10 Day Kenya Safari

A wildlife safari, in Africa, is an adventure likely to be on the bucket list of most travelers. Numerous countries in Africa come to mind when planning a safari; Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana just to name a few. However, it is Kenya that is home to some of the most magnificent safari parks in all of Africa providing travelers with an excellent opportunity to see all the Big Five. The most famous of these parks is Masai Mara; where every year the great migration of wildebeests and zebra can be witnessed.

Here, we’ll share our 10 day Kenya safari itinerary, answer some of the questions we had when planning, provide some information on the parks we visited during our safari and share some of the things we learned.

Common questions when planning for a safari…

When is the best time to go?

The prime safari season in Kenya begins in July and ends when the ‘light’ rains arrive in mid to late October. This time is optimal because the environmental conditions are just right to see the most animals. By July, the tall grasses are mostly dried out and tamped down making it much easier to spot a lion, leopard or cheetah across the plains. Notably, in Masai Mara, the vast herds of wildebeest and zebra arrive on the grasslands by August and will stay until October.

How to book a safari?

Doing a quick search of the web for ‘safari vacations’ or ‘African safari packages’ yields a dizzying amount of results. It is hard to determine if a company is reputable and which is better than any other. (Trust me we have been there!) There are basically two ways to book a safari. The first way begins by figuring out which park you want to visit and then finding the lodge/hotel you want to stay at. When making your reservations with the lodge/hotel, they can assist you with booking game drives in the park directly through them.

The second way is to book with a third party safari company that will put together a schedule based on the number of days you have allotted for your safari. The safari company will handle everything for you including lodge reservations. In our opinion, working with a safari company is the best option.

The best tool we found for browsing and comparing safari packages is SafariBookings.com. You can search with customized criteria, browse operator’s safari packages and even read reviews from past customers. I can’t recommend this tool enough! Visit https://www.safaribookings.com and start planning your safari trip.

Is it better to book a safari before or wait until you get there?

It is much easier to book your safari before arriving in Kenya. By doing so, you will avoid wasting time in Nairobi trying to figure out your arrangements and eat up time that could be spent spotting lions. There may be others who think it is just as easy to do when you arrive, but from our experience, that was not the case.

What are the most popular safari parks in Kenya?

Amboseli National Park
Lake Nakuru National Park
Masai Mara National Reserve
Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Samburu National Reserve
Tsavo National Park (East/West)

Check HERE for a complete listing of all Kenya’s parks.

Is it better to fly or drive between safari parks?

The answer to this depends on you, your budget and your timeline. Flying is the fastest and most direct way to travel between parks. However, it is the most expensive way and can come with some restrictions on the size, weight, and number of bags that you can take with you. Because flying cuts down on travel time, it offers travelers a bit more leisure time at the lodges.

Driving is the slower option and depending on where you’re traveling between the trip could take up to eight hours. The journey will almost certainly go across some unpaved roads so tolerance for dust and bit of bouncing around will be necessary. There are quite a few benefits though to traveling overland. The most obvious is the cost savings, but there is also the benefit of actually seeing more of Kenya. The journey will take you through towns and villages in the countryside and provide a more authentic view of the country. There is a lot more to Kenya than just the safari parks. Another benefit is that the vehicle you travel in is the same safari truck that will be used for the game drives and the driver is the same guide that will be with you throughout the entire safari. Lastly, when driving, you don’t have to worry about any luggage restrictions.

What are the essentials to pack?

Polarized sunglasses
A wide-brimmed hat with a strap (this can also be purchased at most of the safari lodges)
A lightweight long sleeve button down shirt to keep the sun off
Lightweight, breathable long pants (or leggings for women)
Your camera… of course!

Our 10 Day Kenya Safari Itinerary

Day 1: Begin in Nairobi. Drive from Nairobi to Samburu. Approximately 7-8 hours. Nicely paved road. Evening game drive.

Day 2: Full day game drive in Samburu. Picnic brunch in the bush.

Day 3: Drive from Samburu to Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Approximately 3 hours. Paved road. Evening game drive, visit chimpanzee sanctuary.

Day 4: Drive from Ol Pejeta to Lake Nakuru. Approximately 4 hours. Paved Road. Evening game dive.

Day 5: Drive from Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara (Golden Triangle). Approximately 6-8 Hours. Very rough road – Still under construction. Evening game drive.

Day 6: Masai Mara. Full day game drive. Picnic lunch on the savannah.

