Northern Nomadic Trail Safari (k3)

A 10 DAYS SAFARI THROUGH SAMBURU - SWEETWATERS - NAKURU - MASAI MARA

Day 1 - Nairobi to Samburu National Park
Start your safari immediately after arrival in Nairobi or from your hotel. Our driver guide will meet you and the safari starts with a visit to the Samburu National Reserve. Drive via the Aberdares and Mount Kenya area to Samburu, arrival in time at Samburu Ashnil Camp or Sopa Lodge. Afternoon game-drive - Dinner & Overnight Samburu Ashnil Camp or Sopa Lodge.

Day 2 - Samburu National Park
Early morning game drive followed by breakfast at the camp/lodge. Relax the rest of the morning and enjoy the view from lodge/camp - lunch and afternoon game-drive. Dinner and overnight Samburu Ashnil Camp or Sopa Lodge.

Day 3 - Samburu National Park to Sweet Waters Sanctuary
After breakfast drive towards the Mount Kenya region to arrive at Sweet Waters Sanctuary end morning - lunch at Sweetwaters Tented Camp. Afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight at Sweetwaters tented camp.

Day 4 - Sweet Waters Sanctuary
Early morning game drive followed by breakfast at the camp. Mid morning visit to the chimpanzee sanctuary and information centre . Lunch at the camp and game drive. Dinner and overnight at Sweetwaters Tented Camp.

Day 5 - Sweet Waters to Lake Nakuru National Park
Departure from Sweetwaters, today you continue your safari and drive towards Lake Nakuru National Park. Arrive at Lake Nakuru lodge or Flamingo Hill Tented camp in time for lunch. Game drive in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at Lake Nakuru lodge or Flamingo hill tented camp.

Day 6 - Lake Nakuru National park
Wake up for an early morning game drive followed by breakfast at the lodge. Spend the rest of the day with game drives. Dinner and overnight at Lake Nakuru lodge or Flamingo hill tented camp.

Day 7 - Masai Mara National Park
After breakfast you will depart for the Masai Mara game reserve. This is a long drive, your will arrive in time for a late lunch at Mara Ashnil Camp or Mara Safari club. Afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight at Mara Ashnil camp or Mara Safari club.

Day 8 - Masai Mara Game Reserve
Early morning game drive followed by breakfast at the camp. Relax the rest of the morning and enjoy the view onto the Mara river or take a swim in the pool! Lunch at the camp and go for another game-drive in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at Mara Ashnil camp or Mara Safari Club.

Day 9 - Masai Mara Game Reserve
Same program as previous day or a full day of game viewing with a packed lunch in the park. Dinner and overnight at Mara Ashnil or Mara Safari Club.

Day 10 - Masai Mara to Nairobi
Departure from the Masai Mara - drive back towards Nairobi , depending on your flight details or extension program we can plan to visit a teafarm enroute with tour and lovely home-made lunch. Drop off at the Nairobi airport or extension program.

POSSIBLE EXTENSION PROGRAMS:

  • Beach holiday Zanzibar - flight from Nairobi to Zanzibar
  • Short road safari extension to the Kenyan coast with visits to Amboseli and Tsavo National parks



map of Northern Nomadic Trail (loading...), the must see in Northern Nomadic Trail
Northern Nomadic Trail, the ultimate safari experience


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A 10 DAYS SAFARI THROUGH SAMBURU - SWEETWATERS - NAKURU - MASAI MARA

Day 1 - Nairobi to Samburu National Park
Start your safari immediately after arrival in Nairobi or from your hotel. Our driver guide will meet you and the safari starts with a visit to the Samburu National Reserve. Drive via the Aberdares and Mount Kenya area to Samburu, arrival in time at Samburu Ashnil Camp or Sopa Lodge. Afternoon game-drive - Dinner & Overnight Samburu Ashnil Camp or Sopa Lodge.

Day 2 - Samburu National Park
Early morning game drive followed by breakfast at the camp/lodge. Relax the rest of the morning and enjoy the view from lodge/camp - lunch and afternoon game-drive. Dinner and overnight Samburu Ashnil Camp or Sopa Lodge.

