Remarkable 10 Days Kenya Family Safari – Masai Mara, Aberdare

Meet your safari guide upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and transfer about 100km (4 hours) north of Nairobi. This is genuinely one of the most scenic family road trips you’ll ever do. Check in at your reserved lodge upon arrival, and lunch will be served.

After settling in, you’ll embark on an afternoon game drive in Aberdare National Park, a stunning introduction to the beauty and grandeur of this park. Aberdare is known for its picturesque ravines and open moorlands that feature cascading waterfalls, wildlife, birds, lush grasslands, river valleys, and rocky ridges. The game drive ends when the sun sets, and you’ll return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight sleep.

• Accommodation & meals: Treetops Lodge/Gireffe Ark Game Lodge/The Ark Lodge.
• Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.  

After a sumptuous early breakfast, you will get involved in the thrills of morning and afternoon game drives in this awe-inspiring and eye-catching African gem. The park is composed of peaks, fresh moorlands, waterfalls, and abundant wildlife.

You will enjoy sightings of the park’s resident dwellers like antelopes, giraffes, lions, buffalos, rhinos, reedbucks, hyenas, monkeys, leopards, zebras, warthogs, bushbucks, baboons, bongos, and duikers, among others.

Aberdare NP also comprises flora, which ranges from sub-alpine pine vegetation to sub-montane forests, grasslands, and xeromorphic evergreen forests, as well as a host of over 250 species of birds, most of which are easily seen around the waterfalls. You will enjoy incredible sightings, marked by a sumptuous picnic lunch taken at the centre of the park.

Start day 3 of your 10 Days Kenya Family Safari with an intimate family breakfast – all you can do when you’re in the heart of a fascinating safari park. Later, you will pack up your bags as you find your way to Ol Pejeta by 8 a.m.

Located between Mt. Kenya and the Aberdare Mountain Ranges, Ol Pejeta is a popular safari destination in Kenya, offering thrilling adventure experiences to travelers. Combined with its distinctly luxurious accommodations and a wide range of activities to embark on, this remarkable sanctuary is ideal for any family safari.

You will check into one of its posh resorts on arrival and immediately join in for a delicious meal. After settling in for a while and enjoying the great atmosphere, you will take an afternoon game drive to explore more than 50 wildlife species decked out in the lush beauty of this hidden jungle.

Two of the world’s only remaining northern white rhinos are a stirring marvel, as are the Big 5, wild dogs, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, black rhinos, buffaloes, hyenas, and hippos. So, you’ll be enjoying great sightings of some of the world’s rare and endangered species. Later, return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight sleep.

• Accommodation & meals: Royal Cottages/ Ol Pejeta House/Kicheche Laikipia Camp.
• Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.  

You’ll always be assured of excellent views of wildlife while at Ol Pejeta Conservancy. One such experience is the 20-minute hippo hide walk on camouflaged shelters raised at the heart of the conservancy. You and your family will observe wildlife closely from these shelters without disturbing them.

Your next stop will be at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary. This is a rescue home for orphaned and injured chimpanzees. There are about 40 chimpanzees in the sanctuary, each with a backstory as fascinating as the creature itself. Some have broken bones, some have a few bullets still lodged in their bodies, and others are critically ill.

You will spend the morning with Poco and others like him who’ve learned to walk, clap, spit, and even smoke like humans! Watch them eat their fruit meal, play with them, and also support this honourable cause. Ol Pejeta Conservancy is also home to over 140 critically endangered black rhinos. You can spend the afternoon following the rhinos around. You will enjoy your delicious, packed lunch in the park and then resume game drives an hour later until sunset.

After hefty breakfast, you will check out of the lodge and transfer to Lake Naivasha, about 3 hours away. It is a perfect choice for families looking for a scenic yet pristine getaway. The lake settles within the Great Rift Valley region and is compared to no other in creating a haven for families to bond and make lasting memories.

You will start the adventure by visiting the Sanctuary Farm for a 2-hour wildlife horse safari. It is an adrenaline-packed excursion that allows you to explore Naivasha in style. You will be introduced to these murky waters, known to host thousands of flamingos, hundreds of other bird species, animals, reptiles, and varying vegetation.

From here, you will head to a child-friendly resort and check in, have some lunch, and then leave to explore Naivasha from another section. Enjoy a boat safari while going to Crescent Island. Explore the island and enjoy sightings of giraffes, hippos, buffaloes, wildebeests, waterbucks, gazelles, impalas, and zebras.

• Accommodation & meals: Astorian Grand Hotel/ Naivasha Sopa Lodge/Taphe Guest Resort.
• Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

The dramatic landscape of Mt. Longonot has for a long time attracted hikers to brave a somewhat challenging climb for a glimpse of its beauty. This 4-hour hike offers the opportunity to explore this mountain’s gems, from its crater lake to its forested surroundings.

You will depart from the entry gate at 7 a.m. and begin what many regard as the most challenging summit they’ve ever been to. We’ll admit it: this 9-kilometer climb is no joke, especially if you’re unfit (consider your fitness levels).

Those who brave the climb are in turn rewarded with breath-taking views of Longonot’s volcanic terrain, particularly its bubbling geysers and arresting Rift Valley cliffs. You will also take views of Lake Naivasha as well as wildlife such as giraffes, Grant’s gazelles, elands, buffaloes, leopards, bushbucks and lions.

Note: Longonot’s official hiking age limit for children is 7 years old, so you will probably have to leave those below this limit behind (for this one). No worries! After all, we only consider resorts with excellent babysitting services.

On your seventh day, the 10 days Kenya family safari will head to the most famous safari reserve – the Masai Mara. Upon arrival, you will be checking into one of those gorgeous family-friendly safari camps, get impressed by the faultless amenities and kid-friendly options available. Enjoy the rest of the day by yourself.

• Accommodation & meals:  Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp/AA Lodge Mara/Lenchada Tourist camp.
• Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

After a quick breakfast, pack your lunch and embark on a full-day game drive in the Mara plains in search of its resident game: the lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, monstrous crocodiles, and their prey: zebras, wildebeests, giraffes, hippos, antelopes, and other gazelles. You will have a picnic lunch organized under a croton tree shade overlooking the vast plains of the park.

You will have the opportunity to go as far as the edges of the Mara River to catch up with episodes of the great migration – the famous wildlife spectacle in Masai Mara during the months of July to October. In this epic scene, columns of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles are seen moving from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara region in search of pasture.

At the same time, it’s known for the dramatic Mara and Talek River crossings where these ungulates find themselves in a race for life against monstrous crocodiles and predators of the savanna: lions, cheetahs, jackals, hyenas, and vultures.

Although you can visit Masai Mara at any time of year for excellent wildlife viewing, many travelers plan their trip around the Great Migration.

Optional: A Masai Mara balloon safari flight over the plains will yield breath-taking views of wildlife, lush vegetation, thronged grasslands, meandering rivers, and scattered acacias beneath. It also gives you a fresher perspective on the Mara.

The balloon can be maneuvered to meet varying needs, i.e., lowered to view wildlife closer and flown higher for panoramic views. The ride ends an hour later with a sumptuous breakfast served in the heart of the wilderness. You will take game drives for the rest of the day, followed by bush picnics and sundowners.

The morning activity is a cultural experience with one of Kenya’s most famous indigenous tribes in the local Masai village. You will learn about the Masai community and interact with the locals. Return to your vehicle an hour and a half later for your 6-hour scenic road trip to Nairobi for your connecting flight back home.

• No accommodation.
• Meals: Breakfast & Lunch.

End of the 10 Days Kenya family safari.