Safari & Tours - Cultural Tours - 22 days Cultural Tour

On arrival you will be transferred from the airport to your hotel. On this first day of your tour you will visit the Daphne Sheldrick Orphanage a shelter for orphaned baby elephants and rhinos which are released back into the wild when they are mature and can tend for themselves. After lunch we shall visit the sprawling stone farmhouse were author of “Out Of Africa” Karen Blixen lived from 1914 to 1931. Overnight Nairobi.

After breakfast we shall drive to Ologarseile an active excavation site
near Lake Magadi. At this site we shall have an informative guided tour of the excavations and view some of the prehistoric finds. We shall also have our picnic lunch here, while enjoying our meal we hope to see the many avian visitors that are attracted to the water tank near the center, good example are Banded, Parisoma, Laughing Doves, Southern Grosbeak Canary, Red-cheeked Cordon bleus, Cut-throat Finch, Purple Grenadier, Speckle-fronted Weavers, and Superb Starling. Overnight Nairobi.

Today after breakfast, we shall proceed to Lake Nakuru which is famed as one of the greatest ornithological spectacles in the world. More than a million Lesser Flamingoes cover 80% of this shallow alkaline lake together with a wide variety of waterbirds. The yellow Acacia and Euphorbia forest that surrounds the lake supports more species of land birds including the Grey-crowned Helmetshrike, a much sought after species by keen birders. Overnight  Nakuru.

After Breakfast we shall take time off from birding to visit Hyrax hill. This is an archeological site that has been home to settlements as early as 3000 years ago and was first discovered in 1926 by the famous paleontologist Louis Leakey. We shall enjoy a guided tour and then afterwards return to the lodge for lunch and more game and birdwatching in the afternoon. Overnight  Nakuru.

After an early breakfast we visit the nearby Lake Bogoria. This is one of the best places to sight the rare greater Kudu. The hot thermals and masses of flamingoes are also another major attraction to tourist. Overnight Lake Baringo.

We leave for Kitale which is regarded as the capital of the bread basket area of Kenya. The farming communities are mostly from western Kenya although other tribes also live here in small numbers. Here we shall visit the Kitale Museum and later the Saiwa National park was we should see the rare Sitatunga and a variety of birds. Overnight  Kitale.

After breakfast we drive to Kakamega forest a true rain forest and the only one in Kenya. It is well known for its diversity of birds, and monkeys some of which are found nowhere else in Kenya. We shall also get a chance to interact with Luhya community living next to the forest and depend on the forest for many of there daily needs. Overnight Kakamega.

After breakfast we shall spend most of our time walking in the forest with a cultural guide who will explain to us the many uses of medicinal plants within the forest. We shall also have a guided tour in the communities butterfly farms. Overnight Kakamega.

After breakfast we drive to Kisumu town on the shores of Lake Victoria. We shall visit Impala sanctuary and Kisumu museum. We shall also visit Dunga beach were we hope to see the swamp endemics. This beach is also famous for its fish market and we shall encounter the Luo tribesmen coming in with their previous night’s catch. Overnight  Kisumu.

Maasai Mara is famous for its abundant wildlife and is always a highlight on any itinerary. In this respect, you will not be disappointed, while driving within the reserve birding, we shall have nice views of Lions, Cheetahs, Wildebeests, Hartebeests, Topis, Thompson’s and Grant’s Gazelles and many others. Overnight  Maasai Mara.

On our second day in the Mara we shall spend most of our time interacting with the Maasai. In the morning we shall go for a game and bird watching drive. In the afternoon we visit a traditional Maasai village called a “manyatta”. The Maasai warriors and women shall each perform a cultural dance for us after which we shall have an informal talk on the culture and traditions of the Maasai. Overnight Maasai Mara.

Today we leave the Maasai Mara very early so that we can arrive in Naivasha in time to visit Hells Gate National Park.  This is one of the park were visitors can get out of the safari car and hike part of the way. We shall walk into the gorge to view the central tower and also the resident Mackinder’s Eagle Owl.  Zebras, Coke’s Hartebeeste, Maasai Giraffe, and Eland are mammals we will encounter here. Overnight  Naivasha.

