• Multiple opportunities to see the ‘Big Five’ (Lion, Elephant, Buffalo, Leopard, and Rhino)
• Three nights in the Masai Mara
• Visit a traditional Maasai Village
• Sundowner drinks at Lake Nakuru
• Explore eight islands with their suggestive Seychelles scenery.
• Praslin Island, stunning tropical jungle-fringed beaches, emerald waters and powdery sand compliment the Vallée de Mai, UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Discover La Digue, known for its world-famous beaches such as Anse Source d’Argent, contrasting with granite boulders and aquamarine waters.
• Curieuse, a rugged island swathed in unspoiled wilderness, home to hundreds of resident Aldabra giant tortoises, mangroves and magnificent beaches.
• The breathtaking Aride nature reserve, gem of the nature of the Seychelles, inhabited only by the island rangers and an important breading site for the seabird population of the Indian Ocean.

January 4, 2025 (this itinerary)
January 19, 2025 (reversed itinerary)

Day 1 Nairobi (D)
JAMBO – Welcome to Kenya. Upon arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel in Nairobi, Kenya’s colourful capital city. Meet your experienced Driver – Guide and enjoy dinner at the hotel this evening.
Overnight Stay: Nairobi

Day 2 Nairobi – Samburu Game Reserve (B,L,D)
Your African safari begins this morning as we head north via Nanyuki for the Samburu Game Reserve set in the rugged, semi-arid northern region of Kenya, with spectacular scenic landscape.
Your first safari drive is this afternoon. Samburu is visited by large herds of Elephants, drawn by the promise of water. It is one of the best places to find several endemic Northern species, including the reticulated giraffe, the Somali ostrich and Grevy’s Zebra. The Samburu culture is a truly fascinating one, sharing a great deal of ancestral and linguistic ties to the Maasai.
Two-night Stay: Samburu Game Reserve

Day 3 Dec Samburu Game Reserve (B,L,D)
Enjoy morning and afternoon game viewing drive. The entire Samburu region is a place of breath-taking and magical beauty, a place where the vision of a deep red sunset silhouetting the doum palms along the river brings the perfect end to a day on safari.

Day 4 Samburu Game Reserve – Lake Nakuru National Park (B,L,D)
After breakfast depart for Lake Nakuru National Park with a brief stop at the Thompson Falls for a breath-taking view of the great scenery.
The park is one of the best game viewing parks with various animal species including prides of lion, Cape buffalo, waterbucks, warthogs, the endangered Rothschild giraffe, the black & white Rhino, the Burchell’s zebra, impala, and the elusive leopard among many others. Over 300 bird species have been recorded here too. Lake Nakuru National Park is one of the best places to see the endangered black and white Rhino.
Enjoy an African sunset experience with drinks and canapes.
Overnight Stay: Lake Nakuru National Park

Day 5 Lake Nakuru National Park – Masai Mara Game Reserve (B,L,D)
Visit the Mission in Action Orphanage and hear the stories of how it was started by an Australian family. Continue to the Masai Mara National Reserve – Kenya’s most renowned game reserve offering wonderful scenery and plenty of wildlife. Arrive at your tented camp for lunch and a little bit of leisure time before you depart on an exciting game viewing drive. The rolling plains and grasslands, stretching far into the horizons as far as the eye can see is home to the black-maned lion, the savanna elephant, the Cape buffalo, wildebeest, the elusive leopard, cheetah, the spotted & striped hyena, the rhino, Burchell’s zebra, the Maasai giraffe among many others.
Three Night Stay: Masai Mara Game Reserve

Day 6 Masai Mara Game Reserve (B,L,D)
DiscoverMORE
Optional Hot Air Balloon Safari (extra expense)

Enjoy a full day in the Masai Mara with morning and afternoon game drives.
Visit a traditional Maasai Village and experience the culture of this world-famous community. The Masai still live as they did for centuries -interact with these nomadic people and experience their way of life as you learn about their customs and traditions.
Dine under the stars tonight.

Day 7 Masai Mara Game Reserve (B,L,D)
Another day of game drives with an opportunity to see more of the ‘Big Five’ that Maasai Mara is famous for. These include the lion, savanna (African) elephant, the Cape buffalo, the leopard and the black rhino.

