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Immersive Kenya: Through the Eyes of the Maasai
With welcoming Maasai as your guides, experience the people as well as the iconic African wildlife on this Kenyan adventure designed expressly for Wild Nectar travelers.
SPECIAL OFFER
8.9*
ECO SCORE
2
PASSENGERS
12
DAYS
3.5/5
ACTIVITY LEVEL
Kenya: Drink It In
Learn about Africa’s wildlife, traditions and culture through the eyes of the Maasai on this custom 12-day safari to Kenya designed especially for Wild Nectar's curious adventurers. During this entire program you will be accompanied by traditional Maasai Warriors. Visit Nairobi, Lake Nakuru, Maasai Mara, Amboseli and spend 3 nights in a Maasai village camp. Meet local people. Experience local cuisine and customs. Get closer to the iconic wildlife, warm Kenyan people, and wide open spaces than you would on other trips. Optional post-trip extension to stunning Diani Beach. This is a private, custom program to fit your dates.
Travel Curator’s Insights:
- • See giraffe, lion, zebra and many other iconic species on 4 full days of game drives in Amboseli and Maasai Mara National Parks. Visit Lake Nakuru, home to rhinos, impala, flamingos and hundreds more.
• Rise early for bush walking safaris at a historical Maasai site used to train warriors. Learn to craft in a circle of Maasai women and experience daily life on the savanna.
• Enjoy or help cook delicious local specialties and hear about Kenyan life from your hostess and friends at a special farewell dinner in a private Nairobi home.
SPECIAL OFFER
Rates:
From $7,995 per person
Policies and protocols provided before you book.
Offered Year-Round
Custom Dates to Fit Your Schedule
Offered Year-Round
Custom Dates to Fit Your Schedule
Departures:
Trip Sustainability Awards
Community
Supports the local community by staying in locally owned an operated accommodations
Waste
Member of the Travelers Against Plastic initiative
Carbon
Offers guests comprehensive carbon offsetting options
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival
Arrive and pass customs. Your Maasai guides will be at the airport to pick you up and transfer you to a boutique hotel in the Karen area of Nairobi. Get checked in, relax and catch up on some much needed rest.
Accommodation: Hemmingway’s or Similar.
Hemmingway's: This 45-suite boutique hotel elevates the standard of luxury for travellers in the region. Beautiful in its symmetry and flooded with natural light, this plantation-style property is airy and spacious. Each 80m² suite has a private balcony overlooking the iconic silhouette of the Ngong Hills, a magical view which can also be enjoyed over sundowners at the bar.
Day 2: Nairobi
This morning you’ll have time to relax and acclimatize yourself with the local weather and time zone. Activities for the day include a visit to the Giraffe Center for up close encounters with these gentle giants. You will also visit the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust for a visit to their elephant orphanage. Meet orphan elephants and learn about their life at the orphanage and efforts to ready them for an eventual return to the wild. We’ll have lunch at The Verandah Garden Restaurant located at Utamaduni Craft Centre. Return to the hotel after lunch to rest and enjoy the hotel. Breakfast and Lunch are included.
Accommodation: Hemmingway’s or Similar.
Day 3: Depart Nairobi for Lake Nakuru National Park
Shortly after early breakfast at your hotel, we’ll depart Nairobi for Lake Nakuru National Park in comfortable superior tourism vans. Drive time is approximately 2.5 hours. The drive through the Kenyan highlands is beautiful and you will see the famous Great Rift Valley – a magnificent natural trench stretching approximately 3,700 miles from Lebanon into Mozambique in East Africa. We should arrive to Lake Nakuru Sarova Lion Hill in time for lunch. Get checked in, relax, explore and enjoy your first game drive of the journey in the late afternoon. All meals included.
Accommodation: Sarova Lion Hill
Sarova Lion Hill: Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge is set along "the Lion Hill" in Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya. The 67 chalet style rooms all with terraces offer views of the Lake and the National Park. The lodge is best known for great food, a Panoramic Bar Terrace, organic gardens, a pool and spa.
