Diamond Safari of Kenya

Nairobi is the largest city between Cairo and Johannesburg. Just south of the equator, Nairobi enjoys a spring-like climate. It is a modern city with its main avenues ablaze with colour from tropical bushes and vines. Less than 100 years ago, there was a river in an empty wilderness where Nairobi now stands Nairobi has long attracted world attention as the centre of big-game safaris for the rich and famous. Perhaps the most famous historical safari was that of Teddy Roosevelt, who had 500 porters. Meet and greet today with your Big Journey Company representative and transfer to the hotel for the night to unwind after your flight.

We have an early departure from Nairobi as we head south to Amboseli National Park (approx. 4 1/2 hours by safari vehicle) this morning. Amboseli National Park, at the foot of snow-capped Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, lies 240 kilometers (145 miles) south-east of Nairobi. Years ago Amboseli formed the backdrop to the stories of famous novelists, Ernest Hemingway and Robert Ruark. For centuries, it has been the home of the celebrated Maasai, a proud nomadic people, famed for their courage and traditions. More than any other community in Kenya, they have learned to live in harmony with their environment and its resident wildlife. The park, almost 400 square kilometers (154 sq miles), lies within an ecosystem ten times that size which spans the border with Tanzania and is host to dozens of species, including big cats.
We have lunch at Ol Tukai lodge, which lies in the heart of Amboseli National Park and is shaded by gracious acacia trees. Afterwards we have some time to settle in our rooms, which face the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro. In the afternoon we head out on our first game drive in the National Park. Dinner will be served back at the hotel.

Today after breakfast, we will head out for a full day on safari in Amboseli National Park and explore five different habitats of Amboseli ranging from the dried-up bed of Lake Amboseli to the wetlands with sulphur springs and into the savannah and woodlands. If we are lucky, we will have a clear view of Kilimanjaro, which can look like a mirage above the hot plains, so much so that early explorers wondered if they were seeing things and local chiefs sent their servants to the top to gather the silver that they imagined they saw when the sun glistened on the ice. The ice, with no value to the chiefs of course, melts and becomes the precious resource upon which the game here relies, feeding rivers and swamps that sustain life during the long dry season. At this time the elephant appears ghostly white because of the pale dust they toss on their skins. Amboseli showcases Africa at her big, beautiful best, the mountain, endless skies and sprawling plains. It is also home to plenty of smaller wildlife too and is one of the few places where the rare and beautiful Taveta Golden Weaver can be seen.
We will return for lunch at the lodge and some time at leisure. In the afternoon we head out for another game drive and enjoy the rich colours of an African sunset. Dinner will be served back at the hotel.

Today after breakfast we will be transferred to the nearby airstrip for our flight to Nanyuki via Nairobi. Once we arrive at Mount Kenya Safari Club Airstrip, we will be met by our driver guides and then on to Sweetwaters Sanctuary. The 24,000-acre Sweetwaters Reserve is situated within the sprawling Ol Pejeta ranch with magnificent views across the plains to the peaks of Mount Kenya. A variety of plains game is found within the reserve and the big cats may also be seen. As Sweetwaters is a private reserve, you can enjoy activities such as escorted bush walks, night game drives and camel riding. Upon arrival at the camp, we have lunch and some time to relax. Later in the afternoon we depart for a game drive and will return to camp for dinner.

Today will be another day on safari in the Sweetwaters Reserve with morning and afternoon game drives in the beautiful surroundings of this reserve. Sweetwater Laikipia boasts a variety of unusual wildlife and it's here that some of the most effective conservation work in the country is being done. These vast plains are home to half of the country’s endangered black rhinos and half of the world’s Grevy’s zebras. We will also visit the rhino and chimpanzee sanctuaries and learn more about the important work of conservation projects. After our morning drive we will return to camp for lunch and some time to relax, before we drive out for another game drive in the afternoon. Afterwards dinner will be served at the hotel. As an optional extra you can also go in search of nocturnal animals on a night drive in the reserve.

Today the road leads us to the eastern arm of the Great Rift Valley, arriving for lunch at our lodge. In the afternoon we will explore the area of Lake Naivasha, the highest and most beautiful of the lakes which form the Great Rift Valley. It is surrounded by a series of volcanoes and calderas, most notably Mount Longonot, an extinct volcano. We will also take a boat ride to Crescent Island for a walking safari, returning to the lodge for dinner.
Lake Naivasha’s name comes from the masai word En-aiposha meaning “heaving” or “to and fro” in reference to how turbulent the waters can get in the afternoons. This area is home to resident giraffe, waterbuck and both Vervet and Colobus monkeys and is also a night stop for hippos.
Lake Naivasha is an ornithologist’s paradise, as well as having excellent fishing with tilapia and black bass first introduced by the early settlers. This is the perfect place to relax, walk with a guide or just sit under a canopy of mature shady Yellow Fever trees and listen to the sound of the animals and view the rich bird life.

Leaving Lake Naivasha, drive along the floor of the Rift Valley to the Masai Mara. The Masai Mara (together with Tanzania’s Serengeti) forms Africa’s most famous wildlife area. The iconic landscape consists of endless grass plains and acacia trees. You will also probably see the colourful Masai tribe, who may be seen around the borders of the park - morans (warriors) loping across the plains, young boys herding goats, or elders grouped under a tree discussing matters of the day.
Check-in and lunch upon arrival at the camp which the game reserve is named after. The Ashnil Mara is located along the confluence of the Mara and the Olkeju River. The camp is host to an amazing concentration of wildlife which is easily viewed from the camp and it comprises of 40 luxury tents overlooking the plains of the Masai Mara.

There is an incredible variety of wildlife on offer here including elephants, lion, giraffe, buffalo and zebra to name just a few and the annual wildebeest migration traditionally is present in the Mara from July-September and at this time nature’s dramas unfold before your very eyes at every turn.

In the late afternoon, we'll depart from camp to undertake a game drive in the reserve before returning to camp early evening for dinner.

Day spent undertaking morning and afternoon game drives.

Day spent undertaking morning and afternoon game drives.

An early morning wakeup call before undertaking a last game drive in the Mara. Return to camp for breakfast, departing thereafter to the airstrip, from where we fly back to Nairobi. We arrive at the Wilson airstrip and are met by our driver and transferred to the Karen Blixen Coffee Garden for our lunch.

Later we will be transferred to the Sheraton Four Points Airport Hotel for a day room then later transferred to the airport for your departure flight.