This route gives you three very different sides of Kenya in one trip. Lake Nakuru for its rhino sanctuary and flamingos, the Maasai Mara for its big cats and open plains, and Amboseli for its elephant herds under Mount Kilimanjaro. It moves at a steady pace, with a full day set aside in the Mara so you’re not rushing straight through.
Pickup starts at 07:00 from your Nairobi hotel. The drive to Lake Nakuru takes around two to three hours. You check in at your lodge and have lunch, then head out at 15:00 for an afternoon game drive. The park is fenced and protects a healthy population of both black and white rhino, along with Rothschild’s giraffe, lion and leopard, and its lake is known for drawing large flocks of flamingos. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.
After a short morning game drive at 06:30, you have breakfast and set off for the Maasai Mara. The drive takes around five to six hours, passing through the Rift Valley and Narok town on the way. You arrive at your lodge in time for lunch, then head out at 16:00 for your first Mara game drive, watching for lion, elephant and buffalo. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.
Game drives run at 06:30 and 16:00, with lunch and a rest at the lodge in between. The Mara holds resident wildlife year round, and between July and September it also hosts the wildebeest and zebra herds crossing over from Tanzania’s Serengeti. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.
After an early breakfast at 06:30, you begin the long drive to Amboseli, which takes around seven to eight hours with a stop for lunch along the way. Because of the distance, this is mostly a travel day. You arrive at your lodge in the early evening, in time to settle in before dinner. Overnight at your lodge.
An early game drive at 06:30 gives you a couple of hours in the park before breakfast. Amboseli sits at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, and its swamps hold some of the largest elephant herds in East Africa, often photographed with the mountain in the background when the sky is clear. After breakfast, you drive back to Nairobi, arriving in the afternoon, with drop-off at your hotel or the airport.
Safari rates change with the season, number of travellers and available accommodation.
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