Day 3 - Samburu National Park to Sweet Waters Sanctuary
After breakfast drive towards the Mount Kenya region to arrive at Sweet Waters Sanctuary end morning - lunch at Sweetwaters Tented Camp. Afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight at Sweetwaters tented camp.

Day 4 - Sweet Waters Sanctuary
Early morning game drive followed by breakfast at the camp. Mid morning visit to the chimpanzee sanctuary and information centre . Lunch at the camp and game drive. Dinner and overnight at Sweetwaters Tented Camp.

Day 5 - Sweet Waters to Lake Nakuru National Park
Departure from Sweetwaters, today you continue your safari and drive towards Lake Nakuru National Park. Arrive at Lake Nakuru lodge or Flamingo Hill Tented camp in time for lunch. Game drive in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at Lake Nakuru lodge or Flamingo hill tented camp.

Day 6 - Lake Nakuru National park
Wake up for an early morning game drive followed by breakfast at the lodge. Spend the rest of the day with game drives. Dinner and overnight at Lake Nakuru lodge or Flamingo hill tented camp.

Day 7 - Masai Mara National Park
After breakfast you will depart for the Masai Mara game reserve. This is a long drive, your will arrive in time for a late lunch at Mara Ashnil Camp or Mara Safari club. Afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight at Mara Ashnil camp or Mara Safari club.

Day 8 - Masai Mara Game Reserve
Early morning game drive followed by breakfast at the camp. Relax the rest of the morning and enjoy the view onto the Mara river or take a swim in the pool! Lunch at the camp and go for another game-drive in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at Mara Ashnil camp or Mara Safari Club.

Day 9 - Masai Mara Game Reserve
Same program as previous day or a full day of game viewing with a packed lunch in the park. Dinner and overnight at Mara Ashnil or Mara Safari Club.

Day 10 - Masai Mara to Nairobi
Departure from the Masai Mara - drive back towards Nairobi , depending on your flight details or extension program we can plan to visit a teafarm enroute with tour and lovely home-made lunch. Drop off at the Nairobi airport or extension program.

POSSIBLE EXTENSION PROGRAMS:

  • Beach holiday Zanzibar - flight from Nairobi to Zanzibar
  • Short road safari extension to the Kenyan coast with visits to Amboseli and Tsavo National parks

Samburu National Reserve is located on the banks of the Ewaso Ng'iro river on the other side of the river is the Buffalo Springs National Reserve in Northern Kenya. It is 165 km² in size and 350 kilometers from Nairobi and ranges in altitude from 800 to 1230m above sea level.The Ewaso Nyiro River is the lifeblood of the animals and the Reserve. It is also a central feature of the landscape. The Game Reserve is arid and home to a myriad of animals. En route to the reserve, one encounters striking features such as the crossing of the equator in Nanyuki and the background of Mount Kenya as you travel towards the northern hemisphere. Animal attractions in the park include lion, elephants, crocodiles, zebra, reticulated giraffe and oryx.

Sweet Waters Game Sanctuary is a conservation that boasts of an amazing diversity of animals including the non-indigenous chimpanzees and the big five( lion, buffalo, leopard, elephant and the endangerd blach rhino) among other game such as black-black jackals, ostrich, baboons, waterbuck, oryx, eland and hundreds of bird species. While at Sweet waters sanctuary you can?t afford to miss the opportunity to visit the chimpanzee sanctuary. The sanctuary is home to over 40 chimpazees which are highly endangerd and remarkably intelligent.

Lake Nakuru National Park lies 140km north west of Nairobi in central Kenya. The ecosystem comprises of the lake, surrounded by mainly wooded and bushy grasslands. At the park you have a good chance to see the black and white rhinos, giraffe, waterbucks, lion, cheetah, leopard among other game. However, the biggest attraction remains to be the vast quantity of flamingoes that line the shore. The park is also home to a myriad of other bird species such as fish eating pelican, African fish eagle , king fisher, hamer kop and goliath hero.