Day 4: Lake Nakuru National Park
Lake Nakuru National Park offers one of the world’s greatest wildlife marvels. This park is home to about two million greater and lesser flamingos and pelicans that feed around the shore of this shallow soda lake in the Great Rift Valley November to May. To walk along the shores and witness the display of so many flamingos and pelicans is spectacular. In addition to flamingos Lake Nakuru is home to hundreds of other species of birds, and herds of buffalo, impala, zebra, hippos, and black and white rhino. This would be your best chance to see more than one rhino in a day. Troops of baboons, a few hippos, and leopards are also found in Lake Nakuru National Park. After the afternoon game drive we’ll return for a sumptuous dinner and overnight stay at the Sarova Lion Hill. All meals included.
Accommodation: Sarova Lion Hill
Day 5: Depart Lake Nakuru to Maasai Mara Game Reserve
This morning we’ll drive from Lake Nakuru National Park due south through the Rift Valley to Maasai Mara Game Reserve. We should arrive at Mara Ashnil Camp in time for lunch. Mara Ashnil is located inside the game reserve. After lunch and relaxing in your room, get ready to head out on a game drive on the famous plains of the Mara. All meals included.
Accommodation: Mara Ashnil Camp
Mara Ashnil Camp: Ashnil Mara Camp is located in the Maasai Mara National Reserve overlooking the Mara River, famous for the wildebeest migration. Each luxury tent has a wooden deck overlooking the plains and wildlife in the reserve. The bed is draped in mosquito nets and the private bathroom includes a shower with toiletries. The restaurant at Ashnil Mara serves international, oriental and traditional African cuisines. The open-air bar offers a wide selection of beers, cocktails and liquors. Bush dining and picnic lunches can be arranged on request.
Day 6-7: Full Days in Maasai Mara Game Reserve
The Maasai Mara is made of vast open rolling plains, and grasslands with seasonal rivers. The entire area of the park is situated within the enormous Great Rift Valley. The reserve is famous for the annual wildlife migration with over 1 million wildebeest and thousands of zebra crossings over from the Serengeti plains in Tanzania to Maasai Mara in Kenya. The return migration ends in early November and we catch the end of that. The reserve is home to hundreds of elephants, hippos, lions, hyenas, Cape buffalo and thousands of other hoof stock.
Over 500 species of birds including ostrich, larks, sunbirds, weavers as well as the lilac breasted roller are abundant in the reserve. The Maasai Mara's altitude is 5.000 ft. above sea level, which yields a milder and damper climate different from other parts of the country.
There are morning and afternoon game drives and all meals are included.
Day 8: Depart Maasai Mara via Nairobi to Maasai Simba Camp
This morning after breakfast enjoy an exciting flight lifting off the valley floor and flying over herds of animals on your way back to Nairobi. We’ll make a plane change and head to Amboseli where you will be picked up and brought to the Maasai village of Merrueshi which has a community based tourism camp called Simba Camp. Get checked in, relax and enjoy a wonderful dinner with your private chef.
Accommodation: Simba Camp
Simba Camp: Escape the crowds and experience nature in its purest form on an unforgettable Maasai lead safari adventure. As with many tribal people, the Maasai world is at the crossroads, so come see it while you still can. The camp has been designed to give guests the feel that it is part of the Maasai tribal village. The village atmosphere, friendly staff, delicious food, and comfortable rooms have inspired many heartwarming comments from guests such as "we felt as if we were members of the Maasai family" and "This has been the highlight of our experience in Africa."
Days 9-10: Full Days at Maasai Simba Camp
Maasai Simba Camp is in the village of Merrueshi close to Amboseli National Park at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The camp is a historical site formerly used by Maasai warriors for training. It has been restored and made accessible for adventure travelers seeking to have authentic cultural and safari experiences with the Maasai. This is the home of your guides. The entire camp is nestled under a canopy of indigenous acacia trees on the banks of a seasonal Kiboko River. The camp is made up of Hemingway style tents and rock cabins equipped with moderate amenities (flush toilets, mosquito nets, and hot water). The accommodations are simple yet comfortable.
Time in the village will be flexible and relaxing, yet full of learning experiences. Mornings will typically begin with a bush walking safari led by the Maasai warriors. Merrueshi is a wildlife corridor between Amboseli and Chyulu Hills National Parks. Giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, eland, kudu, warthog, gazelle, impala, and over 400 species of birds roam freely in the area.
The Maasai know this land in a way no one else does and the warriors will interpret everything from footprints, animal droppings, animal noises, herbal medicine, and more. The walking safari offers you a unique experience with wildlife much different from the game reserves where visitors are restricted to see wildlife from the vehicle. Breakfast is ready when you return from the bush-walking safari.
