KENYA’S MARA & RHINO WALKING EXPERIENCE
- Places to visit:
Overview
This 9-day itinerary sees you enjoying one-of-a-kind experiences in two of Kenya’s most popular safari destinations. Your first four nights will be spent in Samburu National Reserve, a unique wildlife conservation haven known for its abundance of rare species of animal. The latter half of your journey sees your traversing the iconic plains of the world-famous Masai Mara National Reserve in search of the big game that reside here.
While in Samburu, your home-away-from-home will be Saruni Rhino, a charming camp that offers an authentic stay in stylish yet comfortable accommodations. As the camp’s name implies, one of Saruni Rhino’s major offerings is its rhino tracking activity. Guided by an expert ranger, you’ll track down the endangered black rhino and have the unique opportunity to witness this beautiful creature up close.
When in the Masai Mara, you’ll stay at the luxury lodge, Saruni Mara. Intimate, stylish, and comfortable, this beautiful lodge offers the perfect respite after a day spent on game drives in the Mara. And depending on when you go, you’ll have the opportunity to witness the Great Wildebeest Migration.
Itinerary
Day 1-4: One-Of-A-Kind Rhino Tracking Safaris In Samburu | 4 Nights
The first stop on your Kenyan safari is the vibrant city of Nairobi. You’ll touchdown at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, where a comfortable transfer will take you to Wilson Airport, approximately 27 minutes away. From Wilson Airport, you’ll enjoy a light aircraft flight to Samburu Kalama Airstrip – where the fun starts.
Whether it’s your first-ever safari or your thirtieth, Samburu National Reserve is a destination that appeals to every type of traveler. This Kenyan gem is clustered around the Ewaso Ngiro River and boasts endless savannas and forests – a mix of environments that created the perfect big game country with a diverse range of your favorite African animals.
As a result, Samburu has become well-known for its first-class, year-round game viewing is renowned for its first-class, year-round game viewing. Keep your eyes peeled for all the big cats (especially leopard), wild dogs, elephants, and the ‘Samburu Big 5’ – Grevy’s zebra, the long-necked gerenuk, reticulated giraffe, besia oryx, and Somali ostrich.
In addition to impeccable game viewing, Samburu offers a wide selection of incredible adventure activities and fascinating cultural interactions. When not on game drives through the reserve, you can explore the region on foot or by mountain bike. Visit the nearby Samburu villages and gain insight into the local life before enjoying a delicious dinner on the old riverbed. The highlight of your time here, however, will undoubtedly be the incredible opportunity to track endangered black rhinos in Samburu – an activity offered by your home-away-from-home, Samburu Rhino.
This charming camp offers authentic accommodation in the form of a band – a rustic stone cottage with a thatched roof and canvas zip-down windows and doors. Saruni Rhino is known for its unique rhino tracking experiences, where guests join highly trained rangers to track endangered rhinos on foot. Your participation in this activity contributes to the conservation and protection of this remarkable species. During your stay, you’ll also have the chance to visit the Retiti Elephant Sanctuary, where you’ll learn about the conservation of orphaned baby elephants and their rehabilitation back into the wild. And, before you go, be sure to take a drive to the Singing Wells where you’ll be treated to a unique cultural experience – local pastoralists calling their cattle to drink by singing songs recognized only by their own herd.
Accommodation:
Day 5-8: Spectacular Game Viewing & The Wildebeest Migration In The Masai Mara | 4 Nights
After breakfast, you’ll head back to Samburu Kalama Airstrip to catch your flight to Mara North Airstrip for the next leg of your journey. You’ll land in the Masai Mara National Reserve – one of Africa’s top safari destinations. An abundance of animals roams the wide-open plains of the Mara, including elephants, buffalo, zebra, giraffes, hyenas, and the famous big cats: lion, leopard, and cheetah.
The Masai Mara is also home to nature’s grandest show: the Great Wildebeest Migration. Between August and November every year, visitors flock to the Mara to see the unending masses of wildebeest and zebra that follow the rains on their death-defying circular journey. It’s a good thing that your accommodation for the next four nights, Saruni Mara, is perfectly placed to enjoy the Wildebeest Migration season.
Saruni Mara is an intimate lodge far removed from everyday life and is designed to blend in with its dramatic surroundings in a private Masai Mara conservancy. This luxury lodge offers every modern comfort and convenience one would need, with each cottage boasting incredible views of the secluded valley and the Mara plains in the distance. When not enjoying all the lodge has to offer, you can indulge in the Maasai Wellbeing Space, a private treatment spa hidden in the valley’s olive tree and cedar forest. Get an early start in the mornings and join guided game drives to exclusive, sole-use areas to try and spot all your favorite African animals. Or join Maasai warriors on escorted bush walks before exploring the nearby hills on foot.
Accommodation: Saruni Mara
Day 9: Say Goodbye To Kenya
Enjoy one last breakfast at Saruni Mara before catching your scheduled flight from Mara North Airstrip to Wilson Airport, where you’ll be transferred to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to catch a plane back home. We can’t wait until your next visit to Africa.
- Inclusions
- Exclusions
- Park fees
- All activities (unless labeled as optional)
- All accommodation as stated in the itinerary
- A professional driver/guide
- All transportation (unless labeled as optional)
- All Taxes/VAT
- Roundtrip airport transfer
- All Meals (as specified in the day-by-day section)
- International flights (from/to home)
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- Tips (tipping guideline US$10.00 pp per day)
- Personal items (souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
- Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
- Alcohol drinks
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Why book with us?
