After a morning arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and completion of immigration procedures, our driver-guide will welcome you and give you a short safari briefing. You will then drive to Aberdare National Park. This highland national park offers varied landscapes ranging from swampland, bamboo and fern forests to waterfalls and rivers. Arrive at Aberdare Country Club, the base hotel for The Ark, in time for lunch. After lunch, the hotel will transfer you to The Ark, a beautiful lodge inside the park. Elephants often dominate the waterholes and salt licks, and the lodge’s lookout corridors give you a close view of wildlife. At night the waterhole may attract rhinos, lions and leopards. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Safari Overview
A 6-Day Northern Kenya Safari explores some of Kenya’s less-travelled but exceptionally beautiful and culturally rich regions. This journey combines Aberdare’s highland scenery, Samburu’s unique northern wildlife and the wild landscapes of Meru National Park.
Safari Route Map
● Park / Destination– – – Safari Route● Start / End Point
Safari Highlights
●Aberdare forests, waterfalls and waterholes
●Samburu special northern species
●Ewaso Nyiro River wildlife
●Wild and scenic Meru National Park
●Excellent birdlife and photography
●Nairobi city excursion on Day 6
Detailed Day-to-Day Itinerary
Today we drive to northern Kenya and visit Samburu National Reserve. We will arrive in time for lunch at Samburu Sopa Lodge. After a short rest, head into the reserve for an afternoon game drive. Samburu is home to several distinctive northern species that are rarely seen in other parts of Kenya. As the sun goes down, return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Spend the full day exploring Samburu National Reserve. The reserve is known for its distinctive northern wildlife, including Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx and gerenuk. You may also see cheetahs, lions, leopards, impalas, buffaloes, hippos and dik-diks. Birdlife is abundant, with species such as Somali ostrich and yellow-throated sandgrouse. Enjoy a picnic lunch and continue with extensive game drives toward Buffalo Springs Reserve and the Ewaso Nyiro River, where hippos and crocodiles may be seen. Return to the lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight.
After an early safari and breakfast, depart Samburu and drive to Meru National Park. Arrive in time for lunch, followed by a short rest before an afternoon game drive. Meru National Park is wild and beautiful, straddling the equator and crossed by 13 rivers and numerous mountain-fed streams. Its scenery ranges from woodlands on the slopes of the Nyambeni Mountain Range to open plains with meandering riverbanks dotted with doum palms. Return in the evening for dinner and overnight at Ikweta Safari Camp.
After breakfast, spend the full day on game drives in Meru National Park. More than 300 bird species have been recorded here, including red-necked falcon, Heuglin’s courser, brown-backed woodpecker, sunbirds, Pel’s fishing owl, kingfishers, rollers, bee-eaters, starlings and weavers. The park is famous as the setting for Joy Adamson’s book “Born Free.” Wildlife includes lions, elephants, cheetahs, leopards, black rhinos, zebras, gazelles, oryx, lesser kudu, duiker and dik-dik. The rivers support hippos and crocodiles, while the park’s recovery from past poaching has allowed elephant populations to stabilise and breeding herds to settle again.
After breakfast, depart Meru and proceed to Nairobi. On arrival, have lunch at a city restaurant and visit the Nairobi National Museum, where you can see exhibits and cultural items representing Kenya’s history and diverse communities. Continue with a sightseeing city tour of Nairobi, followed by dinner at the famous Carnivore Restaurant. Afterwards, transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your onward flight.
