12-Day Kenya Mission & Wildlife Safari

After breakfast, depart Nairobi for Kajiado for a pre-arranged visit to the AIC Kajiado Child Care Centre. The centre’s current work includes rehabilitation and healthcare services for children and people with disabilities. The visit may include an introduction to the ministry, fellowship with available staff and learning about current programme needs, subject to the centre’s approval.

All interaction with children or patients must follow the centre’s safeguarding, privacy and photography rules. Any proposed donation, activity or service project should be agreed with the centre before the group travels.

Continue toward Machakos for a scheduled visit to Scott Christian University. The institution was founded in 1962 as Scott Theological College and is now a chartered Christian university with roots in the Africa Inland Church tradition.

Depending on the university calendar and prior arrangements, the programme may include fellowship with students or staff, a campus introduction, ministry discussion or another agreed engagement.

Return to Nairobi after the visits. This is a long mission day, and actual travel time depends heavily on traffic, appointment timing and the exact access route.

After breakfast, check out and drive north through Kenya’s central highlands toward Ol Pejeta Conservancy.

Arrive in the Ol Pejeta area for lunch and check-in at the confirmed lodge, camp or accommodation. In the afternoon, begin your first wildlife game drive across the conservancy’s grasslands, woodland and riverine habitats.

Ol Pejeta is one of East Africa’s important rhino-conservation landscapes and supports black and southern white rhinos together with elephant, buffalo, lion, cheetah, spotted hyena and other wildlife.

Visit the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary during its normal public viewing hours when timing permits. The sanctuary provides lifelong refuge to rescued chimpanzees. Chimpanzees are not native to Kenya, and Sweetwaters is the only place in the country where visitors can see them.

Continue game viewing until late afternoon before returning for dinner and overnight.

Spend the day exploring Ol Pejeta at a relaxed pace, combining wildlife viewing with time to appreciate the conservancy’s conservation work.

An early game drive can focus on rhino, elephant, buffalo, lion and other species while temperatures are cooler. Return for breakfast or continue according to the selected lodge and guide arrangement.

The middle of the day can be used for rest, fellowship within the group or leisure at the lodge before an afternoon game drive. Where the selected accommodation overlooks a waterhole or open wildlife area, this can provide additional viewing without leaving the property.

Specialist Ol Pejeta experiences such as a dedicated northern white rhino encounter, guided walk, lion tracking or night drive can be added when available but are not automatically included in the standard package.

Return for dinner and a second overnight at Ol Pejeta.

After breakfast, depart Ol Pejeta and travel toward the Great Rift Valley and Lake Nakuru National Park.

Arrive in the Nakuru area around lunchtime, depending on road conditions and stops. Check in, enjoy lunch and prepare for an afternoon game drive.

Lake Nakuru is a major sanctuary for both black and white rhinos. Search the woodland, grassland and lake-edge habitats for rhino, buffalo, Rothschild’s giraffe, waterbuck, zebra and other wildlife. Lion and leopard occur but are less predictable.

The park also supports rich birdlife. Pelicans, herons, cormorants and other waterbirds are regularly encountered, while flamingos may occur in varying numbers depending on lake conditions.

Where time and road conditions allow, the game drive may include scenic points such as Baboon Cliff or Makalia Falls before returning to the lodge or hotel for dinner and overnight.

Begin with an early game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park when the final schedule permits, then return for breakfast, check out and continue toward Kijabe on the eastern escarpment of the Great Rift Valley.

Arrive in Kijabe and check in at the confirmed hotel, guesthouse or mission accommodation.

In the afternoon, visit Rift Valley Academy when the school has approved the group’s visit. RVA is a Christian boarding school and branch of Africa Inland Mission that supports missionary families serving across the African continent. The school currently reports approximately 500 students representing around 30 nationalities.

Depending on the school calendar, a confirmed visit may include a campus introduction, fellowship with available staff, learning about missionary-family support or another programme arranged directly with RVA. Student privacy and safeguarding policies must be followed throughout.

