Prev Tour

Kenya

Kenya

Voi Safari Lodge

Perhaps one of the finest game viewing reserves in the world, famous Tsavo East National Park will give us five days prime game-watching in a majestic Baobab-dotted savannah-scape.

You need do nothing more than sit above the waterhole and watch as herds of Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Zebra, Warthog, Giraffe and Eland come in to drink. On our last visit Lions, Blackbacked Jackals, Rusty-spotted Genet, Bat-eared Fox and five species of mongoose were all admired as we relaxed by the pool and looked out over the savannah!

We’ll have twice daily trips out into Tsavo’s stunning savannah where we will show you an astonishing variety of bird species, including Bateleur, Secretary Bird, Kori Bustard, hornbills and many beautiful species of starling. Magnificent Martial Eagles seem to be too large for their acacia-top lookouts whilst Hartlaub’s Bustards display by herds of gazelle and both Ostrich species, Maasai and Somali can be seen with creches in tow. We’ve every chance of seeing five cat species during our visit including Leopard, Cheetah, the lovely Serval, and the elegant ear-tufted Caracal. Other mammals we’ll see include Coke’s Hartebeest, Hippos, Gerenuk, Oryx and the beautiful Lesser Kudu.

Lying south of Nairobi on the border with Tanzania, Amboseli’s wildlife-rich habitats are dominated by the huge cone of Kilimanjaro which rises steadily into the skies just to the south. Impressive herds of Elephants browse the architectural trees through the swamp that forms the beating heart of the national park and photographing these with Kilimanjaro as a backdrop will keep us busy. Giraffe, Impala and a suite of antelope species are abundant and therefore so are Lions and particularly noteworthy here are the numbers of Spotted Hyenas. In Ol Tukai’s grounds we can relax with Taveta Golden Weavers, African Paradise Flycatchers and Lilac-breasted Rollers whilst avian highlights in the savannahs and marshes will include Saddle-billed Stork, Yellow-faced Sandgrouse, Crowned Cranes and flocks of Lesser Flamingos.

Cheetahs by Fiona Dunbar
Grey Crowned Crane © Fiona Dunbar
Zebras © Fiona Dunbar

Having ‘warmed up’ with a wonderful range of wildlife on the first part of the tour we’ll now put our spotting skills to the with a very mammal-focussed second part to the tour where we’ll be seeking out the more elusive mammal species such as Golden-rumped Giant Sengi or Giant Forest Hog, Aardvark or Maned Rat. To see such species you need to visit the right habitats and know where to look! This tour visits three contrasting areas selected to produce a fantastic range of mammals.

East of the Great Rift rise the Aberdares, a highland area that is still largely forested, and which is home to a number of rare and local mammals. Unlike the open plains of many of Kenya’s national parks the Aberdares makes the mammal watcher work much harder! But the regards are great. We’ll have one night at the famed Ark. Here are impressive Giant Forest Hogs. Other hard-to-see species in the area include Black-fronted Duiker, Lesser Cane Rat and Ochre Bush Squirrel. Elephants provide endless entertainment and Waterbuck and beautiful Bushbuck are common. Spotted Hyenas visit the waterhole in numbers each night and you’ll likely see White-tailed Mongoose and Genets too. Brown Greater Galago and Marsh Mongoose are more rarely seen. At the nearby Aberdare Country Club we’ll look for Mountain Suni, Harvey’s Duiker and the striking Maned Rat, all to the spooky soundtrack of Southern Tree Hyraxes. Other common animals likely to be seen during the day around the park include Eastern Warthog, Striped Ground Squirrel, Grant’s Zebra, Slender Mongoose, Common Impala, Reticulated Giraffe, East African Eland and troupes of the elegant Mount Kenya Guereza.

We’ll return again to Tsavo where we’ve every chance of seeing other cat species including Leopard, Cheetah, and the elegant ear-tufted Caracal. Other mammals we’ll see include Coke’s Hartebeest, Hippos, Gerenuk, Oryx and the beautiful Lesser Kudu. And all that’s before we start the nocturnal activities.

Game drives at night in Tsavo are superbly productive. We’ll see African Civet, North African Wild Cat and plenty of Spotted Hyenas and we have seen Serval, Aardwolf and Striped Hyena on night trips here too. Taterils and Grass Rats scurry across the track. Senegal Bushbabies peer at us from Acacia foliage.

The Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, along with some relict coastal forests in Tanzania, form a biome with many unique species. The endemic Golden-rumped Giant Sengi, a curious not-so-little insectivore, buzzes back and forth across the forest tracks and we’ll see Four-toed Sengi too. Daylight will see us admiring Sykes’ Monkeys and the pretty little Zanj Sun Squirrels. Harvey’s Red Duiker are tolerably common, Ader’s is less easy to find, and any of Side-striped Jackal, Ader’s Duiker and Sokoke Dog Mongoose would be a bonus. Once darkness falls Sokoke is alive with Kenya Coast Galagos and Northern Greater Galagos. Rusty-spotted Genets will be seen regularly and we’ll see the tiny Coastal Suni. We’ll have an optional visit to the Pangayambo and Ali Baba Caves where we can see an impressive range of Bats including African Trident, Sundeval’s Roundleaf Bat and Striped Leaf-nosed Bats.

