8 Days 7 Nights Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru National Park, Lake Naivasha & Amboseli National Park Private Safari

You will be picked at 6:30a.m at your residential places and after safari briefing, depart for Maasai Mara and drive north ascending the Great Rift Valley for a breathtaking views and photography. The Rift Valley was formed millions of years ago. Stretching some 5,000 miles from Jordan to Mozambique, it’s the largest Rift on Africa. Drive to Narok-town where we will stop for some minutes for refueling. Thereafter, proceed to Maasai Mara and arrive in good time at around 1:30pm at the CAMP/LODGE. After checking-in, take Lunch and freshen- up then go for an introductory evening game viewing drive as from 3:30pm. The Maasai Mara is Kenya’s arguably the most famous reserve in Kenya and in the whole world. Its smooth grass, carpet hills and plains dotted with flat topped acacia trees are full of rich faunal diversity, fulfilling the expectations of any visitor searching the African landscape for the BIG 5. Located west of the Great Rift Valley, Mara is a natural extension of the Serengeti plains in the neighboring Tanzania. The Mara River, the reserve’s backbone traverses north to south. This course is the natural barrier crossed each year by large migratory heard of wildebeests and zebras which march across the two parks in search of pasture, crossing en route, the crocodile infested Mara River. This Phenomenon of Animal crossing the Mara River involves Millions of Wildebeests thus making Kenya to be recognize as the 7^th Wonder of the World and takes place during the month of July and August every year.

Coupled with ever watchful predatory cats in the midst, the annual migration is a risky affair and fraught with peril. Morning and evening game drives through the Mara reserve gives you a chance of spotting a diverse array of wildlife including elephants, giraffes, black rhinos, cheetahs, gazelles, buffaloes, hippos, leopards, lions and various other herbivores and bird species. Drive back to the Camp/Lodge at 6:30pm for dinner and overnight stay at the Camp/LODGE.

After early morning breakfast at 6:00am, start game viewing-drive across the rich savannah grassland and rolling hills. The famous Mara is renowned for its great herds of plain games, black-manned lions, leopard and cheetah but also contains numerous elephants and virtually every type of wildlife to be found here in the Mara. You will Have Picnic Bush lunches at the Hippo pools in Mara River famous for migration of wildebeest. Proceed with the game on the way back to the Camp/Lodge at 3:00pm then leave to the Maasai Village at the Manyatta for the Maasai Village Tour. At this place, we will be able to learn the Maasai culture, experience their cultural dances, learn the art of fire making, learn the art of Manyatta construction, general lifestyles, art of medicine as practiced by the Maasai people and among many other things. We will be also having an opportunity to get inside the Manyatta, and have a walk around on the different commodities sold by Maasai Women including necklaces, bangles, Maasai shukas among many more items at the Manyatta (So Cary extra cash to promote them by buying these items though it is optional). The rest of the evening will be spent relaxing in the rooms or outside the trees, taking a nature walk at the Camp/Lodge and photography and having other fun activities at the Camp/Lodge. Generally, this is the time to familiarize yourself with the other facilities found at the lodge or camp. Dinner, Bonfire night and overnight stay at the Camp/LODGE.

After breakfast at 8:00am, we will check out from our rooms at 8:30a.m. Thereafter, we will leave Maasai Mara back for Lake Nakuru National Park with a quick stop over for Lunch Enroute. We will arrive at our Nakuru hotel in the evening. Check in and refreshen up as we wait for dinner at the hotel and an overnight stay in Nakuru.

Early morning breakfast will be served at 7:00a.m and thereafter proceed to Lake Nakuru National Park, where we will be required to pay for our park fees and thereafter proceed with game drives. Lake Nakuru National Park is one of Kenya’s two Premium Parks, and is a bird lover’s paradise. It surrounds Lake Nakuru, located in the Central Rift Conservation Area in the Southern Rift Valley region of Kenya. Originally protected as a bird sanctuary, this park hosts over 400 bird species, including 5 globally threatened species, and is an important stop on the African-Eurasian Migratory Flyway. This park was also the first national Rhino Sanctuary and hosts one of the world’s highest concentrations of the Black Rhinoceros.

Lake Nakuru National Park is one of Kenya’s 23 National Parks and one of two in the Premium category, along with Amboseli National Park. It can be found in Central Kenya, about 90 miles (140km) northwest of Nairobi, in the Nakuru district of the Rift Valley Province. The ecosystem is comprised of the lake, surrounded by wooded and bushy grasslands. The park supports a wide ecological diversity including Flamingos (Greater and Lesser) and other water birds, and the Black and White Rhinoceros which are the major attractions of the area. Lake Nakuru National Park started as a bird viewing and sport shooting area of migratory birds in 1950s, but has since been expanded and fenced to protect populations of endangered giraffes and rhinoceros.

In addition to its 400 species of birds, Lake Nakuru National Park is home to 50+ mammal species, and over 500 species of flora. This park is famous for the flocks of Greater and Lesser Flamingos that gather around the lake, sometimes with as many as 2 million! You can find this great pink mass around the lake for a good part of the year, as these iconic birds stay mostly within the Rift Valley, migrating from lake to lake. Because Lake Nakuru National Park was fenced to protect endangered Rhinos and Giraffes, it can’t support African Elephants, so you won’t find any here!

You are guaranteed to see: White Rhinos, African Buffalos, Rothschild Giraffes, Zebras, Impalas, Olive Baboons, Vervet Monkeys, Waterbucks, a variety of water birds (Yellow-billed Pelicans, Marabou Storks, Hammerkops, Fish Eagles, etc.)

