7-Day Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Amboseli & Tsavo West Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Nairobi → Masai Mara → Lake Nakuru → Lake Naivasha → Amboseli → Nairobi

1. Day 1

   Nairobi to Masai Mara

   After breakfast you leave Nairobi and travel on toward 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. Look for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game as the light softens through the afternoon. The reserve is best known for its big cat densities, and between roughly July and October the wildebeest migration commonly moves through the ecosystem. This is a joining departure, so the safari vehicle is shared with other guests. The evening is spent at your Masai Mara accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

2. Day 2

   Full-Day Masai Mara Safari

   An unhurried full day in Masai Mara gives your guide room to follow whatever the morning turns up. Much of the day is spent among open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem. Sightings may include lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game, depending on season and conditions. 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. This is a joining departure, so the safari vehicle is shared with other guests. You return to your camp or lodge for dinner and a second night at Masai Mara.

3. Day 3

   Masai Mara to Lake Nakuru

   The day opens in Masai Mara with a morning departure for Lake Nakuru, travelling through the Rift Valley floor and the farming towns of the Nakuru region. You arrive in time to settle in, and the day continues with a game drive across 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. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Lake Nakuru.

4. Day 4

   Lake Nakuru to Lake Naivasha

   Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Lake Nakuru bound for Lake Naivasha, following the Rift Valley escarpment road with its long views over the valley floor. Once you reach Lake Naivasha there is time to check in before heading out among a freshwater Rift Valley lake fringed by papyrus, fever trees and flower-farming country. There is the possibility of seeing hippo, waterbuck, colobus and an exceptional range of resident and migratory waterbirds, depending on movement and conditions on the day. Naivasha is one of the few freshwater lakes in the Rift Valley, which is why boat trips and walking safaris are possible here rather than vehicle drives alone. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Lake Naivasha.

5. Day 5

   Lake Naivasha to Amboseli

   The day opens in Lake Naivasha with a morning departure for Amboseli, travelling south past Kajiado and through Maasai rangeland toward the Tanzanian border country. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through open plains, dust flats and spring-fed swamps beneath the bulk of Kilimanjaro. Look for large elephant herds, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and abundant water birds around the swamps as the light softens through the afternoon. 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.

6. Day 6

   Full-Day Amboseli Safari

   You spend the day in Amboseli, heading out early and returning as the light goes. Much of the day is spent among open plains, dust flats and spring-fed swamps beneath the bulk of Kilimanjaro. Sightings may include large elephant herds, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and abundant water birds around the swamps, depending on season and conditions. The swamps stay green through dry months, drawing elephants and plains game into concentrated, highly photographable groups. 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. Dinner and overnight are again at your Amboseli camp or lodge.

7. Day 7

   Amboseli to Nairobi

   The day opens in Amboseli with a morning departure for 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.