This trip offers both a magnificent trekking to the top of Mount Kenya as well as an adventurous safari in the Masai Mara Wildlife Sanctuary with an exceptionally rich animal and bird life.
On this tour you will experience Kenya’s capital Nairobi, where you will be guided through some of the city’s highlights including visits to the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, Kazuri Jewelry & Pottery Workshop and the house of author Karen Blixen.
Trekking on Mount Kenya
From Nairobi, the journey goes north to Mount Kenya, Africa’s second highest mountain according to best-medical-schools. This five-day trek takes you up to the top of Mount Kenya via the Sirimon route and back down via the Chogoria route, all for an optimal experience and some of the most beautiful views you can just see on this entire earth. A trek on Mount Kenya is an absolute highlight of every African trip and anyone who is in decent physical shape and has the right will can take to climbing the mountain, whose highest point is 4986 meters.
Safari and Masai Mara
From Mount Kenya, the tour continues to the Masai Mara, the most spectacular safari park in all of Kenya. In the Masai Mara you have the opportunity to experience an impressively varied range of wildlife – elephants, buffaloes, zebras, hippos, antelopes, gazelles, wildebeest, giraffes, hyenas, crocodiles and much more. Here are really good chances to see lions, and to see them eat a prey is not an abnormal sight. You may also be lucky enough to spot cheetahs and leopards. You will also visit Lake Nakuru National Park, famous for its thousands of flamingos – at certain times of the year up to three million gather here!
NOTE! There is no direct climbing involved in the ascent but there is a glacier to cross. You have to be ready for some challenging terrain and tricky passages the last bit towards the top.
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Departure from Scandinavia
Departure from Scandinavia to Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, where you will arrive the next day. Depending on the airline, there will be 1-2 stops on the way.
Day 2: Arrival in Nairobi
In Nairobi you will be picked up at the airport by our driver and driven to Wildebeest Eco Camp. The rest of the day is at your disposal.
Day 3: The best of Nairobi
After breakfast you will be picked up for an excursion around Nairobi and you will visit the following places: Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage: You will visit Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, home of orphaned elephant children preparing to return to nature. All elephants have their own individual “development plan” for how they can best be trained to be reintroduced into nature and no elephants will remain in the orphanage. Depending on the age of the baby elephant, it can take anywhere from one to ten years. Giraffe Center: The day also includes a visit to the AFEW (African Fund for Endangered Wildlife) Giraffe Center to see the center’s Rothschild giraffes, which are an endangered breed in Kenya. Today, Lake Nakuru National Park is one of the few places where they can be experienced outdoors. Rothschild giraffes are known for their long white “socks” which goes all the way to the knees as opposed to the Massage giraffes, which only have white “ankle socks”. The center also offers an informative exhibition on giraffes and here is a nice little cafe. Local English speaking guide included. Kazuri Jewelry and Ceramics Workshop: You will also have a visit to the Kazuri Jewelry and Pottery Workshop. The Kazuri project started in 1975 and helped single mothers support themselves and their children. The women hand-painted jewelry and ceramics and sold them. The project has now become so popular that over 200 women are employed and their goods are sold all over the world. Everything is done by hand and it is incredibly exciting to experience the women’s skills. Local English speaking guide included. Karen Blixen’s house: The excursion ends at Karen Blixen’s African house 20 km west of Nairobi – one of the capital’s main attractions. The Baroness’s home was converted into a museum in 1985 due to the film adaptation of the now famous film “My Africa” starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. to go for a walk in the beautiful park overlooking the Ngong Hills. ( There will be time to take a walk in the beautiful park overlooking the Ngong Hills. ( There will be time to take a walk in the beautiful park overlooking the Ngong Hills. (F )
Day 4: Nairobi – Judmier Camp
Departure from Nairobi in the morning. From Nairobi you go to the city of Nanyuki which is quite right by the equator. Here you have a short break where you have lunch before continuing towards the entrance to Mount Kenya National Park to Sirimon Gate. From here, the trek itself begins with about three to four hours of hiking to Judmier Camp (Old Moses Lodge), where you spend the night at an altitude of 3300 meters. The landscape is very varied with cedar, rose and olive trees and dense bamboo forest. It is possible to see many wild animals such as elephants, rhinos, baboons, monkeys, buffaloes, zebras and gazelles. ( F , L , M )
