Kenya Safari & Beach Honeymoon - 7 Days

Day 1: Arrive in Nairobi

Welcome to Nairobi! Upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), you will be met by a private car and transferred to your hotel in Kenya's bustling capital. Take some time to rest at your hotel. 

If you arrive during the day with free time to spare, check out some urban highlights! This metro area of more than six million residents is a cultural hotbed in East Africa. Some options include checking out the city's flea and produce markets, getting a glimpse of wildlife in Nairobi National Park, or spending some time wandering through the impressive Nairobi National Museum, which offers a range of cultural and historical exhibits.

While exploring, look for cafés serving coffee made from locally-sourced beans. You can also ask your hotel to set up a reservation at a romantic restaurant serving authentic Kenyan fare.

Day 2: Visit an Elephant Orphanage, Giraffe Center & Community School

Today you'll have an exciting full-day excursion in Nairobi with a local guide. After breakfast at your hotel, you'll head to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage located outside of the city. The project rescues and nurtures orphaned elephants from potential poachers when their mother dies, and then are later returned to the jungle when they're old enough. While, here you'll have the option to adopt one for an additional $50, which you can return to see at a later time. 

Next on the itinerary is a visit to the Giraffe Centre, which offers a hands-on giraffe encounter and educational experience of giraffe conservation, especially the highly endangered Rothschild's giraffe. Take this opportunity to observe and feed these friendly animals while learning more about the center's conservation successes. If there's time, make sure to check out the walking trail through the nearby Gogo River Bird Sanctuary. 

In the afternoon, your guide will take you to a community school or orphanage, where activities may include leading a Zumba class, reading to students, or joining playground activities. Plans will develop as the location is identified. Return to your hotel following the excursion for free time in the evening.

Day 3: Transfer to Tsavo West National Park, Afternoon Safari

After an early breakfast, it's time to hit the road to Tsavo West National Park (175 miles/281 km). Upon arrival, you'll have lunch and set out on safari in an open-top Landcruiser.

Tsavo West National Park is wetter and more mountainous than its eastern counterpart. The park is known for its lakes, hot springs, swamps, birdlife, and large mammals, such as black rhinos, Cape buffaloes, elephants, leopards, hippos, and Maasai lions. Smaller animal sightings are likely, such as bushbabies, hartebeest, lesser kudu, and Maasai giraffes. Meanwhile, the park's adjacent Taita Hills Sanctuary is home to African leopards, Maasai lions, Tanzanian cheetahs, Maasai giraffes, zebras, hartebeests, impalas, waterbucks, Thomson's gazelles, and dik-diks. 

After the safari, you'll check into your lodging in the area. Some options include: 

• Sarova Salt Lick Lodge. This luxurious safari escape is in the heart of the private Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, with 28,000 acres overlooking a waterhole and the vast Tsavo West plains. Built on high stilts above a watering hole and animal-feeding pasture, you'll get a chance to see animals up close as they come to feed and drink. The lodge offers 96 luxurious oval-shaped rooms with bathrooms that come equipped with flush toilets and hot and cold showers.
  
  
• Lions Bluff Lodge. Located outside of the park, this secluded and exclusive resort is suspended above an ancient elephant migratory corridor, with panoramic views across the Lumo Community Sanctuary and the Tsavo ecosystem toward Mt. Kilimanjaro. Three-room types range from Safari Tents to two-bedroom cottages, painted with the red soils of Tsavo. The lodge offers night drives and walking safaris.

Days 4-6: Transfer to Diani Beach Resort, Free Time

After an early morning game drive, you'll set off for Diani Beach (147 miles/237 km), a beautiful and popular stretch of white sand on Kenya's aquamarine coast. Here, you'll spend the next few days relaxing, swimming in the Indian Ocean, riding camels, and taking excursions to nearby sacred forests, coral mosques, and monkey sanctuaries. 

Diani Beach offers a vast number of accommodations to suit all types of travelers. Some options include: 

• Indian Ocean Beach Club. This mid-range resort is located across 29 acres of gardens on a white sandy beach, surrounded by ancient baobab trees and swaying palms. Historical influences from the Sultans of Zanzibar include Arabian decor and antiques that dot the interior. Amenities include a large swimming pool with views of the Indian Ocean and three plunge pools spread around the property. On-site activities include sailing, windsurfing, deep-sea fishing, scuba diving, volleyball, croquet, boogie boarding, and birdwatching, to name a few. 
  
  
• Kinondo Kwetu. This 16-acre luxury resort is situated on a tranquil private beach south of Diani, surrounded by rocky cliffs, holy forests, and sacred land. Take advantage of a range of activities included in the rate, like canoeing, snorkeling, PADI-diving lessons (one per guest), tennis, and an excursion to the Kinondo Kwetu Community Works in Kinondo village, laundry, a sauna, and yoga equipment.
  
  
• The Sands at Nomad. This 26-acre property belongs to a pristine indigenous coastal forest with uninterrupted access to one of Kenya’s most unspoiled stretches of silver sand and the aquamarine sea. High-style features include Swahili architecture, Italian interiors, and Arabic antiques. Room types include exclusive beach cottages and luxurious suites, many with private jacuzzis, panoramic terraces, and spacious sitting rooms. 

Day 7: Fly to Nairobi, Depart Kenya

It's time to say goodbye to Kenya! Enjoy your last morning at the beach before transferring to the airport for a flight back to Nairobi. From here, connect with your departure flight home or to your next destination. Safe travels!

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