Kenya
Kenya In Depth: How Wildlife, People & Landscapes Intersect
Program No. 24888RJ
Crisscross the equator on this deep dive into Kenya, where you’ll experience its astounding wildlife and the rich culture of its communities.
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15 days
14 nights
34 meals
12B 12L 10D
2
Arrival in Kenya
Nairobi
4
The Red Elephants county
Tsavo West National Park
5
Tsavo West; Mzima springs, volcanoes
Tsavo West National Park
6
The imposing Mt Kilimanjaro
Amboseli National Park
7
Amboseli park
Amboseli National Park
8
Northern Kenya/Samburu & Buffalo Springs National Reserves
Shaba National Reserve
9
River Ewaso Nyiro and crocodiles
Shaba National Reserve
10
Mount Kenya
Nanyuki Town
11
The Great Rift Valley
Lake Nakuru National Park
12
Great Rift Valley to Maasai Mara National reserve
Masai Mara National Reserve
13
Masai Mara National Reserve
Masai Mara National Reserve
14
Return to Nairobi
Nairobi
15
Program Concludes
In Flight
At a Glance
Some of the world’s most incredible landscapes, people and wildlife can be found in the heart of Kenya. Get ready to search for the Big Seven, which includes the Big 5 (African buffalo, rhinos, leopards, lions and elephants) plus elusive African wild dogs and cheetahs. Along the way, discover more about these animals and the ongoing conservation efforts to protect them and their habitats, and delve into life in local communities as you meet members of the Maasai and Samburu tribes. Both tribes are semi-nomadic and very committed to their traditional ways of life, including herding livestock — which have come under threat recently with persistent droughts and loss of land. This is your opportunity to immerse yourself in the culture of Kenya, from its communities and traditions to the landscape and wildlife, and learn how they all interact with each other.
Activity Level
Let's Go!
Walking and standing on uneven ground; some stairs. Full days with early morning starts. Riding for extended periods in safari vehicles over unpaved and very rough and dusty surfaces; getting in/out of vehicles requires flexibility. Elevations up to 7,500 feet.
Micro Group
These adventures feature our smallest group size, with 12 participants or fewer.
What You'll Learn
- Explore Lake Nakuru National Park on the floor of the Great Rift Valley and search for flamingos along its shores.
- Enjoy a field trip to Oj Pajeta to learn about its wildlife conservation efforts and keep an eye out for rhinos and chimpanzees, who find refuge there.
- Experience the natural wonders of Maasai Mara National Reserve, home to lions, elephants and more and part of the Great Migration.
Suggested Reading List
(17 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Kenya In Depth: How Wildlife, People & Landscapes Intersect
Program Number: 24888
Samburu
A stunning visual record of the life and traditions of the Samburu tribe of Kenya, featuring more than 200 color photos. Just north of the equator, where the Great Rift Valley provides some of the most spectacular scenery in Kenya, lies an inhospitable land that is home to the proud, semi–nomadic Samburu tribe. Their culture revolves around cattle, which give a man status in the community and allow him to procure a wife from a good family. Like their more famous relatives, the Maasai, the Samburu have withstood efforts to impose an alien culture upon them and continue to live as they always have done.
Kenya & Northern Tanzania (Serengeti) Map
A detailed map (1:1,100,000) with inset maps of Lamu, Nairobi and Mombasa.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
An attractive, colorful and informative sketch map of the area with notes on wildlife and conservation at a scale of 2:210,000.
Michael Nichols, Earth to Sky: Among Africa's Elephants, a Species in Crisis
Iain Douglas-Hamilton, J. Michael Fay, Peter Matthiessen, Cynthia Moss and David Quammen contribute to National Geographic photographer Michael "Nick" Nichols' stunning tribute to the elephant. Taken from two decades of work in Africa, the book includes a chapter on Daphne Sheldrick's work with orphaned elephants.
Birds of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Featuring a habitat-based approach to more than 270 bird species, this handy guide to fowl in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Speke Gulf includes 480 color photos and accessible text.
The Worlds of a Maasai Warrior
Bridging several worlds with tremendous grace, Saitoti looks back on his life among the Maasai, both as spokesperson for his tribe and as one of the first Maasai safari guides.
Big Five of Africa
Hinde's stunning photographs celebrate Africa's lions, elephants, leopards, rhinos and buffalo.
Serengeti Spy
A hoof-level view of the Masai Mara and Serengeti. Photographer Anup Shah lets the wildlife reveal themselves, placing small remote cameras at watering holes, outcrops and other strategic spots. The ground-level view is as surprising as it is clever, putting you face-to-face with lion and cheetah and wildebeest and all the creatures in action across the plains.
Africa's Great Rift Valley
Africa's Great Rift Valley stretches from the northern tips of Eritrea and Ethiopia down to Mozambique and as far east as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Filled with active volcanoes and vast lakes, the Great Rift Valley is populated by a wide variety of unique species and many different tribes of people, most of whom make their living off of the land. In the first chapter, Pavitt details the history of the formation of the rift that created the valley, and in the chapters that follow he discusses the geography and history of the different sections of the valley. The more than 200 stunning color photographs presented here feature the region's dramatic volcanoes and valleys as well as its people.
Wildlife of East Africa
This take-along guide to 475 common species of birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, trees and flowers of East Africa features full-color photographs with detailed descriptions on facing pages.
African Heroes, Samburu-maasai
Guzzini captures the rituals and travels of the mysterious Masaai communities of Tanzania and Kenya in beautiful, untouched photographs that honor the people and their land.
The Safari Companion
An invaluable encyclopedic guide to Africa's mammals by a noted scientist, this perennial bestseller includes black-and-white drawings, an overview of each animal group and in-depth information. Written with the typical safari-goer in mind.
The Tree Where Man Was Born
A classic portrait of East Africa, enthralling in its detail on nature and daily life. Includes Masai, Ngorongoro, the Kenyan highlands and Mathiessen's field trips, safaris and adventures in the Serengeti.
West with the Night
Beryl Markham evokes the landscapes, people and wildlife of East Africa in engrossing detail in this classic memoir of amazing adventures as a bush pilot in 1930s Kenya, a favorite.
Cathedral of the Wild: An African Journey Home
Varty depicts his life on safari in a beautiful and adventurous story of relationships and balance with others, the land, and the wildlife.
A Guide to the Birds of East Africa, A Novel
Drayson draws on his time in Nairobi for this sweet novel about East Africa society -- revolving, naturally, around birding and the Hunt Ball at the Asadi Club. Reality intervenes in the shape of renegade Somalis.
African Warriors
An intimate, sometimes striking photo-essay detailing the folkways of the Samburu, a warrior-based society of northern Kenya. Magor, a Kenyan-born model who studied design in England, lived among the Samburu for six years, recording the daily rhythms and significant ceremonies of this traditional culture, whose members depend on herds of cattle, goats, and camels for their survival. Living in semi-arid scrublands, the Samburu follow rigidly circumscribed patterns that dictate age- and gender-based divisions of labor, family and social organization, and the timing and enactment of rites of passage.
