Combining hiking mountain Kenya with safari in Masai Mara

Combining hiking mountain Kenya with safari in Masai Mara. A safari in Masai Mara National Reserve may give you the opportunity to witness the wilderness migration, a season even, and a world natural wonder. The great wildebeest migration in Masai Mara National Reserve is on the bucket list of most tourists worldwide, but because its starting time is hard to determine, it's taken as a probability activity.

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Masai Mara National Reserve is the drama destination of the great wildebeest migration, as thousands of wild animals cross the bloody Mara River in search of greener pastures. During a game drive in Masai Mara National Reserve, you may spot animals like lions, elephants, bushbucks, waterbucks, buffaloes, zebras, impalas, elands, gazelles, rhinos, and others.

Hiking Mount Kenya is exciting for adventure seekers as there are several routes you can take to reach the summit. Mount Kenya has three renowned peaks: Lenana, Nelion, and Batian. To reach the top of Mount Kenya, you can use routes like the Sirimon route, Burguret Trail, Chogoria route, Naro Moru route, and Kamweti route.

 The highest peak of mountain Kenya is Batian at 5199 meters above sea level.

You need to pay park entrance fees for either a game drive in Masai Mara National Reserve or a Mountain Kenya hike.

How To Plan Masai Mara National Reserve And Hike On Mountain Kenya

Day 1 Dive to Mountain Kenya

The driver guide will pick you up from your overnight accommodation early in the morning to start the drive to Mountain Kenya. The route to be used for the hike on Mountain Kenya is the Chigoria route. The drive time from Nairobi to Chigoria is about 4 to 5 hours. Start the trek up Mountain Kenya, passing the montane forest to about 2600 meters above sea level, where you may spend the Night.

Day 2 Ascend up 3400 meters above sea level.

Continue hiking in Mountain Kenya, passing Heather and Proteas. Look out for the stunning beauties in the different zones of Mountain Kenya, including flowers like Senecio, Kniphofia, and gladiolus. On this day, you may cover about 14 kilometers.

Day 3: Hike to Mito’s Hut

Wake up early morning to cover a larger distance on Mountain Kenya. This walk is off the beaten path. The walk is around the lake, cross over the valley, pass the ridge, and join the track on the Chogorian route.

By pass the Gorges Valley and enjoy there amazing views, move to Itinguni and north moorland. Spend the Night at the Mito Hut.

Day 4 Hike to Lenana Peak

Wake up very early in the morning to embark on the long journey to the summit of Mountain Kenya at Lenana. It is best to start the hike at about 0230 hours and use torchlight to cover the largest part of this section in order to get to the top at sunrise to enjoy the stunning view from the peak. You pass the Simba Col for the stunning sunrise. Take photos as memories of this challenging adventure up mountain Kenya. 

Start descending passing the Sirimon route to Shipton camp where you may enjoy some refreshments. Continue down to Judmier Camp for the Night and dinner.

Day 5 Descend To Drive To The Bottom Of Mountain Kenya And Lake Naivasha

Move down to the bottom of Mountain Kenya and drive to Nairobi to carry on to Lake Naivasha where you spend the Night

Day 6 Boat Ride in Lake Naivasha

Wake up early for breakfast and head for a spectacular adventure on Lake Naivasha. Enjoy the schools of hippos in the water, you may spot some wild animals like waterbucks, bushbucks. Enjoy a walk on crested island where you may encounter a number of herbivores like zebras, giraffes and others.

Day 7: Drive to Masai Mara National Reserve

Wake up early for breakfast, and our safari guide will pick you up to start the drive to Masai Mara National Reserve. Enjoy the drive through Kenya's countryside and amazing features along the way. You may encounter the Masai nomads with their large herds of cattle along the way. 

Masai Mara National Reserve is the northern extension of Serengeti National Park. During the great wildebeest migration season, millions of wild animals migrate from the southern part of Serengeti National Park to seek better pasture in the north. The starting time of the great wildebeest migration season is hard to determine, but it is alleged that the zebras may be the stimulators of this yearly wild animal exodus. 

A number of animals join the journey, including gazelles, elephants, bushbucks, impalas, buffaloes, giraffes, lions, cheetahs, leopards, jackals, and others. Although ungulates are main participants of this seasonal event, carnivores normally join them to pick on the weak trekkers.

As you enter Masai Mara National Reserve, you may spot some of these animals as you drive on the tracks within the Reserve.

Check into your accommodation and wait for dinner and overnight.

Note: You can also fly to Masai Mara and land on the airstrips closer to location where your accommodation is.

Day 8 Game Drive In Masai Mara National Reserve

Get up early in the morning for a game drive in Masai Mara National Reserve. Drive through the Reserve's tracks and try to look out for animals in this park, including lions, hyenas, Rhinos, wildebeests, hartebeests, buffaloes, elephants, elands, zebras, impalas, gazelles, and others.

Keen birders may spot a wide range of Masai Mara National Reserve birds.

If planned, you may have breakfast in the wilderness before continuing on another game drive to spot several animals. Have lunch at your lodge to relax, or spend the entire day in the park premises to enjoy the influx of the great wildebeest migration if it is the season.