Day 5: Trek to Shipton Camp
After an early breakfast, start the day’s hike through a beautiful landscape of plains, valleys and the river Ontulili. On clear days, the hike offers a fantastic view of the surrounding mountain peaks. You arrive at Shipton Camp for dinner and overnight. ( F , L , M )
Day 6: Trekking at Shipton Camp
You spend the day acclimatizing. The tour goes to Kami Hut and Hauseberg Lakes. You return to Shipton where dinner is served and the evening is at your disposal so you can take a short walk for yourself and relax or read a good book. ( F , L , M )
Day 7: Trek to the top of Mount Kenya
This is the day of the power test and we start already at 3 o’clock at night while it is still dark. The goal is to reach the summit around 6.30 – in time to enjoy the spectacular view of the sunrise from the summit of Mount Kenya. An absolutely fantastic and unforgettable experience. After sunrise we go down to Mintos Hut for breakfast, a two hour descent. After that, today’s destination is Mount Meru Bandas, 2950 meters above sea level, for dinner and relaxation after the day’s fine feat. ( F , L , M )
Day 8: Chogoria – Nairobi
On the last day of the tour, you walk for a couple of hours to the forest opening to take the last stretch by car to the village of Chogoria. Here you change cars and go back to Nairobi, where you arrive in the afternoon. The rest of the day is on its own. ( F , L )
Day 9: Nairobi – Masai Mara
This morning you will be picked up in Nairobi and then travel by car along “The Great Rift Valley” to the city of Narok for an early lunch. Then continue towards the Masai Mara Game Reserve, arriving in the late afternoon. Here you get the first taste of the national park’s fantastic wildlife and its varied and hilly landscapes. Note that the car ride is really tough during certain parts of the stretch where the roads are in a rather primitive condition. ( F , L , M )
Day 10: Safari in the Masai Mara
The whole day is set aside for driving around and observing wildlife in the reserve. You start early in the morning, when the chance of seeing lions, cheetahs and leopards is greatest. Kenya’s leading Masai Mara Safari Reserve is a continuation of the Serengeti Plain and world famous for the unique and spectacular migration of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebras. From June they start arriving at the Masai Mara in search of food and in October the grass is eaten and they start hiking back to the Serengeti. Masai Mara is also rich in resident animals with over 95 different species, which makes the park a great animal experience all year round. In the Masai Mara you will find the whole “The Big Five”, ie elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard and a small number of rhinos, but also giraffes, hippos, hyenas and countless antelopes. The national park also has an incredibly rich and varied bird life with over 480 species. You have the opportunity to visit a local Maasai village where you are invited to a traditional hut built of branches and clay. Here you can see and learn about the Maasai strong culture and traditional lifestyle. Or you can book a fantastic excursion and enjoy the wildlife from a hot air balloon. (F , L , M )
Day 11: Morning safari in the Masai Mara – Lake Nakuru
You go out early in the morning when the chance of seeing lions, cheetahs and leopards is greatest. After the morning safari you return to the camp for breakfast and then go to Nakuru with lunch on the way and arrive in Nakuru in the afternoon. ( F , L , M )
Day 12: Safari in Lake Nakuru – Nairobi
This morning you start early with a safari in Lake Nakuru National Park. It is especially known for its hundreds of thousands of flamingos that come to the lake at different times of the year in search of food and form a wide pink band around the entire lake. Nakuru also has the status of a special rhino reserve and the rhinos can always be seen during safaris in the park. There are also good opportunities to experience buffalo, giraffes, zebras, waterfowl and perhaps the volatile leopard. Packed lunches are eaten in the park before starting your return trip to Nairobi via The Great Rift Valley lookout point in the afternoon. You arrive in Nairobi late in the afternoon. ( F , L )
Day 13: Departure from Nairobi
The day is at your disposal. You will be picked up at your hotel and driven to Nairobi Airport. ( F )
Day 14: Arrival in Scandinavia
Overnight stays
Four nights in a hostel in a dormitory room in Nairobi – tell us if you want to upgrade your accommodation to a hotel
Four nights in a simple cabin on a camp at Mt. Kenya
Two nights in stationary tents in the Masai Mara and budget hotels on Lake Nakuru.