After breakfast we’ll immerse ourselves into some cultural activities such as a visit to a local school and tribal village, meetings with tribal elders, and learning about the Maasai way of life. There is a wise medicine man in the village, and you will have time to visit with him and learn about medicinal plants and their properties. Also, you will have an opportunity to meet with the local women's cooperative and participate in a beading session as you learn about their society. Intricate beadwork is central to Maasai culture.
As always, we’ll save time for sharing within the group during dinner. Enjoy a nighttime cozy bonfire a few steps beyond the tents and watch the stars on clear nights. A traditional Maasai dance is provided the night before departure. All meals included.
Accommodation: Simba Camp
Day 11: Full Day Safari Excursion to Amboseli National Park
After having early breakfast, hop into your 4x4 Land Rover and drive to Amboseli National Park, 30 minutes away from Maasai Simba Camp. Amboseli covers 150 square miles in southern Kenya, not far from the Tanzanian border. It is at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa standing 19,340 feet above sea level. In addition to over 1,000 elephants there are zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, impala, lion, hippo, antelope, warthog, hyena, cheetah, buffalo, and more than 400 species of birds all gathering in the haven of the park. Visit Nomootio observation hill where you can see elephants and hippos grazing below. Check-in to Ol-tukai Lodge in time for lunch. Resume game drive in the afternoon and return to the lodge in time for dinner and overnight. All meals included.
Accommodation: Ol-tukai Lodge
Ol-tukai Lodge: Located in the heart of the Amboseli National Park and offering stunning views of Mount Kilimanjaro, Ol Tukai Lodge Amboseli offers a pool, restaurant and guest lounge. Elegantly furnished and well-appointed, all rooms have fans and mosquito nets and offer great views of Mount Kilimanjaro or the wetlands. With luck, guests can view elephants from the comfort of their own terrace.
Day 12: Depart Amboseli for Nairobi and Depart
Enjoy a final morning game drive and an early lunch before heading to the airport at Amboseli for your early afternoon flight to Nairobi. We will arrange the use of a day room for you at Ole Sereni. Relax for a bit and pack.
This evening we have arranged a special dinner at the home of a local woman who loves sharing her knowledge of Kenyan cooking with guests in her home. We will also invite another local Kenyan woman there to share her work with a non-profit addressing women’s issues. A donation has been made on your behalf. It will be a lively and meaningful conversation over delicious food and a wonderful way to end your time in Kenya. Most flights depart late at night and we’ll get you to the airport on time, three hours before departure.
Optional Activity:
Hot Air Ballooning: Hot air balloon safari offers a different photographic opportunity, champagne breakfast, and a short game drive before returning back to the camp. We had a number of clients who went on a balloon safari and they regarded it as “the most beautiful balloon flight in the world.” We will need to book the balloon safari in advance. Please let us know if you are interested on the hot air balloon experience and we can book it for you.
Rate: $450pp
Vehicles: With this trip you’ll have your own safari vehicle with a driver and guide. We use private 4X4 Land Cruiser or Luxury Safari mini vans. All our vehicles are retrofitted to meet rough road standards and safari needs. Each person is guaranteed window seating in each vehicle with a pop-up roof for easy game viewing & photography. There will be a rest stop every 100 km for guests to stretch and use the restroom.
Rates
Questions?
This custom trip was designed expressly for Wild Nectar. Along with the amazing wildlife viewing and walking bush safaris, you'll love the close connections you'll be able to make. This operator has a genius for bringing people together!
Joy Martinello, Founder
Questions?
What’s Included & Cancellation Policy:
WHAT'S INCLUDED
All ground transportation in superior comfort vehicles; 2 nights in Nairobi; Entry fee to elephant orphanage and giraffe center; 2 nights full board Sarova Lion Hill Nakuru; 3 nights full board in Maasai Mara Game Reserve (Ashnil Mara camp); 3 nights full board at Maasai Simba Camp (Maasai Village); 1 night Safari excursion to Amboseli National Park (overnight at Ol-Tukai Lodge); Daily safari walk at Simba Camp lead by Maasai Warriors; Visit to the local school and interact with students and teachers; Meet with Maasai tribal elders and Maasai Women Cooperative; Visit a local tribal village and experience the Maasai village life; All airport transfers; Use of day room the final day in Nairobi; Final dinner with locals.