Suni © Valentina Storti
Bushbuck © Bernard Dupont

Dates and Prices

22nd October - 10th November 2025 (20 days)

London - London £9,545
Nairobi - Nairobi £8,800
Single Supplement* £850
Deposit £900

* doesn't apply if you're willing to share and a room-mate can be arranged

or ask us a question.

Tour Summary

Day 1
Arrive Nairobi
Days 2 - 6
Tsavo East National Park
Day 7
via Tsavo West to Amboseli
Days 8 -10 (am)
Amboseli National Park
Days 10 (pm)
Nairobi National Park
Days 11 (am)
Early morning flight to Malindi
Days 11(pm) - 13
Arabuko Sokoke Forest
Days 14 & 15
Tsavo East National Park
Days 16 - 19(am)
Aberdares National Park
Days 19 (pm)
Depart Nairobi
Day 20
Arrive UK/Europe

Tour information

Focus

Birds and Mammals - the second half of the tour is a dedicated mammal-watching tour.

Leaders

Aniket Sardana , Georgia Wingfield-Hayes , Phil Benstead

Group Size

The minimum group size is 4 and the maximum is 12. Only one leader will accompany a group of 6 or less.

Included in the Price

All flights. Accommodation and all meals in Kenya. Services of your leaders. Entrance to National Parks. Please note: Drinks, tips, Kenyan Visas, any optional night drives, and items of a personal nature such as travel insurance, are not included.
Optional Night Safaris at Tsavo (up to four available) are £80 per night per person and in the Arabuko Sokoke Forest (three available) are £90 per night per person.

Accommodation

In Amboseli we’ll stay at the excellent Ol Tukai Lodge whose very comfortable rooms have amazing views of Mount Kilimanjaro. The wonderful fare on offer at the buffets is legend. In Tsavo East National Park we will be staying in the Voi Safari Lodge where the panoramic views over the game-filled savannah are second to none. The rooms are of a high standard and all have views over those plains! Whilst you can sit and relax around the property and watch the goings on at the water hole below there is a covered hide right by the waterside that allows great photographic opportunities. Both lodges have a richly varied birdlife within the grounds and lots of mammals visible from them too!
After a night back in the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel by Nairobi Airport we’ll head to the coast and a three night stay at the Turtle Bay Beach Resort in Watamu. This excellent resort is right by the sea, has a nice swimming pool, and most importantly is close by the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest! In Tsavo East National Park we return to the Voi Safari Lodge for a two night stay. In the Aberdares we will be stay the first night in the Ark. An extraordinary place with quite a history. The rather unappealing wooden structure of the lodge looks out over a truly wonderful waterhole and everything is designed around viewing at this waterhole. The rooms are pleasant and dining excellent. You are not allowed outside after dark. However you are at the Aberdare Country Club and we’ll spend two nights there enjoying the fine grounds, comfortable rooms and mammal-rich surroundings. All rooms on this holiday are en-suite and have air-conditioning or fans.

Walking

Very easy. Always at a relaxed pace and never more than two or three miles each day.

Transport

Throughout the tour we will be using safari-converted stretch 4×4 Land Cruisers and everyone is guaranteed a window seat.

Flights

UK return flights are direct from London Heathrow to Nairobi. Add-ons are available from various UK airports*. Other indirect routes from regional UK Airports* are available.
*These routes may incur a supplement.

Climate

Average maximum daily temperatures are around 29°C. We should expect occasional thunderstorms.

Suggested Variations

You can join either the first 10 days of the tour or the second 10 days of the tour separately should you wish. See Kenya (Mammal Watching) and Kenya (Wildlife at Leisure) in the related tours below.
Why not add an unforgettable trip to the Serengeti National Park, home to one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on Earth, as more than one million Western White-bearded Wildebeest and nearly half a million Zebra follow the rains across the Serengeti’s great grasslands. See Kenya and Northern Tanzania in Related Tours below.

How to Book

Contact us to check if there is availability for the number of places you require. Click on the ‘Book this Tour’ button on this page to be taken to the online booking form or contact us and we will send one to you which you can complete and send back to us. You will receive confirmation of your place, and then a detailed information pack will be dispatched to you about twelve weeks before departure. This will contain up-to-date health information.

Tour Galleries

Related Tours

Africa Mammal Watching

Mammal Watching

Kenya

31st Oct - 10th Nov 2025 (11 days)

Africa Mammal Watching
Crown Cranes © Fiona Dunbar

Wildlife at Leisure

Kenya

22nd Oct - 1st Nov 2025 (11 days)

Africa Mammal Watching

The World's Greatest Savannahs

Kenya & Northern Tanzania

22nd Oct - 20th Nov 2025 (30 days)

Africa Mammal Watching

Mammal Watching

Kenya & Northern Tanzania

31st Oct - 20th Nov 2025 (21 days)