Kenya Family Discovery
8 Days
from
$2,552
to
$4,048
per person*
Highlights:
Kenya
(Nairobi, Laikipia, Naivasha, Masai Mara)
Trip Start/End:
Nairobi
/
Nairobi
Bonding on vacation is natural; bonding on safari is supernatural.
Trade in your family vacation for a family adventure and explore the best game parks in all of Kenya. Discover the magnificent and diverse landscapes together and delight in seeing massive elephants, bobbing hippos, Seussian giraffes and lightning-fast cheetahs in their natural environment. From the world-renowned plains of the Masai Mara, where big cats and wild dogs roam, to the crystal blue waters of Lake Naivasha teeming with bright pink flamingos, spend your days creating exotic memories that will last a lifetime. Spend your nights in classic safari camps, game lodges and family chalets under a canopy of stars and dream of adventures that await you.
Stop in at the David Sheldrick elephant orphanage at the Nairobi Game Park Headquarters or head to the Giraffe Center where you can hand-feed these wondrous creatures. For movie buffs, a visit to the Karen Blixen house, made famous as the movie set for “Out of Africa” starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, is sure to be a reel treat. Game viewing in Laikipia private reserve will get you up close and personal with the immensely popular rhinos and elephants, and the chimp sanctuary is sure to please kids and adults alike. Nothing brings families closer together than discovering that magic is real.
Enjoy a personalized vacation that best suits your needs, developed by one of our experienced destination experts. Relax during your trip with our 24/7 support and expert local guidance.
Overview
| Day | Activities | Hotel |
- Day 1
- Nairobi
| - Emergency Evacuation Insurance - Plane
- Transfer - Private - Airport - Vehicle/Driver
- Welcome to East Africa
| Fairmont Norfolk Hotel
Deluxe Room (B)1 DBL (2 Adults)
Alt: Southern Sun (standard)
Alt: Serena (standard)
|
- Day 2
- Nairobi
| - Private - Transportation - Game Van/Guide
- Private - Elephant Orphanage - Entrance
- Private - Giraffe Center, Karen Blixen House & Kazuri Beads - Entrance
| Fairmont Norfolk Hotel
Deluxe Room (B)1 DBL (2 Adults)
|
- Day 3
- Nairobi - Laikipia
| - Transfer - Nairobi - Laikipia [5 Hour Drive] - 4X4 - Kenya
- Lunch (included)
- Optional activities
- Park Fees - Laikipia
- Dinner (included)
| Sweetwaters Serena
Tent (B,L,D)1 DBL (2 Adults)
Alt: Lewa Safari Camp (Tent (Package))
|
- Day 4
- Laikipia
| - Game Drive - Private - 4X4 - Kenya
- Lunch (included)
- Optional activities
- Park Fees - Laikipia
- Dinner (included)
| Sweetwaters Serena
Tent (B,L,D)1 DBL (2 Adults)
|
- Day 5
- Laikipia - Naivasha
| - Transfer - Laikipia - Naivasha [5 Hour Drive] - 4X4 - Kenya
- Lunch (included)
- Shared - Crescent Island - Boat Tour
- Dinner (included)
| Sopa Lodge
Lodge (B,L,D)1 DBL (2 Adults)
|
- Day 6
- Naivasha - Masai Mara
| - Transfer - Naivasha - Masai Mara [5 to 6 Hour Drive] - 4X4 - Kenya
- Lunch (included)
- Afternoon Game Drive
- Park Fees - Masai Mara
- Dinner (included)
| Kensington Mara West
Tent (Family Tracker) (B,L,D)1 ROOM (2 Adults)
Alt: Serena (lodge)
Alt: Kichwa Tembo (classic tent)
|
- Day 7
- Masai Mara
| - Morning Game Drive 2 - 4X4 - Kenya
- Park Fees - Masai Mara
- Lunch (included)
- Afternoon Game Drive - Big 5
- Dinner (included)
| Kensington Mara West
Tent (Family Tracker) (B,L,D)1 ROOM (2 Adults)
Alt: Serena (lodge)
Alt: Kichwa Tembo (classic tent)
|
- Day 8
- Masai Mara - Nairobi
| - Transfer - Masai Mara - Nairobi [6 Hour Drive] - 4X4 - Kenya
- Private - Souvenir shopping
- Kensington Office
- Transfer - Private - Airport - Vehicle/Driver
| Depart
|
| B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, 1/2d = Half Day, Al = All Inclusive |
Trip Itinerary
Wildlife of Nairobi
Fairmont Norfolk Hotel
Day 1: Nairobi
In the unfortunate event of serious illness or injury, all travellers are covered by this “Flying Doctors” Insurance policy. This emergency evacuation insurance policy covers the cost of the evacuation flight back to Nairobi for treatment. This insurance policy however DOES NOT cover the cost of any medical treatment received.
