8-Day Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha & Amboseli Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

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

1. Day 1

   Nairobi to Masai Mara

   You leave Nairobi after breakfast and head for Masai Mara, descending the wall of the Great Rift Valley and passing through Narok and Maasai farming country. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes 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. The evening is spent at your Masai Mara accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

2. Day 2

   Full-Day Masai Mara Safari

   You have a complete day in Masai Mara, starting early while the air is still cool and animals are active. The drives cover open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem, moving between habitats as conditions change. Species commonly associated with the area include lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game. 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. Transport and game drives are shared with other travellers on this joining departure. Dinner and overnight are again at your Masai Mara camp or lodge.

3. Day 3

   Full-Day Masai Mara Safari

   A full day in Masai Mara allows you to explore well beyond the areas reached on a short visit. Your route takes in open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem, with your guide reading recent movement to decide where to spend time. 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. Dinner and overnight are again at your Masai Mara camp or lodge.

4. Day 4

   Masai Mara to Lake Nakuru

   After breakfast you leave Masai Mara and travel on toward 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. Look for black and white rhino, Rothschild's giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck and dense birdlife as the light softens through the afternoon. 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. The evening is spent at your Lake Nakuru accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

5. Day 5

   Lake Nakuru to Lake Naivasha

   After breakfast you leave Lake Nakuru and travel on toward Lake Naivasha, following the Rift Valley escarpment road with its long views over the valley floor. You arrive in time to settle in, and the day continues with a game drive across 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. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Lake Naivasha.

6. Day 6

   Lake Naivasha to Amboseli

   You leave Lake Naivasha after breakfast and head 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. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Amboseli.

7. Day 7

   Full-Day Amboseli Safari

   You have a complete day in Amboseli, starting early while the air is still cool and animals are active. You travel through open plains, dust flats and spring-fed swamps beneath the bulk of Kilimanjaro, working the areas your guide judges most productive on the day. Species commonly associated with the area include large elephant herds, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and abundant water birds around the swamps. 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.

8. Day 8

   Amboseli to Nairobi

   Following an early breakfast, the day begins with the road transfer from Amboseli 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.