This safari will take place in Kenya in Amboseli Nationa Park, Lake Naivasha, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Lake Nakuru National Park, and Hell's Gate National Park.
Kenya
Kenya is a country full of surprises and many are amazed to know that besides safaris and wildlife, the country also has some of the best beaches in East Africa. The beauty of this land is that, besides the assortment of activities and sights it has to offer, it is also easy to enjoy a safari and a beach holiday combination. Kenya’s coastline boasts brilliant blue water lined with protective coral reefs creating ideal conditions for swimming, snorkeling, sailing, and water sports.
The palm-lined beaches are the ideal relaxing environment for the end of your safari holiday. Evenings can be spent reminiscing about your adventures through the Maasai Mara or marveling over the enormous red elephants you saw in Tsavo East National Park. Reflect on the splendor of Amboseli National Park and Mount Kilimanjaro and sort through your countless photographs of rare and glorious birds. Finally, take a stroll on the soft white sand before drifting off to sleep.
Amboseli National Park
Located about 250 kilometers from Nairobi and along the Tanzanian border, the park derives its name from the Maasai word Empusel, that means salty, dusty place. Declared a national park in 1974 to protect its unique and fragile ecosystem, the Amboseli National Park offers landscapes of remarkable contrasts, such as arid zones alongside lush oases of the swamps. The ecosystem of this low rainfall region depends on the water from Mount Kilimanjaro.
A particular feature of the Amboseli National Park is the possibility to take postcard photos of elephants against the backdrop of Kilimanjaro. Covering an area of 392 square kilometers, the park is, in addition to elephants, home to numerous animals such as giraffes, wildebeests, antelopes, buffalos, lions, cheetahs, leopards, and hyenas, as well as over 400 species of birds such as pelicans, kingfishers, cranes, hamerkop, and 47 types of raptors that live alongside the Maasai villages.
The compact park is abundant with wildlife and allows for excellent game viewing. Its vegetation consists of a combination of sprawling grasslands, swampy springs, and dry dusty earth. From Observation Hill, you will have a view of the entire park and especially the swamp areas where buffalos, elephants, hippos, and a diversity of water birds come to cool off and refresh themselves. Look out for the shy porcupine who only dares to emerge at sunset.
Lake Naivasha
Derived from the Maasai name Nai’posha, that means rough water, in reference to the sudden storms that may come up over the lake, Lake Naivasha covers nearly 139 square kilometers and is surrounded by a marsh of 64 square kilometers.
Spread around the lake are rich green plains supporting zebras, hartebeests, waterbucks, buffalos, impalas, giraffes, monkeys and, at night, hippos. There are over 300 species of birds including the African fish eagle, the osprey, the Jacana, and the black rail.
Maasai Mara National Reserve
Covering an area of 1,510 square kilometers, the Maasai Mara National Reserve is, in fact, the extension in Kenyan territory of the vast Serengeti Park in Tanzania. Together, they constitute a huge ecosystem in which animals move freely. All large African animals are present, such as Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, the impala, Kirk’s dik-dik, the bushbuck, the topi, the buffalo, the ellipse waterbuck, the elands, and giraffes.
Famous for its rich wildlife, the Maasai Mara National Reserve is home to not only the Big Five, (elephant, lion, buffalo, rhino, and leopard), but also to many birds, over 500 species of birds have been recorded here. Along the rivers, crocodiles and hippos lie in wait. Composed of vast rolling plains and hills, the Maasai Mara National Reserve is dotted with umbrella thorn acacias and thorny thickets. In the Maa language, Mara means spotted and may refer to the colorful landscapes.
Mombasa
Mombasa is a city on the coast of Kenya. It is the country's second-largest city, after the capital Nairobi, with an estimated population of about 1.2 million people in 2016. Its metropolitan region is the second largest in the country and has a population of approximately two million people. Administratively, Mombasa is the capital of Mombasa County.
A regional cultural and economic hub, Mombasa has an extra-large port and an international airport, and is an important regional tourism center. Located on the east coast of Kenya, in Mombasa County and the former Coast Province, Mombasa's situation on the Indian Ocean made it a historical trading center, and it has been controlled by many countries because of its strategic location.