Masai Mara National Reserve is situated within the Great Rift Valley in the southern part of Kenya. Measuring approximately 1510sq. kilometres (approx. 938sq. miles) in size, this unfenced savannah grassland is roughly 150 miles southeast of Nairobi. The Mara, as is also known is one of the best places to visit in Africa. It boasts of an immense variety of wildlife ranging from the big five (elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos and buffalo) to over 400 species of birds. Other animals present include zebras, antelope, gnus, hyenas, gazelles, hippos, hartebeests, warthogs, crocodiles and others. The Mara River offers a unique attraction during the annual wildebeest migration. Over 1.5 million wildebeest, zebras and several species of antelope make an annual circular tour between the Serengeti in Tanzania and Masai Mara in Kenya in search of greener pastures. This has now become the new 7th wonder of the world.

Balloon Safari is a great excursion for those who are willing to spend a little extra; the overflights can be organised from most lodges/camps in the Maasai Mara. The balloon safari offers an fantastic panoramic views of the awe-inspiring landscape. After an early tea/coffee, you will start this exciting experience. The balloons lift off just before sunrise, once airborne the balloons are blown by the prevailing winds across the broad landscape. At the end of the flight, you will be treated with a champagne breakfast in the bush!

The Great Migration. Every year the Mara is the staging ground of one of nature's greatest spectacles: the migration of over 1.3 million wildebeest from the Serengeti. A surging column of life, these massive herds pour across the plains, bringing the Mara to life. The profusion of grazing animals makes the Mara a perfect hunting ground for predators. Leopard and Cheetah are often seen, but the Mara is truly the Kingdom of the Lion, and these majestic predators dominate the landscape. To travel through the reserve in August, September or October, while the wildebeest are in possession, is a staggering experience, like being caught up in the momentum of a phenomenal historic event.

The Kenyan Coastline is a paradise of palm fringed beaches and the warm inviting waters of the Indian Ocean. Extensive Coral reef systems with spectacular sea life make for world class diving and snorkelling. These waters were once the highways of the spice trade and Arab and Portuguese forts, Old Towns and the overgrown, deserted ruins of Swahili outposts bear witness to this fascinating history. In the winding medieval streets and bustling markets of Lamu and Mombasa Old Town, life has continued unhurried and unchanged for more than 400 years. Much of the coast is bordered by lush green coastal rainforests with prolific birdlife and variety of wildlife including baboons, rare colobus monkeys and even leopard. The protective reefs of Kenya ?s coast have created ideal beaches with calm, clear waters. Days on the coast are filled with sunshine and nights are balmy and warm with gentle sea breezes.

points of interest

  Northern Nomadic Trail

Baboon Cliff
View of Lake Nakuru from the Baboon Cliff lookout  [photo: Patty Chang]  

Sunset at Lake Nakuru
 [photo: Laura Weinkam]  

Lake Nakuru
A lion on a tree, in Lake Nakuru National Park  [photo: Yvonne Matiba]  

Chimpanzee Sanctuary
The Sweetwaters Chimpanzee was originally estabilished in 1993 in order to receive and shelter a group of three orphaned chimps .In 1995, nine older chimpanzees arrived, followed - at the beginning of 1996 - by a younger cub of ten. The Sweetwaters sanctuary is holding now fourty chimps and the annual cost for taking care of each of them approximates to 6.000 dollars.  [photo: Nick Fraser]  

Elelephant in Masai Mara
Elephants are the longest-lived large mammals. One of the few animals that shows recognition of one another even after death. Females will stand watch over their dead young and may even cover the body with branches and twigs.  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Lioness with her puppy
 [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Flamingo Hill tented Camp
The twenty-five tents of the camp are all furnished with the understated luxury required by the modern traveler. Decorated with natural woods, wrought iron and crisp cottons each tent has been meticulously planned to maximise comfort.  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Keekorok Lodge
Keekorok Lodge was the first lodge built in the Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve (1962). it's in the direct path of the Mara's wildebeest migration. There is always plenty of activity around the waterhole but during the migration, the lodge is surrounded by the swarming mass of animals.  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Maasai Mara
Lioness on a kill (zebra)  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Masai Mara
A male lion at Maasai Mara  [photo: Graham Dean]  

Masai Mara Reserve
Zebras at Maasai Mara  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Sweetwaters
A lion is surveilling its cub  [photo: HawBone]  

Hippos at Mara River
Despite being depicted as a gentle and slow giant hippos are fast, they can outrun the average man. Their skin is almost completely hairless but does contain a large number of mucous glands which protect the animals hide in the water and prevent it from drying out. They spend most of the day in the water, coming out onto land usually in the early evening and then through the night to graze.  [photo: Tristan Brown]  

