7-Day Maasai Mara & Diani Beach Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Nairobi → Maasai Mara → Nairobi Transfer → Diani Beach → Ukunda / Mombasa

1. Day 1

   Nairobi to Maasai Mara

   Breakfast is taken before you set out from Nairobi for the drive to Maasai 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. Transport and game drives are shared with other travellers on this joining departure. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Maasai Mara.

2. Day 2

   Maasai Mara to Nairobi Transfer

   Following an early breakfast, the day begins with the road transfer from Maasai Mara to Nairobi Transfer, 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 evening is spent at your Nairobi Transfer accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

3. Day 3

   Nairobi Transfer to Diani Beach

   You leave Nairobi Transfer after breakfast and head for Diani Beach, connecting to the coast and transferring south through Ukunda. Once you reach Diani Beach there is time to check in before heading out among a long white-sand beach on Kenya's south coast, backed by palms and fringing reef. Your guide works the area for reef fish, colobus monkeys in the coastal forest and seasonal humpback whales offshore, with sightings varying by season and conditions. Diani's reef sits close inshore, which keeps the lagoon calm and makes it suitable for swimming and snorkelling. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Diani Beach.

4. Day 4

   Maasai Mara to Diani Beach

   Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Maasai Mara bound for Diani Beach, connecting to the coast and transferring south through Ukunda. Once you reach Diani Beach there is time to check in before heading out among a long white-sand beach on Kenya's south coast, backed by palms and fringing reef. Your guide works the area for reef fish, colobus monkeys in the coastal forest and seasonal humpback whales offshore, with sightings varying by season and conditions. Diani's reef sits close inshore, which keeps the lagoon calm and makes it suitable for swimming and snorkelling. Dinner is served at your Diani Beach camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

5. Day 5

   Full-Day Ukunda / Mombasa Safari

   The day is set aside for Ukunda / Mombasa, with drives timed around the first and last hours of light. The drives cover a long white-sand beach on Kenya's south coast, backed by palms and fringing reef, moving between habitats as conditions change. Keep watch for reef fish, colobus monkeys in the coastal forest and seasonal humpback whales offshore as you move between the different habitats. Beach days are deliberately unhurried after the safari sectors. Diani's reef sits close inshore, which keeps the lagoon calm and makes it suitable for swimming and snorkelling. The evening returns you to your Ukunda / Mombasa accommodation for dinner and overnight.

6. Day 6

   Full-Day Ukunda / Mombasa Safari

   An unhurried full day in Ukunda / Mombasa gives your guide room to follow whatever the morning turns up. Your route takes in a long white-sand beach on Kenya's south coast, backed by palms and fringing reef, with your guide reading recent movement to decide where to spend time. Keep watch for reef fish, colobus monkeys in the coastal forest and seasonal humpback whales offshore as you move between the different habitats. Beach days are deliberately unhurried after the safari sectors. Diani's reef sits close inshore, which keeps the lagoon calm and makes it suitable for swimming and snorkelling. Dinner and overnight are again at your Ukunda / Mombasa camp or lodge.

7. Day 7

   Full-Day Ukunda / Mombasa Safari

   You spend the day in Ukunda / Mombasa, heading out early and returning as the light goes. You travel through a long white-sand beach on Kenya's south coast, backed by palms and fringing reef, working the areas your guide judges most productive on the day. Sightings may include reef fish, colobus monkeys in the coastal forest and seasonal humpback whales offshore, depending on season and conditions. Beach days are deliberately unhurried after the safari sectors. Diani's reef sits close inshore, which keeps the lagoon calm and makes it suitable for swimming and snorkelling. Dinner and overnight are again at your Ukunda / Mombasa camp or lodge.