10 Days: Mt Kenya, Safari & Rafting

Meet in Nairobi and transfer to Savage Wilderness Camp on the banks of the Tana River, staying in one of our cosy cottages with full board meals. Sagana is known as the adventure capital of Kenya, so get ready for an experience of a lifetime. Late afternoon we start with a warm-up hike up Kiambichu Hill for a welcome sundowner.

Breakfast at 8:30, then a 3-hour drive to the Mt Kenya forest. We enter the forest at 1,600 m and continue up to the first campsite at the Chogoria Gate. Your evening meal is served and you can relax around a campfire before retiring to the sounds of the Mt Kenya rainforest. This is a driving day with a two-hour acclimatisation walk in the afternoon.

Breakfast is served at 07:30, after which bags are packed and you leave on foot. Arrive at Lake Ellis at an altitude of 3,200 m, walking through moorland and tussock grass. The heather and proteas are quite beautiful, particularly when flowers such as the Gladiolus, Kniphofia, and Senecio are in bloom. The remainder of the afternoon is spent relaxing in camp before dinner and an early night.

The walk on Day 4 is well off the beaten track. Walk around the lake, cross over the valley, and follow a ridge up the mountain. Enjoy breathtaking views over the Gorges Valley and back towards Itinguni and the Northern Moorlands. Lunch is served at a small stream crossing before continuing down to Lake Michaelson — one of the most spectacular campsites on the whole mountain.

A hard hike out from the Colosseum and up to Minto's Hut at 4,200 m for the night's camp. The afternoon is spent relaxing, with a 10-minute walk to "The Temple" being well worth the effort — a 500 ft vertical cliff that gets its name from the position visitors often adopt when peering over the edge. They look as if they are praying! An early night is recommended as you are attempting the summit the next day.

You are woken at 02:15 with a cup of tea or coffee. The majority of the walk is in the dark so you are at least well on the way to Point Lenana via Simba Col by sunrise. You finish the final push to the top — hopefully before the clouds move in — to capture celebratory photos on the summit. Depart the peak via the same route to Simba Col, then turn left down a steep scree slope to Shipton's Camp, arriving by 10 am. After a quick breakfast and short rest, begin the final 5-hour walk down the mountain to Judmier Camp for an early dinner and well-earned sleep.

After a later start and a good breakfast, leave camp and walk the final 10 km down a dirt track to the park gate. Say goodbye to your porters and guide — if they have done a good job, please tip them! Head on to Ol Pejeta Conservancy for a night at Sweet Waters.

Safari time! Head out in a 4x4 Landcruiser with a professional guide, searching for the animals of Kenya. Ol Pejeta is one of the best safari destinations in Kenya — your chances of seeing the Big 5 are enormous. Highlights include copious elephants, endangered black rhinos and time at the chimpanzee sanctuary. Then back to Sweet Waters for another night in luxury.

Back into the vehicle for a short transfer to Savage Wilderness Camp. In the afternoon, head out for White Water Rafting on Kenya's famous Tana River. Navigate the rapids of this beautiful section of the river while keeping your eyes out for spectacular river birds like the kingfisher. Retire to your cottage for a well-deserved rest and your last night with us.

A two-hour bike ride on a fantastic singletrack on the hills behind camp, followed by an early lunch. Then time to head back to Nairobi and off on your next adventure.