave after breakfast and drive to Sweetwater a private game reserve located on the Ol Pejeta Ranch. After lunch you will go for a game drive and then visit the chimpanzee sanctuary established by the Jane Goodall Institute. Chimps are not native to this area, they have been brought from the Congo to the park for protection from poaching.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
After breakfast you will drive through spectacular scenic views of the Great Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru National Park, home to thousands of flamingos that live on this shallow soda lake containing blue green algae. Birding is spectacular here because it is also home to over 400 species of birds! The park is a sanctuary for animals and it is a good place to see the rare white and black rhinoceros as well as the endangered Rothschild giraffe.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Today you will drive to Masai Mara, which is an extension of the Serengeti Eco-system and is located at the Southwest corner of Kenya. It is Kenya’s most popular park and among the top game reserves in East Africa where the wildlife is abundant and where the great wildebeest migration occurs in the months of June and July. The accommodation is located in the game reserve and is an excellent location to depart on an early morning and late afternoon game viewing.
Breakfast and dinner included.
Today we shall spend a full day in Masai Mara and there will be two game drives, early in the morning and late in the afternoon. In between the game drives you will have lunch and then visit a Masai Boma village where you will get the opportunity to see how the Masai live and watch them dance and talk with the Masai about their culture and society. In the evening, after dinner we will enjoy traditional dancers by a bonfire. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

**** Optional Hot Air Balloon Ride Available on this day**** This is not included in the cost of the safari. We can organize a balloon ride for you if you are interested.

**** Optional Hot Air Balloon Ride Available on this day**** This is not included in the cost of the safari. We can organize a balloon ride for you if you are interested.
Today you will have another beautiful day in a different part of Masai Mara. After breakfast you will go for a long game drive across the plains of Masai Mara to the hippo pools in the Mara River. Here you will sit on the edge of the river and watch the herd of hippos and their babies all interact with each other while the crocodiles sunbathe across the river. The scene is truly spectacular!
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Today you will drive back to Nairobi, while in Nairobi you can visit the museum and do some souvenir shopping at the market before leaving on your flight home. Enjoy a farewell dinner at the Carnivore restaurant before your evening flight.
Breakfast and dinner included.
Please let us know if you want to mix and match any of the itineraries. It is our goal to customize your safari to fit your interests and needs!