Kilimanjaro to Mombasa, Private Tour

Join this five-day private tour and enjoy a night in Nairobi to help rid yourself of jetlag and prepare yourself for the safari of a lifetime. Enjoy a late morning drive to Amboseli National Park, with the magical Mount Kilimanjaro serving as its backdrop. This safari covers the shimmering plains of Amboseli, then continues to undulating hills of Tsavo West and the verdant Taita Hills. You are sure to see some great herds of elephants and antelopes - among other fascinating wild animals - before ending your journey on Mombasa’s spectacular coast.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

Amboseli National Park: crowned by Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, the Amboseli National Parks is one of Kenya's finest parks. Amboseli is also nature a photograph lover. On your game drives on Amboseli’s great horizons, you can spot wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, gazelle and of course, cheetahs and lions. 

Tsavo West National Park: a water-level bunker allows rare insights into the activities of wildlife at Mzima Springs, offering some of the most magnificent game viewing in the world and attractions include elephant, rhino, Hippos, lions, cheetah, leopards, Buffalos, diverse plant and bird species including the threatened corncrake and near threatened Basra Reed Warbler.

Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary: Visit this compact park where you can head straight to the action in search of 50 mammal species. A good mix of pretty landscapes, good birdwatching and decent mammal populations, also where lions and elephants are frequently sighted.

Day 1: ARRIVAL NAIROBI

Upon arrival in Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be met by a representative and transferred to the Eka Hotel for check-in (please note that the check-in at the hotel is from 02:00 pm, clients arriving in the middle of the night must book a pre-night, as waiting in the lobby is not permitted). Enjoy an afternoon at your own leisure, perhaps taking advantage of the modern facilities, which include two restaurants, a bar, and a swimming pool. This contemporary-style hotel provides comfort and convenience before you embark on your Kenyan odyssey. The Eka is located on the Mombasa Road in southern Nairobi. It is close to both the international and domestic airports as well as the city centre. Rooms are spacious and tastefully decorated, and all have air conditioning. There are interesting optional excursions available for morning arrivals, such as a Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage visit, an Out of Africa (Karen Blixen Museum and Giraffe Centre) experience (not included). 

Overnight in Nairobi.

Day 2: NAIROBI – AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK (215km – 3.5 hrs)

After a leisurely breakfast, depart Nairobi with a picnic lunch and head southeast towards Amboseli. Enjoy a game viewing en route and arrive at the lodge as the sun sets. Most of the park consists of a partially dry lake bed of evaporated salts and fragile grassland with patches of acacia woodland. You can see most types of game in the park, including rhinos, giraffes, gazelles, lions, cheetahs and leopards. Birdlife is prolific, too, especially around the swamp areas. This entire experience is carried out under the shadow of the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro, which rises some 5,000 metres above the national park. Lying in the shadow of Africa's highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, Amboseli Serena Lodge is surrounded by a thick forest of acacia trees and exquisite gardens. Brightly decorated in an African motif, the lodge's 96 comfortable rooms emulate the architecture of a Maasai village with its manyattas or homes. In the late afternoons and evenings, relax on the beautiful lounge terrace adorned with gardens, pool and paths. From here, watch the nightly ritual of wildebeest, antelope, elephant and other animals coming into graze. In the evening, enjoy dinner at the lodge. 

Overnight in Amboseli.

Day 3: AMBOSELI – TSAVO WEST NATIONAL PARK (150km – 3 hrs)

Following a morning game drive after an early breakfast, spend some time at leisure and indulge in a delicious lunch at the lodge. Afterwards, depart to Tsavo West driving across the spectacular Shetani lava flow, a harsh and forbidding lunar-like landscape created by the molten outpouring spewed down the scenic slopes of the nearby Chyulu Hills. A zigzagging road through scrub thorn and acacia leads to Tsavo West National Park, which when combined with Tsavo East National Park forms the largest of Kenya’s parks. The game can be spotted along the way, especially gerenuk as you drive towards Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge. Superbly situated in the lee of Mount Kilimanjaro and sheltered by the volcanic splendour of the Chyulu Hills, this classic stone-built lodge overlooks its own water hole, which is visited daily by elephants, buffalos and a wide variety of plains game. One of the first lodges ever to be built in a national park, the lodge is cool, tranquil and hushed for optimum game-viewing. It is also ideally placed for visits to all the park’s prime attractions. Faced in volcanic stone and utilising the natural rocky outcrops of a valley known as ‘the place of the young rhino’, from which it takes its name, the lodge features a thatched central dining area and a rock-built bar, with a viewing terrace looking directly down to the waterhole. Finish the day with dinner at the lodge.

Overnight in Tsavo West.

Day 4: TSAVO WEST – TAITA HILLS WILDLIFE SANCTUARY (100km – 2 hrs)

After breakfast, there will be a game drive in the park and a visit to Mzima Springs, where a viewing chamber just below the waterline offers a fascinating insight into the waterborne wildlife of the park. Following lunch at the lodge, you will depart Tsavo West and continue to Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary. Arrive for check-in at Sarova Salt Lick Game Lodge at sunset. The lodge is located in the heart of the private sanctuary, which is adjacent to Tsavo West National Park. All rooms are built in two-storey blocks from a central pod and linked together by elevated platforms that overlook a salt lick and a small waterhole, which is floodlit at night. Rooms are spacious and have all the necessary modern conveniences. The restaurant, bar and main balconies have views over the waterhole and salt lick, which are constantly in use by the park’s wildlife. There is also an underground hide, allowing unbelievably close but safe encounters. In the evening, wrap the day up with dinner at the lodge. 

Overnight in Taita Hills.

Day 5: TAITA HILLS – DEPART MOMBASA (230km – 4 hrs)

Enjoy a final breakfast before departing on a morning game drive in Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary. Return to the lodge for lunch and then head to Mombasa with the aim of reaching your northern or southern coast beach hotel or Moi International Airport at 05:30 pm. Flights to be booked 07:30 pm onwards.

Passengers should bring only soft-sided bags on safari. Passengers arriving to Kenya may be asked to present a valid Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate. Travellers’ cheques are generally not accepted in east Africa. US banknotes cannot be older than 2004 and must have the latest security markings (large portrait of the president). Sun protection, sunglasses, a hat and mosquito repellent can be very useful during your stay.