Amboseli, Nakuru & Masai Mara

Nairobi - Amboseli National Park. Arrive in Nairobi the day prior to the start of the tour. You will be picked up from your accommodation at 8:30 am and travel south across the open Athi Plains towards Amboseli National Park. As we leave the city behind, the scenery gradually opens into classic bush country.

We arrive at our accommodation in time for lunch and have time to settle in before heading out later this afternoon for our first game drive. We explore the plains of Amboseli beneath the imposing presence of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain and a defining feature of this landscape. The park is well known for its large elephant herds and the long-standing coexistence between wildlife and the Maasai people, who have lived in this region for generations.

As the light softens, we continue our game drive before returning to our accommodation for dinner and an overnight stay, located within the heart of Amboseli National Park.

Please note: The order of days may change depending on group size and the availability of accommodation.

Today, the group will have the choice of how to spend the day exploring Amboseli National Park.

Full day Safari: After breakfast, we leave our accommodation with a packed lunch for a full day of game viewing. We spend the day exploring different areas of the park, with time set aside to enjoy a picnic lunch at Observation Hill. On clear days, this elevated viewpoint offers distant views of Mount Kilimanjaro and a wide outlook across the surrounding plains. After lunch, we continue our game drive before returning to our accommodation in the evening for dinner and an overnight stay.

Please note: If the group prefers, today's itinerary may be able to be adjusted to the below, but this is not guaranteed

Morning & Evening Safari After breakfast, we set out for a morning game drive, taking advantage of the cooler hours when wildlife is most active. We return to our accommodation around midday for lunch, followed by time to rest during the warmer part of the day. Later this afternoon, we head out again at around 4:00 pm for an evening game drive as temperatures ease and animals begin to stir. Amboseli is known for its strong populations of elephants, lions, buffalo, zebra and wildebeest, as well as its striking scenery. Mount Kilimanjaro dominates the horizon, while the park’s swamps, fed by underground streams from the mountain, often attract elephants that appear to drift across the water. We return to our accommodation in the early evening for dinner and an overnight stay.

Amboseli National Park - Lake Nakuru. This morning, we depart after an early breakfast and travel by road to Lake Nakuru National Park, an important sanctuary for flamingos and other water birds. We arrive around 12:30 pm and begin a game drive as we make our way through the park to our accommodation for check-in and lunch.

After settling in, we have time to relax before heading out again at around 4.00pm for an afternoon game drive and a guided nature walk along the lakeshore. This area offers excellent opportunities to observe birdlife and take in the changing light across the lake before we return to our accommodation ahead of sunset.

Lake Nakuru is a shallow alkaline lake and one of Kenya’s most celebrated birding destinations, often referred to as a paradise for birdwatchers. The park is also known for its protected populations of white and black rhino, as well as the rare Rothschild giraffe. During our game drives, we keep watch for tree-climbing lions, Cape buffalo, waterbuck, gazelle, leopard and a variety of primates that inhabit the surrounding woodland and grasslands.

Lake Nakuru - Masai Mara. We travel south through the Great Rift Valley towards the Masai Mara National Reserve, part of a vast ecosystem that extends into Tanzania’s Serengeti. The reserve is best known for the annual wildebeest migration between June and September, when large herds of wildebeest and zebra move in search of fresh grazing, while strong resident wildlife populations remain throughout the year.

We stop for lunch in Narok Town before continuing into the reserve. Later this afternoon, we head out on our first game drive, exploring open plains shaped by acacia woodland and river systems that support an abundance of wildlife and birdlife, including members of the Big Five.

The Masai Mara lies within the traditional lands of the Maasai people and remains one of Africa’s most iconic safari destinations. We return to our accommodation in the early evening for dinner and an overnight stay within the reserve.

This morning, we spend the day on extended game drives across the Masai Mara, exploring its open plains and diverse habitats. The reserve supports one of Kenya’s largest lion populations, alongside buffalo, black rhino, hippopotamus, leopard, cheetah, zebra, wildebeest, hartebeest, oribi, warthog and both Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles. Birdlife is equally abundant throughout the park.

We stop for a picnic lunch beside the Mara River, where hippos and crocodiles are often seen resting along the banks. After lunch, we continue our game drive, making the most of our time in this wildlife-rich environment.

In the late afternoon, we are dropped at a Maasai village at 5:00 pm for a cultural visit. We join a guided nature walk with a Maasai naturalist to learn about medicinal plants, followed by traditional singing and dancing around a campfire. The village chief shares insight into Maasai culture, customs and daily life, before dinner is served at the village. Tea and coffee follow, after which we return to our accommodation for an overnight stay.

Masai Mara - Nairobi. After our final breakfast, we head out for an early morning game drive, making the most of our last opportunity to explore the Masai Mara as wildlife becomes active at first light. We then return to our accommodation to enjoy a relaxed breakfast before beginning our journey back to Nairobi.

We bid farewell to the Masai Mara Game Reserve and travel north at an unhurried pace, reflecting on the experiences of the past days. You arrive in Nairobi in the late afternoon, where your trip comes to an end with a drop-off at your accommodation. You can then make your way to the airport for your onward flight. Safe travels!