Day 8 Masai Mara Game Reserve – Nairobi – Mahé Seychelles (B,D)
Bid farewell to your Driver – Guide before your included flight back to Nairobi this morning. This afternoon a visit to the Giraffe Centre followed by the Karen Blixen Museum. Enjoy an early dinner at the Carnivore Restaurant before transferring to the airport for your included flight to the Seychelles.
Overnight Stay: Mahé Island

Day 9 Mahé Island – Sainte Anne Channel (B,D)
Your tropical cruise begins in Mahé island, where you’ll be transferred to your Emerald Cruises luxury yacht and embark on your discovery of the Seychelles. In the afternoon, we sail to Sainte Anne Channel.

Day 10 Sainte Anne Channel – Cousin Island – Praslin Island (B,L,D)
Sainte Anne Island is encircled by a Marine National Park, home to incredible marine life including more than 150 species of fish. Sainte Anne is now a significant nesting site for Hawksbill turtles.

Late morning, we sail to Cousin, a small island renowned as a haven for seabirds. The granitic islet was a private property until 1968 when it was purchased by the International Council for Bird Preservation to transform it into a nature reserve. It’s the most protected island in the archipelago, providing a breeding ground for eleven sea bird species annually and a habitat for five birds native to the Seychelles. We stay overnight in Praslin.

Day 11 Praslin Island (B,L,D)
Praslin, the second largest island in the Seychelles, is visually stunning with tropical jungle-fringed beaches, emerald waters and powdery sand. Anse Lazio beach has been voted one of the world’s best several times and there’s a dazzling reef just offshore brimming with coral and marine life. On land, coconut palms and granite boulders create a picture-postcard landscape. In the centre of the island, discover the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve.

Day 12 Praslin Island – La Digue Island – Curieuse Island (B,L,D)
Early in the morning, we sail to La Digue Island, the smallest of the three populated islands in the Seychelles. Like Praslin Island, it also possesses world-famous beaches, with one of the most recognisable being Anse Source d’Argent. It has pink-hued sands contrasting with granite boulders and aquamarine waters. We will navigate to Curieuse later in the evening.

Day 13 Curieuse Island (B,L,D)
Curieuse is a rugged island swathed in unspoilt wilderness and home to hundreds of resident Aldabra giant tortoises. Apart from its obvious natural beauty, it has a fascinating history. It was once a quarantine station, and the original French colonial doctor’s house has a museum and visitor’s centre.

Day 14 Curieuse Island – Aride Island (B,L,D)
Early in the morning, we sail to Aride, a nature reserve in the Indian Ocean. Nature enthusiasts and wildlife photographers flock to this island, where more than thirty rare bird species nest in the verdant vegetation. The landscape is enticing with fine-sand beaches, coconut palms and soaring cliffs.

Day 15 Mahè Island (B,L,D)
Mahé is the main island of the scenic Seychelles and the largest of the archipelago. It’s home to the capital Victoria, which was founded in the French settler period in 1778 and named later by the British, after Queen Victoria. The island of Mahé has pristine beaches dotted with huge rocks and tranquil nature trails threaded through the Morne Seychellois National Park.

Day 16 Mahè Island (B)
Your Emerald Cruises voyage concludes in idyllic Mahè island. From the yacht, you will be transferred to the airport for your journey home or to continue your holiday.

Please book your flight to depart out of Mahé, Seychelles after 08:00 AM.

* The itinerary is a guide only and may be amended for operational reasons. As such Emerald Cruises cannot guarantee the cruise will be operated unaltered from the itinerary states above.

Kenyan Visa
Australian, New Zealand, Canadian, US and British Passport holders require a single entry visa for Kenya. Applications can be submitted up to 3 months prior to travel.
We highly recommend you apply for the visa prior to departure by visiting https://evisa.go.ke/

Please note you may be required to supply a physical address, phone number and email address for our Ground Operator in Kenya when applying for your visa.
Twiga Tours
Suite 9, 4th Floor,
The Greenhouse,
Ngong Road, NAIROBI.
P.O.Box 652,
NAIROBI, 00606
Kenya
T: +254 709 145000
E: [email protected]