DAY 1 NAIROBI - KISUMU
Leave Nairobi in the morning, with a stopover in Kericho for lunch and a walk in the tea plantations. The afternoon is spent at a tea factory learning about tea picking and processing.
Drive to Kisumu for dinner and overnight via the Lwanda Magere site. Lwanda Magere is the Luo warrior who was killed and turned into a stone.
 
DAY 2 NDERE ISLAND NATIONAL PARK – KAKAMEGA
After breakfast, drive to Kaloka beach on Lake Victoria and take a boat to Ndere Island National park for game and bird viewing. Row the boat back to Kaloka beach.
Drive via Kit- Mikayi site - this rock is where Mikayi, the mother of Luo tribe, sheltered herself after a long journey down the Nile.
Drive back to Kisumu for Lunch.
After lunch, have a tour of Kisumu - first to the Impala Sanctuary and then to Dunga Beach also known as the Hippo Point.
The next stop - the Kisumu Museum has a variety of well presented displays. There’s a very good collection of everyday items from the various peoples of the area including agricultural implements birds and insect traps, food utensils, clothing, furnitures, weapons, musical instruments, and a collection of stuffed birds and animals including an amazing centre piece of a lion riding on a wildebeest.
Outside there is a traditional Luo homestead consisting of the husband’s mud and thatch house and separate houses for each wife. Also visit the birds sanctuary before exploring the big magnificent market in Kisumu town.

After the tour, drive to Kakamega arriving late in the evening for dinner and overnight.
 
 
DAY 3 KAKAMEGA FOREST - KISUMU
After breakfast drive to the Kakamega Forest for a full day exploration of the only tropical rain forest in Kenya. There are plenty of birds, butterflies and animals such as debraza, colobus, blue and red tailed monkeys and olive baboons. Over 30 varieties of snakes including the deadly gaboon viper, Jamesons mamba and black mamba are found here among other animals. Great and very old indigenous trees, some are hundreds of years old.
Binoculars and wet-weather gear are essential as it usually rains heavily every afternoon for a couple of hours.
Drive to Kisumu for dinner and overnight.
 
DAY 4 KISUMU - HOMA BAY
Leave Kisumu after breakfast, drive southwards through rice plantations in Kano plains and stopover at the Odino Falls to see the speeding water with its aftermath – erosion forming gullies. After the brief stop, continue to Kendu Bay for lunch.
Proceed to Lake Simbi Nyaima for bird viewing and then continue to Kanjira and Kanam hot springs on to Homa bay for dinner and overnight.
 
DAY 5 HOMA BAY – RUSINGA ISLAND - MBITA
After breakfast, head to Rusinga Island, a beautiful paradise island found in the Lake Victoria - the source of the River Nile.
While here, visit historical places including the museum where the remains of the first man were found by Dr Louise Leakey and Tom Mboya Mausoleum where Tom Mboya an accomplished nationalist cum politician was buried after his assassination on a Nairobi street.
After lunch, have fun exploring the island or trying your hand on fishing at Takawiri, you could also take a boat ride on the lake. For bird lovers, enjoy the sight of fish eagles perch on tree tops like sentries then suddenly swoop down for fish on the lakes surface
Return to Mbita for dinner and overnight.
 
DAY 6 MBITA - RUMA NATIONAL PARK - AWENDO
Depart after breakfast and drive through hills and meandering roads to the Ruma National Park where a picnic lunch will be served.
After lunch, game drive in the park while watching out for the rare roan antelope which can only be found in the Ruma National Park.
After the Game drive, head on to Thim Lich Ohinga onto Gogo Falls then to Awendo for dinner and overnight
 
DAY 7 AWENDO - MAASAI MARA
After breakfast, depart Awendo and drive through sugar plantations via Lolgorien to Maasai Mara National reserve.
Dinner and overnight at the camp/lodge on the northern part of Maasai Mara.
 
DAY 8 MAASAI MARA
Have an early pre-breakfast game drive in the Mara. After breakfast, the whole day will be spent game driving. Lunch will be packed and eaten while in the park.
Dinner and overnight at the camp/lodge.
 
DAY 9 MAASAI MARA - NAIROBI
After breakfast, depart for Nairobi, with lunch en-route and arrive in Nairobi in the evening.

12 DAYS NORTH RIFT AND WESTERN KENYA 

Day 1 NAIROBI - KITALE

Drive through coffee plantations of uplands and on to the Rift valley, getting a view of the escarpment. Arrive in Nakuru town in time for lunch then proceed to Kitale - the agricultural hub of Kenya.

