Kenya Camping Safari

Arrive at any time into Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO). The day is unstructured, leaving time to find your hotel and settle in. Most accommodations are concentrated in districts like Westlands or Kilimani, a straightforward taxi ride from the airport. The rest of the day is for acclimatizing before the overland portion of the trip begins.

The first leg is a long one: a 7-8 hour, 365km drive north from Nairobi into Samburu country. The route pushes through the farmlands of the Kikuyu people with views of Mt Kenya, Africa’s second-highest peak, before the landscape dries out. Just outside the reserve, there’s an opportunity to visit a Samburu village, a community of semi-nomadic pastoralists with distinct customs and dress.

After the village visit, the drive continues to the campsite. The goal is to arrive in time for an afternoon wildlife drive inside Samburu National Reserve. This is a first chance to track the area's large elephant herds and resident big cats as the light starts to fade.

A full day is dedicated to exploring Samburu National Reserve on morning and afternoon safari drives. This region is known for a unique cohort of animals not found in the southern parks, often called the 'Samburu Special Five'. The drives focus on finding these species: the beisa oryx, the Somali ostrich, the Grevy's zebra, the long-necked gerenuk, and the reticulated giraffe.

The gerenuk, a graceful antelope, is particularly interesting to watch, as it stands on its hind legs to browse from tall bushes. The day is spent tracking these animals across the arid scrubland, returning to camp in the evening.

Another long travel day, this time heading south for 7-8 hours (348km) towards Lake Nakuru. The drive involves a dramatic descent from the highlands into the Great Rift Valley, with wide-open views across the escarpment. The destination is Nakuru, a busy agricultural town whose name means 'dusty place' in the Maasai language.

The campsite is located at the edge of Lake Nakuru National Park. After setting up camp, there may be time for a visit to a local tea farm to see how the crop is grown and processed, depending on the day's timing and weather conditions.

The day is centered on a wildlife safari drive inside Lake Nakuru National Park. While once famous for flamingos, changing water levels have made them less predictable. The park remains a critical sanctuary for other species, particularly Rothschild's giraffes, which were relocated here for protection. It's also a reliable place to find herds of buffalo, waterbuck, impala, and zebra. The dense acacia woodland provides good cover for leopards, though spotting one requires patience and a bit of luck. The drive covers the lake shore and surrounding savannah before returning to the nearby campsite.

From Lake Nakuru, the route continues south on a 7-8 hour (368km) drive to the Masai Mara National Reserve. The journey ends in the iconic landscape most people associate with a Kenyan safari: vast, open grasslands dotted with flat-topped acacia trees. After arriving and checking into a permanent tented camp, the first exploration of the Mara ecosystem begins with an afternoon wildlife drive.

This initial drive is an introduction to one of the world's most famous safari destinations. It's a first chance to search for the 'big five'—lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino—and get a feel for the terrain before a full day of exploration tomorrow.

An early start provides the best light and highest probability of seeing predators on the move. The entire day is dedicated to safari drives, criss-crossing the rolling hills of the Masai Mara. The reserve is known for its high density of big cats, and the day's drives will focus on tracking lion prides, cheetahs, and leopards. Depending on the route, the drive might push towards the Mara River, a key feature of the landscape.

For a different perspective, a hot-air balloon safari is a common option here. It involves a very early start but offers a wide-angle view of the plains and the animals moving across them as the sun rises.

The final morning offers one last chance to see wildlife on a game drive while exiting the Mara area. After leaving the plains behind, the 245km drive back to Nairobi begins. Before reaching the city center, there's a stop for lunch at Amani ya Juu, a social enterprise that provides training and fair-trade employment for refugee women from across East and Southern Africa. The kitchen uses locally sourced ingredients, and the stop supports the community directly. The trip concludes upon arrival back in Nairobi in the late afternoon.

The safari route concludes in Nairobi. There are no planned activities, leaving the day free for packing and making your own arrangements for transfers to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) for your flight home. Depart at any time.