Family Kenya Adventure—Custom Safari

Arrive in Nairobi, where you are met and transferred to your hotel. Once a rough outpost amid a highland swamp when it was established as the colonial capital of British East Africa in 1907, Nairobi today is the urban heartbeat of independent Kenya and one of Africa’s most important cities. Nairobi has long been a meeting point for adventurers and travelers from around the globe, and most Kenya safaris still originate here. Nairobi offers many sightseeing options that appeal to families, including the national museum, the historic home of Karen Blixen, author of Out of Africa, the Daphne Sheldrick elephant orphanage, local crafts centers, and a chance to feed Rothschild giraffes at the Giraffe Center.

Leave the bustle of Nairobi behind today as you drive along the Great Rift Valley to reach the greater Maasai Mara region. The Mara is one of Africa’s most acclaimed wildlife enclaves, renowned for its wildebeest migration, prides of lion and huge herds of plains game. These wide-open grasslands are the northern portion of the Serengeti Plains, and we find excellent wildlife viewing here year-round. The Maasai Mara is named for the Maasai tribespeople, the traditional inhabitants of the area who graze cattle here, and the Mara River that runs through it.

Rather than stay at a typical large lodge inside the national reserve proper, enjoy the seclusion of a luxury camp in one of the private conservancies that share an unfenced border with the park. While you’ll enjoy the same outstanding wildlife viewing, you have the advantage of far fewer vehicles to contend with, as well as exclusive activities not permitted in the park such as guided nature walks, wildlife drives after sunset to search for nocturnal or hunting animals, and more cultural interactions such as village, school and market visits.

Enter the Maasai Mara National Reserve via a less-traveled corridor, and explore the region on twice-daily or full-day wildlife drives, the latter featuring a picnic lunch on the plains, perhaps in the shade of an acacia tree. July to September is the typical season to see huge herds of wildebeest crossing the famed Mara River, while resident animals abound the rest of the year. We traverse much of the national reserve seeking out other large mammals such as elephant and buffalo. Plentiful giraffe and zebra are often on view, along with smaller creatures such as bat-eared fox and jackals. Predators are always exciting sightings, and the Mara is home to numerous lion prides as well as cheetah and hyena.

Fly back to Nairobi today and transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for homeward flights.