Day 1 : Start Nairobi
Your Africa adventure begins as the plane touches down in red-earthed Nairobi. Make your own way to our hotel for the night on the edge of Nairobi National Park. Set your bags down and keep a look out for wildlife grazing on plains below from its pool deck, bars and restaurants. Meet the team and feel the excitement build as your Trip Manager runs through the itinerary. This evening you'll have a chance to head out for some dinner at a local restaurant, a perfect time to practise your 'Jambo' (hello) and 'Asante-sana' (Thank you very much). Get to know your new mates over a hearty Kenyan meal before a big day tomorrow.
Accommodation : 2.5.4. Ole Sereni (or similar)
Day 2 : Nairobi to Maasai Mara
We start the day with a hot breakfast at the hotel before meeting our local guides and loading up in the safari vehicles for the start of our great Maasai Mara adventure.
We'll pass down and through the Great Rift Valley as we arrive at our classic African safari lodge, just in time for lunch in the famous Masai Mara. After lunch, you'll have time for a quick siesta or a dip in the pool. This afternoon will include your first game drive, seeing some of Africa's vast array of wildlife both big and small on the rolling hills of this magnificent nature reserve.
Accommodation : Sentrim Mara (or similar)
Day 3 : Maasai Mara
This morning you have the option for a once-in-a-lifetime hot air balloon Safari experience, or join the early morning game drive - one of the best times to see the wild animals as they relax in the cooler climate before the midday heat. In the late morning we'll all head back to the lodge for some lunch and lounging around the pool, before departing on an evening game drive in search of Africa's elusive big cats: the lion, leopard and cheetah. This reserve is the scene of one of nature's most incredible and humbling events: the Great Migration. During the right season, watch with your jaw open as millions of wildebeest and zebra risk their lives crossing crocodile-infested waters with lions lurking on the banks as they bravely press forward to greener pastures.
Accommodation : Sentrim Mara (or similar)
Day 4 : Maasai Mara to Nairobi
We'll treat ourselves to our last spectacular morning drive in the unforgettable Masai Mara before we head north. Make sure your camera's ready for your last glance. What a place.This afternoon we head back to Nairobi for an unforgettable Make Travel Matter experience. In Kibera, Africa's largest slum, we'll visit the Mirror of Hope foundation, a community-based organisation that enhances education, entrepreneurship and employment opportunities for vulnerable children, youths and women. After meeting the locals (and feeling inspired), head back to our Nairobi hotel to relax at the pool, get a spa treatment or spot wildlife from the bar before choosing a dinner venue at one of the hotels restaurants.
Accommodation : 2.5.4. Ole Sereni (or similar)
Day 5 : Nairobi to Amboseli
Here in Nairobi, you’ll have the chance to sign up for a game drive in the nearby national park (your best chance to see rhinos is right here.) Afterwards, we’ll take a heartwarming trip to an elephant orphanage and see first hand the amazing work that the staff here do to rehabilitate and release baby elephants back into the wild.
After a picnic lunch and a visit to a local Curio shop, we’ll head for our lodge (right on the edge of the Amboseli National Park, might we add, with views of Mt Kilimanjaro too!) to enjoy a delicious included dinner.
Accommodation : Sentrim Amboseli (or similar)
Day 6 : Amboseli
After our morning's buffet breakfast, we will do a short safari walk to a Maasai village, guided by Maasai warriors as they teach us about their culture and everyday lives co-existing with wild animals. After lunch we will head out to Amboseli National Park, famous for its iconic shots of elephants and wildlife feeding in the foreground while the peak of Africa rises in the background: Mt Kilimanjaro. It's a photographer's dream, and it's all yours. Our final dinner in Kenya will be included back at the lodge.
Accommodation : Sentrim Amboseli (or similar)
Day 7 : Amboseli to Nairobi
Our last day of this incredible trip will send us off with a bang, including one last morning drive through the Amboseli, and then back up to Nairobi.
With full hearts and memories, here is where we'll say fond farewells to our Africa adventure and our new Contiki family.