Day 1 Nairobi – Samburu

7:00 am Your HIKE 'N' PIC Tours & Safaris driver/guide will come by your hotel, residence, or the Nairobi airport to pick you up in a private 4 x 4 Land Cruiser Jeep. <ul></ul> We’ll head north through Kenya’s central highlands, passing coffee, tea, sisal, and pineapple plantations. We’ll take in the local homesteads and a view of towering Mt. Kenya with its snow-capped summit. Then, the afternoon is ours for game drives across the expanse of Samburu and neighboring Shaba and Buffalo Springs reserves. Expect to find plenty of elephants here – the park holds over 1000 of them! Dinner and a relaxing evening will be at our Samburu safari lodge or tented camp. Meals: Lunch & Dinner

Day 2 Full-Day at Samburu Reserve

This is your day to adventure out with unlimited game drives. But you can schedule relaxing time as well at your accommodation. Just discuss with your driver/guide. You create the safari you desire. <ul></ul> We’ll head out to the banks of the Ewaso Nyriro River, where the park’s thirsty wildlife come for sustenance. The game viewing here is active and varied. Samburu is known for sightings of the “Samburu Special Five” – unique and endangered species like the Grevy’s Zebra, Somali ostrich, the reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, and Beisa oryx. African wild dogs are also found on the rugged terrain of this expansive park. The nearby Shaba and Buffalo Springs Reserves offer a bit more greenery, plus lava terraces and other volcanic formations. We can also take a visit with the local peoples of this ancient land, the Samburu. Related to the Maasai, you can meet these indigenous tribes and see their lifestyle and homes up close. The evening will be spent at our Samburu accommodation. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 3 Samburu – Lake Nakuru

We’ll be up early to take in the park as the soft light brings the wildlife into the new day. <ul></ul> Then we’re off to Lake Nakuru, traveling along the floor of the Great Rift Valley. Along our route, we’ll stop to view the swirling mists of Thompson’s Falls at Nyahururu. Arriving at Lake Nakuru, take in the peaceful lake and its surrounding environs – waterfalls, acacia forest, wooded hills, and towering rock escarpments. The park is varied in landscapes and birdlife – flamingoes, cormorants, kingfishers, ostriches, storks, and eagles. Plus its acacia woods hold species like baboon, monkey, leopard, giraffe… and by the shoreline, white rhinos. The special sanctuary here is home to a great population of black rhinos. Color, variety, and wildlife make this small park a living treasure. It’s been a busy day so let’s relax over dinner at our Lake Nakuru accommodation. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 4 Lake Nakuru – Masai Mara

This will be an active day so let’s start early with a bird and game viewing safari through Lake Nakuru Park. <ul></ul> Then we’ll head further south toward Masai country on our way to the Masai Mara Reserve. We’ll get to the park with plenty of time to freshen up at our accommodation and head out for our first Mara game drive. Scenes of rolling hills and golden savannahs, dappled with acacia trees will greet us. And before too long we should spot some of the great park’s thousands of wildlife – all of Africa’s “Big Five” are found here in significant numbers. The park is known for its many prides of lions, as well as leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, jackals and so much more. Look out for the birdlife as well, which is rich, colorful, and found extensively throughout the park. Toward evening, we’ll retire at our Mara safari lodge or tented camp. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 5 Full Day at the Masai Mara

Just like at Samburu, expect a full and busy day of game drives throughout the park. Your guide may have suggestions as to his favorite viewing spots. <ul></ul> During the season of the Great Migration (July – October) expect to witness the largest movement of animals on the planet. From the neighboring Serengeti, uncountable wildebeests, and zebra stream in on their yearly trek. We’ll go down to the Mara River, site of the crossing, where crocodiles lie in wait for the steady influx of incoming grazers. Waiting as well in the hills are lions and other predators in this stark display of nature at its most primal. But the spectacle of the migration is an undeniable drama. Should you wish to view these innumerable herds from a different perspective, we offer an optional early morning hot air balloon safari over the Mara. You’ll rise with the sun to watch the park come alive with light and wildlife – simply unforgettable. Here’s another opportunity to enjoy a cultural moment with the local indigenous peoples. Take advantage of an optional visit with the Maasai where you’ll meet the people, learn about their lives and maybe pick up some of their beaded handicrafts. Just ask your guide. As evening approaches look to the west for a glorious African sunset. Our final safari evening will be spent at our Mara accommodation. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 6 Masai Mara – Nairobi

We’ll enjoy breakfast at our accommodation and then jump into the 4 x 4.Heading back to Nairobi, there will be time to enjoy the vistas along the route, and we’ll stop for lunch to soak up the scenery <ul></ul> We’ll head north back to Nairobi and should arrive at your hotel, residence, or the airport at about 4:30 pm. We have explored Kenya’s parks from the north near Mt. Kenya to its southern reaches in the Mara and have experienced every sort of wildlife. As an experienced safari-goer, you can talk about your adventures with newfound knowledge. All of us at HIKE 'N' PIC Tours & Safaris thank you for your participation in this exciting journey. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch