Arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International airport in Nairobi where you will be met by All Seasons Safaris & Tours Representative and briefed concerning your safari as we assist with visa formalities, then escorted past the custom counter where you will be given mineral water to freshen up.

You will be introduced to your driver guide and be given your personalized detailed itinerary.

You will then drive to Maasai Mara.

Below is our safari vehicle option

 

 

 

 

 

Just about 45 minutes drive from Nairobi you will make a stop over at the Great Rift Valley viewing point for a photo session at this magnificent and photogenic site.

Along the way you will enjoy the wonderful view of the country side.

                 

The Magical Mara”. Maasai Mara is one of Kenya’s best loved reserves. It is an extension of the Serengeti ecosystem to the south.  Each year, Mara is the staging ground for the “Great Migration”, one of the awe-inspiring natural events

You will have two stops en route to visit the wash rooms.  What to expect as you drive to Maasai Mara is to see a nice country side – you will also pass by large scale wheat farms and admire the nomadic Maasai people with their unique culture herding their life stock by the road side.

Then proceed on with your drive to the jewel of Kenya’s parks, the world famous Maasai Mara Game (Wildlife) Reserve.  This is Kenya’s number one park and is always on every tourist’s “Must see list”.

Maasai Mara is most famous for the spectacular annual migration of over a million wildebeest, zebra, gazelle etc from the Serengeti in northern Tanzania crossing the Mara River into Kenya in search of fresh feeding grounds, which takes place in late July - October. 

During this crossing, hundreds of animals are swept away by the first moving Mara River and others are killed by the ferocious African Crocodiles. This crossing gives true meaning to the phrase “Survival of the fittest”.

From the International media.
It’s now official. The Mara is an international conservation destination. It’s a verdict that was arrived by a panel of experts and announced in the American broadcasting corporation after many months of research. The wildebeest migrations have now been placed among the 7 new wonders of the world in the same category with The Tibets potala palace, the old Jerusalem city, the polar ice caps of Iceland, The underwater Hawaiian Islands and the Mayan pyramids in Mexico among others.

You are visiting Masai mara to see the annual migrations which starts from the month of June and climaxes in the month of August before closing over to Serengeti towards the month of Oct.

THOUGH MIGRATIONS ARE DESCRIBED HERE BELOW AS THE HIGHLIGHTS OF A MAASAI MARA TOUR, PLEASE NOTE THAT IT’S ONLY IN THE MONTH OF JULY / AUG / SEPT / OCT THAT YOU GET TO EXPERIENCE THIS SPECTACULAR EVENT.

Watch the wildebeest migrations.

You are visiting Masai Mara to see the annual migrations which start from the month of June and climaxes in the month of August before closing over to Serengeti towards the month of Oct

             

What exactly is the wildebeest migration?

The wildebeest migration is a dramatic story. It takes place within Kenya and Tanzania and is the greatest wildlife show on earth. Between the open plains of Serengeti and the Masai Mara, thousands and thousands of wildebeest and zebras migrate to greener pastures as seasons change and circle of life and death continues. Predators closely follow the wildebeest migrations waiting for an opportunity to strike weak prey as they make their way into different territories.. The most interesting part is when you watch them as they cross the Mara River. The first ones to jump into the river are trampled upon to death by the following multitude. The dead animals become a bridge over which all the other animals cross the river. The crocodiles feed on the remaining carcasses for months.

Majority of tourists literally camp in the Mara during this period with their flashy digital cameras. They will trail the migrations and even the members of the big 5 are no longer an interest at this time.  When its time to cross over the river, the tourists will position themselves strategically along the Mara river, trying to get the best shot possible. Others will ride on the hot air balloon to watch the migrations from the skies. To show the implication of this phenomenal show, members of both local and international media also make their way to Mara if only to capture this hot news for interesting reading.  It’s also a common feature in the world travel magazines.  This is a spectacle that should be witnessed at least once in a lifetime.

1300 hrs – Finally arrive at the Maasai Mara Maasai Mara Sopa lodge www.sopalodges.com   

1330 hrs – Have your buffet Lunch.

About  Maasai Mara Sopa.

Sopa means "Welcome" in Maasai language. Masai Mara Sopa Lodge is set in the Oloolaimutia valley, where the lodge totally blends in perfectly with its surrounding hillside landscape. The accent here is on the Maasai tribe, and the fabulous wealth of wildlife, bird life, and natural flora to be found in the fabled Reserve. The meals are buffet, enjoyed either in the dining or under the shade of indigenous trees. The culinary affair is indeed one to delight the senses.

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1500 hrs – Enjoy your afternoon tea and coffee at the lobby.

1530 hrs - your driver/guides will take you for an afternoon game drive in search of the shy and elusive leopard, the solitary and ill-tempered Rhino, lions, buffalos, and many others. As the sun starts to edge its way dip into the African horizon it will be the perfect opportunity to capture the beautiful Mara landscape on film or video camera.

Dinner and overnight at the Lodge.

You will have an early morning game drive or optional balloon ride + Masai Village.