A privately driven vehicle will provide you with a transfer to & from the airport.
Accommodation: Fairmont Norfolk Hotel The Fairmont Norfolk Hotel is situated in the centre of the bustling city of Nairobi, in Kenya, and has grown over time with the city. Surrounded by private tropical gardens, the 165 guest rooms and suites are comfortable and with all the necessities of home. Dining is offered at a number of onsite restaurants, and the breakfast buffet is especially delightful. Spend some time getting to know the city, and then escape to the tranquility of the hotel. At your pleasure enjoy the wonderful swimming pool facilities, the health club and a relaxing spa.
Feeding Time!
Giraffe Manor
Day 2: Nairobi
Private guide and driver for the day in Nairobi.
Stop in for a visit to the David Sheldrick elephant orphanage at the Nairobi Game Park headquarters. The elephants are fed from 11am to noon. Visit these and other endangered animals like the black rhino.
Enjoy a visit to the Giraffe Center where you can hand-feed the giraffes. Then stop at the Karen Blixen house, once lived in by Karen, and made world familiar as the movie set for “Out of Africa” with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. (Try to see the movie again!) Ms. Blixen’s good works, among and for the local people, have made her into a legend. If you are interested in the local jewelry you can visit the Kazuri Bead Factory, it's an all-woman craft workshop that is renowned for making fabulous clay beads and jewelry. The Factory is a co-operative enterprise founded several decades ago by an Englishwoman who wanted to help single mothers become self-supporting. The clay beads are as amazing as the story of the Factory’s evolution.
Accommodation: Fairmont Norfolk Hotel 
Laikipia Wildlife
Sweetwaters Tented Camp
Day 3: Nairobi - Laikipia
This morning you'll meet up with your guide and head off to Laikipia. The drive from the urban center of Nairobi, through the fertile highlands, the semi-arid frontier of Kenya is breath-taking and great way to see the countryside. The drive will be about an 4 to 5 hours.
Time permitting, there are many optional activities. Depending on which lodge you're staying at, activities range from nature walks to cultural village visits. Some of these can be prebooked through your destination specialist while others can be booked directly with the lodge upon arrival.
Accommodation: Sweetwaters Serena A sheltered oasis, clustered around a water hole and set in the pristine calm of the private Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Sweetwaters Tented Camp offers a charming blend of under-canvas ambiance and safari luxury. Located on the plains of Mount Kenya, the camp features39 luxury tents, each with its own private veranda overlooking the water hole. The central Rhino Restaurant is housed in the former manager's house of this once colonial farm, and offers both regional and international cuisine. Also within the house is the Kashoggi Bar and lounge, which centres on a blazing log fire. The Waterhole Bar, built in the style of a game-viewing hide, overlooks the waterhole and offers unrivalled wildlife-watching.
Laikipia Giraffe
Day 4: Laikipia
Game viewing in Laikipia private reserve with your skilled guide. You can stop for a visit at the chimp sanctuary. Drives are typically done in the morning at 6:30am for a few hours, and 3pm for a few hours, since the animals are most active at dawn and dusk. Includes game reserve fees.
Time permitting, there are many optional activities. Depending on which lodge you're staying at, activities range from nature walks to cultural village visits. Some of these can be prebooked through your destination specialist while others can be booked directly with the lodge upon arrival.
Accommodation: Sweetwaters Serena 
Naivasha
Sopa Naivasha
Day 5: Laikipia - Naivasha
Your guide will drive you from Laikipia to Lake Naivasha, through the rift valley. This drive will take about 5 hours.
Includes a boat trip to visit Crescent island in Lake Naivasha. A short boat trip from the mainland out into the lake gives you access to the unique Crescent Island Wildlife Sanctuary. Crescent Island is a peninsula or island, depending on the lake level, joined to the mainland by a causeway. A wide variety of wildlife, birdlife and flora lives quite freely without the threat of predators. You will have the opportunity to spend some time walking around at your own pace, enjoying this peaceful Island.
Among the resident birds are fish eagles, ospreys, lily-trotters, black crakes and a variety of herons. Hippos also live in the lake. A number of mammals can be seen grazing in the surrounding lake environs, such as zebra, impala, buffalo, giraffe, Kongoni and, at night, hippos.