Day 7: Masai Mara. Full day game drive. Picnic lunch on the savannah.

Day 8: Morning Game Drive. Drive from Masai Mara to Lake Naivasha. Approximately 5-6 hours. Very rough road – Still under construction. Evening boat ride on Lake Naivasha.

Day 9: Drive from Lake Naivasha to Amboseli. Approximately 6-7 hours. Nice paved road. Evening game drive.

Day 10: Morning game drive. Drive from Amboseli to Nairobi. Approximately 4-5 hours. Nice paved road.

Below, we have put together a breakdown of all the parks we visited, where we stayed, some of the animals we saw and highlights of each park.

Samburu

Location: Central Kenya, north of the equator, on the south bank of the Uaso Nyiro River.
Hotel: Ashnil Samburu Camp
Environment: Mostly desert surroundings at the foot beautiful mountains in the distance, a small river valley creates a pocketed lush vegetated environment, also a portion of vast grassland.
Animals saw: common zebra, Grevy zebra, reticulated giraffe, leopard, elephant, lioness and cubs, cheetah cub, dik-dik, warthog, Thompson gazelle, beisa oryx, long-neck gerenuk, and baboons.
Highlights: Samburu National Reserve is a remote park located a considerable distance from Nairobi. Because of its remote location, it attracts far fewer visitors creating a serene and quiet experience with limited other safari vehicles on game drives. The reserve is renowned for its rare species of animals such as the long neck gerenuk, Grevy zebra, reticulated giraffe, and the beisa oryx.

Ol Pejeta

Location: Central Kenya, roughly 70 miles north of Nairobi.
Hotel: Sweetwater’s Tented Camp
Environment: Vast open plains.
Animals saw: White rhino, black rhino, chimpanzees, lioness, cape buffalo, warthogs, silver-backed jackal, baboons, impala, and Grant’s gazelle.
Highlights: The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is a unique destination for a safari. Within the protected 90,000 acre conservancy there is the largest population of white and black rhino in all of Africa and one of the last true safe places for rhinos on the planet; they are protected day and night by armed guards that patrol the conservancy. Here visitors can see Baraka a blind black rhino that is closely guarded and taken care of by the conservancy. You can feed and actually touch him! It is an unforgettable moment to feel a living rhino. In addition to the rhinos, there is also the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary. The sanctuary is home to orphaned, abandoned and rescued chimpanzees from all over the world. When visiting the sanctuary visitors are separated from the chimpanzees by a fence for the safety of the guests and the chimpanzees alike. It is a beautiful place to get to see some of our closest relatives and the only place in Kenya to see them at all.

Lake Nakuru

Location: Roughly 65 miles north-west of Nairobi.
Hotel: Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge
Environment: One of the soda (alkaline) lakes located within the Great Rift Valley. The surroundings are plentiful in grassland and lush forested area.
Animals saw: Rothschild giraffe, waterbuck, cape buffalo and a small flock of flamingoes.
Highlights: At one time Lake Nakuru was the destination to see millions of flamingoes. When we visited, however, there were very few flamingos to be seen at all due to high water levels in the lake. We only saw small flocks far in the distance. Even without the flamingos though, the park is still beautiful and our evening game drive was capped off by one of the most beautiful sunsets we have ever seen. The greatest highlight from our visit here was not the animals though, it was a performance by some traditional Masai tribal dancers and musicians. savannah, now live today. Surprisingly, similar to how they lived in the past.

Masai Mara (Golden Triangle)

Location: Roughly 100 miles southwest of Nairobi, Masai Mara is located on the southern border with Tanzania.
Hotel: Mara Serena
Environment: Vast gentle rolling grasslands with the Mara river snaking through the game reserve. This is the quintessential savannah grasslands wilderness
Animals saw: Cheetah, lion, lioness, hippos, warthogs, Thompson’s gazelle, Grant gazelle, common zebra, wildebeest, hyena, gazelle, crocodiles, cape buffalo, waterbuck, giraffe, crocodiles, ostrich, and vultures.
Highlights: Masai Mara is the crown jewel of Kenya. It is the most exceptional game reserve in the whole country, and if you were only able to visit one park, this would be the one to see. The wildlife here is as abundant as it is diverse. Here, there are hundreds of species all in one place. The great migration brings extraordinary herds of zebra and wildebeest to the area. It is the most massive migration on the planet! We saw all the big cats many times over, even a cheetah having his breakfast. The hippo pool provides an excellent opportunity to view hundreds of hippos all in one place as they float and grunt around in aqueous bliss. We seized the chance to fly over the grasslands at sunrise in a balloon and spotted countless animals as we peacefully drifted above. Lunch picnics on the savannah are also a must. Lastly, a visit to a nearby Masai tribe gave us a taste of how the tribal people, who once ruled the savannah, now live today. Surprisingly, similar to how they lived in the past.