Crocodiles at Mara River
During the great migration over two million herbivores move heading north-west from the short grass plains to the Western Corridor of the Serengeti and its Grumeti River. The Mara river is their first real obstacle and gigantic crocodiles are waiting for the hesitant wildebeest to stumble at the crossing. The mass of grunting wildebeest remain on the Mara grasslands until October or November. Then, as the storm clouds gather in the south, the vast herds return to their [...]  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Wildebeest at Mara River
The Wildebeest is possibly most famous for occurring in spectacular numbers seasonally in the Maasai Mara and Serengeti. The great migration, which may counts hundreds of thousands of animals, allows wildebeest to follow the good grazing that comes after the rains. This leads wildebeest to cross the Mara River which claims the lives of the weak ones and those unfortunate enough to get too close to the crocodiles that lie in wait.  [photo: Mark Ellis]  

Mount Kenya
Mount Kenya - actually, an extint volcano - is the highest top in Kenya (5.200 meters) and the second highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro (Tanzania). Its northern flanks across the Equator. The national park was established in 1949 and was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1997.  

Flamingos at Lake Nakuru
Lake Nakuru national Park is the home to over a million flamingoes. Fleets of Lesser and Greater Flamingoes line the shores of Lake Nakuru giving it a pinkish appearance. Besides flamingoes, Lake Nakuru is home to other water birds including a variety of terrestrial birds numbering about 450 species in total.  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

White rhino at Lake Nakuru
Both the black and white species of Rhinoceros are in fact gray. The white rhino name is a corruption of the Afrikaans word for wide. The wide refers to the white rhino's broad upper lip that is designed for grazing.  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Lake Nakuru National Park Main Gate
Lake Nakuru National Park is the only park in Kenya that is completely fenced since it is located at only 4 km from Nakuru, the fourth largest town of Kenya  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Python
Game-driving through the Lake Nakuru National Park, large sized pythons can often be seen as they're crossing the roads or dangling from trees.  

Orix
Orix are highly skilled in finding water and they dig for it in dry river beds. If they can't drink plain water, they can get it from their food (including things such as wild melon). It is believed that the Oryx may have given rise to the myth of the unicorn, since from the side it sometimes appears as though it only has one very long spiral horn. Just like in this picture.  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Impala
Females of impala are used to form into harems with their young. Eeach harem is surveilled by a single male who fights other males to defend his group and territory. This can be a very exhausting process and often after the breeding season, goes back to a bachelor herd for a period of time.  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Outspan Treetop at Nyeri
The Outspan hotel just outside Nyeri serves as staging point for the more famous Treetops just 17 kilometers away from the town  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Puff adder
The Puff Adder is one of the most common snakes in sub saharan Africa. It gets its name from its habit of inflating its body and emitting a deep, low warning hiss to warn intruders to stay away. Its venom is strongly hemotoxic, destroying bloods cells and causing extensive tissue damage. It is largely nocturnal, hunting at night and seeking shelter during the day's heat.  [photo: Wikipedia]  

Samburu Game Lodge
The Samburu Game Lodge is surrounded by a pristine riverine forest on the western bank of the Uaso River. It's 857 meters above sea level. Large herds of elephants are seen along the rivers banks which are much favoured by crocodiles.  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Samburu Game Lodge Cultural Village
The guests of the lodge are given the opportunity to take a tour of the Cultural Village. They are introduced to all aspects of Samburu culture. A spoken journey through Samburu traditions including dances for both women and moran, and Naapo evening meeting for men. The different costumes worn by both girls and women are also explained.  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Archer's gate (east gate) at Samburu
The three game reserves of Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba all cluster in one largest area of more than 800 square kilometers. Nevertheless, most of the game viewing is concentrated in the narrow strips along the river banks in Samburu and Buffalo Springs reserves.  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Leopard
Many reserves have all the big five - lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo - but it's not that easy to see them all, particularly leopard. Leopards are nocturnal, secretive and well camouflaged, but there are some reserves where they are more easily spotted than others. Samburu is one of these places.  