Return to the accommodation for dinner and overnight in Kijabe.

Spend a full day in Kijabe exploring its long Christian mission and service tradition through pre-arranged institutional visits.

Begin with Moffat Bible College, founded in Kijabe in 1929 to train evangelists and pastors. Depending on the college calendar and prior approval, the visit may include fellowship with staff or students, a campus introduction or discussion about current ministry training.

Continue to AIC Kijabe Hospital, a faith-based hospital whose mission combines healthcare, training and spiritual ministry. Hospital access is strictly subject to current visitor procedures, patient privacy, infection-control requirements and staff availability. Clinical areas should never be entered without host approval.

The day can also include a scheduled introduction to BethanyKids, whose Kenya work grew in partnership with AIC Kijabe Hospital to expand paediatric surgical care and specialist training. The older phrase “crippled children’s centre” is not used; current respectful terminology is applied throughout the programme.

Where appropriate and requested, time can be reserved for prayer, fellowship, ministry discussion or learning about current needs from the host organisations.

Return to the Kijabe accommodation for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, leave Kijabe and travel through the Great Rift Valley toward Narok and the Masai Mara National Reserve.

A brief comfort or refreshment stop can be made in Narok depending on timing. Continue into the greater Mara landscape, arriving at the selected lodge or tented camp for lunch or early afternoon.

After check-in and a short rest, begin the first Masai Mara game drive. Search the open plains for elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, topi, gazelles and predators such as lion, cheetah and leopard.

Continue game viewing until late afternoon or sunset before returning for dinner and overnight.

Spend a full day exploring the Masai Mara with your private driver-guide.

The programme can be arranged as separate morning and afternoon game drives with a midday lodge break or as a full-day safari with a picnic lunch.

Search for lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, topi, impala, gazelles and spotted hyena. If conditions and routing allow, extend the game drive toward the Mara River, where hippos and Nile crocodiles inhabit the river system.

During migration months, large herds of wildebeest and zebra may move through the ecosystem. Their location and any river-crossing event depend entirely on natural conditions and cannot be guaranteed.

Return to the lodge or camp for dinner and overnight.

Enjoy a second full day in the Masai Mara, giving the group more time to explore different wildlife areas without rushing.

An early start offers cooler temperatures and good predator activity. Your guide can revisit productive locations, follow current wildlife information or concentrate on species and photography interests identified by the group.

The day can again be split between morning and afternoon game drives or spent as a full-day field programme. Optional activities such as a balloon safari, Maasai cultural visit, bush meal or sundowner can be added separately where available.

Return to the lodge or tented camp around sunset for dinner and the final night in the Mara.

After breakfast, check out and leave the Masai Mara, with final wildlife viewing possible on the drive toward the exit gate.

Continue by road toward Nairobi, arriving around lunchtime or early afternoon depending on traffic and the selected Mara accommodation.

After lunch, check in at the Nairobi hotel and spend the remainder of the afternoon at leisure. Mission teams may use this time for rest, prayer, group debriefing or preparation for the final Nairobi day.

Overnight in Nairobi.

Spend the final day exploring selected Nairobi attractions according to the international departure time.

Begin with the Giraffe Centre, operated by AFEW Kenya as an environmental-conservation and education centre focused on giraffes. Continue to the Karen Blixen Museum for an introduction to the author’s former Ngong Hills-area home and Kenya’s colonial-era history.

Where time permits, visit the Nairobi Railway Museum to learn about the development of the Kenya–Uganda railway and its role in Nairobi’s history. Allow time for shopping at an appropriate craft, gift or shopping centre according to the group’s preference.

In the evening, enjoy a farewell dinner at Carnivore Restaurant, subject to international flight timing. Carnivore serves its signature charcoal-roasted meat selection with salads, side dishes and sauces, and also offers a vegetarian menu.

After dinner, transfer privately to the airport in good time for international check-in. If the departure flight is too early for the full programme or farewell dinner, Greatlink Safaris will shorten or reorder the day accordingly.