Accommodation: Sopa Lodge Like an African castle in the sky, Sopa Lodge Naivasha spins wondrous safaris from natural treasures below the golden Kenyan sun. It is situated on the southern shores of Naivasha, the largest freshwater lake in the Great Rift Valley. Let this dazzling resort of 21 cottages prepare you for mouth-dropping silence. Feast on the succulent meats and preparations of the hotel’s talented chefs. Allow your eyes to indulge in the scenery and wildlife that draws so many to visit this hotel, built for open views of nature’s activities at their most untouched. Make sure to wander around the compound. You will be enchanted by the fine architecture, cathedral ceilings, and grand windows. Stroll around the gardens, and take a swim. It’s hard to leave this heavenly escape.
Masai
Kensington Mara West
Day 6: Naivasha - Masai Mara
Your guide will drive you from Naivasha to Masai Mara. This drive will take about 5 to 6 hours. Drive times may be longer in the rainy season (April to early May and November). Stop for refreshments and souvenir shopping at roadside stands along the way or head straight to the park. Enjoy game viewing as you enter Masai Mara and drive to your camp.
This afternoon's game viewing will be exciting as you are searching for game with your private guide and driver. The leopard is difficult to see as it moves fast and is very shy. If you're lucky there is a good chance to spot them around water holes or up in a tree after a long, hot day.
Accommodation: Kensington Mara West Kensington Mara West Camp has been revamped and relocated to what is surely one of the best views in East Africa. Perched elegantly on the Ololoolo escarpment, forming the western boundary of the Masai Mara Reserve itself. This is the authentic Out of Africa experience where much of the original film itself was filmed & produced. The camp borders the remote and beautiful western edge of Masai Mara National Reserve. Kensington Mara West provides nature lovers with deluxe accommodations while experiencing the sights and sounds of an unforgettable African safari. Tents offer rustic charm surrounded by grassy fields. Chalets are perched in secluded spots on an escarpment edge overlooking the vast plains of the Masai Mara Game Reserve, giving tremendous views and a sense of private exclusion.
Hippo
Day 7: Masai Mara
Masai Mara is named after the traditional inhabitants (Maasai) and the Mara River. At some point during your stay in the Mara, you'll drive by the river, which is a great place to spot wildlife. This area is a photographer's delight where with any luck you'll be able to take amazing pictures of the hippos and elephants in the water.
On today’s afternoon game drive the choice is up to you: search for the Big 5 or expand your horizons to discover something different. Masai Mara not only has a rich mix of animals – it also has an incredible array of bird life with almost 450 different species.
Accommodation: Kensington Mara West 
Masai Market, Nairobi
Day 8: Masai Mara - Nairobi
Your guide will drive you from Masai Mara to Nairobi, with short stop-overs for refreshments and souvenirs. Be aware that during this commute you will drive across some unfinished patches of road. This drive will take approximately 6 hours.
Includes opportunity to visit local handicraft markets to shop for souvenirs.
Before leaving that night, stop by the Kensington office for free use of Internet and lounge. If you like, we can make reservations for dinner at a local restaurant as well. Please let us know in advance and if you are vegetarian.
A privately driven vehicle will provide you with a transfer to & from the airport.
Accommodation: Depart Depart from Nairobi international airport - end of itinerary.
Accommodations
- Fairmont Norfolk Hotel
Fairmont Norfolk Hotel - Nairobi
The Fairmont Norfolk Hotel is situated in the centre of the bustling city of Nairobi, in Kenya, and has grown over time with the city. Surrounded by private tropical gardens, the 165 guest rooms and suites are comfortable and with all the necessities of home. Dining is offered at a number of onsite restaurants, and the breakfast buffet is especially delightful. Spend some time getting to know the city, and then escape to the tranquility of the hotel. At your pleasure enjoy the wonderful swimming pool facilities, the health club and a relaxing spa.
- Sweetwaters Tented Camp
Sweetwaters Serena - Laikipia
A sheltered oasis, clustered around a water hole and set in the pristine calm of the private Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Sweetwaters Tented Camp offers a charming blend of under-canvas ambiance and safari luxury. Located on the plains of Mount Kenya, the camp features39 luxury tents, each with its own private veranda overlooking the water hole. The central Rhino Restaurant is housed in the former manager's house of this once colonial farm, and offers both regional and international cuisine. Also within the house is the Kashoggi Bar and lounge, which centres on a blazing log fire. The Waterhole Bar, built in the style of a game-viewing hide, overlooks the waterhole and offers unrivalled wildlife-watching.
