9-Day Best of Kenya: Lakes, Farming & Rift Valley

Overview

NAIROBI, LIMURU,  NAIVASHA, LONGONOT, HELLS GATE, ELEMEINTAITA NAKURU & BOGORIA

The Rift Valley Tour is a 9-day private guided road circuit taking in the pretty lakes of the Kenyan Rift Valley – Naivasha, Elementaita, Nakuru, Bogoria, and Baringo. A few other highlights of the region are also included, such as the Longonot volcano and the Hell’s Gate National Park. This region is part of the Giant Rift Valley, which stretches across Africa, from Jordan to Mozambique, cutting through Kenya from north to south. It is here, where Africa is splitting apart. The volcanic activity has been shaping spectacular escarpments, volcanic cones, and lakes. The salty waters are a paradise for birdlife, and the shores are teeming with wildlife. Go on game viewing drives, hike, cycle, observe the flocks of pink flamingoes, and visit a tea and coffee plantation. The itinerary is an excellent choice for family travelling with children, groups of friends, or couples who like active trips, as well as for senior travelers. The program includes accommodation at small boutique lodges with a lot of comfort and charm.

Tour Plan

Day 01 Arrive in Nairobi

Upon arrival at J.K.I.A NBO Airport, you will be met and transferred to the hotel. Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, is East Africa's most cosmopolitan city. It serves as an excellent starting point for your African safari trips around Kenya. Nairobi is Africa's 4th largest city and is a vibrant and exciting place to be. There are some fascinating attractions that you can visit depending on your flight arrival time- it's cafe culture, unbridled nightlife, the National Museum, the Karen Blixen Museum, and the world's only urban game reserve. If time allows, make sure you pay a visit to the Sheldrick elephant orphanage center operated by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This is a pre-booked visit. Kindly let us know when we are arranging your safari to ensure you don’t miss out!

Dinner & overnight at Nairobi.

Day 02 Tea & Coffee Farms

After breakfast, visit the Kiambethu tea farm in Limuru, located on the edge of the Great Rift Valley. The region enjoys the perfect climate needed for year-round tea cultivation. The farmhouse is set within beautiful gardens surrounded by acres of endless tea fields. The guided tour takes you through the history of Kenyan tea growing. Visit the colonial farmhouse and walk in the forest, which is home to the Colobus monkey and other wildlife. Lunch and afternoon tea are included. After lunch, drive towards Fairview Coffee Estate to immerse yourself in the intricate details of the coffee-making process from the budding of the flowers to the final cup of freshly brewed coffee.

Dinner & overnight at Nairobi

Day 03 Lake Naivasha & Crescent Island sanctuary

After breakfast, drive to Lake Naivasha, stopping to enjoy the views of the Rift Valley on the way. Naivasha is a vast freshwater lake that supports a great diversity of game as well as more than 400 species of birds. The lake is a popular tourist spot in Kenya for locals and foreigners alike. Arrive in time for lunch. Later in the afternoon, you will embark on a boat ride that will take you to Crescent Island for a guided walking safari. The visit is a unique and memorable experience. Explore breathtaking scenery with views across the beautiful lake and of wild animals grazing on the land. The island is home to a wide range of wildlife in their natural habitat. It is an experience to walk in the wild near the wild animals and have photos taken with them. There are more animals here per acre than in any other wildlife area in Kenya. Later, take the boat ride back and head to the hotel for relaxation. The hotels we book at the lake offer beautiful natural spaces where you can see numerous bird species among the trees, as well as spot some animals ranging from Zebras, waterbucks, to warthogs.

Dinner and overnight at your Naivasha lodge.

Day 04 Mt Longonot National Park

After breakfast, it is hike o’clock! Lace up your hiking boots and conquer Mount Longonot. Challenge yourself with a trek up this dormant volcano and be rewarded with panoramic vistas from the summit with a picnic lunch. Mt Longonot National Park offers a great hiking trail to flex up some muscles as you pump in the adrenaline to be in tandem with nature’s heartbeat. Hike through the forest to the crater rim, enjoying the views with a packed lunch. After a full hike and bike day, head to the lodge for relaxation and dinner. – The lodge we book at the lake offers beautiful natural spaces where you can see numerous bird species among the trees, as well as spot some animals ranging from waterbuck to warthogs. Dinner and overnight at your Naivasha lodge.

