12 days in Kenya: Nairobi - Amboseli - Tsavo East - Mombasa
Nairobi 3 nights - Amboselli 2 nights - Tsavo East 2 nights - Diani Beach 3 nights - Nairobi 1 night
PART ONE. NAIROBI
Three nights
Day One. Welcome to Nairobi. City Origins
The capital city of Kenya is relatively young, beginning life in the early 1900s. Today it is a thriving, hip and progressive African city with incredible music, fashion, food and nightlife, as well as a pretty crazy start up tech business scene.
Historically it has been the gateway to wildlife experiences, but today it is one of the planet’s most interesting city’s to spend time in.
Your programme begins and ends in Nairobi.
You will be collected at the airport and transferred to your hotel to drop your bags.
You will spend the day exploring Nairobi.
After checking in at your hotel and refreshing, we head downtown to 15 Rooftop for lunch. Over excellent tapas and views across the city we set the scene for your Kenya journey.
From 15 Rooftop to the rooftop of the Kenya International Convention Centre. From here we can see the entire city and map out contemporary Nairobi, and start to explore more deeply the history. We are joined by a specialist who unpacks the city’s – and the country’s – political and social histories, and give insight into the stories being written right now.
Close to the KICC is the Nairobi Railway Museum, which wraps up the contextual piece of the programme.
We finish the exploration with sunset cocktails at a rooftop bar and dinner 0in the Westlands district, catching the city as it transitions to night.
We head back to the hotel around 20h00.
Day two. Contemporary Nairobi
Today is dedicated to learning about multiple aspects of contemporary creative Nairobi.
We immerse in the city’s art, cuisine, music, fashion, design and literature.
We visit fashion designers and fine artists in studio, art galleries and design hubs; we have tastings at eateries specialising in traditional dishes; we get insight into the city’s literature scene, and, in the evening, we visit a musician at home for dinner and a concert featuring the musician’s original compositions, and classics from the Kenyan popular music corpus.
Day three. Tigoni
Today we visit the Tigoni Tea Plantations. Kenya is the world’s third largest producer of tea, and Tigoni, less than an hour away from the city, is to Nairobi what the Winelands is to Cape Town.
We’ll head to Tigoni mid morning, and do a sensory walk experience before a tasting of a selection of teas produced in the region.
We enjoy a leisure lunch in the area, before returning to the city.
You have some time to rest at the hotel before we head out to explore Nairobi fine dining.
PART TWO. AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK
Two nights
Day four. Nairobi to Amboseli
The name “Amboseli” comes from a Maasai word meaning “salty dust”, and it is one of the best places in Africa to view large herds of elephants up close.
There are also hippos and zebras and warthogs and so many pink flamingos and many other animals including lions.
We leave the hotel early in the morning, and drive about five hours, with a couple of breaks, in game viewing safari vehicles to our lodge at the Amboseli National Park. We’ll keep these vehicles for the duration of our Amboseli visit, and then transfer to the excellent Madaraka Express for a train ride to Tsavo through the national park, and finally to the terminus as Mombasa. The train is modern and quick and quiet and better in condition and operational efficiencies than most European train systems.
We’ll have lunch in the park and an afternoon game drive, before checking in at our lodge. Then dinner and a relaxing evening.
Day five. Amboseli
The day starts with a sunrise game drive, then the rest of the morning at leisure, lunch, a late afternoon game drive, before sundowners and dinner a the lodge and an evening at leisure.
PART THREE. TSAVO EAST NATIONAL PARK
Two nights
Day six. Amboseli to Tsavo East
We are up early to head to Tsavo East. It’s about a two hour road transfer to the train station, and then 1.5 hours to Tsavo East. Parts of the train journey are in national park areas, where you’ll frequently see wild animals from the train.
From the train station, you’ll transfer to your lodge in time for lunch. You’ll have time to rest before a late afternoon game drive, followed by dinner and relaxation.
The park forms the largest protected area in Kenya and is home to most of the larger mammals, vast herds of dust–red elephant, Rhino, buffalo, lion, leopard, pods of hippo, crocodile, waterbucks, lesser Kudu, and gerenuk. The prolific bird life features 500 recorded species.
We are spending two nights here. You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the wildlife and nature, as well as just opt out of the world a little.
Day seven. Tsavo East
You can enjoy a sunrise game drive, or just enjoy a leisurely morning enjoying the lodge facilities. Lunch is followed by a relaxing afternoon, and then a late afternoon game drive, into dinner and more relaxation. You can choose to do absolutely nothing too!
PART FOUR. MOMBASA AND DIANI BEACH
Three nights
Day eight. Tsavo East to Diani Beach
Diani Beach is the collective term that refers to the interconnected beaches south of the coastal city of Mombasa.
The beautiful stretch of beaches is blindingly white and ultra- fine, which in low tide can stretch as far as 150 meters.
Diani Beach is protected by a shallow lagoon followed by a coral reef that is located about 1km from the low water mark.
Indulge in ideal conditions for swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, kite surfing, and water sports like windsurfing and kiteboarding.
We will leave Tsavo East after an early game drive, and take a train to Mombasa. You’ll have at lunch at Forodhani Restaurant in the old customs house in Mombasa, and, and tour historic Mombasa, as well as Fort Jesus with a specialist, before transferring to our lodge along the Diani coast line. After checking in, dinner and a relaxing evening.
Day nine. Diani Beach
A day totally at leisure, enjoying the lodge facilities, exploring and enjoying the beach, or exploring Diani beach town.
Day ten. Diani Beach
Today we explore the coral reefs off the coastline, and swim in the most extraordinarily blue, clear waters, watching incredible marine life, including dolphins, enjoy their habitats.
We are taking a classic dhow boat, equipped with great food and drinks and everything we need for snorkeling. We spend the day on the boat swimming, exploring the coastline and enjoying Diani beauty.
The evening we enjoy a restaurant in Diani town.
PART FIVE. NAIROBI AND HOME
Day eleven. Diani to Nairobi
Today we fly to Nairobi. The airport is a short drive from the lodge, and the flight is about an hour. We will check out leisurely, and take a flight around lunch time, to be able to check in at our Nairobi hotel in the early afternoon. The afternoon is available for the last of our explorations and souvenir shopping before our departure tomorrow.
Tonight we close the programme with a farewell dinner at a beautiful restaurant, joined by some special guests.
Day twelve. Nairobi
Check out of hotel, transfer to airport, fly home.