Overview
The draw here is the night in the Aberdares. Tree lodges like The Ark and Treetops are built over floodlit waterholes in high montane forest, and the game comes to you after dark — elephant, buffalo, giant forest hog, sometimes rhino — while you sit on a balcony in the cold.
Around that sits a well-paced week: two nights under Kilimanjaro at the start, Nakuru's rhino in the middle, and two full days in the Masai Mara to finish.
- A night in a forest tree lodge above a floodlit waterhole
- Amboseli's big-tusked elephant herds below Kilimanjaro
- Both rhino species at Lake Nakuru
- Two full days of game drives in the Masai Mara
Day by day
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Day 1 Nairobi to Amboseli
South across the Athi plains to Amboseli, arriving for lunch. An afternoon game drive in a park whose open ground makes the elephant herds easy to find.
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Day 2 A full day in Amboseli
Up early for the mountain, which is usually clear at dawn and gone by mid-morning. Two game drives, with the hot middle of the day at the lodge.
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Day 3 Amboseli to the Aberdares
North past Nairobi, stopping for lunch, and up into the Aberdare range. Transfer to the tree lodge in the afternoon and watch the waterhole below you until you give up and go to bed.
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Day 4 Aberdares to Lake Nakuru
Down out of the forest and into the Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru. Lunch, then an afternoon game run for rhino, Rothschild's giraffe and whatever the lake is holding.
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Day 5 Nakuru to the Masai Mara
The drive south-west across the valley floor to the Mara. Settle into camp and take the first afternoon game drive in the reserve.
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Day 6 A full day in the Mara
Extensive game runs morning and afternoon after the predators, with grazing herds spread across the plains between sightings.
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Day 7 A second full day in the Mara
Another full day in the reserve — time to go back to a sighting rather than move on, and the difference between seeing the Mara and rushing it.
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Day 8 Masai Mara to Nairobi
A morning game 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)
