11 Day Samburu, Nakuru, Masai Mara, Naivasha, Amboseli &Tsavo Safari

Day 1: Nairobi – Samburu National Reserve

Your driver meets you at your hotel or the airport. After a short briefing you head north. The road takes you past the equator and Mount Kenya. You arrive at Samburu in time for lunch. You check in and rest a while. Later in the afternoon you go out for an evening game drive. You return when the sun goes down. Dinner and overnight at your camp or lodge.

Day 2: Full Day in Samburu

You have two ways to spend the day. You can take a packed lunch and stay out in the park the whole time. Or you can do a game drive in the morning and another in the evening. Samburu is known for its open landscapes, river, and forest. The local people have a deep culture that goes back generations. Springs bubble up from the ground and stay full all year. Wildlife here is varied. Look for leopard, hippo, elephant, lion, the patterned reticulated giraffe, and Grevy’s zebra with its thin stripes. Crocodiles lie in the Ewaso Nyiro River. Over 365 bird species have been recorded here. Dinner and overnight at your camp or lodge.

Day 3: Samburu – Lake Nakuru National Park

You wake up early for a game drive. After that you leave Samburu and head for Lake Nakuru. On the way you stop at Thomson Falls to take in the view. You arrive at Nakuru in the evening. You check in at your camp or lodge for dinner and the night.

Day 4: Lake Nakuru – Masai Mara Reserve

Breakfast comes early. After eating you go for a game drive in Lake Nakuru park. The lake is often called the pink lake because of the thousands of flamingos that line the shores. Up to a million have been seen here at one time. This was the first park in Africa set up mainly for birdlife. Later you leave Nakuru and stop for lunch along the road. You continue to the Masai Mara and arrive in the evening. Dinner and overnight at your camp or lodge.

Day 5: Full Day in Masai Mara

Today you spend the whole day in the Mara with a picnic lunch. You stop by the Mara River to look down at the hippo pools and watch the savannah stretch out. If you are here during the migration you might see thousands of wildebeest cross the river as crocodiles wait. The Mara holds over 95 animal species including the Big Five: elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, and rhino. You also see giraffe, cheetah, hyena, and many antelope. Bird species number over 480. There is an optional hot air balloon ride for an extra cost. Dinner and overnight at your camp or lodge.

Day 6: Masai Mara – Lake Naivasha

After breakfast you leave the Mara and drive to Lake Naivasha. You arrive in the afternoon. After lunch you go for a boat ride. The boat takes you close to hippos in the water. You can feed small fish to the fish eagles and watch them dive. You also walk on Crescent Island. The grounds of your camp or lodge often have zebras, vervet monkeys, and waterbucks moving around. Dinner and overnight here.

Day 7: Lake Naivasha – Amboseli National Park

After breakfast you drive to Amboseli. You arrive in time for an afternoon game drive. Amboseli sits near the Tanzanian border at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. On clear days the snow-capped peak stands tall behind the park. Amboseli is called the home of elephants because some of the largest herds are found here. You also see zebras, wildebeests, giraffes, buffalo, hippos, and antelopes. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, and rhinos are here too. Dinner and overnight at your camp or lodge.

Day 8: Full Day in Amboseli

You wake up early. Early morning is the best time to see Kilimanjaro before clouds cover the peak. After breakfast you head into the park for a full day with a picnic lunch. Amboseli holds plenty of wildlife. There is an optional visit to a Maasai village. The warriors welcome you with singing and dancing. They show you their homestead and you can take pictures. If you prefer not to stay out all day you can do a morning and evening game drive instead. Dinner and overnight at your camp or lodge.

Day 9: Amboseli – Tsavo West National Park

You start with an early morning game drive before breakfast. After breakfast you leave for Tsavo West. On the way you see the Shetani lava flow, a dark volcanic formation. You continue to Mzima Springs where you watch hippos, fish, and crocodiles from an underwater viewing hide. You then go to your lodge for check in and lunch. After resting you visit the Rhino Sanctuary. You see elephants, giraffes, rhinos, and many birds. The mountains around add to the view. Dinner and overnight at your camp or lodge.

Day 10: Tsavo West – Tsavo East National Park

Another early morning game drive before breakfast. After breakfast you leave for Tsavo East. You do game drives along the way to your camp or lodge where you check in and have lunch. In the evening you go out for a game drive through Kenya’s largest park. Look for herds of red elephants. The elephants here roll in red dust which stains their skin. You also see lions, giraffes, zebras, gazelles, buffalo, waterbucks, impalas, and many bird species. Dinner and overnight at your camp or lodge.

Day 11: Tsavo East to Nairobi

After breakfast you do an en route game drive as you leave the park. You then head for Nairobi. You stop for lunch somewhere along the way. You arrive in Nairobi in the early evening. Your driver drops you off at your hotel.

Optional Activities

Balloon Safari :$450
Maasai Village Visit : $15-$20