Overview
Meru is the least visited good park in Kenya. It is green, well watered by streams off the Nyambene hills, and almost empty of vehicles — you can spend a morning there and see nobody. It is where George and Joy Adamson released Elsa, and the reintroduced wildlife has recovered well since the poaching years.
Pairing it with Ol Pejeta, Nakuru and the Mara gives you a week that starts quiet and builds, and puts two conservancies with rhino either side of the busier reserves.
- Meru National Park, green, remote and very lightly visited
- Both rhino species on Ol Pejeta Conservancy
- Lake Nakuru's rhino and Rothschild's giraffe
- Two days in the Masai Mara to finish
Day by day
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Day 1 Nairobi to Meru National Park
North-east past Mount Kenya and down into Meru, which is greener and wetter than the parks either side of it. Lunch at the lodge, then an afternoon game drive along the streams.
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Day 2 A full day in Meru
A full day in a park most visitors never reach: elephant, buffalo, reticulated giraffe and lion, with the rhino sanctuary in the west of the park for black and white rhino.
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Day 3 Meru to Ol Pejeta
West around the mountain onto the Laikipia plateau and into Ol Pejeta. Afternoon game run in the conservancy, with camp overlooking a floodlit waterhole.
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Day 4 Ol Pejeta to Lake Nakuru
An early drive on the conservancy, then down into the Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru. Lunch, and an afternoon game run for rhino and the birdlife on the lake.
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Day 5 Nakuru to the Masai Mara
South-west across the valley floor to the Mara, arriving in time to settle in and take an afternoon game drive.
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Day 6 A full day in the Mara
Morning and afternoon game runs after lion, cheetah and leopard, and the migrating herds if you are here between late July and October.
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Day 7 Masai Mara to Nairobi
A last morning drive, breakfast at camp, then the road back to Nairobi, arriving in the afternoon.
Want to change something? Add a night, swap a lodge or combine parks. We’ll tailor it for you.
Customise this safariWhat’s included
Included
- Ground transport in a comfortable safari vehicle
- Full-board accommodation as listed in the itinerary
- Professional English-speaking driver-guide
- All game drives listed in the itinerary
- Bottled drinking water while on safari
- Airport transfers
Not included
- Park entrance fees and conservation levies (quoted separately at current rates)
- International flights
- Tips and gratuities
- Soft drinks and alcoholic drinks
- Optional village visits and activities marked as optional
- Hot-air balloon flight over the Mara (optional)
