8-Day Kenya Safari through Tsavo, Taita Hills and Amboseli

• Arrive at JKI Airport (NBO), where we will meet for the tour briefing and finalize all outstanding matters. This is also the time to clarify anything that may not have been clearly understood so that we can proceed as one team, with everyone fully aware of what lies ahead.
• Once all outstanding matters are settled, we will depart past midnight for the 3 to 4-hour journey to Voi Town.
• Drive along the busy Mombasa-Nairobi Highway for 320 km, with stopovers for coffee along the way.
• Arrive in Voi Town and continue on a short drive to Tsavo East Park Gate, the entrance to the largest park in Kenya, covering an area of 13,747 km2. We will reach the gate at dawn.
• Check in early and catch up on some sleep.
• Wake up for a full breakfast at 0900 hrs. Alternatively, depending on your condition after a long flight and drive, you may be advised to embark on a 6 am morning game drive, an ideal introductory game-viewing moment when the animals are active and it is easier to spot big game on the hunt.
• Return to the lodge for a full breakfast and some much-needed sleep and rest after the long hours of travel. You will have uninterrupted time to recover before waking in time for lunch at 13:30 hrs.
• After some rest, embark on an extensive exploration of Tsavo East National Park, known for its abundant wildlife and natural scenery, including Aruba Dam, a waterhole where animals come to drink. Physical attractions include the Tsavo River, Yatta Plateau, Mudanda Rock, Lugard Falls, Voi seasonal River, and Aruba Dam. You also have a chance to see animals such as red elephants, rhinos, leopards, cheetahs, and giraffes, among others.
• Continue the game drive until 6:30 pm, then return to the lodge for dinner and overnight. You will also have the opportunity to watch animals from the comfort of your cosy room, from the restaurant, or around a campfire as you sit back, dine, and unwind while reflecting on the day's moments.
• Dinner and overnight at Voi Safari Lodge or Voi Wildlife Lodge.

Meal Plan: Breakfast (B), Lunch and Dinner (D).

At Taita Hills, the game lodge experience includes big cats, the Big Five - buffalo, lion, elephant, leopard, and rhino - and just about everything in between.

• Wake up for an early breakfast and drive to Tsavo East National Park. The park covers approximately 40 per cent of Kenya's national parks. Its dramatic views of Mudanda Rock and Yatta Plateau, the world's largest lava flow, make it a popular destination. The Tsavo and Athi rivers unite to form the remarkable Lugard's Falls. The park is also home to the Red Elephant and a rich variety of wildlife and birdlife.

• Enjoy game viewing en route as we exit through Buchuma Gate for the short drive to Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary.

• Arrive in time for lunch and check in at Taita Hills Game Lodge, where you will stay in this magnificent wildlife haven. The sanctuary forms a critical wildlife corridor between Tsavo East and Tsavo West and is a major migration route for the more than 12,000 elephants that live in the two national parks. Together, these parks form one of the largest conservation areas on Earth and are home to the Big Five - lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, and rhino - as well as plenty of other plains game.

• Enjoy lunch and rest at this Kenya flagship lodge.

• Embark on an introductory game drive around the conservancy, exploring extensively as you familiarize yourself with the surroundings. The game search continues until sundowner, after which you will return to dine and unwind, having settled into the sanctuary and the lodge and become part of its rhythm as you enjoy dinner and a peaceful night's sleep.

Meal Plan: Breakfast (B), Lunch and Dinner (D).

This sanctuary is privately owned and located in Taita-Taveta in the south-west region of Kenya.

• Enjoy a hearty breakfast at your lodge before departing for a full day of game searching in the heart of Taita Hills Game Sanctuary, with lunch breaks at Taita Hills Game Lodge or its partner, Taita Salt Lick Game Lodge. Another magnificent lodge has also been built with game viewing in mind, allowing you to see animals in all directions thanks to its spectacular open views while you enjoy your lunchtime meal.

• Continue after lunch to explore the wildlife sanctuary on a game drive. Scenic sights include sweeping landscapes, while wildlife includes Cape buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion, cheetah, Masai giraffe, zebra, and more. The sanctuary also has a great diversity of birdlife as it borders Tsavo West National Park. It is mainly savanna, with a few areas covered with bushes and thicket. As the name suggests, the sanctuary offers panoramic views of the neighbouring Taita Hills, making it an ideal location for a photographic tour for nature lovers, game drives, and close-range game watching, with an up-close and personal touch with nature through guided walks and a visit to a local and authentic tribal village.

• Proceed for another game drive in the sanctuary after lunch until sunset. During the afternoon game drive, you have a high chance of spotting lions, cheetahs, baboons, giraffes, herds of elephants, buffalo, and other game roaming wild and free in this park.

• Return at sundown for dinner and an overnight stay at Taita Hills Salt Lick Game Lodge.