After breakfast, we leave Naivasha via Kinangop plateau a part of the kikuyu escarpment which forms the eastern wall of the rift valley. This area is inhabited by the Kikuyu tribe who are strictly farmers, this area is also known as the stronghold of the endemic Sharpe’s Longclaw of which we should have nice views. We shall then proceed to Amboseli were we should arrive in time to enjoy a beautiful sunset over Mt Kilimanjaro. Overnight  Amboseli.

Early this morning, we shall have a pre-breakfast birding within the lodges ground to view the Taveta Golden Weaver nesting site alongside other species like, White-browed Coucal, African Hoopoe, Fisher’s Sparrowlark, Hunter Sunbird and White-headed Buffalo Weaver. We shall have a late breakfast then drive to the oasis in this park. These wetlands are sustained by water that wells from below and comes directly from Mt Kilimanjaro, it is the lifeline to the wildlife in Amboseli and the group ranches near the park during the dry season. Elephants Cheetahs, Bat-eared Foxes Lions and different antelopes all converge here to drink. Overnight Amboseli.

After breakfast, we proceed from the Amboseli into the dry acacia bushland of Tsavo West National Park. Along the way we should see Red-throated Tit, Blue-naped Mousebird, Von der Deken’s Hornbill, White Crested Helmet-shrike and Grey Hornbill to mention a few. We arrive at Kilaguni lodge in time for lunch. There is a water hole just outside the dining room and all kinds of mammals are always cooling themselves or just quenching their thirst. After lunch we shall relax and enjoying watching the animals and birds that come to the water hole. Overnight  Tsavo West National Park.

Today we have a full day outing, we shall pack a picnic lunch and drive towards the famous Shaitani lava flow and the Chaimu crater, a recent volcanic activity. The thick scruby vegetation of Tsavo is always teeming with birdlife and we should see Somali Golden-breasted Bunting, Black- headed Batis, Pale Chanting Goshawk, Cardinal Woodpecker, Red-winged Lark, Yellow-throated Longclaw and White-browed Scrub Robin. picnic lunch will be at Mzima springs fresh water pools with an underwater observatory were you can watch hippos and different types of fish swimming. We shall have a small walk around Mzima springs then later on continue with our game drive and back to the lodge. Overnight iTsavo West National Park.

Early Breakfast, then we drive through the heart of Tsavo with a picnic lunch and we shall visit the rhino sanctuary were we hope to see the endangered black Rhino, as always, we should see new species of birds including Verreaux‘s Eagle, Shikra, Golden Pipit, Purple-banded Sunbird, Red-billed Hornbill, Wattled Starling, Green-winged Pytilia, African Firefinch, Chestnut Weaver, and Slate-colored Boubou among others. Overnight  Mombasa.

Today we have a full cultural tour in the historical town of Mombasa, and we shall start by visiting Fort Jesus, a monumental piece of architecture that was built by the Portuguese in the 16th century. We shall have a guided tour of the fort to view various artifacts from an era when Mombasa served as a transit point for slave trade and many other commodities between tribal chiefs from the hinterland and arab traders. Overnight  Mombasa.

After a leisure breakfast, we drive to Arabuko Sokoke forest the largest and most intact coastal forest in East Africa. This forest is home to rare life forms from frogs, birds to the beautiful Elephant Shrew. We shall have a local guide to show us around the forest and also explain how the comunities living next to the forest sustainably use the forest resources. Overnight  Watamu.

Today we visit Gedi ruins another great archeological site in Kenya. It was a thriving arab community established in the late 1300s until it was suddenly abandoned in the late 17th century. We shall have a guided tour of the well preserved partly restored great mosque and portions of the palace within the ruins. We shall also visit the Kipepeo Butterfly farm, a successful community based enterprise that helps to preserve Kenya’s biodiversity. In the afternoon we shall make a last minute stop at Sabaki river mouth and hopefully see some waders like Lesser and Greater Sand Plover, White-fronted Plover, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Black-bellied Sandplover Ringed Plover, Madagascar Prantincole and Whimbrel. Overnight Watamu.

Final day, after breakfast we make an early Morning visit to Mida Creek to view the rare Crab Plover. We continue birding and break at mid morning for preparation for our flight to Nairobi and connection flight home.