Wildstock Photography: Remarkable Kenya

Depart United States for the flight to Kenya.

Upon arrival at the international airport in Nairobi, after clearing customs and collecting your luggage, you will be met and taken to your hotel. Check-in starts at 12 pm.

You will have a morning at leisure, with lunch and a program orientation at the hotel. In the afternoon, enjoy a visit to the nearby Nairobi National Park. Even though the park is within the capital city limits, it is possible to see big game like giraffes, wildebeests, lions, and impalas. This evening, enjoy a special dinner at the famous Carnivore Restaurant.

After breakfast, check out and drive to Aberdare. Arrive at Rhino Watch Lodge in time for lunch, followed by an afternoon game drive at Solio Ranch. This privately owned, protected area plays a major part in the protection and breeding of black rhinos (Diceros bicornis) and aims to promote their conservation.

After breakfast, check out and drive farther north to Samburu Game Reserve (~4-5 hrs.), within the land of the colorful Samburu people, close relatives of the Maasai. This area harbors a number of wildlife species found only north of the equator and offers unique vistas of rounded and rugged hills and undulating plains. The mix of wood and grassland with riverine forest and swamp is home to a wide variety of animal and bird life. After lunch and check-in, you'll have the remainder of the afternoon free until it's time for the afternoon game drive.

Spend another day in this reserve where game viewing and visibility are excellent. Bird life is superb, with over 380 recorded species, and game includes reticulated giraffes, Grévy's zebras, elephants, oryx, Somali ostrich, hippos, crocodiles, gerenuks, buffalos, lions, leopards, cheetahs, and hyenas. The long-necked gerenuk is a graceful antelope that spends much of its time in a bipedal stance seeking succulence among the withered scrub that dots this harsh terrain. Scenically, for most of the year Samburu is under the unsympathetic equatorial sun. Relief comes from the Ewaso Ng'iro, a river that rises some hundreds of kilometers to the west in the foothills of the Aberdare Range and vanishes beyond Samburu in the recess of the Lorian Swamp. Today you will also have the privilege of meeting members of the Samburu people. The tribe will welcome you with a walk through the manyatta (homestead). Sit in the central meeting place to see the stalwart Samburu warriors as they share a traditional dance, jumping higher and higher to outdo each other. Learn all about the stunning beaded necklaces worn by the Samburu women and listen to stories passed down for generations.

After breakfast, check out with picnic lunch boxes and proceed to Lake Nakuru (~4 hrs.). Arrive at Lake Nakuru Lodge for check-in, followed by an afternoon game drive. Notable game within the lake includes hippos and clawless otters. On the shores roam waterbuck, Bohor's reedbuck, and zebra. The woodlands and forest are now home to both black and white rhino. Buffalo, leopard, lion, Rothschild's giraffe, and black -and-white colobus monkey are plentiful in the forest. The bush lands offer eland, steinbok, impala, Chandler's reedbuck, and dik dik, while rock hyrax and klipspringer occupy the cliffs and escarpment and the Big Five-lions, elephants, leopards, rhinos, and buffalos-also frequent the area.

Spend another day exploring the Lake Nakuru area on game drives.

This morning drive approximately two hours to Lake Naivasha. Have lunch at Lake Naivasha Crescent Camp, followed by an afternoon boat ride and a visit to the Crescent Island Animal Sanctuary. On the shores of Lake Naivasha there are herds of wildebeests, giraffes, waterbucks, zebras and gazelle.

Enjoy a full day of game drives at Hell's Gate National Park with a picnic lunch. In addition to its wildlife, the park is known for its interesting geological features and geothermal activity.

After breakfast, check out and drive to the famous Maasai Mara Game Reserve, whose name means "spotted plains" in the Maa language. This is home to one of the greatest concentrations of large mammals and is widely recognized as Africa's ultimate wildlife reserve. The park is the northern extension of the vast Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, famous for its annual migration of wildebeest. Arrive for lunch at the lodge and later depart for a sunset game drive in this spectacular location of breathtaking sceneries, never-ending plains, and the most abundant variety of wildlife remaining anywhere in the world. The landscape is made up of rolling savannas dotted with patchy shrubs and bush thickets.

Spend the next two days game watching with morning and afternoon game drives. Wildlife is abundant in the reserve, with the gentle grasslands ensuring that animals are never out of sight. Birds are prolific including migrants; 450 bird species have been recorded, among them 57 birds of prey. Every year the Mara plays host to the world's greatest natural spectacle; The Great Wildebeest Migration from the Serengeti. The big cats-lion, leopard, and cheetah-follow the wildebeest, essentially their main source of food, into the Mara. The Mara at this time is packed with wildlife, providing lucky visitors on safari with superb game sightings.

Continue game watching with morning and afternoon game drives.

This morning, you will be transferred to Nairobi, have lunch, then arrive at the hotel. A day room has been arranged for you to freshen up before your evening flight home. Check-out is at 6 pm.

Welcome home!