Kenya: Masai Mara safari

Jambo! Welcome to Kenya. Your adventure begins as you touch down in Nairobi, just south of the equator. East Africa’s most cosmopolitan city, this concrete jungle is one of the few capitals that have national parks right on the doorstep. Passing through the airport, a Flash Pack transfer will be waiting to transport you to your first hotel, where there’ll be time to freshen up before meeting your Pack Leader and group. Tonight, you’ll enjoy a traditional welcome dinner and raise a toast of Tusker beer to a week of wildlife-spotting to come.

After an early breakfast, you’ll bid goodbye to the city and set off into the wilderness. Your first stop, two hours north, is Hell’s Gate National Park in the Great Rift Valley. Here, in the dusty savannah, squeezed between rust-coloured escarpments, you’ll transfer to two wheels in search of your first African animals. Large carnivores are rare, so it’s a safe area to cycle. Keep your eyes peeled for zebras grazing peacefully amongst the dry grass, giraffes plucking leaves from thorny acacia trees and klipspringers clambering up the rocky gorge. As the day heats up, you’ll continue to your lodge on Lake Naivasha to spend an afternoon by the pool or spotting prolific birdlife on the papyrus-lined shore.

Wake up to stunning bush views and the chance to spot resident zebras, waterbuck and bushbuck wandering through the hotel grounds. Today, you’re off to the world-famous Masai Mara National Reserve, backdrop to the ‘greatest wildlife spectacle on earth’, the annual migration of over one million wildebeest. Arrive in time for lunch at your boutique tented camp, then get your cameras ready for a thrilling afternoon game drive. Travelling in specially designed safari vehicles with pop-top roofs, your knowledgeable local guide is an expert spotter and will soon point out animals such as elephants, cheetah, rhino and the black-maned male lions for which the area is known. Back at camp, relax over dinner to the sounds of the African bush before your full day of game-viewing tomorrow.

If you didn’t spot the Big Five (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo) yesterday, there’s a good chance you’ll tick them all off today. At nearly 2,000 metres above sea level, the Masai Mara is a great wedge of beautiful rolling hills and Acacia-dotted grassland that shares an unfenced border with Tanzania’s vast Serengeti National Park. Animals wander freely between the two and large rivers support an abundance of wildlife, including Africa’s highest concentration of birds. Your safari drives will be carefully planned to see the animals at their most active, typically in the cool early morning as the big cats return from a night of hunting and after they stir from their heat-of-the-day slumber in the late afternoon.

There’s another full day of game drives today, increasing your chances of spotting the more elusive animals such as solitary leopards and critically endangered black rhino. In between your safaris, you’ll be free to indulge in the camp’s wellness facilities, visit a local Maasai manyatta (homestead) or sign up for a hot-air balloon ride to glide silently over the savannah spotting wildlife from above – a breathtaking experience. For your last night in the Mara, your group will be treated to a traditional Maasai bush dinner. After an atmospheric feast lit by lanterns, you’ll gather round a warm campfire for an unforgettable evening of spear displays and cultural dances under the starry African sky.

It’s time to leave the Masai Mara, but the fun isn’t over yet. On your journey back to Nairobi, you’ll travel via an activity centre nestled in the stunning Kereita Forest. Known for its medicinal plants, this pristine tract of indigenous forest is the perfect location for an aerial adventure. Cheer each other on as, one by one, you and your fellow Flashpackers take a heart-thumping ride through the treetops on East Africa’s longest zipline tour. Feeling exhilarated, there’ll be time for lunch at the canopy-view restaurant before travelling to your final hotel. Your farewell dinner will take place at the famous Carnivore Restaurant where ostrich and crocodile feature on the menu, alongside delicious veggie options.

All too soon, your adventure has come to an end. In just one week, you’ve been fully immersed in the African wilderness and enjoyed the true safari experience with a group of like-minded solo travellers. After breakfast, it’s time to check out from your hotel and make your way to the airport – or why not continue your travels with one of our Tanzanian trips?