Day 05 Hell's Gate National Park

After breakfast, head to Hell’s Gate National Park. Everything about Hell’s Gate National Park is different! You can take a guided walking safari here. Where else can you do a bicycle safari in Kenya, riding past grazing zebras, giraffes, impalas, buffalos and baboons? The opportunities for climbing are plentiful, accessible, and not too challenging on the park’s volcanic spires. The landform here is striking as well, greeting visitors with dramatic gorges, great towers, looming cliffs, and steaming columns of geothermal clouds escaping from the rocks.

Dinner and overnight at your Naivasha lodge.

Day 06 Naivasha - Lake Nakuru National Park

After a leisurely breakfast, drive down to Lake Nakuru, arriving in time for check-in and lunch. The National Park has a shallow, salty lake, which is home to flocks of sensational flamingos and many other bird species, including pelicans, cormorants, black-winged stilts, avocets, and migrant European birds. Besides its magnificent bird life, it is also one of the best places in Kenya to see both black and white rhino. Watch these magnificent mammals grazing the shoreline of the lake or wallowing in the mud. One can also see Rothschild's giraffe here, a resident population of tree-climbing lions, leopards, and more. Nearby Nakuru, there are two lookouts with great views, The Baboon cliff and the Out of Africa lookout - a great place to watch sundowners.

Dinner and overnight at your lodge.

Day 07 Lake Bogoria

After breakfast, drive to Lake Bogoria, another hotspot for bird lovers, especially the pink flamingos and pelicans. After lunch, visit the hot steaming geysers found in the area. There are spectacular displays of superheated water sprays that shoot out of natural underground rocks. Lake Bogoria has over 200 hot springs and 17 geysers, some of which are still active. The lake has the highest number of geysers anywhere in Africa. The geysers have a finite life span as the geothermal pressure below fades over time.

Lunch & Dinner and overnight in Bogoria

Day 08 Lake Baringo

After breakfast, drive to Lake Baringo with a packed picnic lunch. The lake is set dramatically at the foot of the Laikipia Escarpment. This is a wonder Lake with Seven Islands and several Mythical tales about it.  This is one of the two freshwater lakes in the Rift Valley, being home to over 460 bird species, crocodiles, and hippos. The lake gets its water from several rivers and has no obvious outlet, which causes the rise in the levels of the water. Watch the wildlife grazing near the lakeshore; take a boat trip to Ol Kokwe Island, a dormant volcanic peak in the heart of the lake. Do not forget to watch a spectacular sundowner over the lake.

Lunch & Dinner and overnight in Bogoria.

Day 09 Back to Nairobi

This is our last safari day. After a relaxed breakfast at the camp/lodge, we shall check out, followed by an onward departure back to Nairobi by road. Arrive in Nairobi by early afternoon. Drop off at your hotel or free onward transfer to the airport for your international flight home.

Included/Excluded

  • Accommodation as specified in the itinerary on Full board basis in the lodge/camp
  • The accommodation often gets full during the peak season and is only confirmed upon making a deposit. Kindly book early to ensure you don’t miss your preferred accommodation.
  • Exclusive transport in a Safari Tour vehicle with a Game viewing roof hatch and UHF radio
  • Private Safari game drives for the tour
  • Services of a certified Professional, English-speaking Driver Guide including all his expenses & allowances
  • Fuel, driver and car park fees, driver's allowance
  • All Park entry fees for clients, driver guide and vehicle
  • 24-hour Back Up support if required
  • Bicycles at Hell's Gate
  • International flight tickets and visa costs.
  • Tips, drinks, laundry, calls, and all such costs of a personal nature.
  • Personal Insurance cover
  • Attractions and events not included in your itinerary
  • Credit Card Surcharge of 5 to 7% will apply or Bank Transfer Fees of USD 50.

Tour Map

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