12 Days Kenya Game Parks Wildlife Safari

1: Nairobi to Tsavo West - Kenya The 12-Day Budget Kenya Game Parks Safari kicks off from Nairobi city at 07:00am From the capital of Kenya, Nairobi, we travel southeast to Tsavo West National Park. We explore Chyulu Hills and Mzima Springs, home to numerous hippos and crocodiles. At Mzima Springs we can view the hippos swimming beneath the surface of the water, from the underwater viewing chamber. We have dinner and stay overnight at an eco lodge or similar on day one.

2: Tsavo West National Park - Kenya The whole day is spent exploring the game park on morning and afternoon game drives. In Tsavo West birds are very common - look out for the white-bellied go-away bird, red-beaked hornbills and bateleur Eagles. There are also large populations of elephants, zebras and leopards. Look out for dung beetles rolling huge balls of elephant dung along the tracks. Tsavo Park is famous for its large elephant herds, often seen covered in fine, red dust. We visit the pretty Lugards Falls, Aruba Dam and Mudanda Rocks, which attracts elephants in the dry season. Tsavo is the largest national park in Kenya (at 22,000 sq km). The scenic Tsavo West Park covers a wide variety of landscapes, from swamps and natural springs to rocky peaks, extinct volcanic cones and rolling plains. The dramatic Chyulu Hills are a collection of ancient volcanic cinder cones with splendid views of Kilimanjaro and populations of elands, giraffes, zebras and wildebeest.

3: Tsavo West to Amboseli National Park - Kenya In the morning we embark on a game drive in Tsavo Park before driving to Amboseli National Park, located to the northwest of Tsavo West, near the southern Kenyan border with Tanzania. We look out for game en route to our safari camp set inside Amboseli Park. Amboseli Game Park covers 392km² and is the second most popular park in Kenya, after the world-famous Masai Mara. Amboseli is best known for its breathtaking scenery, with towering Mt. Kilimanjaro to the south. This natural setting provides superb photographic opportunities, especially for capturing large bull elephants up-close, with the mountain in the background. We stay in self-contained tents at a luxury tented safari camp for the night. Enjoy dinner and the beautiful views of Mount Kilimanjaro and the Amboseli plains from the private camp.

4: Amboseli National Park - Kenya We spend a full day exploring Amboseli Park on game drives. Amboseli covers lush grasslands fed by the melting snow of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak. Standing at 5896m above sea level the snow-topped mountain forms the backdrop to game viewing in Amboseli. Amboseli National Park hosts some of the largest elephant herds in Kenya and is famous for its big elephant bulls with their impressive tusks. Amboseli is considered one of the top game parks in Africa to get up close to elephants in the wild, as well as offering some of the finest photographic opportunities of wildlife flanked by the scenic Mt Kilimanjaro. The Game Park also contains huge populations of buffalos, zebras, wildebeests, giraffes, hippos and various antelope species, such as impala. Amboseli Park is also home to lions, leopards, cheetahs, rhinos, jackals, warthogs and various other wildlife. The park also boasts an abundance of birds, including bee eaters, kingfishers, pelicans, African fish eagles and falcons. Dinner and camping overnight in Amboseli at the same peaceful camp as the night before.

5: Amboseli to Mount Kenya (Sweetwaters) - Kenya On

6: Mt. Kenya to Samburu Game Reserve - Kenya After breakfast today we leave the Mount Kenya area, heading to Samburu Game Reserve. We look out for game en route to our next overnight campsite, where we have lunch next to the Ewaso Nyiro River. We camp beside the Ewaso Nyiro River under shady palms and trees. The camp has refreshing cold showers to freshen-up in and escape the heat of the African plains.

7: Samburu Game Reserve - Kenya Day seven is set aside for game viewing in Samburu Reserve, exploring its open grasslands and diverse landscapes in search of the variety of wildlife found here. Samburu hosts beautiful forests, springs and rivers, offering stunning scenery. The game park is part of a lava plain that includes varied habitats, from thorn scrub, red dirt and dried river beds, to broken volcanic rock, steep hills and rocky outcrops. The Samburu area is also home to interesting people with a rich heritage, making for a colourful cultural experience. This region of Kenya is home to the uncommon Grevy's zebra with huge fury ears, gerenuk antelope standing on hind legs to feed, Somali ostriches with distinct blue legs and the shy Oryx. Elephant and crocodile are guaranteed sightings, excellent bird watching with numerous varieties of weaverbirds and the martial eagle. Leopard sighting is also a special feature here.

8: Samburu to Lake Nakuru - Kenya After breakfast we break up camp and hit the road again, game viewing on our way out of Samburu Park. We travel south through Kenya to Lake Nakuru National Park, stopping for lunch en route. Arriving at Lake Nakuru we take an afternoon game drive in the compact wildlife area. Lake Nakuru is world-famous for the millions of flamingoes found along its shallow edges. The number of flamingoes depends on the water-level, which determines the amount of algae on which the birds feed. The Nakuru National Park surrounds the lake and was gazetted to protect the colony of flamingoes as well as provide sanctuary for endangered species such as the rhino. There are about 25 white and black rhinos, one of the largest concentrations in the country. Predators are also residents to this park while Rothschild’s giraffe have been trans-located into the park for safety This small park (180 sq km) is also home to warthogs, waterbuck, buffaloes, reedbucks, and the occasional leopard. Nakuru park has retained its reputation as an ornithologists' delight with more than 400 species of bird found here. Returning to camp we enjoy dinner and stay overnight at a Lake Nakuru guest house or hotel.

9: Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara - Kenya Today we leave camp after breakfast and travel south towards the famous Masai Mara Game Reserve, in southwest Kenya. We drive through beautiful savannah grasslands and plains in the Great Rift Valley making our way to our next overnight camp. Along the way to our camp, located near Masai Mara, we keep a look out for wildlife. We spend another peaceful night camping out in the untamed bush, under starry African skies.

10: Masai Mara Game Reserve - Kenya The next two days are spent embarking on game viewing drives in Masai Mara. On clear days, the Masai Mara offers fantastic orange-tinged sunsets worth capturing on camera. The Mara reserve covers 1510km² of incredible wide-open landscapes and fertile riverine woodlands, following the meanders of the Mara and Talek rivers. One glimpse is enough to explain its appeal as an iconic savannah, with a mass of amazing wildlife. An optional balloon safari can be arranged at an extra cost.

11: Masai Mara Reserve - Kenya We spend another full day exploring the spectacular Masai Mara Park. Wherever you go in the Mara Reserve you will see an abundance of wildlife, such as Masai giraffe, baboons, warthogs, bat-eared foxes, grey jackals, spotted hyena, topis, impala, hartebeests, and wildebeest. Elephants, buffaloes, zebras and hippos, It is common to see lions either basking after a heavy meal, or surveying the plains for their next meal. Cheetahs and leopards are harder to spot, but are still reasonably common. The ultimate wildlife action here is without doubt the annual wildebeest exodus in July and August when millions of these grazers move north from the Serengeti in search of lusher grass before turning south again in October. The Great Migration is one of the most awe-inspiring wildlife spectacles on earth!

12: Masai Mara to Nairobi - Kenya We head off into the bush on an early morning game drive in Masai Mara Reserve, enjoying the wilderness one last time. Then we return to bustling Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, arriving in the afternoon. This 12 days Kenya Game Parks Wildlife Safari ends upon arrival in Nairobi.