Optional Balloon ride

06 Schedules:  BALLOON SAFARI IN MASAI MARA – 1 HOUR RIDE.

05:00 am: You will be picked up from your lodge and transfer you to the launch site. Here you will meet your pilot, receive a briefing and watch the inflation of your balloon.

At dawn we take off, rising as the sun rises and float in whichever direction the winds of the morning take us. Your pilot can precisely control the altitude of your balloon: sometimes flying at treetop height, sometimes lower, offering a unique perspective and great photographic opportunities of the wildlife below.

From time to time the pilot must put more heat into the balloon with the powerful whisper burners. In between these burns, there is silence apart from the natural sounds below.

The flight is for about one hour depending on conditions, on landing you celebrate in the traditional manner with champagne (well, an excellent sparkling wine), before sitting down to a full English breakfast prepared and served in the bush in 'Out of Africa' style

with bone china, linen table cloths, King's silver etc.

After breakfast you receive your Balloon certificate and we drive you back to the Lodge with game viewing enroute

This is how it begins and ends ---LIVE COVERAGE.

You will ascend in early morning when the winds are calmest.

Watch as your professional crew fills the balloon with hot air. Slowly the big colorful bag begins to bulge and take shape. Now board the traditional wicker gondola basket while the expert pilot makes final adjustments. As the pink and red fireball of the sun rises in splendor over the plain, you are up and away –for the flight of a life time!

Your balloon can soar over the most inaccessible and undisturbed parts of the Mara, with only the intermittent whisper of the balloon’s gas burners punctuating the silence of your majestic flight .Because wind and conditions vary, every flight is a new and a different experience

From your vantage point about 50—500 feet above the reserve, you have a fantastic 360 degrees bird’s view as one of the most dramatic scenes in nature unfolds beneath you. From here, you will see the wonder of migrations, witness herds of antelope flowing like school of fish across the plain, groups of elephants grazing undisturbed in a remote ravine, lioness stealthily stalking a herd of grunting wildebeest or zebras conferring in a confusion of black and while stripes and bark-like calls.

After your incredible flight, it is time to come back down to earth for breakfast. As you dig into a splendid breakfast of sizzling bacon, eggs, sausages, home-made breads, fresh tropical fruit and steaming cups of Kenyan tea under the clear blue sky, you might wonder what all the ordinary people are doing on this perfect African morning.

Before leaving, the pilot will present you with a balloon flight certificate. No flight of the imagination can match this air-borne experience

On your way back to the lodge, you will pass through the Masai village.

MASAI VILLAGE:  See and experience their wonderful culture. And while at the village, you will visit the Masai village for local interaction, cultural exchange, dances, fire lighting with a barbeque goat eating ceremony.

In the village Masai women dancing will welcome you. A guide will take you through the village explaining in details the way the Masai live, their beliefs and traditions. You will get demonstrations of how the Masai make fire-using sticks.

You will go into their houses and will be shown the full family set-up. At the end of the guided tour you will go a market where you will have a chance to buy some items and curios made in their village. While in the village you are allowed to take as many pictures as you want.

Lunch at the camp

Afternoon game drive.

Return to the camp for dinner and overnight amidst Maasai traditional dancers or an optional bush dinner.

After breakfast you will then drive to Lake Naivasha National Park.

Arrive in time for lunch at the Lake Naivasha Sopa.

              

About The Sopa lodge

Naivasha is a Maasai name given to the area where the resort is located, denoting the characteristics of the lake including size and its tendency to roughness when windy.
The history of the area has always been important as it formed the main route of the slave trade from Uganda and the highlands of Kenya, including in 1884, the Scottish explorer Joseph Thompson’s epic journey through Masai land – where he writes in his journals of his time in Naivasha.

              

The lake is the only fresh water lake within Africa's Great Rift Valley. Amidst bathing hippo, the lake teems with fresh water fish both for fishing and sport. This is the safari traveler's place of relaxation and rejuvenation, a perfect blend of luxury and safari spirit. Here the avid bird watcher sees paradise in a vast array of exotic bird life. The lake region is host to distinctive herds of plains game and the elusive colobus monkey.

            

Luxuriously appointed rooms feature spacious sunken lounges, while upper floor rooms have their own private balcony on which to relax, sunbathe or view game. All Naivasha Sopa Lodge rooms have ensuite bathroom facilities. Non-smoking rooms are available. Other amenities include but are not limited to hairdryer, fresh linen and evening turndown service.

          

Arrival at Hells gate National park and proceed on with game viewing in this unique National park – you will also have a chance to come out of your vehicles and walk down the gorge to the hot springs and walk back up the gorge.

Hell's Gate National Park, near Lake Naivasha, and just 110kms from Nairobi, covers an area of approx 70 sq km - Famous for its hot natural geysers, spectacular looming cliffs and the "Hells Gate Gorge", the park is one of few in Kenya where walking and cycling is allowed.

 Visitors here may also camp at designated camp sites. Activities in this park also include rockclimbing, bird and game viewing.

