Discover the Kenya of dreams, where Africa’s Big Five roam free and brilliant sunsets set the savannah ablaze. And just after you’ve ticked every must-see species off your list, swap the mainland’s wonders for the limitless leisure and striking shores of exotic Seychelles.
This 12 Days Classic Safari & Island Dreams Kenya Seychelles begins in Nairobi and ends in Nairobi, Kenya.
12 Days / 11 nights
Join us for the Classic Safari & Island Dreams Kenya Seychelles for 12 days.
A snowy plateau peeks out of the low-slung clouds, a white splash against a blue sky. An elephant, its massive tusks curved with age, parades by a pair of grazing zebras. Though our van dances in the welcoming shadow of Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro, we are just over the border in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, a world of natural wonders.
The dramatic backdrop to our en-route game drive paints solitary trees and green grasses over the landscape. Renowned for its large population of free-ranging bush elephants, Amboseli also shelters wildebeest, African buffalo, zebras, black rhinos and other plain animals, as well as 40 types of raptors and more than 400 bird species.
Dinner and overnight at Amboseli Serena Lodge.
We enjoy the luxury of time on today’s twin game drives, as we venture deeper into Amboseli’s savannah and bush. Search the skies and earth for the next photo op or animal sighting; both are ubiquitous in this diverse national park.
Dinner and overnight at Amboseli Serena Lodge.
Our stomachs satiated after lunch in Nairobi, we take to the road again. This time, our ascent up the mountain threatens to take us out of the scenic Great Rift Valley; we stop just short, at the valley’s highest point (1,890 metres / 6,200 feet) and the site of a startling blue-green lake and undulating mountains.
Grey bumps dapple the waters of Lake Naivasha like giant boulders – boulders with teeth, that is. The hulking masses are not rocks, but grinning hippos that share the lake with pink-hued flamingos, imposing antelope, long-necked giraffes, and countless other animals that seek sustenance from the lake.
Dinner and overnight at Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort.
Hues of faded gold and burnished copper are pale reminders of the recent sunrise over Lake Naivasha. Today we ride to Lake Nakuru, a freshwater lake famed not for hippos but for its lovely pink-rimmed shoreline. Your first glimpse of the lake reveals the source: thousands of blush-toned flamingos crowd the perimeter, thick enough to create an optical illusion of fallen petals or fine, pink sands.
And the lake is not the only thing to see: swamps and marshlands give refuge to more than 400 aquatic and terrestrial bird species; yellow acacia trees dot the open plains; hills rise to ridges and fall again into bushy grassland. Our game drive reveals dozens of animals, from iconic African buffalo and giraffes to laughing hyenas and dancing zebra.
Dinner and overnight at Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge.
A leopard sprints through knee-high grass, its sights riveted on its prey. A mother elephant pushes her young calf to water, teaching him to bathe in the refreshing liquid. Hippos, their thick skin coated in mud, wade into a river lined with crocodiles. Young lions wrestle in a rough-and-tumble match to develop their prowess and hone their strength. We have arrived at the Maasai Mara – the Africa you’ve always imagined.
An afternoon game drives through the national reserve is everything you can imagine and more, always more. This is your first opportunity to spot, in one fell swoop, all of Africa’s Big Five: African buffalo, black rhinos, bush elephants, leopards and lions. These imposing predators once considered a hunter’s most dangerous game, are today a wildlife aficionado’s greatest wish – and a wish come true in Maasai Mara.
Dinner and overnight at Mara Sopa Lodge.
In the glow of dawn, pale light trickles over the horizon until suddenly, the sun’s fiery orb explodes into view. Its golden rays illuminate the savannah, glinting red and orange off the grassy plains. The bush awakens, sending thirsty elephants and zebra to the closest watering hole. Leopard cubs roughhouse in playful greeting to the morning.
The day’s two-game drives provide ample opportunities for wildlife spotting. After checking the Big Five off our list, we set our sights on one of the region’s most awaited events: the Great Migration. This, the Eighth Wonder of the World, marks an annual journey – the largest land animal migration on the planet. Every year, 750,000 zebras and millions of wildebeest make the pilgrimage from Tanzania’s Serengeti to the Maasai Mara, in search of shelter and sustenance. Time your trip right, and you’ll arrive to witness this incredible event.
Dinner and overnight at Mara Sopa Lodge.
Have you ever dreamed of sharing the clouds with birds, the wind whipping through your hair as the current sends you soaring ever higher? The muted colours of dawn unfold below, highlighting the boundless quiet of sunrise over the Maasai Mara. This optional hot air balloon ride is the perfect goodbye to these spotted plains, an exhilarating view to the African bush from heights known only to the birds that live here.
If you prefer your feet on the ground, choose a morning game drive as your Kenyan farewell. After lunch, we return to Nairobi for an unforgettable steak dinner at the Carnivore Restaurant, famed for its delicious preparations of game meat.
Overnight at the Sarova Panafric Hotel.
Have you ever played the desert island game, choosing the top three items to take with you while shipwrecked in paradise? Seychelles are a little like that, except that you can take anything you want and your every need is tended by resort staff. A quick flight swaps mainland Kenya for tropical Seychelles, a picture-perfect archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. The aquamarine sea laps at the white shoreline of Mahe Island, your exotic getaway for the next four days.
Overnight and breakfast at Coral Strand Smart Choice Hotel.
The ocean’s tepid waters invite you in for a swim, but you’re not quite ready to get up from your lounge spot beneath the shady palms. Perhaps later, you’ll take a walk along the curved bay or book a massage at the spa. You may even buddy up to dive Seychelles’ famed undersea world, populated by startling granite formations and prismatic coral. Whatever you choose to do, be it everything possible or nothing at all, the decision is all yours in Seychelles.
Breakfasts, dinners and overnights Coral Strand Smart Choice Hotel.
After breakfast, return to the airport for your flight back to Nairobi, where you’ll arrive in time for evening flights or a night in the city.
