ESBT Premium Kenya (September 2024)

Do you dream about seeing all your favourite animals from the Lion King in real life?

Same.

After 65+ countries I’ve decided it’s about time I do an African safari and I’m inviting you to join me.

Here’s what you need to know about the ESBT Premium Group Trip to Kenya in September of 2024.

About This Trip

I’m so excited to offer this custom itinerary to experience the wildlife of Kenya! This trip is running in partnership with Intrepid travel and is considered to be a ‘premium’ tour. This means 4* hotels, all meals, and special experiences.

The trip is one week long from September 8^th-14^th, 2024. September is one of the best times of year to visit and go on a Safari as it is the end of dry season (and high tourist season) but still falls within the great migration.

The focus for this trip is wildlife with a number of game drives, safaris, and an included hot air balloon ride over Maasai Mara at sunrise. If seeing the wildlife of Africa is on your bucket list, then this might just be the trip for you! 

Inclusions & Exclusions

As a premium-level tour, this is almost considered an ‘all-inclusive’ itinerary (minus the international flights).

Included in the price is as follows

• All accommodation in comfortable 4* hotels
• Meals for the duration of our itinerary (dinner day one, breakfast and our final day, 3 meals every other day)
• Transportation in 4×4 cruisers
• Professional, English speaking guide
• All activities including entrance fees listed in the itinerary
• Included tipping (Except for our tour leader)
• Airport arrival transfer and departure transfer (details required 30 days in advance)
• Luggage transfers
• 24/7 on ground support

You will be responsible for any costs related to visas, insurance, your flights to Kenya, and personal expenses or activities not included in the itinerary.

Our Premium Kenya Itinerary

Day 1: September 8, 2024

Destination: Nairobi

Jambo! Welcome to Kenya. Your adventure begins in the capital city, Nairobi, with a welcome reception at the airport. Upon arrival, you will be met by a professional representative. After clearing with the immigration processes, you will then be escorted to your waiting vehicle for a short transfer to your hotel, arriving for check in with rest of the day at leisure. There will be a welcome dinner this evening to meet our guide and group!

Included Activities

• Complimentary Airport arrival transfer to Nairobi
• Welcome dinner

Optional Activities

• Kiambethu tea farm – USD55 (minimum of 4 pax) • Karen Blixen museum – USD30
  • Kazuri beads – USD10
  • Nairobi – Langata Giraffe Sanctuary – USD35
• Half day Nairobi city tour – USD 55

Accommodation: Sarova Panafric Hotel

Day 2: September 9, 2024

Destination: Nairobi – Lake Naivasha – Lake Nakuru

Depart Nairobi after breakfast and head north, driving along the escarpment of the Great Rift Valley. Proceed to Elsamere, the former home of the writer Joy Adamson, whose 1960 book ‘Born Free’ helped bring wildlife conservation into the mainstream. The house is a veritable museum dedicated to the works of Joy and George Adamson, with many photos of Elsa, the lioness that started it all. You’ll enjoy a local lunch before you proceed on to a boat trip on Lake Naivasha, the highest of all lakes in the Great Rift Valley and home to many a hippopotamus. Later, enjoy a high tea lunch on the very grounds Joy cherished for so many years, with the lake as a serene backdrop. Continue to your Lake Nakuru lodge, arriving in the early evening. From your lodge you’ll enjoy remarkable views of Lake Nakuru and the surrounding national park, alive with the call of birds and rich in wildlife. What better way to take it all in than from your lodge’s infinity pool.

Included Activities

• Lake Naivasha – Elsamere Conservation Centre • Lake Naivasha – Boat trip

Day 3: September 10, 2024

Destination: Lake Nakuru National Park

After breakfast, visit Lake Nakuru National Park by four-wheel drive vehicle (4×4) – the park’s lake is its stunning centerpiece. Mornings can be cold here so it’s important to bring warm clothes. You might see why this lake has been described as the world’s greatest ornithological spectacle; great seas of flamingos often turn the landscape a sweeping shade of pink. The park also boasts substantial numbers of other species, including waterbuck, reedbuck, and gazelle. Leopards are also to be found here, and the chances of sighting one is high. Return to the lodge and take some time out for lunch, then head back out for another afternoon game drive. Keep your eyes peeled for one of Africa’s most endangered creatures, the elusive black rhinoceros. While white rhino sightings are fairly common, spotting a black rhinoceros is a real treat.

