14-Day Samburu, Aberdare, Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, Amboseli, Ngorongoro, Serengeti & Lake Manyara Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Nairobi → Samburu → Aberdare → Lake Nakuru → Masai Mara → Amboseli → Arusha → Ngorongoro → Serengeti → Lake Manyara → Arusha

1. Day 1

   Nairobi to Samburu

   The morning starts in Nairobi, from where you continue overland to Samburu, travelling north past Mount Kenya and through Nanyuki and Isiolo into the drier northern country. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through semi-arid northern rangeland of doum palms and riverine forest along the Ewaso Ng'iro river. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes elephant, lion, leopard and the dry-country species often called the Samburu Special Five. Northern Kenya holds species rarely seen further south, including Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, gerenuk and Somali ostrich. Your safari vehicle and guide are used by your party alone. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Samburu.

2. Day 2

   Full-Day Samburu Safari

   You spend the day in Samburu, heading out early and returning as the light goes. You travel through semi-arid northern rangeland of doum palms and riverine forest along the Ewaso Ng'iro river, working the areas your guide judges most productive on the day. Keep watch for elephant, lion, leopard and the dry-country species often called the Samburu Special Five as you move between the different habitats. The river is the reserve's lifeline, and game commonly concentrates along it through the heat of the day. Northern Kenya holds species rarely seen further south, including Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, gerenuk and Somali ostrich. Your safari vehicle and guide are used by your party alone. You return to your camp or lodge for dinner and a second night at Samburu.

3. Day 3

   Samburu to Aberdare

   The morning starts in Samburu, from where you continue overland to Aberdare, climbing into the central highlands through Nyeri and the tea and coffee country. Once you reach Aberdare there is time to check in before heading out among high montane forest, bamboo belt and moorland cut by streams and waterfalls. Your guide works the area for elephant, buffalo, giant forest hog, bushbuck and, with patience, rarely seen forest species, with sightings varying by season and conditions. The Aberdare lodges are built overlooking floodlit waterholes, so wildlife is watched from the building itself rather than from a vehicle. Dinner is served at your Aberdare camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

4. Day 4

   Aberdare to Lake Nakuru

   Breakfast is taken before you set out from Aberdare for the drive to Lake Nakuru, travelling through the Rift Valley floor and the farming towns of the Nakuru region. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through a Rift Valley soda lake ringed by yellow-barked acacia woodland and steep escarpment viewpoints. This is good country in which to look for black and white rhino, Rothschild's giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck and dense birdlife. The park operates as a sanctuary and is one of Kenya's more reliable places to look for rhino; flamingo numbers on the lake rise and fall with water levels. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Lake Nakuru.

5. Day 5

   Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara

   The morning starts in Lake Nakuru, from where you continue overland to Masai Mara, descending the wall of the Great Rift Valley and passing through Narok and Maasai farming country. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem. Look for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game as the light softens through the afternoon. The reserve is best known for its big cat densities, and between roughly July and October the wildebeest migration commonly moves through the ecosystem. The evening is spent at your Masai Mara accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

6. Day 6

   Full-Day Masai Mara Safari

   An unhurried full day in Masai Mara gives your guide room to follow whatever the morning turns up. Much of the day is spent among open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem. Sightings may include lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game, depending on season and conditions. A full day allows morning and late-afternoon drives when animals are most active, with the option of a picnic lunch out in the reserve. The reserve is best known for its big cat densities, and between roughly July and October the wildebeest migration commonly moves through the ecosystem. You return to your camp or lodge for dinner and a second night at Masai Mara.

7. Day 7

   Masai Mara to Amboseli

   Following an early breakfast, the day begins with the road transfer from Masai Mara to Amboseli, travelling south past Kajiado and through Maasai rangeland toward the Tanzanian border country. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into open plains, dust flats and spring-fed swamps beneath the bulk of Kilimanjaro. Look for large elephant herds, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and abundant water birds around the swamps as the light softens through the afternoon. Amboseli is known for its free-ranging elephant families, and on clear mornings Mount Kilimanjaro often rises above the plains, though cloud can hide it. Dinner is served at your Amboseli camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

8. Day 8

   Full-Day Amboseli Safari

   The day is set aside for Amboseli, with drives timed around the first and last hours of light. The drives cover open plains, dust flats and spring-fed swamps beneath the bulk of Kilimanjaro, moving between habitats as conditions change. Species commonly associated with the area include large elephant herds, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and abundant water birds around the swamps. The swamps stay green through dry months, drawing elephants and plains game into concentrated, highly photographable groups. Amboseli is known for its free-ranging elephant families, and on clear mornings Mount Kilimanjaro often rises above the plains, though cloud can hide it. Dinner and overnight are again at your Amboseli camp or lodge.

9. Day 9

   Amboseli to Arusha

   The morning starts in Amboseli, from where you continue overland to Arusha, continuing through the farmland and Maasai country below Mount Meru. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into northern Tanzania's safari gateway town below the slopes of Mount Meru. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Arusha.

10. Day 10

    Arusha to Ngorongoro

    You leave Arusha after breakfast and head for Ngorongoro, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. You arrive in time to settle in, and the day continues with a game drive across a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor. Your guide works the area for lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo and one of the few remaining populations where black rhino may be seen, with sightings varying by season and conditions. The crater floor holds a resident concentration of wildlife year-round because the caldera walls create a largely self-contained ecosystem. Dinner is served at your Ngorongoro camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

11. Day 11

    Full-Day Arusha Safari

    A full day in Arusha allows you to explore well beyond the areas reached on a short visit. Much of the day is spent among northern Tanzania's safari gateway town below the slopes of Mount Meru. Arusha is the staging point for the northern Tanzania circuit and where most safari briefings take place. Depending on the plan for the day, lunch is served at camp or packed to eat in the field. The evening returns you to your Arusha accommodation for dinner and overnight.

12. Day 12

    Ngorongoro to Serengeti

    Breakfast is taken before you set out from Ngorongoro for the drive to Serengeti, crossing the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descending onto the open plains. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses. Your guide works the area for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra, with sightings varying by season and conditions. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Serengeti.

13. Day 13

    Full-Day Serengeti Safari

    A full day in Serengeti allows you to explore well beyond the areas reached on a short visit. Your route takes in vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses, with your guide reading recent movement to decide where to spend time. Species commonly associated with the area include lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra. The scale of the plains rewards a full day, with time to work several areas rather than rushing between them. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. The evening returns you to your Serengeti accommodation for dinner and overnight.

14. Day 14

    Serengeti to Lake Manyara and Arusha

    You leave Serengeti after breakfast and head for Lake Manyara and Arusha, driving west from Arusha past Maasai settlements and the escarpment wall. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into groundwater forest, open floodplain and an alkaline lake beneath the Rift Valley escarpment. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes elephant, baboon troops, hippo, giraffe and large numbers of waterbirds including flamingo. Manyara is known for its groundwater forest fed by springs at the base of the escarpment, and for lions that are sometimes seen resting in trees. You are dropped at your Nairobi hotel or the airport in the late afternoon.