Kenya Helicopter Safari
Days 1 and 2 - Chyulu Hills
When you arrive in Nairobi you will be met by your helicopter pilot and after a briefing about your Kenyan helicopter safari, you will head off by flying south to the Chyulu Hills for the next 2-nights at Ol Donya Lodge.
Situated in the Chyulu Hills, Ol Donyo Lodge offers guests the chance to walk in the foothills, go horse riding amongst giraffes, zebra, and other animals, morning, afternoon, and night game drives, walking safaris, and mountain biking. The area is well known for its elephant populations, especially some old bulls with impressive tusks. Your Kenya helicopter safari includes a scenic flight over the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro including a picnic breakfast. Located in Tanzania, but straddling the border with Kenya, Mt Kilimanjaro is the highest freestanding mountain in the world, reaching a height of 5,895 meters.
Days 3, 4 and 5 - Masai Mara
Today you leave the Chyulu Hills area and fly towards the Masai Mara enjoying views of the incredible Lake Magadi and the Nguruman Escarpment. Deep in the heart of the Masaai land lies Lake Magadi which is fed by freshwater springs which attract a host of birds and wildlife which come from the hot plains surrounding the lake. The caustic soda lake hosts thousands of flamingos that migrate here each year to nest. Rising from the shores of Lake Magadi is the Nguruman Escarpment that runs for 50 kilometres of Acacia thickets and grassy glades forming the western wall of the Great Rift Valley. This is a remote area of Kenya and being able to fly low over these landscapes, and landing to explore along the way is what makes a Kenyan helicopter safari, so special. Once you arrive in the Masai Mara, you get to enjoy 3-nights of some of the best safaris in Africa.
The Masai Mara is one of the most well-known safari destinations in Africa and rightly so. Home to incredible wildlife, especially the big cats which are very well represented with large prides of lions, cheetahs, and leopards. The reserve is also home to elephants, buffalo, giraffes, rhinos and so much more. From around June, the great migration starts making its way from the Serengeti north into the Masai Mara offering guests a front-row seat to one of the most amazing wildlife spectacles as millions of wildebeest and zebra cross the Mara and Sand Rivers to make their way to greener pastures on the other side. During your stay, your kenya helicopter safari includes an excursion to Lake Victoria with a lunch stop on Rusinga Island.
Days 6 and 7 - Lewa Conservancy
From the Masai Mara, you head north to the Lewa Conservancy for the next 2-nights. The Lewa Conservancy forms part of the greater Laikipia Plateau which is made up of privately owned reserves that protect Africa’s endangered animals including Grevy’s Zebra and Black Rhino.
This morning you head out on a dawn helicopter flight over the peaks of Mt Kenya landing beside alpine lakes where you enjoy some refreshments and trout fishing. Mt. Kenya is located in the heart of Kenya on the equator and its highest peak is snow-capped and stands 5,199 meters. After flying over the peaks of Mt Kenya you have the chance to do some trout fishing in some of Kenya’s best alpine lakes that are completely off the beaten track and inaccessible unless you have a helicopter that can land anywhere. Lake Michaelson, Lake Ellis, Lake Alice, and Fox Tern are some of the favorites of the helicopter pilots and there are few people who have the opportunity to visit, never mind fish here.
Day 8 - Lake Turkana
Today you head even further north to one of the remotest areas in Kenya, bordering Ethiopia. This is a completely different landscape of deserts, arid mountains, and remote tribes living a traditional lifestyle unchanged for centuries. During the course of the day, you will have the opportunity to visit a local Pokot village and learn more about their incredible lifestyle and culture. The Pokot people are a nomadic tribe that occupies a vast region at the tip of the Suguta Valley in the far north of Kenya during your meeting you will enjoy a traditional dance and then get to meet the men and women of the tribe. After spending time with the Pokot tribe, you continue your helicopter safari through the Suguta Valley to Lake Turkana. The Suguta Valley is a diverse landscape of sand dunes, deserts, crater lakes, and volcanoes. Having a helicopter allows you to explore this incredibly remote and beautiful landscape that has had geologists fascinated for many years. Enjoy visiting the Silale Crater which is a vast caldera, carpeted by grasses and shrubs, and the Painted Valley which is made up of layers of mineral-rich red and orange rock features that have been eroded by seasonal streams. Lake Logipi is a seasonal saline lake that is often full of flamingos and lies at the southern end of Lake Turkana which is the largest desert lake in the world and is one of the remotest and most hostile places on earth. Lying at the southern end of Lake Turkana is the Nabuyatom Crater, which is a collapsed volcano surrounded by jade waters, this is the most iconic feature of the lake.
Day 9 - Lewa Conservancy
From the desolate north of Kenya, you fly south along the Mathew’s Mountain Range, known as the “sky island” that is covered in lush forests. The hills and craggy peaks are pristine, and it is possible to explore cycad forests that grow in abundance. After exploring the cycads of the Mathew’s Range, guests have the chance to visit the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary which was established in 2016 to rescue baby elephants that have been orphaned as a result of poaching or the drought in northern Kenya. This is the first community-owned and managed orphanage of its type in Africa. Enjoy your final night on your helicopter safari to Kenya staying in the Lewa Conservancy.
Day 10 - Depart
Today you leave Lewa and fly by fixed wing back to Nairobi in time for your international flight back home.