Included Activities

• Lake Nakuru – Morning 4 x 4 game drive
  • Lake Nakuru – Afternoon 4 x 4 game drive

Day 4: September 11, 2024

Destination: Lake Nakuru – Maasai Mara Game Reserve

After breakfast, check out and head southwest to the Maasai Mara, one of the nest game reserves in Africa. Stop over by the remote region of Loita Hills, home of the Maasai people. This is one of few places where they still practice their traditional way of life with little influence from the western world. Stop at Tepesua Village where you’ll be welcomed by Maasai Warriors through traditional song and dance. Meet your Maasai hosts, take a walk to the community village and enjoy a fascinating talk full of insights into this ancient culture. The village offers support, safety, and economic growth through the ‘Tepesua Widows Income Project,’ where widowed women sew eco- friendly handicrafts to sell to visitors and locals. Learn about village life and be shown around a traditional Maasai home and cattle enclosure. Move on to your feature stay accommodation for the next two nights. Spacious permanent tents feature large, comfortable beds, en suite bathrooms and private wooden decks offering unbeatable views of the plains and wildlife reserve. Blending seamlessly with its surroundings, the camp connects the wilderness with modern comforts, and staying here is really something special.

Included Activities

• Loita local Maasai village visit.
  • Afternoon Maasai Mara game drive in 4 x 4 cruiser(s)

Day 5: September 12, 2024

Destination: Maasai Mara Game Reserve

Rise a little before dawn to begin your safari adventure. This morning you’ll have a balloon ride over the Maasai Mara at sunrise, an unforgettable experience. Enjoy a balloon ride over the Mara. Glide through the dawn, sometimes at tree height, enjoying amazing photo opportunities. Upon landing, you’ll be treated to a bush breakfast before returning to your vehicle to continue your safari game drive.

You shouldn’t have any trouble spotting wildlife, as this is often one of the most active times of the day for animals. Witness the wonderful procession of wildlife that inhabits the area. Wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle are plentiful, and you might even spot predators keeping a casual eye on their movements. Elephants, giraffes, and elands are also commonly sighted, along with plenty of bird life. The area is known for its rolling green plains and riverine woodlands, and amongst the many species of game, a black-maned lion, leopard, or cheetah might appear, with some luck. After what is hopefully an exciting morning’s drive, you will return to the camp for lunch and to relax during the heat of the day. Set off again in the afternoon – this time you can expect to return to the camp at dusk. As the sun starts to set, stop, and take a moment to soak it all in with a drink in hand – there’s few better ways to wrap up a day of wildlife spotting in one of the world’s most magical places. As dusk falls, a variety of animals might be visible in the vicinity of your camp also.

Included Activities

• Maasai Mara balloon safari
  • Maasai Mara – Morning 4×4 game drive
  • Maasai Mara – Afternoon 4×4 game drive • Maasai Mara – sundowner and snacks

Day 6: September 13, 2024

Destination: Maasai Mara Game Reserve 

The morning is yours to do as you wish. You may like to sit back with a cup of coffee on your private deck, keeping an eye out for animals in the reserve, or forgo a sleep-in in favour of an early morning game drive or walking safari. In the afternoon, regroup for another exciting 4×4 game drive in the park.

Included Activities

• Masai Mara – Afternoon 4×4 game drive

Optional Activities

•  Masai Mara balloon safari – $500

Day 7: September 14, 2024

Destination: Nairobi 

Breakfast at the camp. Thereafter, pick up by our driver guide, say goodbye to the Maasai Mara and return to Nairobi. You can expect to arrive in the late afternoon, at which point your adventure will come to an end. Please do not book any international flights departing from Nairobi International Airport before 8pm this evening to allow for any unexpected delays. If you would like to extend your stay in Nairobi, additional accommodation can be booked in advance (subject to availability).

Departure transfer is included for those heading to the airport today.

Cost of the Trip

 To keep costs as low as possible for the group, I’m offering tiered pricing. This means that total pricing will depend on how many people join us. We need a minimum of 6 people for this trip and I will bring a maximum of 14. All pricing is in Canadian dollars and based on double occupancy.

*You will note a little jump in the pricing below, that is because at that point we need to add a second vehicle to transfer us between our stops. Costs then decrease after.

Cost Per Person

This group currently has 6 travellers right now so:

For 7 travellers: $7,940.00 CAD

For 8 travellers $7,540.00 CAD

For 9 travellers: $7240.00 CAD

For 10 travellers: $7005.00 CAD

For 11 travellers: $6820.00 CAD

For 12 travellers: $6965.00* CAD

For 13 travellers: $6810.00 CAD

For 14 travellers: $6685.00 CAD

Single supplement is available for an additional fee of $1265.00 per person (for the duration of the trip). Note that a single supplement is only applicable if you do not want to share a room. Otherwise, you will be rooming with a fellow traveller of the same sex at the costs listed above.

A non-refundable deposit of $900 CAD is required at time of booking to secure your spot on the trip and our balloon rides. The final payment will be due 75 days before departure. All payments will be handled by Intrepid Travel. 

The goal is to get as many people on for cheaper prices but when you agree you need to be comfortable paying the highest rate. 

How to Book

This is going to be the trip of a lifetime and my first time on an African Safari! I hope you decide to join me on this incredible adventure.

Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions either through email or via social media.