Sites of particular interest include Fischer's Tower, formerly a volcano's plug, the Central Tower and Njorowa Gorges, Olkaria and Hobley's which two extinct volcanos are. The wildlife here mainly includes the herbivores such as buffalo, giraffe and the antelope/gazelle family. Hells gate is an ornithologist’s paradise with over 103 species of bird recorded.

Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Breakfast then take a drive to Lake Nakuru.

You will then proceed to Lake Nakuru National Park.

Arrive at the lake Nakuru Lodge in time for lunch.

ABOUT LAKE NAKURU LODGE

Lake Nakuru Lodge is situated in a wonderland which lies in the heart of one of Kenya's most densely animal populated wetland national parks (Ramsar Site), only two hours leisurely drive on first class roads from Nairobi, through some of the most exciting scenery to be seen anywhere in Africa. The 156 km Nairobi-Nakuru roads gives the visitor an unrivalled view of the majestic Great Rift Valley, winding through a series of lakes and forested uplands all the way to the bustling market town of Nakuru.

Situated in the South East Ecological niche of the park is Lake Nakuru Lodge, an oasis of comfort and excellent service, with commanding views of the lesser flamingo dotted with the Greater Flamingo for which Lake Nakuru is justly famous. It is another world for the visitor, where one easily forgets the hustle and bustle of the city. The lodge blends well with its surrounding and the animals often browse peacefully close to the lodge and environs, much to the fascination of the visitors.

There are accommodations for 120 people, either in family rooms, cottages, or suites. The service is unmatched anywhere in Kenya, a country renowned for hospitality.

There is excellent cuisine, which includes outside catering, Bush Barbecue, African night and Sundowners.After a days watching, the spacious logged Mama Nikki bar, the cool upstairs

Rhino Paddock Cocktail Bar overlooking the lake and the enticing blue swimming pool can be particularly inviting.Evening entertainment and slide shows for guests is interesting and varied. The Baboon Cliff lookout sits next to Honeymoon Hill.

16:00hrs- you will have an afternoon game drive at the Lake Nakuru National Park.

LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK

Lake Nakuru National Park was created in 1968 to protect the huge flocks of over a million of the lesser flamingo that breed and nest at the edge of Lake Nakuru, giving it the characteristic pink rim. Lake Nakuru National Park located at an altitude of 4,000-5,767 feet above sea level, covers 188 square kilometers of land of great ecological diversity - from lake water, woodland, bush grassland, to rocky ridges. The park is home to not just the lesser flamingo but over 400 species of birds and one of the few places to see the endangered white rhino. Other wildlife at the park includes lions, leopards, zebra, gazelles, eland, giraffe and the hyrax.

Lake Nakuru National park is truly a remarkable park as it has achieved international fame on animal sanctuary. Both black and white Rhinos are being given a new lease of life in this park. Also it is in this park that you will find large numbers of different species of bird life and most outstanding the pink greater and lesser flamingos. The park is best known for its flamingos There are also larges flocks of pelicans and is a home to the waterbuck, leopards and the Rothschild giraffe. The park is also a Rhino sanctuary.

              For bird lovers this an absolutely wonderful place to visit.

LAKE NAKURU

It is a very shallow strongly alkaline lake 62 km2 in extent. It is set in a picturesque landscape of surrounding woodland and grassland next to Nakuru town. The landscape includes areas of marsh and grasslands alternating with rocky cliffs and outcrops, stretches of acacia woodland and rocky hillsides covered with a Euphorbia forest on the eastern perimeter.

Dinner and overnight at the lodge. 

Traditional dancers display their talent everyday at 9.00 pm.

After breakfast at the lodge, you will then drive back to Nairobi.

Arrive in time for lunch and spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure with optional activities.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES

Visit to the David Sheldricks Elephant orphanage.

Adopt an elephant or rhino orphans.

For Usd 50 you can book an appointment with the elephants and get to see, feed and play football with them and finally put them to bed. This you will need to do it directly with the TRUST.

But just in case you do not adapt, we shall still take you there to see them been fed between 1100 hrs and midday

      

GIRAFFE CENTER is a wonderful and refreshing experience visit. The tour gives a completely up close and personal interaction where guests have the opportunity to view giraffes as well as feed them. This is the only place where you can go as near as feeding the Giraffe from your palm.

 

The Fun of feeding the giraffes from your palms right at your doorstep

         You can actually feed the Giraffes from your room and you can also Share lunch with them.

The final activity this day will be a welcome dinner at the carnivore.

The Carnivore is considered ‘Africa’s Greatest Eating Experience’.

Every type of meat imaginable including a selection of exotic meat is roasted over charcoal and carved at your table. Delicious side dishes

And an exceptional array of sauces complements this fixed price feast that also includes soup, a selection of desserts and Kenyan coffee. Set in attractive tropical gardens, the service and the décor are outstanding. – The waiters will serve until you surrender and put your flags down! Please we surrender – You will be served with fresh brewed Kenyan Tea and Coffee

You will later be transferred to the Airport for your flight back home.

-KARIBU KENYA!! HAKUNA MATATA!!