Overview.
The 8 days bush and beach safari explore the Masai Mara Reserve, a vast, magnificent and game-filled landscape in Kenya that has been frequented and made famous by intrepid explorers, royal families, A-list celebrities, wildlife photographers and award-winning filmmakers.
You will do game drives at the park, a walk and visit Masai Mara community before visiting Mombasa where you will explore Fort Jesus, Old town, Haller Park and Diani Beach.
Day by Day:
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Masai Mara.
You will be met on arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport or hotel to be briefed by a company representative and then drive to your hotel in Nairobi for an overnight. Depending on your arrival time, you can do a Nairobi city tour after check in. Dinner and overnight will be at the camp.
Day 2: Drive to Masai Mara (evening game drive).
Today we drive through the floor of the Rift Valley to the world-famous Masai Mara Game Reserve. You will have lunch en-route arriving at Oldarpoi Mara Camp in time for lunch. At 16:00 you can enjoy an afternoon game drive in the reserve. Masai Mara is a veritable wildlife haven blessed with a year-round, rather mind-boggling concentration of animals, the Mara certainly doesn’t disappoint.
You will embark on an interpretive game drive with expert rangers who will uncover the wonders of the Mara. And while we’re on the topic of reconnecting the magnificent Maasai with their ancient, most unforgettable land. We shall drive back Later in the evening for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Explore the park on foot and afternoon Masai community visit.
Time for adventure and culture. Reconnect with your spirit of adventure and follow in the footsteps of ancient explorers and local herdsmen on an once-in-a-lifetime guided walking safari. Heighten your senses without the hum of the safari vehicle … listen to the crickets, breathe the fresh air, view the limitless horizon and appreciate the African soil on the soles of your shoes.
After, in the afternoon we make our journey to the Masai Mara complete with an authentic cultural experience that gets you up close and personal with the fascinating Maasai people. They will invite you into their humble mud and stick Manyattas (homesteads) and reveal their pastoral world and ancient, time-honored traditions. This will combine with drives through the park.
Day 4: Transfer to Nairobi. Depart to Mombasa on a train at 14:20 hours
Today after our early morning breakfast, we leave Masai Mara for Nairobi where we shall board the train to Mombasa. The train leaves daily at 08:00 am and arrives in Mombasa at 1:55 pm. The afternoon train leaves Nairobi at 14:20 and arrives in Mombasa at 19:20 pm. We shall board from the Nairobi Terminus the 14.20 train and arrive at Mombasa late evening. We shall check in at our lodge.
Day 5: Fort Jesus and Haller Park Visit.
History and wildlife. Today we visit Fort Jesus, 16th-century fort and UNESCO World Heritage treasure is Mombasa’s most visited site. The meter-thick walls, frescoed interiors, traces of European graffiti, Arabic inscriptions and Swahili embellishment aren’t just evocative, they’re a palimpsest of Mombasa’s history and the coast writ in stone. You can climb on the battlements and explore its tree-shaded grounds. The fort was built by Portuguese in 1593 to serve as both symbol and headquarters of their permanent presence in this corner of the Indian Ocean. It’s ironic, then, that the construction of the fort marked the beginning of the end of local Portuguese hegemony.
In the afternoon, we shall visit the Haller park, a lovely wildlife sanctuary, part of the Baobab Adventure complex, includes a fish farm and reptile park. Guided walks around the park last about 1½ hours, or else you can wander the trails that meander through casuarine groves by yourself. There are some friendly giraffes to feed, some enormous tortoises making their way around the grounds, and you can also spot the resident hippos and impalas and attend the hippo- and croc-feeding sessions.
Day 6: Visit Old Town and Diani Beach.
The old town of Mombasa where most of the heritage of this second largest city in Kenya is largely confined in, is an area of approximately 72 hectares, inhabited by a richly diverse group of communities: locals, Arabs, Asians, Portuguese and the British which have co-existed for hundreds of years. The various social, political, religious and economic activities of these groups have created a distinct character and culture which together has come to define this old town.
The visible aspect of this unique character is a collection of historical buildings dating from the 18th century which combines, African, Arabic and European influences. Many of these buildings still exist, in beautifully carved doors as well as elegantly styled balconies attached to their turn of the century facades. We shall visit the town, go to the spice market, and later have the afternoon at the beach-Diani Beach.
Day 7: Full-day Relaxation at the beach resort.
The Diani Reef Beach Resort & Spa. Located at the world-renowned Diani Beach over a sprawling and serene area of 34 acres, experience the majestic splendor surrounded by spectacular sunsets, heavenly blues and hues of a secluded sandy beach, nestled on the shores of the Indian Ocean. Today you will have leisure day at the resort, visit the beach, watch sunsets, and just relax before you exit the next day.
Day 8: Departure from Mombasa.
Today is the last day and departure day. Depending on your flight schedule, you will be dropped at the Airport in Mombasa for your exit flight
End of tour.