8-day Kenya: Big Five Special – Golden

‘Jambo!’ As you walk out of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, your personal Africa Safari Trips guide greets you with a big smile on his face. ‘Karibu Kenya – welcome to Kenya!’

Our Africa Safari Trips guide takes you straight from the airport to your hotel, which gives you the first impressions of the vibrant city of Nairobi. You take in the skyscrapers, the traffic with the motortaxis and colourful matatu’s (local public transport), and the hussle and bussle of people living their every day life…

Ask your guide anything that comes to mind, because he knows all about Kenyan life and culture. But not only that; he also gladly tells you everything about the beautiful national parks you are about to visit. So ask whatever you want – he will do his utmost best to answer all your questions…!

At a three to four hour drive from Nairobi you will find yourself in what we call heaven on earth for rhino fans. With a population of 140 black rhinos the Ol’ Pejeta Conservancy is the largest sanctuary for these massive animals in East and Central Africa.

Black rhinos are critically endangered since 1993. Back then, there were only an estimated 2300 left worldwide. These days their number is up to over 5000 again. In Ol’ Pejeta, their number grew steadily from 20 in 1995 to a population of 140 today. Besides, it’s also home to the last two remaining northern white rhinos in the world and 39 southern white rhinos.

To top it off Ol’ Pejeta also hosts a sanctuary for abused chimps, and in the park itself you can spot the Big Five and many more animals.

Today you will visit the Solio Game Reserve, a privately owned sanctuary dedicated to rhino conservation. The reserve is located in the valley between the high slopes of Mount Kenya and the peaks of the Aberdare Mountains just north of Nairobi, providing a home for 200 rhinos.

The Solio Game Reserve (or Solio Ranch) used to be a working cattle ranch but in 1973, part of it was turned into a wildlife sanctuary. Rhinos and other wildlife were brought back to the area. Nowadays it’s a 49,000 acre ranch with 19,000 acres of wildlife sanctuary for the black and white rhinos.The rhinos live here in harmony with other wildlife like buffalos, zebras, giraffes, elands, oryxes, impalas, waterbucks, Thompson’s gazelles and warthogs. Here, it is not uncommon to see up to 40 rhinos at the same time!

Picture yourself as you drive above the hills of the Great Rift Valley, bend a corner and see a glimmering lake in between the hills. Welcome to Lake Nakuru! At a mere three hour drive from Solio Ranch, this 45 square kilometer big lake lies at the bottom of the Lake Nakuru National Park. With its 88 square kilometers, this national park is relatively small but home to four of the Big Five.

Lake Nakuru National Park is one of the soda lakes in the Great Rift Valley. It used to have millions of flamingos, but ten years ago, rising water levels caused these birds to move elsewhere. Fortunately, they slowly came back again.

Besides, Lake Nakuru is famous for its population of black and white rhinos (introduced in the 1990s), giraffes, buffalos, lions, leopards, baboons and over 400 different bird species. It’s especially easy to spot the white rhino on the edge of the lake – a unique sight!

The mesmerizing Lake Naivasha lies in the Kenyan Rift Valley at 1,884 meters above sea level and is the highest lake within the Great Rift Valley . Today you drive in four to five hours from Masai Mara National Reserve to this 139 square kilometers large freshwater lake.

In between 1937 and 1950, Lake Naivasha was a landing place for Imperial Airways planes. They flew from Durban to Dublin at a time when this took a several days of flying. Nowadays the lake forms a popular daytrip for Nairobi residents due to its proximity to the capital.

Nestled in between swamps, forests and rock formations, Lake Naivasha is the perfect place for an amazing boat safari in between groups of hippos and flamingos! On the shores, you might see zebras, wildebeests and giraffes. After that you experience walking amongst them as you take a guided walking safari on Crescent Island (the ‘hidden gem of Naivasha’) in the middle of the lake. It is as truly atmospheric place, where you might find some familiar settings as it was the primary filming location for the 1985 romantic drama ‘Out of Africa‘.

Today you make the beautiful four hour drive from Lake Naivasha through Kenya’s Rift Valley to the Masai Mara National Reserve. Be ready for a  jawdropping sensation when you arrive on the amazingly beautiful savannah plains of the Masai Mara…!

After lunch you will get your first impression of these plains with its abundance of wildlife. The Masai Mara borders Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and together they are home to Africa’s best known natural wonder: the annual great migration. Over 2,5 million animals roam the plains of Serengeti and the Masai Mara together, following the rains in search of green pastures.

The Reserve is named Masai Mara in honor of the Masai people. The Masai (also spelled Maasai) have lived in this region since they migrated from the Nile Basin centuries ago. Mara means spotted in the Maa language and refers to a landscape marked by many short bushy trees scattered all over the outstretched savannah.

The Masai Mara is known for its abundance of wildlife, and today you have a full day to try and see it all! The National Reserve is home to more than 95 animal species and over 400 species of birds. From mid September to mid October the great migration arrives here. This means that huge herds of wildebeests, zebras, gazelles, antelopes and impalas can be seen trying to cross the Mara River.

In other months you can spot the famous Big Five in the Masai Mara, as well as cheetahs, servals, hyenas, bat-eared foxes, black-backed or side-striped jackals, hippos, crocodiles, baboons, warthogs, topis, elands, waterbucks, oribis, reed-bucks and many, many more… A perfect way to end your safari adventure!

Take in the beauty of the Masai Mara one last time, as in the morning of day 8 you leave for a six hour drive back to Nairobi. Here your personal guide drops you at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your flight back home.

Feel like you want more? Instead of going home it is possible to add more national parks to this program, or to end your holiday on the beach!

Kenya has some amazing tropical beaches to help you unwind after your safari. We at Africa Safari Trips especially like the stunning stretches of beach in the south of Kenya, which are reachable by plane or train. There is the beautiful Diani Beach 20 kilometers south of Mombasa, and lively Bamburi Beach north of the city. Think crystal blue oceans, sandy white beaches, endless pools and colourful cocktails. As a plus, historical Mombasa is just around the corner…!