Across Western Kenya

Your warm welcome in Kisumu city, also known as port Florence Kenya’s third-largest city with the third biggest metropolis. It is also the headquarters of Nyanza province. Over the past years, Kisumu city has transformed itself from a mere fishing port to a throbbing business and a tourism hub in the great lakes region.

After breakfast, we will unmask the hidden face of Kisumu. By undertaking a well-curated excursion, we will enable us to see the attractions of amazing Kenya’s only lakeside city. We will begin by visiting the museum where ethnographic exhibits and a display of the dominant Luo tribe, musical instruments and their traditional culture stands out prominently. Kisumu Museum is considered by many to be one of Kenya’s finest collections of artifacts.

We will then proceed to Kisumu Impala Wildlife Sanctuary for a leisurely walk. While here, a harem of impalas enjoy this grazing ground with zebras and hippopotamus that live in the lake. Spread over an area of less than 1sq km, this wildlife sanctuary acts as a holding point for problematic animals like baboons, hyenas, and leopards, which can be seen at a close range.

From the Impala Park, we’ll drive for lunch at Dunga beach followed by a boat ride to get a first-hand experience of the second largest freshwater body in the world, Lake Victoria. After the boat ride, we’ll visit the Dunga Ecotourism boardwalk in the swamp where you can experience some birdlife especially the biome restricted and the papyrus endemics of Lake Victoria. We will later visit the fishing village where you will encounter the local anglers and fishmongers.

From the lakeside, we’ll drive to the imaginary line that splits the earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Maseno, the lush institutional center is located northwest of Kisumu and at an altitude of 1503 meters above sea level. We will be here for some photos and enjoy the scenic backdrop of the rugged volcanic hills of the Kavirondo Rift Valley system. With the equator cutting across Kenya almost in the middle, the sun is directly overhead at noon on the two equinoxes in March and September 21st.

For your information, the most intriguing fact is that areas located on the Earth’s equator have the fastest sunrises and sunsets. Therefore, it’s worth noting that the time it takes the sun to set and rise at the equator point is the fastest on Earth hence the transition from day to night which surprisingly, takes only a few minutes. From the equator point, we’ll drive back and settle down for dinner and overnight at the Best Western Hotel.

After an early breakfast, you will depart Kisumu and drive to Kakamega forest about 65 km away. This is a wide tract of the equatorial rainforest with different birds, butterflies, trees, and monkeys. Species. A leisurely walk through the forest will reward us with some of the best opportunities of seeing the birds and the primates and the magnificent Isiukhu waterfalls. We will spend the night in Kakamega town.

This morning, we will have an early breakfast then leave Kakamega Forest for a drive to Endebes and further to Mount Elgon National Park. At the gate, a community guide for a 9 km walk through the lush forest cover will accompany us as we enjoy the serenity of the forest. There is a possibility of meeting elephants, buffaloes among other forest animals, etc at Kitum Caves that usually search for a salt lick. We will enjoy a picnic lunch at one of the attraction sites before we drive to the Endebes bluff if the weather permits. After the day’s engagement, we will drive back to the lodge for dinner and the night.

After breakfast, we will depart Mount Elgon early enough as we head to Saiwa Swamp. This is Kenya’s smallest national park and it will be a good moment to stroll and appreciate the beauty of nature at the raised observation points alongside the walking deck. The park is home to Sitatunga, the rare swamp antelope. We will enjoy a picnic lunch in the park thereafter walking out for a continued drive to Eldoret for dinner and the night at the Boma Inn Hotel.

We will leave Eldoret and travel to Lake Nakuru National park arriving in good time for lunch. Lake Nakuru National Park is spectacular. Formerly, it used to be a blazing sea of deep pink flamingos – millions of them if the timing permits! Their intense fuchsias burst against Lake Nakuru’s deep blue alkaline waters. Quite simply… it has until some few years ago been the most brilliant show of birdlife on earth.
Alongside a little number of flamingos, other birdlife namely, pelicans, cormorants, kingfishers, ostriches, storks as well as herons and eagles happily call this park home.
Apart from birds, this special park offers stunning wildlife viewing opportunities. The park is known for hosting some endangered but beautiful species. You’re sure to see rare Rothschild Giraffe along with White Rhino, especially along the lakeshore. The park is also a sanctuary for one of Kenya’s largest populations of Black Rhino.
Other wildlife to be seen here are zebra, hippo, olive baboon, vervet and colobus monkeys, waterbuck, and hyena. Other big safari wildlife to be on the lookout for includes lion, cheetah, leopard, and buffalo.
We will later leave the park for yet another soda lake in its neighborhood, Lake Elementaita. We shall arrive here for dinner and the night.

Traveling to the premier Masai Mara National Reserve through the Rift Valley will be a memorable journey. Our arrival will be in good time for lunch before heading out for an afternoon safari through vast, acacia-dotted plains, driving past throngs of elands, impalas, zebra, and giraffes; and keep an eye out for lions, elephants, and the rest of the African “big five.” In the evening, relax at the camp and enjoy the scenic sounds of the night at the Mara Leisure Camp.

After breakfast, we depart for a whole day game drive in the reserve. No trip to Kenya would be complete without this traditional experience. Spanning approximately 3,000 square km, the Masai Mara National Reserve and Greater Mara Concession Areas form the northern section of one of the most astounding animal migrations on the planet. While the region has become busier and busier over the last decade or so, a visit to this stunning area is still well worthwhile. Often seen as in its prime when the migratory herds arrive, from July to November, a visit out of season can be just as rewarding, and that’s the reason the BBC has based themselves here for the last decade or so.
What makes Masai Mara one of the world’s top safari destinations is its abundance of big cats – cheetahs, leopards, and lions – as well as the two million wildebeest, Thomson’s gazelles, and zebra that migrate annually across the vast grasslands in search of water. Watching elephants and giraffes grazing, photographing zebras and wildebeest, and with a little luck, you'll even spot animals feasting on a recent kill. Drive back to the camp for dinner and the night at the Mara Leisure Camp.

Depart the Masai Mara Game Reserve after breakfast and drive to Nairobi arriving in the afternoon to mark the end of your wildlife safari.