Lake Naivasha

Location: Roughly 40 miles northwest of Nairobi.
Hotel: Sopa Lodge
Environment: A freshwater lake, Naivasha, is located within the Great Rift Valley. It is immediately surrounded by marshy area and beyond that rich rolling grassland.
Animals saw: Hippos, cape buffalo, fish eagle, giraffe, waterbucks, zebra, and eland.
Highlights: Lake Nakuru offers many activities for visitors. We took a boat ride out on the river, fed a fish eagle and got a bit too close for comfort with some hippos. There is also Hell’s Gate National park, a popular place to visit as the rock formations there are captivating and are said to have inspired Pride Rock from the movie “The Lion King.” The greatest highlight for us during our visit though were the wild hippos that wandered freely around our hotel at night.

Amboseli

Location: Roughly 75 miles southeast of Nairobi, near the border with Tanzania. Amboseli is the place to see the iconic views of Mount Kilimanjaro (which is actually located across the border in Tanzania)
Hotel: Serena Amboseli
Environment: Amboseli is an area of vast flatlands; part dusty desert in times of drought and part marshland in the rainy season. Far in the southern distance, late in the afternoon, Mount Kilimanjaro rises from the horizon.
Animals saw: Numerous elephants, lioness, flamingoes, zebra, wildebeest, and gazelle.
Highlights: Amboseli is home to the largest herds of elephants we had seen yet on safari. Seeing the juvenile and baby elephants with their family are moments that we will hold onto for a lifetime. They are such intelligent and interesting mammals to see interacting with each other. An unexpected highlight from our visit were the enormous flocks of flamingoes that gather in the shallows of Lake Amboseli; having not seen them at Lake Nakuru, we were grateful to experience them here. Beyond the animals though one of the most magnificent natural sights to see in all of Africa is the snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro; the tallest point in Africa.

Reflections on our 10 Day Kenyan Safari

One of the most exceptional travel experiences we have embarked on to date is our safari in Kenya. Our 10 days of game drives and traveling around Kenya will remain with us forever. It is a dream to come and see the animals typically only seen on television and in the zoo in person. Seeing them with your own eyes in their natural environment changes you. It certainly varies how, for many people, but I can confidently say that we will never be the same after what we saw and experienced.

Looking back now there are a few takeaways and things we learned while on safari that we felt are worth sharing.

As stated earlier there are two options to travel between parks; flying or driving. We loved going overland from park to park, but by the end of our safari, we were exhausted. When driving, you will have much less downtime in the resorts. When traveling between parks, typically departure is early in the morning and arrival at the next destination is late in the afternoon. When we arrived, we usually had a short amount of time to check-in and freshen up before heading out for an evening game drive. For younger or adventurous travelers with an open schedule, we would highly recommend traveling overland. However, if you are older and/or require special care than you may want to consider flying.
If you choose to travel overland between parks, consider planning an extra day at the lodges here and there just to rest and enjoy where you are staying. Typically these lodges are quite beautiful, and we often wished we had more time to enjoy them.
Safari schedules are very typical. Morning game drives usually begin at 7:00 AM and return to the lodge for lunch around noon to 1:00 pm. Evening game drives generally start around 4:00 pm and return to lodge at dusk. If you can request a picnic lunch once in a while, it is a beautiful experience and gives you more time looking for animals.
If you have the opportunity take a hot air balloon ride. Seeing the sunrise over the savannah with the animals below you is a magical experience.
One of the reasons we choose to safari in Kenya is because they have the most established safari tourism industry. This allows them to offer the best prices and most options for your safari vacation. As an additional social and environmental benefit they are one of the only countries in Africa that outlaws any and all hunting of their animals.

I hope this is a helpful tool in your consideration and planning of your dream safari trip. If you have any questions or are looking for advice, please feel free to contact us. Wishing you a happy safari any many adventures to come. MUCHO loves from your Humble and Free family!

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