ABOUT 12-Day Ultimate Kenya Iconic Parks Safari - Kenya safaris
Meru National Park, straddling the equator and bisected by 13 rivers, offers a stunning mix of woodlands, plains, and riverbanks lined with doum palms. Nearby, Samburu Reserve features rugged landscapes, with the Ewaso Nyiro River marking its southern boundary. Safari-goers can spot unique species like the Beisa oryx, Grevy's zebra, and reticulated giraffe, along with buffalo, lions, and cheetahs in this remarkable wilderness. You'll also visit Ol Pejeta, Lake Nakuru, and the famous Masai Mara.
- Duration: 12 days
- Route: Wildlife Safari
- Starts at: USD 6940
Highlights for 12-Day Ultimate Kenya Iconic Parks Safari - Kenya safaris
Day 1: Nairobi
Day 2: Nairobi - Meru National Park
Day 3: Meru National Park
Day 4: Meru National Park - Samburu National Reserve
Day 5: Samburu National Reserve
Day 6: Samburu National Reserve - Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Day 7: Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Day 8: Ol Pejeta Conservancy - Lake Nakuru National Park
Day 9: Lake Nakuru National Park - Masai Mara National Reserve
Day 10-11: Masai Mara National Reserve
Day 12: Masai Mara National Reserve - Nairobi
Day 1: Nairobi
>> Today you’ll arrive at the Nairobi airport. After clearing immigration and customs procedures, you will be met by a Trait Tracers Tours representative and transferred to your hotel in Nairobi.
Known as the safari capital of Africa, Nairobi is an energetic, modern city that serves as a fascinating introduction to both wildlife and nightlife. Music clubs pulse with life, shops and markets bustle, and a mélange of restaurants will tempt your palate in this former Maasai watering hole.
- Time: 8-10hrs
- Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 2: Nairobi - Meru National Park
>> You’ll depart Nairobi early in the morning by road for Meru, a classic savannah wilderness with a diversity of habitats ranging from riverine areas to grasslands. You’ll arrive in time for lunch at Ikweta Safari Camp.
Ikweta Safari Camp is an international-class, nationally accredited tented safari camp and a recipient of a Gold Award from Kenya’s Tourism Regulatory Authority. Located just outside Meru National Park, 2.5 km from the Murera Gate, it features 10 spacious guest tents and offers an intimate, owner-operated experience that combines eco-friendly design with natural elegance and exceptional comfort. Conveniently situated, guests can immerse themselves in the park’s breathtaking landscapes, rich biodiversity, and abundant wildlife, including the “Big Five,” within minutes.
- Time: 8-10hrs
- Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 3: Meru National Park
>> You’ll spend the next day exploring Meru, with its great views of Mount Kenya, savannah wilderness, riverine habitats, and prominent inselbergs, most notably Mughwango and Leopard Rock, offering some fantastic photo opportunities.
Brilliant on a magnificent scale, the Meru and Kora sister parks feature luxuriant jungle, coursing rivers, verdant swamps, khaki grasslands, and gaunt termite cathedrals, all under the sky’s great blue bowl. Little visited and utterly unspoilt, few places compare to the remote and rugged atmosphere found here. Visitors can see Grevy’s zebras, elephants, bohor reedbucks, hartebeests, pythons, puff adders, cobras, buffalos, and more than 427 recorded bird species.
- Time: 8-10hrs
- Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 4: Meru National Park - Samburu National Reserve
>> After breakfast, you’ll head to Samburu, a park rich in wildlife with its rare northern species known as the “Special Five,” which include the gerenuk and Beisa oryx. You’ll head to Ashnil Samburu Camp, arriving in time for lunch. The camp is set on the banks of the great Uaso Nyiro River.
Each tent at Ashnil Samburu Camp sits on a raised wooden deck overlooking the river, where elephants sometimes make an appearance or crocodiles come out to lounge by the riverbanks. The restaurant also overlooks the river and serves a high standard of food from its à la carte menu. After lunch, you’ll head out on a game drive and then spend the next day exploring the reserve and tracking down the elusive leopard. Dinner and your overnight stay will be at the camp.