Meal Plan: Breakfast (B), Lunch and Dinner (D)

• Wake up early in the morning and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee.
• Embark on a dawn game drive in search of wildlife, with chances to witness lions, cheetahs, and leopards hunting their prey. This extensive game-watching experience will take up the better part of the early hours.
• Return to the lodge for a full breakfast.
• Check out from the lodge and, with en route game viewing, exit Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary for neighbouring Tsavo West National Park. Tsavo West lies to the west of the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway, equidistant from Mombasa and Nairobi. Emerald hills, liquid lava flows, palm-fringed rivers, teeming wildlife, and sparkling oases are set against the unforgettable cloud-shaded African savannah. Crossing the vast park or accessing it through Voi or Mtitu Andei Gates will depend on road conditions, with game viewing along the way.
• Proceed for afternoon game viewing until evening.
• Unwind with dinner and overnight at Kilaguni Lodge or Ngulia Safari Lodge, where you can watch animals coming to a watering point from the comfort of your room and from the restaurant.
• Arrive at the lodge around sundown, time permitting. You will enjoy more game drives en route to the lodge before checking in for dinner and overnight at Ngulia Safari Lodge or Kilaguni Serena Game Lodge.
• Sit back and relax at this magnificent lodge overlooking wildlife watering and salt-lick areas.

• Get up for an early morning breakfast, then leave for the bush in search of wildlife until 0900 hrs.

• Return to the lodge for a full breakfast.

• Prepare for check-out from the lodge.

• Proceed with your final game drive in the northern section of Tsavo West, visiting the Mzima water springs, where water filtered underground from the Chyulu Hills gushes from below a lava ridge into a series of clear pools. You will have an opportunity to view animals underwater through glass. As you prepare to exit Tsavo West for Amboseli National Park, the tour would not be complete without being taken to an elevated point to see Mount Kilimanjaro from a distance. The nearby Chyulu Hills and other scenic valleys add to the landscape.

• Begin the journey at midday to Amboseli via Mtitu Andei Park Gate or through the Chyulu Hills by the highway. Lunch will be served en route or in Amboseli, depending on the time.

• Arrive in time for dinner or, time permitting, enjoy a short game drive before dinner and an overnight stay at your tented camp or lodge.

• Wake up for an early morning pre-breakfast game drive, then return to the lodge for a full breakfast at 0900 hrs.

• Continue with more game viewing to the west, which will take you to Mzima Springs.

• Check out of the camp and enjoy another game drive. Here, you will visit the famous Mzima Springs and go down the tunnel to see hippos, crocodiles, and different fish species in the clear waters.

• Enjoy lunch at your lodge as you prepare to check out after the meal for the journey to Amboseli National Park, renowned for its huge tusked elephants and views of Mount Kilimanjaro.

• Depart at 1400 hrs and cross the dramatic volcanic formations of the Shaitani Lava Flow. After visiting this picturesque scene of lava formations, you will continue through landscapes of emerald hills, liquid lava flows, palm-fringed rivers, teeming wildlife, and sparkling oases set against the unforgettable cloud-shaded African savannah. In the north of the park, water filtered underground from the Chyulu Hills gushes from below a lava ridge into a series of clear pools, where you have an opportunity to view animals underwater through a glasshouse. The scenic volcanic arena of the 'Shetani' Lava Flow, Swahili for 'Devil', together with Chaimu Crater, Lake Jipe, ridges, volcanic ash cones, and rocky outcrops, creates scenery like no other. Game viewing here is magnificent, with herds of huge tusked elephants, fat pods of hippos, giant crocodiles, teeming herds of plains game, a fantasia of birdlife, and some magical flora.

• Proceed on a game drive through the Chyulu Hills, heading to Amboseli National Park and arriving in the late afternoon.

• Arrive in Amboseli, where, time permitting, you will enjoy an evening game drive as you continue en route to the lodge for check-in and lunch.

• Start the evening game drive at 1600 hrs until sundown at 1800 hrs. You will also have a chance to visit a traditional Masai village and enjoy traditional dances in the comfort of your lodge around the camp.

• Return to the lodge at 6:00 pm for dinner and overnight.

• Wake up early for a cup of tea or coffee and snacks in preparation for an early morning game drive.

• Proceed for a morning game drive until 0900 hrs, then return to the camp for breakfast. Amboseli has become one of the most visited parks in Kenya for its serenity and for the views of the peak of Kilimanjaro at sunrise and again at sunset. Among the wildlife to be spotted are the big cats and herds of African elephants.

• Explore this fantastic Kenyan wildlife splendour for the whole day, returning to your camp late in the afternoon at sundown in time for dinner and an overnight stay in the tented camp.

• Enjoy an early morning breakfast, then proceed for the morning game drive. This is the best time to view Mt. Kilimanjaro.

• Return to the camp for a full breakfast.

• Check out of the lodge after breakfast and enjoy the final game drive as you leave the park.

• Arrive in Voi Town for the final lunch.

• Embark on the journey back to Mombasa or Nairobi after lunch, arriving in the evening full of great impressions.