5-Day Jewels of Kenya Safari — Aberdare, Lake Nakuru & Masai Mara

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Nairobi → Masai Mara → Aberdare → Lake Nakuru → Nairobi

1. Day 1

   Nairobi to Aberdare

   Breakfast is taken before you set out from Nairobi for the drive to Aberdare, climbing into the central highlands through Nyeri and the tea and coffee country. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into high montane forest, bamboo belt and moorland cut by streams and waterfalls. There is the possibility of seeing elephant, buffalo, giant forest hog, bushbuck and, with patience, rarely seen forest species, depending on movement and conditions on the day. The Aberdare lodges are built overlooking floodlit waterholes, so wildlife is watched from the building itself rather than from a vehicle. This is a joining departure, so the safari vehicle is shared with other guests. Dinner is served at your Aberdare camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

2. Day 2

   Aberdare to Lake Nakuru

   The day opens in Aberdare with a morning departure for Lake Nakuru, travelling through the Rift Valley floor and the farming towns of the Nakuru region. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through a Rift Valley soda lake ringed by yellow-barked acacia woodland and steep escarpment viewpoints. There is the possibility of seeing black and white rhino, Rothschild's giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck and dense birdlife, depending on movement and conditions on the day. The park operates as a sanctuary and is one of Kenya's more reliable places to look for rhino; flamingo numbers on the lake rise and fall with water levels. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Lake Nakuru.

3. Day 3

   Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara

   Breakfast is taken before you set out from Lake Nakuru for the drive to Masai Mara, descending the wall of the Great Rift Valley and passing through Narok and Maasai farming country. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem. Your guide works the area for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game, with sightings varying by season and conditions. The reserve is best known for its big cat densities, and between roughly July and October the wildebeest migration commonly moves through the ecosystem. Dinner is served at your Masai Mara camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

4. Day 4

   Full-Day Masai Mara Safari

   An unhurried full day in Masai Mara gives your guide room to follow whatever the morning turns up. The drives cover open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem, moving between habitats as conditions change. There is the possibility of seeing lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game, though wild sightings are never guaranteed. A full day allows morning and late-afternoon drives when animals are most active, with the option of a picnic lunch out in the reserve. The reserve is best known for its big cat densities, and between roughly July and October the wildebeest migration commonly moves through the ecosystem. The evening returns you to your Masai Mara accommodation for dinner and overnight.

5. Day 5

   Masai Mara to Nairobi

   The morning starts in Masai Mara, from where you continue overland to Nairobi, returning through the highland approaches to the city. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through Kenya's highland capital and the usual start and end point for road safaris. Nairobi is the arrival and departure hub for most Kenyan safari itineraries. The day ends with a drop-off in Nairobi at your hotel or the airport.