Two-Week Kenya Big Cat Safari Adventure

After flying into Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be greeted by a local guide and transferred privately to the outskirts of Nairobi National Park. An excellent four-star hotel is situated here, and your suite will look out across a wilderness where elephants are easily seen. Giraffes and buffaloes can also be seen from your balcony, sometimes even rhinos. All of these animals will be backdropped by the modern cityscape. This will prove to be a very pleasant introduction to Africa in addition to providing you with some time to relax before your safari starts.

Staying close to Nairobi National Park will be ideal because it is also very close to Wilson Airport. Your first safari flight will be to Amboseli, and the aircraft will cruise alongside Mount Kilimanjaro before touching down on a brown and arid landscape. Amboseli will provide you with one of the best Africas that Africa can supply. Here, herds of elephants march beneath the snow-capped cone of the world’s highest freestanding mountain. It is a scene that you can witness directly from your boutique safari camp, and it will be just the beginning of your wildlife encounters as you venture out on your first Kenyan game drive.

During these 12 days in Kenya, you will settle into a safari rhythm. An early wake-up call will be followed by light breakfast and coffee. Then, you can be out exploring in the cool morning hours, when the animals are very active. In particular, these are the best hours for encountering the big cats. Most animals rest in the shade to conserve energy because it is too hot for the predators to hunt. During these hours, you can indulge in a delicious brunch and have a short siesta before more wildlife viewing in the late afternoon. When the evening arrives, you will be back at the camp, probably sitting around a fire before dinner.

This morning, you will fly to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, and the day’s rhythm will be a little different than usual. This conservancy is home to two of Africa’s most iconic and endangered species. Here, you will not see one or two rhinos but will game drive across a savannah that is home to more than 100. In a chimpanzee sanctuary, you will gaze into the inquisitive eyes of these crazy mammals and watch how curiosity is displayed across their faces. These two species have special areas that provide protection against poaching and help their population grow at a faster rate. You will spend the day exploring these areas, being granted incredible proximity to animals that most people can only wish to see in real life.

Over these two days in Lewa, you will witness the Big Five from a variety of angles. You can venture on game walks in buffalo and elephant territory with guides that analyze animal behavior, so you are always at a safe distance. Nighttime game drives will seek out lions and leopards while daytime drives can focus on the conservancy’s growing cheetah population. This is Kenya’s iconic Big Five destination, but these famous five are really just the beginning. Lewa is also home to specialists that you will struggle to see elsewhere in Africa.

Meru is an example of how wildlife can thrive when its space is protected. It is a success story: the land has been conserved and the animals have been protected. Wildlife populations have doubled and tripled, and today, they continue to rise at a great speed. After a short drive to Meru National Park, you will discover the wonders of wildlife conservation while out on game drives with conservationist guides. They will lead you off the trails to show how certain animals are now flourishing, including the African cheetah.

Safaris can be all about patience and serendipity, especially when you are exploring a savannah ecosystem and searching for cats. Your guide will have better safari eyes than you and can predict animal movement. You may be surprised that you are driving away from a cheetah, especially if it is the first cheetah encounter in Meru. Ten minutes later, you will know why. Most animals move away from vehicles due to their size and noise. An excellent guide can position you, cut the engine, and wait for the animal to walk past your location, being oblivious to or unperturbed by your presence.

Today, you will fly to the Masai Mara and will soon discover why it is the best place in Africa for seeing the big cats. Open grasslands provide predators with a space to hunt. This is especially important for cheetahs, who cannot use their speed without at least a few square miles of uninterrupted land. Longer grass is best for hiding, but all three of the main cats are essentially the same color as the landscape, so they blend into their surroundings at all times of the year. You need to be able to move relatively close, so you will listen to monkeys and birds who will call raucously to alert others of a lurking predator. Mara Naboisho is a private conservancy, and your guide will be permitted to lead you off the trail.

Hot air ballooning above the Masai Mara is arguably Africa’s most iconic safari experience. Serene and surreal, it provides an ineffable impression of scale along with aerial shots of moving herds and pachyderms. After touching down from the flight, you will spend the day in Masai Mara National Reserve by driving alongside the Mara River and appreciating the incredible numbers of wildebeest and zebra that are present here. You will indulge in a picnic before returning to Naboisho late in the afternoon for some downtime at the camp.

This final day on safari will be flexible. With private game drives, you can continue your intimate encounters with cheetahs and the other cats. Game walks will also be a possibility here, and these are led by Masai warriors, who are people who have grown up alongside large and potentially dangerous animals. Over the three days in Mara Naboisho, you will enjoy at least one nighttime game drive but potentially more. As with the other safari destinations, animal highlights will continue when you are at the camp. Then, in the evening, you will be serenaded by the wild, including elephant trumpets and distant roars.

This morning will be flexible, and you can choose to venture on a final safari activity or to relax at the camp before your journey home. You will fly back to Nairobi Wilson Airport and be transferred onward to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, where your outbound flight will be waiting.