8 Day Kenya Safari Amboseli Aberdare Nakuru Naivasha & Masai Mara

Day 1: Nairobi – Drive to Amboseli National Park
Day 2: Discover Amboseli National Park
Day 3: Amboseli  – Drive to Aberdare National Park
Day 4: Aberdare – Drive to Lake Nakuru National Park
Day 5: Lake Nakuru – Drive to Lake Naivasha
Day 6: Lake Naivasha – Drive to Masai Mara National Reserve
Day 7: Explore Masai Mara National Reserve
Day 8: Masai Mara – Drive to Nairobi

Day 1: Nairobi – Drive to Amboseli National Park

After a delicious breakfast, we depart for Amboseli National Park – one of Kenya’s most popular parks. The park is located about 230 km southeast of Nairobi, on the Tanzanian border, and is set against Africa’s most iconic mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro.

Arrive in time for lunch and later set out for an afternoon game drive to look for the 80 different mammals that call Amboseli home. These include leopard, cheetah, wild dogs, buffalo, elephant, giraffe, zebra, lion, crocodile, mongoose, hyrax, dik- dik, lesser Kudu, and nocturnal Porcupine.

There are over 400 bird species.

Overnight Accommodation: Amboseli Serena Lodge, Ol Tukai Lodge, or Amboseli Sopa Lodge
Meal Plan {Lunch & Dinner}

Day 2: Explore Amboseli National Park

Today we will make the most of the opportunity to view the plentiful game and natural beauty of Amboseli National Park, which is an International Biosphere Reserve.

The varied landscape includes the Amboseli lake bed (dry outside the rainy season), savannah, and numerous lush swamps. A wide variety of antelope and other animals such as spotted hyenas, warthogs, jackals, olive baboons, and vervet monkeys can be found on the plains, and there is always the possibility of spotting a lion, leopard, or cheetah.

The pyramid-shaped Observation Hill is an easy climb for those who feel like it and offers stunning views of Mount Kilimanjaro. We return to the lodge for lunch and a rest. This afternoon, you can take an optional nature walk and do some birdwatching (150 species have been spotted on the grounds).

Dinner will be served at the lodge overlooking Amboseli and the distant Mount Kilimanjaro.

Overnight Accommodation: Amboseli Serena Lodge, Ol Tukai Lodge, or Amboseli Sopa Lodge
Meal Plan {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 3: Amboseli – Drive to Aberdare National Park

Depart for Nairobi after breakfast. Our destination today is the Aberdare National Park. We stop for lunch at an upscale restaurant in Nairobi and later travel overland through coffee and tea plantations to The Aberdare Country Club or the Outspan Hotel.

After high tea, we set off for the Ark Tree Lodge or the Treetops Lodge, located in the forest on the mountain slopes of the Aberdare Mountains at 7,000 feet.

These outstanding lodges offer high-altitude game viewing, including animals that are rarely encountered elsewhere: giant forest hog, bush pig, tree hyrax, large spotted genet, and the elusive bongo.

Wildlife can be observed from different levels – and from outside, where you can see, hear, and smell everything, and inside, where you can sit with a cup of tea and stay warm and cozy.

You can put in a request to be awakened during the night if your favorite animals show up. A herd of elephants might be just feet away, and if you are lucky, a leopard or large male Lion might put in an appearance.

Overnight Accommodation: Ark Lodge or Treetop Hotel
Meal Plan {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 4: Aberdare – Drive to Lake Nakuru National Park

After breakfast today, we drive down to Lake Nakuru, one of the Great Lakes of East Africa’s Rift Valley. Upon reaching Lake Nakuru National Park, we make our way to our next safari lodge, game-viewing en route. After lunch at the lodge/camp, we take a nap or dip in the pool.

This afternoon we go game viewing in Lake Nakuru National Park, set around the shallow soda lake. Originally established as a bird sanctuary, Nakuru is a Ramsar Wetland Area, known for its spectacular birdlife. When water levels are high enough, massive flocks of flamingos have been known to gather at Lake Nakuru.

Highlights on our 4×4 game drive may include sightings of tree-climbing lions and both black and white rhinos, for which the reserve is better known today. Commonly sighted animals include giraffes, baboons, zebras, buffalo, antelope, and hippos, with rare sightings of leopards.

Overnight Accommodation: Lake Nakuru Lodge or Sarova Lion Hill Lodge
Meal Plan {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 5: Lake Nakuru – Drive to Lake Naivasha

Next, we overland to papyrus-fringed Lake Naivasha. With over 400 species of birds, this freshwater lake is a birding Paradise. Along the lake’s fabled waters, we are bound to see some of the area’s more intriguing species—hippos, giraffes, buffalo, and even the arboreal colobus monkey.

Lake Naivasha lies in the Great Rift Valley, and its name derives from the local Masai name Nai’posha, meaning “rough water” because of sudden storms that can arise.

After lunch, we visit Crescent Island- a private sanctuary- where you can walk beneath yellow-barked acacias (yellow fever trees) in search of giraffes, wildebeest, impala, dik-diks, Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelles, elands, waterbucks, and countless bird species.

Oh, and there are some rather gigantic pythons too! We are allowed to walk with the animals since all were introduced during the filming of Out of Africa. An optional boat ride on the lake reveals many waterbird species and schools of Hippos.

Overnight Accommodation: Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge or Naivasha Simba Lodge
Meals: {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 6: Lake Naivasha – Drive to Masai Mara Game Reserve

After a leisurely breakfast, depart overland to the Masai Mara Game Reserve-jewel of Kenya’s game parks. The Masai Mara is Kenya’s finest and most outstanding wildlife sanctuary where gentle rolling grassland ensures animals are never out of sight.

The climate is gentle, rarely too hot, and well-spread rainfall year-round. The sensation of the great wildebeest migration between July and October is unparalleled. The wildlife is far from being confined within the Reserve boundaries, and an even larger area extends beyond the game Reserve.

Centuries of close association with wildlife have resulted in an almost symbiotic relationship in which the Masai and wildlife live in peace with one another. After lunch, explore the Reserve on a late evening game drive.

No matter how much you have thought about Africa, this is more than you expected—the big five-Lion, Elephant, Leopard, Rhino, and Cape buffalo are in abundance.

Overnight Accommodation: Mara Sopa Lodge or Mara Simba Lodge
Meals: {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 7: Explore Masai Mara Game Reserve

Today we will spend time in the vast ecosystem of the Mara, searching for the Big Five and much more. You also have an optional balloon safari – Many call it a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Once you are up, you won’t want to come down, and once you land, a champagne breakfast awaits you.

Game viewing is great from the air, with opportunities for beautiful photos. The annual wildebeest migration is expected in the Masai Mara between July and early November. Millions of animals migrate to the Mara from the Serengeti in search of fresh green pastures and water.

It’s worth noting that every game drive is different from the other, and missing one is missing out on the fun.

Overnight Accommodation: Mara Sopa Lodge or Mara Simba Lodge
Meals: {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 8: Masai Mara – Drive to Nairobi

Breakfast and one last look at the Mara before we head back to Nairobi by road. We check into our hotel and enjoy a few hours of relaxation by the pool or perhaps revisit a favourite shop or two.

After dinner, we proceed to the airport knowing that this has been a journey to remember for the rest of our lives.

Meals: {Breakfast}