Leopard
A leopard and his kill; a male reedbuck noticeable by curved horns pointing forward  [photo: Laura Helsdon]  

Masai Jump Dance
Amongst the many traditions kept by Masai tribes the best known is the warrior jumping dance, where young Masai morani (morani stands for young warrior) leap into the air from a standing position, in order to demonstrate their strength and agility. Until recent times, in order to earn the right to have a wife, a Masai moran was required to have killed a lion. Officially this practice is deprecated although there are some evidences that it continues in some remote regions.  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Masai Kudu Horn
The kudu horn is a means to communicate amongst the villages. The kudu itself (Koodoo) is a sort of antelope which roams from South Africa to Ethiopia. Its bull may stand over five feet high and may be colored from a reddish gray to light blue. The kudu sense of smell, hearing and its keen sight, make it a difficult animal to capture.  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Sekenani primary school
Built in 1987, the Sekenani Primary School provides a free education to approximately 450 students from 5 to 14 years old. There are three terms per year, running in January to March, May to July and September to November. Some teachers are provided by the government, some others by the student's parents.  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Masai Mara Sopa Lodge
Located on the furthermost eastern corner of the Maasai Mara National Reserve, near the Ololamutiek Gate, the Mara Sopa is set in a hillside landscape of the Oloolamuita Valley 230 km South West of Nairobi. Masai Mara Sopa Lodge totally blends in perfectly with its surrounding hillside landscape; the Maasai people, a shrine of wildlife, bird life, and natural flora to be found in the fabled Masai Mara National Reserve.  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Masai Mara Sopa Lodge
After dinner, tourists are used to gather by the fire. In Maasai language, sopa means welcome. It takes approx 5 hours to reach the Mara region by car from Nairobi (45 minutes by air). The lodge itself is hut-styled, having the interior design of the public areas and rooms inspired by the Maasai culture and art.  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Sweetwaters Tented Camp
The Sweetwaters Tented Camp is located within the Ol Pejeta Conservancy Area. The camp is 25 kilometers west from Nanyuki, in Laikipia District. Sweetwaters is one of only four private game reserves in Kenya and features privileged seclusion and private game viewing. Thanks to its private status it also allows such unforgettable pleasures as night game drives and guided bush walks.  [photo: Sinthrex]  

Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Ever since 1974, Morani, a tame black rhino, lives in its own sanctuary within Ol Pejeta Conservancy, located few kilometers away from the Sweetwaters Tented Camp. The young rhino was brought to the ranch after some poachers killed its mother. [...]  [photo: Patty Chang]  

Sweetwaters
A giraffe at the waterhole at Sweetwaters Tented Camp  [photo: Chris D Oakley]  

Thomson falls
Thomson's Falls originate where the Ewaso River plummets 75 metres into a boulder-strewn gorge discovered in 1880 by the explorer Joseph Thomson. [...]  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Treetops, Aberdares National Park
In 1928, a couple of English settlers - Mr Sherbrooke Walker and his wife Bettie - started the Treetops. They began opening a small four-bedroom hotel in Nyeri calling it Outspan and shortly afterwards they began to build the Treetops as the result of Bettie?s memories: the tree house built in the garden by her brothers. It overlooked a large waterhole where, day and night, the animals emerged from the bush to drink.  

Buffalos at Treetops
Some buffalos on the way to the waterhole at the Treetops Hotel in the Aberdares National Park  [photo: Graham Dean]  

Elephants are refreshing at Uaso river
Uaso stands for brown water (river) in the local Samburu tribe's language. Huge herds of elephants are likely to be seen drinking and cooling off along the banks.  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Uaso river
The Samburu area is very dry with a lot of scrub and some acacia trees, except along the banks of the quiet Uaso Nyiro river where there's a narrow stripe of doum palms which contain and shelter a lot of wildlife. The Uaso flows through three great northern reserves, Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba.  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]  

Crocodile at Uaso river
Crocodiles are typical inhabitants of Uaso river. They are able to survive through dry spells by burying themselves in the mud. During the hottest hours of the day they're used to keep their mouths wide open to cool themselves down. Since their digestive system can handle rotting meat from old carcasses, they are very effective at waste disposal (unlike many other carnivores which require fresh meat).  [photo: Paolo Cecchellero]