Kenya with Kids
Itinerary
Day 1 – Start your family holiday in Kenya
When you arrive in Kenya’s capital, our driver will be waiting to greet you and take you to your charming boutique hotel in a quiet suburb of Nairobi. Once you’ve freshened up and recovered from your long flight, if you have some time you could visit the leafy Karen district, where you will find the famous giraffe centre. Here, you can meet the endangered giraffes and even feed them from a raised platform. The centre has a huge focus on conservation, helping to breed and reintroduce over 40 giraffes into Kenya national parks.
Day 2 – Visit the Maasai Village
Today you’ll be collected and driven towards to Masai Mara, travelling on paved roads before turning onto bumpy local tracks that lead into the heart of the savannah. The name Masai Mara is a combination of the indigenous people (The Maasai) and the Mara River that flows through the reserve. For the next few nights, you will sleep on the outskirts of the national park in a simple tented camp, where you’ll learn all about Maasai life and culture. This afternoon, you’ll be welcomed into the community and set off on a guided walk through the reserve, searching for wildlife and getting an insight into the Maasai’s deep connection to the land. Spend the evening enjoying a delicious meal around the campfire and sharing stories under the dazzling night sky.
Day 3 – Walking safari
This morning, after a delicious breakfast, you’ll be heading off on a guided walking safari through the savannah landscape. Make sure you bring plenty of water and a hat, as the sun can be strong and there aren’t many shady spots. Exploring the landscape by foot is a more immersive experience compared to a 4×4, as you get the chance to slow down and notice details such as animal tracks, dung piles and learn how the Maasai read the land. After lunch, you’ll visit a nearby Maasi village, where residents live in traditional manyattas (small houses made of branches and thatch). Their clothing is colourful and often red, symbolising life and blood. Your children will soon have made new friends, as the Maasi are very curious about visitors. Back at camp, you can have a go at spear throwing or archery.
Day 4 – Safari in Masai Mara National Park
Early this morning, you will be collected and taken into the Masai Mara National Park for your safari. After a drive of around 1.5 hours, you’ll arrive at the park entrance where the 4×4 roof will be raised, allowing you to experience 360-degree views of the surrounding plains as you search for wildlife. Your guide will help you to spot zebra, antelope, elephants, lions and maybe even cheetahs or leopards. The vast plains offer great views of the animals and your encounters will likely be frequent and up close.
If you’re visiting the Masai Mara during September or October, you’re here at the perfect time to witness the Great Migration, one of natures most incredible spectacles. This is where millions of animals, mainly wildebeest and zebra, cross the park in search of fresh grazing land.
Day 5 – Maasai – Lake Naivasha
You have around a three-hour drive today, arriving at your next destination – Lake Naivasha. Here, you’ll stay at a small-scale hotel with a swimming pool and easy access to Hell’s Gate National Park, which you will explore tomorrow. Spend the rest of today relaxing by the pool and settling into your cottage, surrounded by lush gardens. Keep an eye out for zebra and giraffe as they’re often spotted wandering through the grounds.
Day 6 – Hell’s Gate National Park
This morning, you’ll be driven about an hour to Hell’s Gate National Park, where your first game drive will begin. You will drive through towering cliffs and rocky gorges, spotting zebras, giraffes, warthogs and antelope. Your expert guide will teach you all about the park and it’s geothermal activity.
This afternoon, you’ll return to Lake Naivasha where you’ll board a boat for a peaceful rife across Lake Oloiden. Keep your eyes peeled for hippos wallowing in the shallows and fish eagles swooping overhead, and you might even spot flamingos by the shore.
Day 7 – Safari in Nakuru National Park
Today you’ll journey to one of the highlights of The Rift Valley, the wildlife haven of Lake Nakuru, which is one of the best places in Kenya to see rhinos up close, as well as being home to buffalo, giraffe, zebra and up to 450 different species of bird. This evening you’ll head out on a game drive through the park, keeping your eyes peeled for grazing antelope, tree-climbing lions, and if you’re lucky you might catch a glimpse of an elusive leopard hiding in the bushes. You will stay overnight in a charming eco-camp within the national park, in a canvas tent with a full-size bed, private en-suite bathroom with a hot shower, and a shaded veranda overlooking the plains.
Day 8 – Tea-tasting and onto Nairobi
It’s time to take the family south, towards Amboseli. To break up the journey, you’ll stop off at an eco-camp with a beautiful pool on route. On the way to your accommodation for the night, you’ll visit an old tea plantation where you’ll try a local brew and learn more about the history and tea-making process. Afterwards, you’ll enjoy a peaceful walk through the lush plantations and native forest with your guide, soaking up the fresh air, before sitting down for a relaxed lunch overlooking the rolling hills and heading onto Nairobi.
Your accommodation is close to the Karen district, so you can visit the giraffe centre or elephant sanctuary if you didn’t get a chance at the start of your trip. Or, simply relax by the pool and reflect on your first few days together.
Day 9 – Nairobi – Amboseli National Park
Today, you’ll continue onto Amboseli National park – known for its magnificent viewpoints, with incredible views of Mount Kilimanjaro. As the landscape transforms into vast plains, you might be lucky enough to spot giraffes or zebras grazing in the distance, so tell the kids to look out for wildlife along the way… it’s a great way to keep them engaged during the journey.
Day 10 – Amboseli National Park
This morning, it’s time to explore one of the most popular national park’s in Kenya – Amboseli. The park is widely known for it’s huge elephant population, amongst the scenic backdrop of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Along with a knowledgeable guide, you’ll search for the big five as they graze or splash through the swamps. The wetlands also attract a variety of birdlife including pelicans, herons, and the iconic African fish eagle. You will spend the night in a comfortable safari camp, surrounded by nature, where you can spend the evening watching the kids splash around in the pool and enjoy winding down by the campfire.
Day 11 – Train journey to Mombasa
After a few days of animal encounters and exploring the savannah, today it’s time for something completely different. You’ll travel by train via Emali to Mombasa, crossing through the centre of Kenya, where you may have your final glimpses of wildlife, before heading to the sandy shored of Diani Beach. On arrival in Mombasa, you’ll be collected and transferred to your hotel, located right on the beach. With four restaurants to choose from, even the fussiest eaters will find something they enjoy, and there’s two pools to keep the little ones entertained while you unwind.
Day 12 & 13 – Hakuna Matata on Diani Beach
The next few days are all about relaxation after your wild adventures so far. The beach here is a beautiful stretch of soft, white sand, beside the calm, turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean, perfect for building sandcastles and splashing around in the shallows. Vibrant coral reefs line the shores, protecting the bay and offering a magical underwater world waiting to be explored by snorkellers. If you’re looking for more adventure beyond the beach, you could take a dhow (a traditional wooden sailing boat) cruise along the coastline, enjoying views of Diani from the water and visiting a marine park, if you’re lucky you might even spot a pod of playful dolphins.
Day 14 – Departure from Kenya
Today your family holiday through Kenya comes to an end, and you’ll say goodbye to your peaceful beach retreat after one final breakfast. Your driver will take you along the palm route back to Mombasa, where you’ll catch your international flight home. If you’d prefer to stay here a bit longer, or extend another part of your trip, we can do this for you. Just speak to your travel specialist about creating the perfect family tour.
Accommodation
