This nine-day safari is a comprehensive exploration of Kenya’s most celebrated and diverse wildlife destinations. Your adventure moves through four distinct ecosystems, offering a complete picture of the country’s natural heritage. You will start in the legendary Masai Mara, a vast savanna renowned for its dense predator populations and the seasonal Great Wildebeest Migration. From there, the tour continues to the alkaline shores of Lake Nakuru, a critical sanctuary for rhinos and home to immense flocks of flamingos. You will then visit the pioneering Ol Pejeta Conservancy on the Laikipia Plateau, a global leader in rhino conservation. The final days are spent in the arid, rugged landscapes of Samburu National Reserve, where unique, desert-adapted wildlife thrives. You will travel in a private 4×4 Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof for unobstructed photography, led by one of our professional safari guides.
Itinerary
Your guide will meet you in Nairobi after breakfast to begin the drive towards the Masai Mara. The route travels across the floor of the Great Rift Valley, offering magnificent views from the escarpment edge. You will arrive at your lodge in time for lunch. After settling in, you will head out for your first game drive across the Mara’s iconic plains, keeping a sharp lookout for lions, elephants, buffalo, and other members of the Big Five.
Your guide will meet you in Nairobi after breakfast to begin the drive towards the Masai Mara. The route travels across the floor of the Great Rift Valley, offering magnificent views from the escarpment edge. You will arrive at your lodge in time for lunch. After settling in, you will head out for your first game drive across the Mara’s iconic plains, keeping a sharp lookout for lions, elephants, buffalo, and other members of the Big Five.
Meal Plan: Lunch & Dinner
You will have two full days to experience the Masai Mara. Your guide will lead morning and afternoon game drives, the coolest parts of the day when animals are most active. You will track prides of lions, watch for leopards in the riverine forests, and observe herds of elephants and giraffes on the open grasslands. If you travel between July and October, you might witness the dramatic river crossings of the Great Wildebeest Migration. The Mara’s wildlife is spectacular year-round. You can also book an optional hot-air balloon flight at sunrise or arrange a visit to a local Maasai community to learn about their culture and traditions.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
You will have two full days to experience the Masai Mara. Your guide will lead morning and afternoon game drives, the coolest parts of the day when animals are most active. You will track prides of lions, watch for leopards in the riverine forests, and observe herds of elephants and giraffes on the open grasslands. If you travel between July and October, you might witness the dramatic river crossings of the Great Wildebeest Migration. The Mara’s wildlife is spectacular year-round. You can also book an optional hot-air balloon flight at sunrise or arrange a visit to a local Maasai community to learn about their culture and traditions.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Following a final breakfast in the Mara, you will drive to Lake Nakuru National Park. This compact park surrounds a soda lake famous for the pink-hued flocks of flamingos that feed along its shores. Nakuru is one of the most successful rhino sanctuaries in East Africa, and an afternoon game drive gives you an excellent chance of spotting both black and white rhinos. You will also search the acacia woodlands for Rothschild's giraffes and the park’s elusive tree-climbing lions.
Meal Plan: Lunch & Dinner
Your safari continues to the Laikipia Plateau and the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. This conservation area is home to the last two northern white rhinos in the world, and seeing them is a powerful experience. You will also visit the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, the only place in Kenya where you can see these rescued apes. An afternoon game drive will introduce you to the conservancy’s other residents, including Grevy’s zebras and Jackson’s hartebeests.
Meal Plan: Lunch & Dinner
Spend the entire day exploring the diverse habitats of Ol Pejeta. With open plains, riverine forests, and acacia woodlands, the conservancy supports a rich variety of wildlife. Your morning and afternoon game drives will focus on finding predators and other plains game. After dark, you have the option to take a guided night game drive, which offers a unique opportunity to find nocturnal animals like aardvarks, serval cats, and spotted hyenas.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After breakfast, the safari heads north to the dry, rugged terrain of Samburu National Reserve. The landscape here is dramatically different from the southern parks, defined by rocky hills and the vital Ewaso Nyiro River. After lunch, your game drive will focus on finding the "Samburu Special Five"—local species adapted to the arid climate, including the Grevy's zebra, gerenuk, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, and Somali ostrich.
Meal Plan: Lunch & Dinner
You will spend a full day in Samburu with morning and afternoon game drives. Much of the wildlife congregates near the Ewaso Nyiro River, making it a prime location to find large herds of elephants and lounging crocodiles. In the deeper areas of the reserve, you will track lions, leopards, and cheetahs that have made this starkly beautiful environment their home.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Enjoy one last breakfast at the lodge before starting the relaxed drive back to Nairobi. You will arrive in the city in the late afternoon, where your guide will drop you off, concluding your nine-day Kenyan safari.
Meal Plan: Breakfast
Cost Includes
- 8 nights of accommodation at safari lodges or tented camps.
- All meals as detailed in the daily itinerary.
- Pick-up and drop-off service within Nairobi.
- A private 4x4 Safari Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof for the entire trip.
- The expertise of a professional, English-speaking safari guide.
- All scheduled game drives in each park and reserve.
- Park entry fees for the driver-guide and vehicle.
- All current government taxes and local levies.
- Use of the facilities at all properties.
Cost Excludes
- Guest park entry fees.
- Personal items such as souvenirs, laundry service, and drinks.
- Optional activities (hot-air balloon safari, Maasai village visit, night game drives).
- Gratuities for your safari guide and lodge staff.
- Any other item not specifically listed under "Inclusions."