- Time: 8-10hrs
- Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 5: Samburu National Reserve
>> Enjoy a full day of safari activities in Samburu Game Reserve. Samburu is a very scenic but lesser-known park, situated along the Uaso Nyiro River, which attracts wildlife from the surrounding savannah plains. This is a semi-arid area and can become quite hot, but the park is rich in wildlife and is home to a number of large predators, including cheetah, lion, and leopard.
- Time: 8-10hrs
- Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 6: Samburu National Reserve - Ol Pejeta Conservancy
>> After breakfast, you’ll depart from Samburu and continue your journey to Laikipia and the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. You’ll spend two nights at the stunning, luxury Sweetwaters Tented Camp, set on the foothills of Mount Kenya. With amazing views and close proximity to wildlife, it’s a wonderful place to stay.
Ol Pejeta Conservancy is located on a vast plateau and has the highest density of large mammals in Kenya, including unusual species such as the reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, and the lelwel hartebeest. There are also seven rhino sanctuaries here, and you may be lucky enough to see the now rare black rhino.
Your overnight stay will be at the camp.
- Time: 8-10hrs
- Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 7: Ol Pejeta Conservancy
>> You’ll spend your time in Samburu on day and evening games exploring the conservancy, as well as enjoying an early morning guided lion-tracking experience. There will also be time to relax at camp and watch the wildlife at the camp’s watering hole.
Ol Pejeta Conservancy is a private wildlife reserve, famous for endangered species like the white rhino and chimpanzees. It is one of the best wildlife protection centers, with maximum security measures in place to prevent poaching.
- Time: 8-10hrs
- Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 8: Ol Pejeta Conservancy - Lake Nakuru National Park
>> After an early breakfast, you’ll head out on an early morning game drive for a chance to witness the animal kingdom at its most active hours. Later, you'll begin the journey to your next destination: Lake Nakuru National Park. You’ll arrive in time for lunch before heading out to explore Lake Nakuru later in the day.
Lake Nakuru is a famous park known for its high population of flamingos and other water birds. It’s also a rhino sanctuary and home to all of the “Big Five," except elephants. Dinner and your overnight stay will be at the lodge.
- Time: 8-10hrs
- Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 9: Lake Nakuru National Park - Masai Mara National Reserve
>> After breakfast, you’ll head to the grasslands of the Masai Mara. Rich in biodiversity and home to a wide variety of bird species and wildlife, the Masai Mara offers excellent game viewing and bird-watching opportunities. You’ll arrive in time for lunch at Ilkeliani Mara Camp, located on a quiet bend of the Talek River, in the heart of the Masai Mara’s savannah grasslands. Each Ilkeliani Camp tent is spacious with an en-suite; there is also a mess tent and lounge area. When you’re not on game drives, the river location almost guarantees great wildlife viewing! After lunch, you’ll head out for a game drive to explore the reserve and track down the “Big Five.”.
- Time: 8-10hrs
- Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 10: Masai Mara National Reserve
>> The next two days are dedicated to exploring the world-renowned Masai Mara. Each morning, you will head out for an early game drive, then return to the camp for breakfast. You can then either spend the rest of the morning at camp and head out for a late afternoon game drive after lunch, or head out late morning with a picnic lunch, returning to camp at dusk for dinner and an evening by the campfire.
The Masai Mara is a photographer’s and naturalist’s paradise, with abundant elephants, buffalo, giraffes, lions, and cheetahs alongside the migratory wildebeest and zebra. Leopards are frequently encountered, endangered black rhino hide in the dense thickets, and large rafts of hippos and enormous crocodiles are found in the Mara River. The park is also home to over 450 bird species. Your overnight stay will be at the camp.
- Time: 8-10hrs
- Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 11: Masai Mara National Reserve - Nairobi
>> After breakfast, you’ll check out and drive back to Nairobi with lunch en route, arriving in the early evening at your hotel or the airport.
- Time: 8-10hrs
- Meals: Breakfast & lunch (Dinner not included) Drinks not included
- Accommodation:No accommodation (End of tour)
Inclusions
- Park fees (For non-residents)
- All activities (Unless labeled as optional)
- All accommodation (Unless listed as upgrade)
- A professional driver/guide
- All transportation (Unless labeled as optional)
- All Taxes/VAT
- Roundtrip airport transfer
- Meals (As specified in the day-by-day section)
Exclusions
- International flights (From/to home)
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- Tips (Tipping guideline US$10.00 pp per day)
- Personal items (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
- Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
- Drinks