Kenya - Nine Days Bush FAMILY SAFARI

ARRIVAL

You will be met at the airport by your Shadows of Africa driver. He will wait for you with a signboard with your name written on it. You will be whisked away to your hotel to recover from your flight and enjoy your first taste of African hospitality. Upon request, Shadows of Africa can assist in arranging additional guided tours and day trips.

After a good night's rest, you will be ready for the start of your safari tomorrow!

You will start your safari adventure with a visit to the bomas of Kenya. Here you can enjoy a pleasant taste of Kenya's rich cultural treasures. This interactive museum shows traditional villages belonging to the different Kenyan tribes.

Later in the morning, at 11am, head to the Sheldrick Willife Trust. This is a favorite attraction in Nairobi - even among expats who have lived there for years. So you will not be alone here - but a visit is unforgettable. You will see how cute baby elephants go through their rehabilitation with exercise, feeding and bathing.

The next stop is the Giraffe Center - a breeding center for the Rothschild Giraffe. The center's elevated feeding platform allows visitors to see the giraffes face to face as they eat, you even get the opportunity to hand-feed one of these beautiful creatures. You'll also have the chance to wander the beautiful grounds of the Giraffe Center and perhaps meet some of the center's larger residents during your walk.

You'll depart from Nairobi after breakfast for the drive to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, sometimes known as Sweet Waters. Along the way you'll pass through colourful tea and coffee plantations as well as crossing the equator from the southern hemisphere into the northern hemisphere.

After lunch at Sweet Waters, you'll head out into the park for a game drive. Ol Pejeta offers a unique range of extra activities to add to your safari. From meet he white rhinos to a lion tracking program. And of course you can visit the famous chimpanzees. You can even join the anti-poaching dog tracking team to learn more about conservation efforts. Talk to your Safari Expert about the options and additional costs.

After these visits, you'll finish off your afternoon with a drive through the park in search of the Big 5 - leopards, lions, elephants, rhinos, and buffalo.

While Mum & Dad head out into the park for a day long game drive, the kids can remain behind at Sweet Waters for a day of fun activities including camel riding & horse riding, swimming, and more.

Of course you can also spend the day together as a family - enjoying one of the many possible activities.

You'll depart from Ol Pejeta and make your way to the picturesque shores of Lake Naivasha. Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake located on the rim of the Great Rift Valley. Famous for its bird life, the area is also home to animals such as giraffes and buffalo, as well as velvet and colobus monkeys. Your day on the lake will include a guided boat safari out on the lake to see hippos and water birds, and a visit to the Crescent Island Sanctuary where you and your kids can walk alongside zebras, giraffes, antelopes, and more.

It wouldn't be a safari in Kenya without a visit to the legendary Maasai Mara.

You'll depart from Lake Naivasha after breakfast and drive south to the Maasai Mara, the home to the Eighth Wonder of the World - the Great Wildebeest Migration.

Whatever time of the year you're in the park, you'll get the chance to see lions, leopards, elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, cheetahs, and more. In certain months, during the Wildebeest Migration, the park is flooded with more than 1.7 million wildebeest and 500,000 zebras.

You'll enjoy lunch at your lodge before heading out into the park for an afternoon game drive.

Wake with the dawn to witness a sunrise out on the Maasai Mara. As the sun sets fire to the savannah, you'll have the chance to watch predators such as leopards and lions out on the hunt while the air is still cool.

You may also wish to indulge yourself by adding a sunrise hot air balloon safari and champagne breakfast to your safari. Speak with your safari specialist about making this once-in-a-lifetime experience happen for you.

After a late breakfast, you'll take a picnic lunch and head out into the park for a day of discovery as you track the movements of the Wildebeest Migration (seasonal) or go in search of the Big Five.

You'll depart from the Maasai Mara after breakfast for the trip to a village of one of the most renowned communities in Africa - a Maasai tribe.

The centre of Maasai life is undoubtedly their cattle, which represents the primary source of food. A typical Maasai diet consists of milk (mostly fermented), fresh blood, and meat, in this order. Vegetables and fruit are more a snack, if so. You’d expect them to be quite unhealthy, but you’d be wrong. They ingest many bitter herbs with the active ingredient saponin, which reduces cholesterol, so they do not develop heart or vascular diseases. And their teeth - mesmerizing white smiles shine on every mouth since they almost don’t develop any caries.

So health they have. And the wealth is measured in numbers of cattle and children - both have to be plenty. If a man has plenty of one and not of the other, he's considered to be poor.

But - all will be explained on-site!

After a three-hour drive from Nairobi, just on time for lunch, you’ll arrive at Maji Moto eco-camp, situated on top of a hill of Loita Hills, near the Maji Moto village. After lunch, you will join a guided nature walk, get Maasai cultural ‘briefing’, learn how to make a fire and finish the day around the fire with Maasai warriors sharing their stories. Learn from ancient wisdom and see the modern changes.

After breakfast, a display of Maasai ‘marshal arts’ can be expected - warrior training, stick fighting, spear throwing and archery among others. Alternatively, join women making beautiful beadwork, go for a walking safari, or something else. We will visit the village school and the hot spring nearby.

After you’re filled with impressions and decorated with beautiful handmade beaded jewellery, we’ll transfer you to Nairobi for international departure.