ITINERARY OF THE 10 DAYS STUDENTS WALKING TOUR IN THE RIFT VALLEY & MASAI MARA
Day 1. Arrival in Nairobi
Arrival at the airport, reception by Gracepatt Ecotours Kenya. Transfer to a hotel in Nairobi.
Day 2. Cheap Students Tours: Crater Lake. O/N Elsamere Center
After breakfast there is the briefing by the guide about the program. By 8.30 a.m. we leave Nairobi via the Nakuru road to the Rift valley. The Nairobi – Nakuru road is on a contour along the rim of the Rift valley and on viewpoints we will be able to see our whole route for the next days.
We arrive at Elsamere, the home of the late Joy Adamson of the Born Free fame, in time for lunch. This will be the base for three days as we enjoy the activities in the Lake Naivasha area. The property is secluded with huge fever trees that stretch down to the lake’s shore.
In the afternoon we do our first African game viewing walk at nearby Crater Lake Game Sanctuary. It is a lesser lake in the Rift Valley but a place where nature is at its best.
We do a walk in the sanctuary followed by a circular trek on the top of the crater from where we see the lake from various angles. Pleasant interruptions on the walks will be from giraffes, black and white Colobus monkeys, elands and a range of gazelles. We return to the Else Mere for overnight.
Day 3. Cheap Students Tours in Kenya: Hell’s Gate National Park. O/N Elsamere
We wake up for breakfast with the sun giving a wonderful effect over the lake. An early morning here should not be missed by anyone with an eye for birds since the lake boasts a wide variety of water and woodland birds.
After breakfast we do a short transfer to the gate of the park. This is a unique park where walking is done in the middle of wildlife. Giraffes, zebras, warthogs and many types of gazelles are found here. The first part of this walk is done in typical flat African savanna in a volcanic area with huge rock boundaries. There are camphor and acacia trees all over and this is where to look for the giraffe as they mainly feed on them. A picnic lunch will be at a view point overlooking the gorge.
The last part of the walk is done in the Hell’s Gate Gorge by descending into a steep canyon with running water from geysers and wild vegetation. The climax of the day is in walking in the Side Gorge where the rocks have split to leave only a walking path. We climb back to the rangers post for transfer back to Elsamere.
Day 4. Students Tours: Crescent Island + Market visit. O/N Elsamere
In the morning we will visit the privately owned Crescent Island, which is a peninsula on the Eastern shore of Lake Naivasha. There is a lot of easy to see game e.g. giraffes, waterbucks, elands, zebras and impalas. It is also a heaven for birds with +200 species recorded. The walk is gentle and satisfying.
Afternoon is for a visit to the colorful Naivasha town and the surroundings. Back to Elsamere in the late afternoon.
Day 5. Students Tours in Kenya: visit Lake Nakuru National Park. O/N Lodge in Lake Elementaita area
The nearby Lake Nakuru National Park is the oldest park of Kenya. It’s not only known for its thousands of flamingos but also for the vast herds of buffaloes, tens of rhinos and cats like leopard and lion. Of the big five only the elephant is missing. We make a wildlife viewing drive around the lake and have a picnic lunch on a view point overlooking the lake.
Afternoon transfer to the lodge where we’ll stay for 2 nights.
Day 6. Cheap Students Tours: Lake Elementaita
This lake may not have the big name of Lake Nakuru but its scenic beauty is unmatched. We walk up to the shores of the alkaline lake. From there we proceed up to the hot springs and into the Kikopey Hills surrounding the lake.
We walk mainly in open savanna land and occasionally we will stop for a chat with a Masai herdsman. The gentle sloping hills give a good panorama. The walk should be for 4 hrs after which we go back to the lodge in time for lunch. Afternoon is spent in the lodge.
Day 7. Cheap Students Tours : to Masai Mara. Camping
We now take a break from walking to put all our attention to watching wildlife. To see the best of Kenyan wildlife, Masai Mara is the place to be. Elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, gazelles and all the big cats are found here. So, after breakfast we start our journey passing through Narok Town: a colorful Masai town.
Our game viewing does not actually start at the park gate. We will be able to see many animals along the way grazing side by side with the Masai livestock. We reach the camp, our home for the next three days, in time for lunch.
Day 8+9. Masai Mara
These are our cultural and activity days on the students travel in Masai Mara. We do a morning game drive through the park and hike to a Masai manyatta (=homestead). Here we will see how the typical Masais live. An afternoon game drive makes the day complete.
On day 9 we do a morning and an afternoon game drive. We break from the driving with an optional walk in a natural area with rolling hills and grasslands, out of the park boundaries.
Day 10. Students Tours: Kiambethu Tea Farm + to Nairobi for outbound flight
Leave Masai Mara in the morning for lunch at the Kiambethu Tea Farm. This is an old colonial home established by the early settlers and the pioneers of tea growing in Kenya. There will be a talk on tea: its arrival in Kenya, the growing, processing and up to when you put it into your cup. A short walk in the tea plantation and into a small remaining part of indigenous forest completes the tour.
We have a healthy farm lunch and thereafter transfer to Nairobi for the evening flight out.
Itinerary changes on the cheap students tours program may be made due to local conditions beyond our control.
PRICE: Our attractive price based on the number of students includes all accommodation as per itinerary, all meals from breakfast of day 2 through lunch of day 10, all transport Nairobi-Nairobi and airport transfers, bottled water during the walks, services of guides, the park entrance fees and a Flying Doctors Evacuation cover. The only extras on you are spendings on airfare to Kenya, airport taxes, visa, insurance, drinks, tips and expenditure of personal nature.