 Day 9: Second game drive in Masai Mara National Reserve

If you want to see more in Masai Mara National Reserve, take another game drive. You will take the tracks you may have missed the previous day and enjoy the presence of several animals that call Masai Mara home. The most rewarding season is the great wildebeest migration season, when millions of animals grace the park premises to enjoy the pastures.

The Mara river drama is unforgettable, as you may witness survival for the fitness in reality. Some animals try to push their way up while crocodiles smash them back to the water to be slaughtered. Even carnivores pull their share.

Day 10 Fly to Nairobi 

The sun on this Kenyan safari is unforgettable, but it's time to depart so that you can catch your flight back home. Fly to Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to catch your flight back home.

When is the best time to do a safari in Masai Mara and Hike Mountain Kenya?

The dry season is the most preferred season to do a hike on mountain Kenya and Masai Mara National Reserve. These are both all year around Kenya safari activities but the best time is the dry season. 

In Masai Mara, the game drives on the tracks of this National Reserve give you an opportunity to see more drama in the wild like carnivores catching there prey. The grass is shorter creating a favorable environment to spot so much on the dry plains.

The tracks on Masai Mara National Reserve are quicker to drive through, although very dusty from the so many cars that drive into the park.

Hiking Mountain Kenya gets better in the dry season when the trails are more passable and no undergrowth to obstruct the way. The weather favors trekkers to cover a longer distance during the dry season and spend the nights in the camps along the way.

Expect more people joining the hike up mountain Kenya and Masai Mara game reserve in the dry season so be ready to share the same space with other tourists. 

The wet season, which is normally March to May or November, has fewer tourists in Masai Mara National Reserve and Mountain Kenya, so there is less disturbance from other tourists. The chances of witnessing more births while on a game drive in Masai Mara National Reserve are more open in the wet season.

How much is the cost of hiking mountain Kenya and Masai Mara National Reserve Safari?

The cost of the park entrance fees which is compulsory to every tourists on a safari visit to Masai Mara and hike to Mountain Kenya is the major cost to incur in all safari packages. At Encounter Africa Safaris, we package our safaris according to Up-scale, Mid-range and basic.

To put together the cost of the Kenya safari, some of the items we consider include number of people travelling with, time of booking, number of days on safari, safari package you choose and other costs.

As you plan the Kenya safari, plan for some extras like food to be purchased before hiking the mountain, porter hire, tips, personal expenses and others. It is best to carry some cash to cater for some of these on ground purchases because credit cards are not commonly used in Africa because of the lengthy process of obtaining money from them.

Is a hike to Mountain Kenya and safari in Masai Mara worth the price?

Spending your time on Mountain Kenya and taking drives through Masai Mara National Reserve is a chance to enjoy some of the best displays of the wilderness. Masai Mara National Reserve safari is a trip most adventure seekers have on their bucket list. 

Masai Mara National Reserve is the destination for the great wildebeest migration, a seasonal occurrence that is credited as one of the natural wonders in the world. Millions of wild animals make their way through Mara River, withstanding the attacks from crocodiles, to Masai Mara National Reserve. A game drive through Masai Mara National Reserve offers the chance to spot animals like gazelles, zebras, lions, waterbucks, bushbucks, and others.

Hiking mountain Kenya is an opportunity to test your level of fitness and resilience to moments of scarcity. Look out for the unique vegetation zones on the mountain and stunning sceneries. Getting to the top may be quite a challenge but its s sign of victory worth the attempt.

What To Pack For Hiking Safari on Mountain Kenya and Game Tour in Masai Mara National Reserve

• Fully charged batteries to exchange with in case one runs out of energy so as to keep memories of this African safari.
• Camera to take photos while at Mountain Kenya is a task that is on the bucket list of many adventure seekers worldwide.
• Hiking boots that are comfortable for hiking for a long distance must also be water-proof.
• Sunscreen to protect your skin from getting sunburns.
• Sunglasses to protect your eyes from the direct sunlight and buzzing insects.
• Insect repellant to protect your skin from stinging insects you may find along the way.
• Garden gloves to protect your fingers from touching rough surfaces along the way.
• Some extra clothes to change into after the long day on the mountain.
• Energy bites to munch on when hungry because meals are taken from designated points.
• Hiking rods to give you extra support when hiking the mountain.
• Back pack to carry with your belongings so that they donot scatter while you hike.
• A torch to use for lighting.
• Some cash in case you need to do on ground purchase like hiring hiking equipment, even porter hiring before starting your hike, purchasing food, cooking equipment, fuel and others
• Warmers because the higher you go, the cooler it becomes.
• A pair of binoculars to get better visibility of far ranging features.
• A pair of stockings to protect your feet from getting cold.
• Head gears to cover yourself from getting cold while hiking to get to the top of mountain Kenya.
• Sleeping bag for your nights on mountain Kenya.
• First aid kit with emergency medication in case you need it.
• Rainproof gears to protect you from getting wet and cold when it rains while up the mountain

A combined safari is a great way to explore different things while on safari like wildlife encounters, landscape views among others. Contact us for more information and to help plan your safari.