How unfortunate that many active seniors vacation packages to Kenya consider the Rift valley as "filler" in the itineraries with whistle-stops in Nakuru and Naivasha. The Rift Valley lakes and the game conservancies around them are worth as much time as the big parks in Kenya. Add the fact that they are not visited by mass tourism + you can do game viewing walks and you will understand why we consider the Rift Valley a highlight in our active seniors safaris. Go directly to the itinerary.
From the samples of our senior trips, this is a relaxed 7 days seniors hiking vacation with lots of game, reduced road transfers and good accommodation (no camping) in areas not visited by mass tourism. The dormant Menengai Crater is the starting point of this Kenya hiking adventure that shows variety of landscapes found in the Rift Valley. Lake Nakuru is colored pink with thousands of flamingos and Lake Naivasha has a huge population of hippos. Hike in the savannas in Hell’s Gate, Crater Lake and Crescent Island that are home to plains game such as baboons, giraffes, elands, zebras, various gazelles and warthogs. We handle all tour logistics leaving you free to enjoy your active seniors vacation. Contact Ontdek Kenya Safaris for a private departure or see our tours calender for small group scheduled departures of similar senior trips.
Arrival at the airport at night and reception by Ontdek Kenya. Transfer from the airport to the La Mada or equivalent hotel in Nairobi.
After breakfast is the briefing by the guide about the tour. 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 a viewpoint we will be able to see our whole route for the tour. We arrive at the Maili Saba tented camp our base for 2 days, in time for lunch. This camp, which opened early ‘06, is one of our favorite places. With 10 luxurious tents built on the edge of the dormant Menengai Crater, Maili Saba offers all what a nature traveler would want in an African holiday: silence, tranquility, great scenery, unique accommodation and food worth traveling for, all rendered in a level of service that is professional and non-intrusive. With a limit of only 20 guests, this is a place for anyone who wants to be pampered away from mass tourism. In the afternoon we do a guided hike in the crater where we will enjoy the beautiful contrasts of nature: rocks that have stood the test of time, natural springs with mirror clear water, lava that reminds us that this is the Rift Valley and baboons trooping around with their babies. For birders, though this area is not yet listed as a hot spot in Kenya birding tours, its mixed habitat of rocks, patch grass land, scattered bushes and natural springs have interesting bird life such as Yellow Bishop, Pin-tailed Whydahs, Streaky Seedeater, Schalow’s Wheatear, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Hunter’s Sunbird, Yellow-throated Longclaw, Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu, Purple Grenadier and the elusive Cinnamon-breasted Rock Bunting among others.
We will spend the day in the nearby Lake Nakuru National Park, famous for its thousands of flamingos as well as vast herds of buffaloes and tens of rhinos. There is a good chance to see cats such as leopard, cheetah and lion.
This tour remains in the Rift Valley lakes so we now move to the Lake Naivasha Country Club, our base for three days, in time for lunch. The 55-acre property boasts green lawns shaded by mature acacias and spreading fever trees that stretch down to the lake's shore. In the afternoon we do an African game viewing hike at 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. We return to the Lake Naivasha Country Club in time for afternoon tea.
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 hiking 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 provided by the hotel will be at a viewpoint on the Hell's Gate gorge. The last part of our hiking day is the 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 the Lake Naivasha Country Club.
An early rising will ensure that one gets another magical display of the various birds. After breakfast we do a transfer by bus to the 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 hike 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.
Our active seniors vacation end with a 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 hike 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 your seniors trip may be made due to local conditions beyond our control.
FOR A PRICE QUOTE: Ontdek Kenya Safaris. See our other active seniors tours.   
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