Overview

Picture this: your family, together, watching the African sun melt into the savannah as a leopard stretches lazily across an acacia branch. This is Kenya — raw, golden, and alive — and over eight unforgettable days it becomes the backdrop to memories your children will carry for the rest of their lives.

From the moment you land in Nairobi to your final, wistful glance over the endless Maasai Mara plains, this journey is designed to slow time down and bring you closer — to wildlife, to wonder, and to each other. You will track lions on foot at dusk, feed a gentle blind rhino named Baraka, drift across a lake alive with fish eagles and pelicans, and fall asleep to the distant call of the wild from your tented camp under a blanket of stars.

Trip Highlights

Heart-pounding lion tracking on foot at golden hour in Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Meeting Baraka, the gentle blind black rhino, and the rescued chimpanzees of the Sweetwaters Sanctuary
A serene boat safari on Lake Naivasha and a walk among giraffe and zebra on Crescent Island
Three full days chasing the Big Five across the legendary Maasai Mara
A magical lunch at the Trout Tree, perched in a giant fig tree above a mountain river
Optional dawn hot-air balloon flight over the Mara and an authentic Maasai village visit
Time to simply breathe, reconnect, and be present together as a family

Day 01 :

Day 1: Karibu Kenya – Arrival in Nairobi

The adventure begins the moment you step off the plane. Touching down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you are warmly welcomed by your Albatros Travel representative, who shares a relaxed safari briefing before whisking you away to the enchanting Karen Blixen Coffee Garden & Cottages. Settle in, breathe in the highland air, and let the anticipation build — tomorrow, the wild calls.

Day 02 :

Day 2: Into the Highlands – Nanyuki & Mount Kenya

After an early breakfast, you wind your way north toward Nanyuki, crossing the invisible line of the equator. Lunch is something special: the Trout Tree, a restaurant cradled in the branches of an enormous sacred fig, where icy streams born from Mount Kenya's snow-capped peaks tumble past pools of glistening trout. Afterwards, you check in at the characterful Soames Hotel & Jack's Bar, freshen up, and let the cool mountain evening settle in before dinner.

Day 03 :

Day 3: Rhinos, Chimps & a Dusk Lion Hunt – Ol Pejeta

Today the wild reveals its tender side. With picnic boxes packed, you drive into the Ol Pejeta Conservancy — home to Kenya's largest population of black rhino, alongside elephant, cheetah, lion, leopard and rare northern species like the Grevy's zebra and Beisa oryx. You visit the chimpanzee sanctuary and meet Baraka, the tame blind black rhino, an encounter that stays in the heart long after. Then, as the light turns golden, comes the unforgettable part: a guided lion-tracking experience, setting out at 3:30pm to follow these great cats across the plains before returning to Soames Hotel for a well-earned dinner.

Day 04 :

Day 4: Descending to the Rift Valley – Lake Naivasha

After an early breakfast you leave the highlands behind, descending dramatically into the Great Rift Valley toward Lake Naivasha, one of Kenya's most beautiful freshwater lakes. Lunch awaits at the Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort. In the afternoon, glide out on a gentle boat safari, coming close to cormorants drying their wings, pink-backed pelicans, herons, jewel-bright kingfishers and majestic fish eagles. You then step ashore on Crescent Island Game Sanctuary — a rare place where you walk side by side with giraffe, zebra, impala, gazelle and dik-diks — before returning to the lodge for dinner.

Day 05 :

Day 5: The Legend Awaits – Journey to the Maasai Mara

Today you set off for the place every safari dreamer imagines: the world-famous Maasai Mara National Reserve. After breakfast and check-out, you arrive for lunch at the welcoming Tipilikwani Mara Camp. The rest of the afternoon is yours to slow down — relax in your tent, listen to the sounds of the bush, and wait for the cool of late evening, when you head out on your very first game drive across these legendary plains, hearts racing at every rustle in the grass.

Day 06 :

Day 6: Chasing the Big Five – A Full Day in the Mara

From the first soft light of dawn, the Mara comes alive. After breakfast you roll out across the plains in search of the Big Five and the great herds of plains game — early morning is when the wild is at its most active, before the heat settles in. Pause mid-morning to relax and refuel, then head back out to tick off more of your must-see list. Keep your eyes sharp as you make for the Mara River, where your guide reveals the dramatic crossing points that have made this landscape legendary.

Day 07 :

Day 7: A Day to Savour the Mara – Balloons & Maasai Culture

A full, unhurried day to lose yourselves in the magic of the Reserve, with game viewing whenever the moment calls. For those who crave something truly breathtaking, an optional dawn hot-air balloon safari lifts you silently above the Mara as the sun rises over the plains — a memory of a lifetime. You can also visit a traditional Maasai manyatta (village), meeting the proud people whose home this land has always been, and discovering their songs, stories and way of life.

Day 08 :

Day 8: Until We Meet Again – Farewell to Kenya

One last Mara breakfast, one last lingering look across the plains, and then it is time to say kwaheri. You transfer to the airstrip for your scheduled flight back to Nairobi, where you are met and taken onward to the airport for your next journey home. You leave with more than photographs — you carry the warmth of the people, the thunder of hooves, the hush of dawn, and a family bond made richer by the wild. (Please note: baggage allowance is 15 kg / 33 lb in soft-sided bags; any excess is charged by the airline at check-in.)