KENYA STudent Experience

• Start your journey to Nairobi, Kenya
• Meet up at the airport
• Sightsee or Sleep

• Welcome Breakfast
• Elephant Orphanage 
• Nairobi National Park Safari

After you’ve had a good night sleep, we’ll meet for breakfast and go over the itinerary for the trip.   Then we’ll begin our adventures with a heartwarming visit to the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage.  Here we will watch the babies eat, frolic, and roll in the mud.  Baby elephants love attention and affection.  There will be a small rope that separates us from the babies, so the orphans will walk along the ropes and chew on branches while letting you give them some rubs.

The elephant orphanage is located within Nairobi National Park, so after our time with the elephants, we will hop in the Land Cruiser and embark on our first safari adventure! Inside the park, you’ll get your first glimpse of animals roaming freely in the wild. Despite the parks proximity to the city, you will still find elephants, rhinos, hippos, and even lions here. In some areas, you can even see the contrasting cityscape in the background, which makes for some thought-provoking photos. This is also where you’ll find the piles of ivory from the Kenya “ivory burns” in which they were telling the world these animals are worth more to them -and us- alive!

After breakfast we’ll begin our two hour journey to Narok county – the home of the Maasai.  We’ll be spending the next 4 days here since this is where you’ll have your cultural immersion experiences and do your chosen project.  If you don’t have a specific project in mind, we can offer ideas. Our first day here will be visiting a couple of local shops and seeing this small yet bustling town of Narok in action!

• Meet with some Maasai Elders and Chiefs
• Learn about the Maasai 
• Small hike into “the bush”
• Maasai weapons
• Cook a goat for dinner

• 2 days “Project of Choice” or a Humanitarian Project
• (morning and evening lesson opportunities)

If you’re doing the 11 day tour, skip to the end day.  If you’re doing the 14 day, this morning you can spend a little time down by the water. Watch the various birds fly around and hear their calls as they talk to each other. Watch the fisherman walk in the waters and cast their lines from within the lake.  See the hippos eyes and ears bob in and out of the waters. After check-out, we’ll begin our 4 hour journey to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy.  

(Here’s some photos of animals to look out for when we go into Ol Pejeta TOMORROW)

Ol Pejeta is a special place for multiple reasons, but most importantly, it is home to the last two Northern White Rhino on the planet. Being in their presence is both a humbling and emotional experience. War, poaching, and human-wildlife conflict have taken a massive toll on these magnificent animals. They once roamed in the thousands but now there are only two. Unfortunately, the last male died in 2019, so these two rhinos are females—a mother and her daughter—and are the very last of their species. Science is working hard to try to save this species using sperm from the last two males, but there is no guarantee. Currently, the Northern White Rhino is officially labeled as “extinct.”  

We’ll also pay a visit to Baraka, the blind black rhino. He’s small and loves affection. The picture here of me and O.D. is with Baraka. In the afternoon, we’ll head to the lodge to enjoy some afternoon tea while overlooking a waterhole. It’s anyone’s guess what animals might come for a drink as we relax and watch the sunset. There are benches on the lawn specifically for your viewing pleasure. (Don’t worry—a secure fence separates us from the waterhole, so you can relax comfortably while watching the animals drink and bathe.)  We’ll also visit the chimpanzee sanctuary inside the park. Chimpanzees share an astounding 98.8% of their DNA with humans, making them our closest genetic relatives. This sanctuary is dedicated to providing a safe haven for rescued chimpanzees in need of protection. 

After nightfall, we’ll embark on a nighttime safari. The rules of a conservancy differ from those of a national park, making Ol Pejeta one of the few places in Kenya where night safaris are allowed. With a spotlight and an expert Ol Pejeta guide, we’ll search for some of the more elusive animals that come out after sunset, such as aardvarks, zorillas, and bat-eared foxes. It can get cold at night, so be sure to wear layers and a beanie hat.

• (Day 11 or 14)
• Drive to Nairobi
• Giraffe Center
• National Museum of Kenya
• Airport

If this is Day 11, after breakfast we’ll drive the 2 hours from Lake Naivasha to Nairobi.  Along the way we’ll pass the famous Escarpment – part of the Great Rift Valley which stretches from Mozambique to the Middle East.  If this is Day 14 for you then we’re already in Nairobi. The first thing we’ll do is feed Giraffes! The Giraffe Center is a sanctuary dedicated to the conservation and breeding of the endangered Rothschild giraffe. You’ll have the chance to feed them from the palm of your hand and since they’re at eye level, they make for great selfies!  We’ll then spend a few hours roaming around the National Museum of Kenya where you’ll learn about Kenya’s history, culture, and animals

Our final stop of the day, and our trip, will be the airport. On the way, we’ll review and share stories from the incredible journey we’ve experienced and the new friendships we’ve made. Asante Sana (Thank you very much)! We sincerely hope you had an amazing adventure with us. We look forward to welcoming you back for more adventures, laughter, memories, and fun in the future!