Spectacular Kenya Safari for Seniors: Immersive Wildlife Experience to Cherish

Nairobi may be a big city, but it is a wonderful place to see wildlife. Giraffes and elephants roam through the city’s heart in Nairobi National Park. After a private driver greets you at the airport, you will be transferred to a lodge that overlooks the national park. Here, you can sit back and watch the giants on the horizon. You need to travel via Nairobi to get out to Kenya’s distant wilderness areas, so it is always a delight to find that the big city can introduce you to four-legged wonders.

Rothschild giraffes are critically endangered. They are a subspecies of giraffe that continues to disappear from the East African savanna. Nairobi’s Giraffe Centre is making huge strides toward changing this situation, providing a rehabilitation program that is supported by visitors. A local guide will show you around so that you can learn about giraffe conservation before meeting the long-necked giants. At this center, you can get very close and even touch the giraffes, which is something that is not possible when you set off into the wild. Today will be a relaxing afternoon tour that will leave you plenty of time to rest before the real safari begins.

After a short safari flight, you will settle in to a beautiful old-world lodge that is set on the open plains of Ol Pejeta. This small conservancy is the home of the Big Five, so it is a perfect first stop for travelers who are seeking encounters with famous animals. On morning and afternoon game drives, you will come to love rhinos, elephants, buffalos, lions, and leopards, which is a feat that is rarely possible elsewhere in East Africa. Spending a day with the famous animals sets you up perfectly for the intricacies and intimacies of Samburu and the Masai Mara.

While the Big Five provides incredible highlights, it is worth lingering longer with rhinos in Ol Pejeta because they are very difficult to find anywhere else in Africa. Black rhinos are small and bashful characters that can provide moments of raw charm. White rhinos barrel around confidently and can be easily spotted on the plains close to elephants and hippos. This morning will be dedicated to these two rhino species, and a conservationist guide will lead the way. This afternoon, you can choose from a range of safari activities and have the option to stay out on a nighttime game drive.

Ol Pejeta is a compact reserve that is home to a profusion of famous species. Samburu is an enormous wilderness where safari encounters are wonderfully unpredictable. It is here that you will uncover the sheer scale of the African savanna along with all the drama of the animals as they meet at waterholes. After your Ol Pejeta introduction, you will be enveloped by the silence and inimitability of a land without borders. You can settle in to a clifftop lodge and spend the day in awe at the size of the wildlife and wilderness that surrounds you.

Like Ol Pejeta, the focus in Samburu will be exploring slowly and admiring all the details. This safari is ideal for seniors because it is not rushed. In fact, the slower you go, the more you can see. Wildlife clues are everywhere, and Samburu guides will teach you the basics of animal tracking this morning. You can safely walk in the bush as well as in elephant and buffalo country before indulging in a picnic with a view over the herds. You should not expect to get as close as you could in Ol Pejeta, but you can expect the evocative atmosphere of ancient Africa.

Samburu and Masai have very different traditions, which you will discover after flying to the Mara and settling in to the grasslands. Mara Naboisho is a private conservancy, so only a few people and vehicles are allowed here at any given time. As a result, you can have exclusive experiences with the big cats and famous Mara herds. It may seem as if wildebeest and zebra are everywhere, but they are always under the watchful eye of lions and leopards. With so many wild animals, the only way to explore is on leisurely private game drives.

With three full days in the Mara, you can really discover its fine details, such as lionesses on the prowl, wildebeest moving in masses, zebra couples, and ravenous hyenas. Game drives will showcase why these grasslands are so unique and can reveal some of Africa’s most abundant big cat populations. A hot air balloon flight will provide you with a different perspective. By soaring over the landscape, you can admire migratory patterns and dramatic topography. Eventually, you will touch down and have a picnic next to the famous Mara River, which is a place of wildlife drama throughout the year.

Cheetahs and leopards retreat to Mara Naboisho to raise cubs, which is another unique highlight of a safari in this private concession. As with each day on safari, you will have a private guide and a customizable program. Early mornings and late afternoons are the best times to encounter wildlife. This leaves you time to rest and dine in the middle of the day. Drives move slowly, and, because they are private, they can focus on any of your animal interests. Nighttime drives will reveal a new perspective and an entirely different wildlife world.

After a final game drive with the Mara herds, you will fly from a small airstrip to Nairobi. From the city’s domestic airport, you will be transferred to the international airport for your outbound flight.