- Unbeatable support
- World Class Guides
- Expert Advice 24/7
- Specialized Safari Vehicles
REVIEWS & TESTIMONIALS
What Our Clients Say
Catherine J2024-04-21Safari with Aardwolf An absolutely amazing trip with my daughter to east Africa. Vera was so easy, caring and professional to work with she delivered everything perfectly. We were given a wonderful guide Timothy whoâs was knowledgeable, patient and persevered in finding the best spots to view the animals. We definitely recommend this trip, itâs an amazing and unforgettable experience. Catherine Jacobson.bry0072024-03-02Wonderful safari Had an amazing time with Aardwolf. My travel companion had a preexisting medical condition and the team went above and beyond in making sure she was comfortable and looked afterAndrew M2024-02-19A fantastically memorable safari in Kenya We enjoyed a fantastic 5-day safari to Lake Naivasha, Nakuru and Masai Mara organised for us by Vera at Aardwolf. Everything about the planning and the trip was perfect. Vera really got the brief right and even took the trouble to meet us on the Sunday before to answer questions. Our guide, Evans, was super friendly and knowledgable. The accommodation lodges were better than we were expecting and most importantly, we saw a staggering variety of wildlife. Trip of a lifetime. I really recommend Aardwolf. It's worth noting that they are a member of the Kenya Association of Tour Operators (KATO). Also, their prices were very competitive.Fernando2023-07-02Full service from back to end Everything organized and smooth. They take care of you from Nairobi airport, take you to the local airport, arrange accommodation and game drives, pick you back and show you around Nairobi tooElise K2023-03-24A place everyone should see ð»ðð I had a unforgettable experience. The tents were comfortable as can be. Falling asleep to nature sounds was a highlight. All our servers became friends that were easy to chat and learn from. The food was delicious. We saw all the wild animals except the Rino. Each day was special.Katharina W2022-11-23Authentic Kenyan adventure What an amazing trip! From inquiry to booking to the actual trip, Aardwolf Africa delivered everything we hoped for and more. Vera was always very responsive and proposed the best and most unique accomodation - we recommend especially the Basecamp Adventure camp in Maasai Mara for a simple but stylish and very personal experience. If you like small camps in the midst of nature, great food and care about sustainability and empowering the local Maasai community, this one is for you! Our driver guide Wilson was incredibly knowledgeable and made sure we not only experienced the highlights of each park we visited on our 6 day/5 night trip to Samburu, Nakuru and Maasai Mara but also added in unique experiences off the beaten tourist track. Thank you so much Aardwolf Africa and Wilson for an authentic Kenyan adventure!Alexey K2018-10-02This company cares! We had safari with Aardwolf in Masai Mara 29 September - 2 October. When I was choosing among different companies for safari I noticed that Aardwolf has less reviews than some other companies, so I was hesitant about booking with Aardwolf. But when I firstly came into contact with Verah it was excellent communication. All questions answered professional and she was the only manager among those whom I've contacted, who wasn't trying to fit me in template schedule but was eager to help us choose the best options for us. Also what I like about her - she remembers everything you say: I've asked for binoculars, and she offered to give me one for free and didn't forget that. I've ordered food "no spicy" and didn't had to mention it any more - everyone along my route was notified about my food preferences. Excellent work for a manager! Now about our guide. Julius is fantastic guide! I had a lot of trips in my life - Amazon, Galapagoss, Indonesia, and he is surely one of the best. In 3 days we have seen everything: leopard - twice! Cheetah - twice! Lions - three times. Hunting lion - also done! Of course a lot of giraffes, antelopes, zebras. More important - he loves his job and cares about environment and people around. I will remember when he just suddenly stopped our car in the savanna where many cars passed before just to pick up a can thrown by somebody. It makes difference! Also he has a lot to tell about wildlife. Very good man, excellent guide and experienced driver. We definitely recommend Aardwolf, Verah and Julius for everybody doing safari! Alex & Natalia from Russia168inna2018-09-23Incredible trip to Kenya and Tanzania Excellent. Ordered a tour from Aardwolf on Kenya and Tanzania. Everything was organized well, on point and was very interesting. The safari turned very saturated, the hotels were good, the food was well cooked but the breakfasts were a bit poor. Kenya fascinated us with a lot of fabulous animals, we were in Ambosseli national park, Masai Mara and lake Bogoria. For those who want to see thousands of flamingos then they need to visit lake bogoria. A huge thank you to the company for our tour guide Julius, he is a very good guide and driver, he helped us a lot, he told us about a lot of things in Kenya. Overall he is a 5 star guide. If going to a safari in Kenya I would suggest going only with Julius because he is the best. The second part of our thrips was Tanzania, but there we had Aarwolfs suppliers organize our tour. The tour in Tanzania was also marvelous, definitely need to visit the volcano crater Ngorongoro. The lodges and hotels in Tanzania were a level higher than in Kenya which was very pleasing. The only bad thing is that the Tanzanian guide who turned out to be just a driver who wouldnât tell you anything unless you asked had weakens our impressions a bit because he didnât really tell us anything and just turned out to be driver. The prices that the company provided us was cheaper compared to other companies, but they were incredibly amazing.Thank you very much to Aarwolf for providing us with an amazing tour in Kenya and Tanzania and a seperate thank you to Julius for being an amazing tour guide.DLC2018-08-29Perfect! We booked our safaris to Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha, AMboseli and Tsavo East with Aardwolf Africa and everything was perfect. We went in august 2018 during 10 days and even during the pick season we had good rates. Thanks to Verah and our great guides Julius and Jackson we had an amazing trip. Logistics were perfecly organized, the lodges were very nice (clean, good food, very nice people), the cars were in perfect conditions to go everywhere in the reserves. We totally recommend Aardwolf Africa for your trips to Kenya! Thank you again! DMahtab I2018-07-29Ensured we were comfortable We booked our honeymoon to Kenya in July 2018 through Aardwolf Africa, and I have no complaints ! Thank you to Verah and our great guide Julius.