Dinner and overnight will be in a Kitale lodge/hotel. 

 Day 2 KITALE - KAPENGURIA

After breakfast, drive towards Kapenguria, arriving in time for lunch. Spend the afternoon at leisure. Enjoy the evening with traditional dancers. Have dinner and overnight at a Kapenguria lodge.

Day 3 KAPENGURIA MUSEUM

After breakfast visit the historical Kapenguria museum. Learn about Kenya's liberation while you visit the cells where Kenyan freedom fighters were held.

Spend the afternoon at leisure.

After a delicious traditional dinner, spend the overnight in a lodge.

Day 4 MT. ELGON (Second highest mountain in Kenya)

After breakfast drive towards Cherangani Hills and on to Mt.Elgon in time for lunch. In the afternoon, take a 4-hour hike to top of Mount Elgon, which is 4300 feet high. The park shares its borders with Uganda. The vegetation ranges from wet forests to alpine moorland and supports Colobus monkeys, elephants buffalo and several species of antelope, which are prey for the secretive leopard. With a chance of seeing animal and plant species.

Make sure you explore the elephant caves which are favorite gathering places for elephants. Every night, long convoys venture deep into the caves to feed off the salt rich deposits. This nightly phenomenon has earned them the title "underground elephants".

Retire after a sumptuous dinner at Delta crescent camp or at Elgon lodge.

Day 5 KAKAMEGA FOREST/KIT MIKAYI

After breakfast drive to the Kakamega Forest, the only tropical rain forest in Kenya. This forest is a home to a huge variety of birds and animals and is well worth the minimal effort required to get to it.

Some parts of the forest are very dense and for a greater appreciation of the flora and fauna a guide with an extensive knowledge of the trees and birds accompanies you to guide you around.

Binoculars and wet-weather gear are essential as it usually rains heavily every afternoon for a couple of hours.

Proceed on to Kit Mikayi (whistling stones) site - this rock is where Mikayi, the mother of Luo tribe sheltered herself after along journey down the Nile and get to see the spectacular stones overlaying one another.

Overnight at a camp or Kakamega Golf hotel.

Day 6 USENGE ISLAND

After breakfast proceed to Usenge Island and enjoy the morning on the beach, with the option of taking a boat ride.

 After lunch proceed to Kisumu town for overnight at Sunset Hotel or Grand Kimwa Hotel.

Day 7 KISUMU/LAKE VICTORIA

After breakfast take a tour of Kisumu city with a tour of the Kisumu museum whose displays are well presented and wide ranging in their variety.

There is a very good collection of everyday items from the various peoples of the area including agricultural implements birds and insect traps, food utensils, clothing, furniture, weapons, musical instruments, and a collection of stuffed birds and animals including an amazing centre piece of a lion riding on a wildebeest.

Outside there is a traditional Luo homestead consisting of the husbands mud and thatch house and separate houses for each wife.

After the tour have lunch at a city hotel.

In the afternoon, visit Dunga Beach also known as the Hippo point and enjoy boat rides or fishing. Overnight and dinner at the Kisumu Sunset Hotel or Grand Kimwa Hotel.

Day 8 WESTERN RIFT/HOMA HILLS

After breakfast, proceed west to Homa Hills and visit Simbi Nyaima Springs. Spend night at Homa Bay hotel.

Day 9 RUMA NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast, proceed to Ruma National Park, the only park in Kenya with the rare Roan antelope. After lunch, proceed to the Kuja School for the deaf and also visit the tobacco and sugar plantations.

Overnight in a campsite or Ruma lodge.

DAY 10 RUSINGA ISLAND

After breakfast, proceed to Rusinga Island on Lake Victoria. Your visit to Western Kenya is only complete with a visit to this paradise island located within the second highest fresh water lake in the world and the source of the River Nile. The lake borders Kenya and Uganda.

Spend a full day having fun and exploring the island, trying your hand at fishing at Takawiri, or taking a boat ride on the lake. For bird lovers, enjoy the sight of fish eagles perch a top trees like sentries then suddenly swoop down for fish on the lakes surface, a fantastic photo opportunity.

Lunch, dinner and overnight at a Rusinga campsite/lodge.

Day 11 KISII/ NAKURU

Proceed to Kisii for a tour of the soapstone quarries to watch the Kisii soapstone sculpture carvers at work arriving in time for lunch. Depart in the afternoon via Lake Nakuru to watch birds and on to Nairobi for your next destination.

DAY 12 MASAI MARA

Proceed to Masai Mara after breakfast arriving in time for lunch. Take an afternoon game drive.

Dinner and overnight in a Mara lodge.