7‑Day Kenya Wildlife & Conservation Safari: Rhino Rescue, Culture & Big Cat Encounters

After landing in Nairobi,  your personal safari driver will pick you up at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, ready to escort you to your hotel. This first day is about easing into Kenya’s rhythm. Spend the afternoon at leisure resting in your room, strolling through lush hotel gardens, or enjoying a quiet coffee on the terrace. Tonight, you rest in anticipation of the days of wilderness ahead.

Overnight: Novotel Nairobi Hotel

  Meals: Dinner

After breakfast, your journey heads north across the Laikipia Plateau toward Ol Pejeta Conservancy, one of East Africa’s most successful wildlife sanctuaries. Along the way, the scenery shifts from bustling towns to open plains dotted with thorn trees and grazing livestock.

You arrive in time for lunch at Maisha Sweetwaters Camp with panoramic views across the conservancy. In the late afternoon, you embark on your first game drive, scanning the horizon for rhinos, elephant families, prides of lions, and the shy but beautiful Grevy’s zebra. 

Overnight: Maisha Sweetwaters Camp

 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

Today, your safari takes on a deeper purpose. After a hearty breakfast, you choose one activity between rhino monitoring and identification, meeting the last two northern white rhinos, dog tracking, or lion tracking with the rangers. Either one of these experiences offers a rare and humbling closeness to one of the most threatened species on Earth.

Later, you visit the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, where rescued chimpanzees, many who are victims of the illegal pet trade, live in safety and dignity. Later, you can relax at the camp, go for a short nature walk, or visit the Baraka & Morani Information Centre.

Overnight: Maisha Sweetwaters Camp

 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

After breakfast, your route turns south toward the Great Rift Valley. A stop at Thomson Falls offers the chance to photograph the dramatic 74-meter cascade before continuing to Lake Nakuru National Park.

Arriving in time for lunch, you set out for an afternoon game drive. Keep watch for Rothschild’s giraffe moving gracefully among the acacia, and lions resting in the shade. At day’s end, check into your lodge, have some dinner before having a peaceful night surrounded by the sounds of the bush.

Overnight: Lake Nakuru lodge

  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The day begins with breakfast overlooking the lake before departing for the legendary Maasai Mara National Reserve. The drive through Narok County reveals changing landscapes, where fertile farmlands give way to vast grasslands where wildlife roams freely.

Arrive at your lodge in time for lunch before setting off on an evening game drive. As the sun sets, you may spot prices of lions, herds of elephants, and cheetahs poised for the evening hunt.

Overnight: Mara sopa Lodge

 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Wake before dawn for an optional magical hot-air balloon safari (at an extra cost) over the Mara’s rolling plains, or head out on an early morning drive to catch predators in action. From July to October, you may witness the Great Wildebeest Migration, a dramatic spectacle of life and survival at the Mara River. Be on the lookout for the big five that Maasai Mara is famous for. These include the lion, savannah (African) elephant, the Cape buffalo, the leopard and the black rhino. You may even be lucky to witness a leopard or a cheetah sprint and make a kill! Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight

 Overnight: Mara sopa Lodge

  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, you bid farewell to the Maasai Mara, traveling back to Nairobi by road or opting for a scenic bush flight. Before your airport transfer, you may stop at the Carnivore Restaurant for a uniquely Kenyan dining experience or browse local markets for handcrafted souvenirs. As your plane lifts from the runway, the memories of rhino tracking, Maasai dances, and sunsets over the savannah remain vivid and enduring.
Meals: Breakfast