Common in the park: Hyenas, Jackals, Lesser Flamingos, Hippopotamus, Pythons. If you are lucky you may see: Lions, Leopards, Black Rhinos, Wild Dogs, Colobus Monkeys, and Cheetahs. Don’t forget the plants! In Lake Nakuru National Park you can see a wide variety of beautiful landscapes: from grasslands to dense forests, and the very rare tarconanthus bushlands and euphorbia forests. Lake Nakuru National Park is officially classified as dry sub-humid to semi-arid, which basically means it’s not too wet and not too dry, or too hot or cold. The climate in this area is really beautiful; you won’t fry in the sun here like you would in Amboseli or Tsavo.

You are likely however, to get rained on. Late afternoon is the most common time for rain showers. If you want the best chance of avoiding these rains, consider coming sometime between July to December and January to March. However, avoiding the rain is not guaranteed, even during these dryer months. Also, these months are in the peak tourism season, so the park will be very crowded with tourist vehicles. Another great thing about this park- it’s fenced, so even during the wet months you will see wildlife because they cannot migrate away from the park. We will take our game drives to around 2.00p.m before checking out from the park after an amazing game drive. Thereafter, we will drive to Naivasha arriving in good time at our Naivasha Hotel at around 5: 00p.m, freshen up and then take Dinner and Overnight Stay.

After breakfast at 7:00am, we will check out from our rooms at 9: 00a.m and then proceed to Lake Naivasha which is a freshwater lake in Kenya, outside the town of Naivasha in Nakuru County. It is part of the Great Rift Valley. The name is derived from the local Maasai name Nai'posha, meaning "rough water" because of the sudden storms which can arise. The lake is fed by the perennial Malewa and Gilgil rivers. There is no visible outlet, but since the lake water is relatively fresh it is assumed to have an underground outflow. We will do BOAT RIDE towards the Crescent Island.

Crescent Island is a private Island on Lake Naivasha that rose to fame after the 1985 movie “Out of Africa” that showcased the beautiful nature of Lake Naivasha and its surrounding. The Island is found within the Great Rift Valley on the eastern side of Lake Naivasha, and it was established in 1988 about 3 years after the “Out of Africa” movie. Though the movie had a bit of influence in establishing the Island, the main reason the Island was established is that Lake Naivasha had a significantly huge drop in its water levels which caused the Island to significantly come up and attach to the mainland permanently to this day.

The Crescent Island though on Lake Naivasha, it’s owned and managed by the private game sanctuary on the Island, unlike Lake Naivasha that is managed by the Kenya wildlife services. The Island has plain terrains that are easy to hike and make walking around the Island less tedious and very interesting. It is one of Nakuru’s and Kenya’s top destinations, receiving over a thousand guests every year. The Island is surrounded by bushy grasslands, papyrus swamps, acacia woodlands, a forest and amazing landscapes from volcanic activities of the past century.

The island is home to a number of bird species that roam around between the lake and the Island which include the fish eagle, herons, black crakes, cranes, pelicans, ospreys, lilytrotters and more. The Island is also home to a number of wildlife that includes zebras, giraffes, waterbucks, Impalas, Kongoni, elands among other animals.

Guests to the Crescent Island enjoy several activities that are both refreshing and relaxing; these activities include: - Walking among wild animals and enjoying them up-close. This is because this island doesn’t have any predators that can attack either the animals or the humans, so walks on the Island very close to the animals are very common. Other activities include:

• Picnicking on the Island
• Guided Nature Walks
• Biking on the Island
• Horseback ridding
• Bird watching
• Game viewing: the Island has very strategic spots for viewing water animals like the Hippos in Lake Naivasha

Thereafter, and after safari briefing, depart for Amboseli National Park at the foot of the snowcapped Mt. Kilimanjaro Africa's highest mountain via Mombasa Road with a quick stop over at Emali Town for buying snacks/Lunch and washroom break before proceeding towards the Camp/LODGE where, we will arrive in good time at around 5:30p.m. After checking-in, freshen-up then familiarize yourself with the hotel facilities. Dinner and overnight stay at the Camp/LODGE.

Today you will spend a Full day game drives exploring the park. We will therefore take our breakfast at 6:30a.m and aboard our land cruiser or Tour Van and proceed for game drives. Our early morning game drive can be most rewarding as it offers the opportunity to find predators either hunting or feeding on their prey. Amboseli National Park is one of the most popular wildlife sanctuaries in Kenya. It is situated close to Kenya- Tanzania border. The Park lies at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa (5,896m) whose snow-capped summit presents a splendid view on clear days. The Park is often referred to as "The home of Elephants" some of the largest Elephant herds are found here. Amboseli Park also contains vast groups of Zebras, Wildebeests, Giraffes, Buffalos, Hippos and Antelopes. Also, to be found in Amboseli are Lions, Leopards, Cheetahs, Rhinos and many species of plain game. Whilst in the park, you will have the opportunity to photograph the animals against the wonderful backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro. We will have picnic lunch while inside the park and thereafter proceed with our game drives. We will check out from the park at around 3:30p.m and proceed to our lodge with an Enroute game drives and arrive in good time. The rest of the evening will be spent at the lodge either swimming or enjoying other facilities present at the lodge. At 7:30p.m, we will proceed for our dinner as we wait for an overnight stay at the Camp/LODGE. Bonfire can be prepared on request at free or at no extra cost.

This being our last day in Amboseli, we will take our breakfast at 8: 00a.m and check out from the Camp/LODGE at 9:00a.m. You will then proceed for morning game drives until 11.30a.m before checking out from the park and driving to Nairobi with Enroute stop overs for health breaks and for self-sponsored lunch. Arrive in Nairobi in good time at around 4.30pm.