- Sopa Lodge Naivasha
Sopa Naivasha - Pool
Sopa Lodge - Naivasha
Like an African castle in the sky, Sopa Lodge Naivasha spins wondrous safaris from natural treasures below the golden Kenyan sun. It is situated on the southern shores of Naivasha, the largest freshwater lake in the Great Rift Valley. Let this dazzling resort of 21 cottages prepare you for mouth-dropping silence. Feast on the succulent meats and preparations of the hotel’s talented chefs. Allow your eyes to indulge in the scenery and wildlife that draws so many to visit this hotel, built for open views of nature’s activities at their most untouched. Make sure to wander around the compound. You will be enchanted by the fine architecture, cathedral ceilings, and grand windows. Stroll around the gardens, and take a swim. It’s hard to leave this heavenly escape.
- Kensington Mara West
Room
Kensington Mara West - Masai Mara
Kensington Mara West Camp has been revamped and relocated to what is surely one of the best views in East Africa. Perched elegantly on the Ololoolo escarpment, forming the western boundary of the Masai Mara Reserve itself. This is the authentic Out of Africa experience where much of the original film itself was filmed & produced. The camp borders the remote and beautiful western edge of Masai Mara National Reserve. Kensington Mara West provides nature lovers with deluxe accommodations while experiencing the sights and sounds of an unforgettable African safari. Tents offer rustic charm surrounded by grassy fields. Chalets are perched in secluded spots on an escarpment edge overlooking the vast plains of the Masai Mara Game Reserve, giving tremendous views and a sense of private exclusion.
Travel Info
Travel tips of Kenya
PASSPORT/VISA
A Passport valid for at least six months and visas are required for both Canadian and US citizens. Visa may be purchased on arrival at the airport. Single entry visa is $50 per person, payable in cash, new bills (no credit cards). Visas may also be obtained in advance through a visa service or through the embassy directly. Processing generally takes 5-7 working days.
Please note obtaining a visa is your responsibility. These requirements change often and therefore it is best that you check with the embassy of Kenya for the most up to date visa information.
Nairobi (NBO) (Jomo Kenyatta International) is 16km (10 miles) southeast of the city. Mombasa (MBA) (Moi International) is 13km (8 miles) west of the city. NOTE: Only newly printed USD currency and local currency will be accepted in East Africa, any USD currency printed without the new security measures will not be accepted.
HEALTH
Health insurance is essential. Guests of Kensington Tours are covered by East African Flying Doctor Services included in the tour price. This coverage guarantees that any member injured or ill while on safari will be airlifted back to Nairobi to the international hospital. We recommend that you see a health-care provider who specializes in Travel Medicine. The doctor or health-care provider will determine what vaccinations and medication you will need, depending on factors such as your health and immunization history, areas of the country you will be visiting, and planned activities. For more information on travel requirements, visit the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website: http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/kenya.aspx
COUNTRY INFO
Capital - Nairobi. Language - Swahili is the national language and English is the official language. There are over 42 ethnic languages spoken, including Kikuyu and Luo. Religion - Mostly traditional but there is a sizeable Christian population (both Catholic and Protestant) and a small Muslim community. Time - GMT + 3. Electricity - 220/240 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are UK-type square three-pin. Bayonet-type light sockets exist in Kenya. Telephone - Country code: 254 (followed by 20 for Nairobi, 41 for Mombasa and 51 for Nakuru). Mobile phone coverage is widespread. There are Internet cafes in major cities and hotels.
What's Included:
- Guaranteed departure - Accommodation, Activities, Transfers, Meals, Fees where indicated as per the itinerary - Local and international traveler assistance during your tour - Specialised and personalised services
What's not Included:
- Tips - Laundry - Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages unless explicitly noted - Optional activities/extras – Visas (unless noted) - Vacation insurance
Trip Terms & Conditions
- Your deposit is due immediately on booking (30% of program price, minimum $350). The balance is due 90 days prior to departure.
- Cancellations of confirmed bookings 90 days or more prior to departure will receive full refund minus a $350 (per person) administrative fee and any non-refundable paid fees (e.g. non-refundable airfare, cruise or hotel deposits). 60-89 days will be subject to loss of 30% of program price. 30-59 days will be subject to loss of 50% of program price. 29 days or less will be subject to loss of 100% of program price.
- Tour quotes do not include airfare to/from the trip start point unless noted on the itinerary
- Cost increases in currency exchange, government fees, taxes, surcharges or hotel/lodge tariff increases between quote date and start date are payable by the client.
- Availability cannot be guaranteed until booked. We will exercise best efforts to book hotels per the itinerary, however, in busy seasons and with client bookings made within 90 days of tour date we may be forced to offer substitutes.
- Payment of the program price constitutes your acceptance of the terms and conditions set out at www.kensingtontours.com/terms-and-conditions
- Living Standards and practices at destination may differ from those in North America with respect to provisions of utilities, services and accommodation.
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