This trip is definitely our most cherished adventure!
Hi Clare!
Thank you again for helping to make our Kenya Trip a reality. We really appreciated your timely responses and answering all of our questions. This really was a wonderful experience for us.
Our 16-day anniversary tour of Kenya far exceeded our expectations. We have traveled to 24 countries and this trip is definitely our most cherished adventure. Now at home, we both continue to daydream about Kenya and a return trip. Our tour was well organized and proceeded without any complications. From the moment we were met at the Nairobi airport by Thomas and James, we had no worries. There was an obvious amount of attention spent on each detail to yield such a flawless trip. All of our accommodations were comfortable with excellent meals and wonderful staff. The staff at each carefully selected accommodation went out of their way to make us feel welcome and comfortable. Our favorite locations were Amboseli Serena Lodge and Ashnil Mara Camp due to their locations and staff. For travellers with less time than we had, we would recommend skipping Aberdare Country Club and going straight to the Ark at the 2 pm transfer to maximize wildlife viewing. We would also recommend giving Naivasha less time, it was a beautiful accommodation but more geared towards holidaymakers versus travellers.
The abundance and diversity of wildlife we witnessed were astonishing. Our game drives were well organized, comfortable, and maximized the best viewing times and daylight. We appreciated our guide James taking the time to educate us regarding the day-to-day life of Kenyans, wildlife behavior, and conservation. Each game drive resulted in a new wildlife sighting, just when we thought we had "seen it all", another amazing wildlife sighting occurred. James definitely has a sixth sense of wildlife. James was amazing and a key part of what made this trip so memorable. His knowledge of National Parks, regions of Kenya, wildlife, geographical features and all people and places was astounding. James was a perfect match for how we wanted to experience Kenya.
Thank you so very much.
From Sarah, USA, travelled with us during September 2024
Our experience
The Aberdare Country Club
A 2 ½ hour drive to the north-east of Nairobi, The Aberdare Country Club is in the Aberdare Highlands, which forms part of the Great Rift Valley. Originally a colonial family home lovingly built on a sloping hillside with sweeping views over the countryside below, the Country Club has been carefully developed to retain the grandeur of its past. The views are spectacular: the plains below, the Aberdare Mountains to the west and Mount Kenya to the east.
The Ark
Very iconic and somewhat quirky, The Ark in Aberdare National Park was built to resemble Noah's creation. It overlooks a floodlit waterhole and salt lick which attracts a wealth of wildlife, especially herds of elephant. There are viewing areas on four different levels as well as a bunker right next to the waterhole where you can watch and photograph the animals so close you can almost touch them, yet remain unseen.
Nairobi
Nairobi is usually your gateway into Kenya. While most safari visitors spend one night in the city on their way to or from their wildlife experience, Nairobi has great lodges and unique boutique hotels. The city is bursting with life from informal Maasai Markets lining the streets selling handmade arts and crafts to local tailors who can finish a beautifully made, bargain-friendly safari suit in 24 hours. Nairobi National Park with its dense concentration of black rhino is no more than 7 km from Nairobi's city centre.
Amboseli National Park
Probably second only to the Maasai Mara in popularity, Amboseli National Park is a fairly small park known for its vast elephant herds. They're often photographed with nearby Mount Kilimanjaro as a backdrop. Only 200 km from Nairobi, Amboseli combines well with a number of other game parks for an outstanding Kenyan safari experience.
Aberdare National Park
A fairly small national park, Aberdare is in Kenya's Central Highlands. One of the more scenic and tropical parks, it is home to the Big 5, as well as some rare forest-dwelling game like the shy bongo antelope. Within easy driving distance of Nairobi, the Aberdare National Park has some original, historical safari lodges, and offers a unique safari experience in spectacular scenery.
Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha
Two of the better-known lakes in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha are within easy reach of the capital, Nairobi. Each offers a distinctive safari experience and are often included in a Kenyan safari.
Maasai Mara National Reserve
The Maasai Mara, Kenya. Also sometimes written as the Masai Mara. It's said that you won't find a greater abundance of game anywhere in Africa, as you will in Kenya's Maasai Mara National Park. Apart from the Big Five, the reserve is home to an incredible variety of wildlife in large numbers like the annual wildebeest migration involving over 1.5 million animals.
