6-Day Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru & Amboseli Mid-Range Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Nairobi → Maasai Mara → Lake Nakuru → Amboseli → Nairobi

1. Day 1

   Nairobi to Maasai Mara

   You leave Nairobi after breakfast and head for Maasai Mara, descending the wall of the Great Rift Valley and passing through Narok and Maasai farming country. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem. This is good country in which to look for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game. The reserve is best known for its big cat densities, and between roughly July and October the wildebeest migration commonly moves through the ecosystem. Transport and game drives are shared with other travellers on this joining departure. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Maasai Mara.

2. Day 2

   Maasai Mara to Lake Nakuru

   After breakfast you leave Maasai Mara and travel on toward Lake Nakuru, travelling through the Rift Valley floor and the farming towns of the Nakuru region. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into a Rift Valley soda lake ringed by yellow-barked acacia woodland and steep escarpment viewpoints. Your guide works the area for black and white rhino, Rothschild's giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck and dense birdlife, with sightings varying by season and conditions. 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. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Lake Nakuru.

3. Day 3

   Maasai Mara to Lake Nakuru

   The morning starts in Maasai Mara, from where you continue overland to 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.

4. Day 4

   Lake Nakuru to Amboseli

   Breakfast is taken before you set out from Lake Nakuru for the drive to Amboseli, travelling south past Kajiado and through Maasai rangeland toward the Tanzanian border country. You arrive in time to settle in, and the day continues with a game drive across open plains, dust flats and spring-fed swamps beneath the bulk of Kilimanjaro. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes large elephant herds, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and abundant water birds around the swamps. Amboseli is known for its free-ranging elephant families, and on clear mornings Mount Kilimanjaro often rises above the plains, though cloud can hide it. The evening is spent at your Amboseli accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

5. Day 5

   Full-Day Nairobi Safari

   You spend the day in Nairobi, heading out early and returning as the light goes. Much of the day is spent among 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. Lunch is either taken back at camp or carried as a picnic so you can stay out longer. Dinner and overnight are again at your Nairobi camp or lodge.

6. Day 6

   Amboseli to Nairobi

   Breakfast is taken before you set out from Amboseli for the drive to Nairobi, returning through the highland approaches to the city. You arrive in time to settle in, and the day continues with a game drive across 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.