Arrival to Nairobi

Welcome to Kenya! You will be met at your gate upon arrival, and assisted through immigration and with your luggage.  Many international flights into Nairobi arrive in the late evening — for anyone arriving on the 22nd, we can arrange a pre-trip night at the Norfolk Hotel.

Get checked in and settled at your lodgings. Meals will be on your own for today and can be arranged directly with the hotel. Depending on your arrival time, we can also assist with additional arrangements in Nairobi as needed.

Overnight: Fairmont – the Norfolk

Touring in Nairobi

Today will be an opportunity to visit some of Nairobi’s most beloved highlights!

After breakfast at the hotel, visit the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) to see their orphaned elephants. Born from one family’s passion for Kenya and its wilderness, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is the most successful orphan-elephant rescue and rehabilitation program in the world and one of the pioneering conservation organizations for wildlife and habitat protection in East Africa. To date, the SWT has successfully hand-raised over 150 infant elephants and has accomplished its long-term conservation priority by effectively reintegrating orphans back into the wild herds of Tsavo National Park.

Enjoy watching the young elephant orphans feed and play under the careful eye of their keepers, who stay with them until they are once again ready to be released into the wild.

Afterwards, we’ll make a stop at Tin Roof Cafe, a local spot for lunch.

Continue onwards to visit the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife in Kenya, also known as the Giraffe Centre. Founded in 1979 to save the endangered Rothschild giraffe, the Giraffe Centre offers a unique opportunity to support their work through your visit and to view these playful animals up close!

In the afternoon, make a visit to the workshop of Kazuri Beads, which has offered regular employment to local Kenyan artisans since its founding in 1975. Kazuri, which means “small and beautiful” in Swahili, was founded by two single mothers as a tiny workshop experimenting in handcrafted ceramic beads and has grown tremendously since then! Kazuri now employs over 340 skilled women to create unique, wearable works of art.

Return to your hotel in the late afternoon. You will have the evening free tonight.

Overnight: Norfolk Hotel

Conference with Teenseed Leadership

Today, meet with Winny Obure, Director of Teenseed, as well as other members of their team. You will have a conference room reserved from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM, with a catered lunch onsite.

Tonight, share a celebratory welcome dinner together with members of Teenseed, Thistle Farms, and the Isabel Allende Foundation.

Overnight: Norfolk Hotel

Site Visit to Teenseed Headquarters, Kiambiu Informal Settlement

After breakfast, transfer via private minibus to Kiambiu Informal Settlement, where you will spend the day with Winny and members of Teenseed. Today will be an opportunity to explore their important work with local teens firsthand.

In the evening, return to your hotel via private minibus transfer. Dinner is available at the hotel’s onsite restaurant, or the concierge can assist you with offsite dining arrangements.

Overnight: Norfolk Hotel

Conference with Teenseed

Today, continue in conversation with Teenseed leadership at the Norfolk Hotel, from 11:00 AM until 4:00 PM.

Enjoy a catered lunch together midway through the day.

Dinner is available at the onsite restaurant.

Overnight: Norfolk Hotel

Charter Flight to Laikipia

8:15 AM: After an early breakfast, you will be transferred to Wilson Airport for your charter flight to Laikipia. You will be met upon arrival and transferred to El Karama Lodge via a game drive through Ol Pejeta Conservancy, where you are bound to see some impressive wildlife right away!

Sandwiched between Mount Kenya and the northern deserts, Laikipia is where Kenya’s wild and semi-arid northern frontier country begins.

Arrive in time for a late lunch at the lodge. Enjoy a free afternoon to explore via game drive or relax by the pool — it’s up to you! The lodge’s primary purpose is to protect the wildlife within the conservancy’s borders. This habitat is home to four of the “Big Five” and several endangered and indigenous species to Laikipia including reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, gerenuk, and the Laikipia hartebeeste.

While at the lodge, all meals and house drinks are included. Gratuities to staff and your guides will be pre-paid on your behalf.

Overnight: El Karama Lodge 

Site Visit to Daraja Academy

Today after breakfast, set out from the Lodge to visit Daraja Academy, located just 20 kilometers away.

Spend the day with the community of Daraja Academy, learning about their programs to support young female scholars from across Kenya and gaining a deeper understanding of their impact. Students are selected based on need, academic scores, and leadership potential. Daraja Academy provides a safe place for girls who would not have access to a high school education any other way. With each graduate, Daraja Academy is helping to close the gender gap in Kenya for this and future generations.

Return to your lodge in the late afternoon, and enjoy a hearty dinner together at El Karama.

Overnight: El Karama Lodge 

Day at Leisure, El Karama Lodge

Today will be open to enjoy all that El Karama Lodge has to offer! Numerous activities such as walking through the bush and tracking wildlife by foot, fishing, enjoying fresh bush lunches under the African sky, and game drives in the mornings and evenings are available to you.

Overnight: El Karama Lodge 

Depart Laikipia – Return to Nairobi

After breakfast this morning, bid farewell to lodge staff and transfer to the airstrip. Return to Nairobi Wilson Airport via private charter fight. Upon arrival, transfer to Four Points Sheraton, where we have arranged day rooms for you. Located just five minutes from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, it is a quick shuttle ride from your departure. The Four Points Sheraton offers a free shuttle service throughout the day and night.

Please book departing flights for any time today after 4:00 PM, to allow sufficient time between your charter flight and your international departure.

If you will require a room beyond the afternoon/evening, please contact Emily (emily@elevatedestinations.com) to make arrangements.

If you would like to extend your travels in the region, please check out Extend your Travel for some ideas!