9-Day Aberdare · Samburu · Mount Kenya · Lake Nakuru · Maasai Mara

Day by day

9 days in East Africa.

1. Day 1

   Nairobi – Aberdare National Park

   Depart Nairobi after breakfast and drive north through coffee and tea plantations to a country club on the slopes of Mweiga Hill for lunch. In the afternoon transfer to a tree lodge set in forest at about 7,000 feet in the Aberdare mountains. Game viewing here happens from the lodge itself, over a waterhole and salt lick, and includes animals rarely seen elsewhere such as giant forest hog, bush pig, tree hyrax, genet and, occasionally, bongo. Elephant herds come within a few metres, and staff can wake you in the night if a leopard or lion appears. Dinner and overnight at the tree lodge.

   Overnight

   KWS public campsite, AberdareThe Ark, AberdareThe Ark, Aberdare

   Meals

   Lunch and dinner

   

2. Day 2

   Tree Lodge — Samburu Game Reserve

   This morning the road leads north across the equator to Kenya's northern frontier. Samburu National Reserve is wild and rugged, its arid savanna cut by the Ewaso Nyiro River, and it is home to species found only north of the equator: reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, Beisa oryx and gerenuk. Arrive at the lodge and, after lunch, take an afternoon game drive in the 4x4 Land Cruiser along the river, where elephant come to drink. Return after the afternoon game drive for dinner and the night.

   Overnight

   Umoja Camp, SamburuAshnil Samburu CampElephant Bedroom Camp, Samburu

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

3. Day 3

   Samburu National Reserve

   After breakfast, a full day in Samburu: either a single long drive with picnic lunches or morning and afternoon drives around a return to the lodge, whichever you prefer. The reserve's doum palms, river woodland and dry hills hold leopard, lion and cheetah as well as the northern specialities, and the birdlife is exceptional, from vulturine guineafowl to Somali ostrich and the hornbills that follow dwarf mongoose troops. The day ends with dinner and time to unwind.

   Overnight

   Umoja Camp, SamburuAshnil Samburu CampElephant Bedroom Camp, Samburu

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

4. Day 4

   Samburu — Mount Kenya Safari Club

   After breakfast, a final game drive in Samburu, then depart south across the equator to the foothills of Mount Kenya and a well-known club on the mountain's slopes. The property has a glamorous past and offers horse riding, golf, trout streams, tennis and a sauna, with the peaks of Mount Kenya in view when the cloud lifts in the early morning or evening. The afternoon is at leisure to enjoy the grounds. Dinner and overnight at the club.

   Overnight

   Mount Kenya clubMount Kenya clubMount Kenya club

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

   

5. Day 5

   Mount Kenya Safari Club — Lake Nakuru

   After breakfast, leave the Mount Kenya region and drive west across the highlands, with a stop at Thomson's Falls in Nyahururu, before descending into the Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru National Park in time for lunch. The afternoon game drive circles the alkaline lake and its wooded slopes, where rhino, buffalo, waterbuck and Rothschild's giraffe are found and flamingos gather in varying numbers. Return for dinner and settle in for the evening.

   Overnight

   Buraha Zenoni, Lake NakuruLake Nakuru Sopa LodgeThe Cliff Nakuru

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

6. Day 6

   Lake Nakuru — Maasai Mara National Reserve

   After breakfast, a game drive on the way out of Lake Nakuru, then travel through the Great Rift Valley to the Maasai Mara National Reserve. The Mara is the northern extension of the Serengeti plains, known for the great wildebeest migration and home to the Big Five. Lunch at the lodge and time to relax before the afternoon game drive, where Maasai giraffe, buffalo, eland and thousands of impala, zebra, topi and gazelle are easy to see. Come back for dinner and a quiet evening.

   Overnight

   Miti Mingi Camp, Maasai MaraZebra Plains Mara CampGovernors' Camp, Maasai Mara

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

7. Day 7

   Maasai Mara full day

   The search for the great predators, and perhaps cubs, continues today with extensive morning and afternoon game drives in the 4x4 Land Cruiser. The plains carry enormous herds of grazing animals, while cheetah use the termite mounds as lookouts and leopard rest among the acacia boughs along the river lines. Your guide plans the routes around recent sightings. Lunch and dinner are included, with the evening free before the night.

   Overnight

   Miti Mingi Camp, Maasai MaraZebra Plains Mara CampGovernors' Camp, Maasai Mara

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

8. Day 8

   Maasai Mara full day

   A second full day in the Maasai Mara, giving time to reach the further corners of the reserve and to return to any sighting worth a longer watch. During the stay there is an optional opportunity to visit a Maasai village to see the singing and dancing that are part of daily life and ritual, and to get a glimpse of the homes and social structure of the community. Game drives morning and afternoon. Return after the day's game viewing for dinner and your overnight stay.

   Overnight

   Miti Mingi Camp, Maasai MaraZebra Plains Mara CampGovernors' Camp, Maasai Mara

   Meals

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner

   

9. Day 9

   Maasai Mara – Nairobi

   After a leisurely breakfast, drive back to Nairobi, climbing out of the Mara through Narok and up the Rift Valley escarpment to arrive in the afternoon. Depending on your flight time there may be a chance to visit the city's shopping areas, revisit a favourite spot or simply relax before the transfer to the airport. Tell us your departure details when booking so the timing of the drive from the Mara can be arranged to suit them.

   Meals

   Breakfast

Your questions, answered.