6-Day Amboseli, Lake Naivasha & Maasai Mara Mid-Range Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Nairobi → Amboseli → Lake Naivasha → Maasai Mara → Nairobi

1. Day 1

   Nairobi to Amboseli

   The morning starts in Nairobi, from where you continue overland to Amboseli, travelling south past Kajiado and through Maasai rangeland toward the Tanzanian border country. You arrive in time to settle in, and the day continues with a game drive across open plains, dust flats and spring-fed swamps beneath the bulk of Kilimanjaro. This is good country in which to look for large elephant herds, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and abundant water birds around the swamps. 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. Your safari vehicle and guide are used by your party alone. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Amboseli.

2. Day 2

   Full-Day Amboseli Safari

   Explore wetlands and open plains during early and late game-drive windows, returning to the lodge or camp for a midday pause. Much of the day is spent among open plains, dust flats and spring-fed swamps beneath the bulk of Kilimanjaro. Sightings may include large elephant herds, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and abundant water birds around the swamps, depending on season and conditions. 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. Your safari vehicle and guide are used by your party alone. The evening returns you to your Amboseli accommodation for dinner and overnight.

3. Day 3

   Amboseli to Lake Naivasha

   After breakfast you leave Amboseli and travel on toward Lake Naivasha, following the Rift Valley escarpment road with its long views over the valley floor. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into a freshwater Rift Valley lake fringed by papyrus, fever trees and flower-farming country. There is the possibility of seeing hippo, waterbuck, colobus and an exceptional range of resident and migratory waterbirds, depending on movement and conditions on the day. Naivasha is one of the few freshwater lakes in the Rift Valley, which is why boat trips and walking safaris are possible here rather than vehicle drives alone. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Lake Naivasha.

4. Day 4

   Lake Naivasha to Maasai Mara

   The day opens in Lake Naivasha with a morning departure for Maasai 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. This is good country in which to look for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game. The reserve is best known for its big cat densities, and between roughly July and October the wildebeest migration commonly moves through the ecosystem. Dinner is served at your Maasai Mara camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

5. Day 5

   Full-Day Maasai Mara Safari

   Spend the day exploring the Mara in measured game-drive windows, with wildlife plans adjusted to current conditions. Your route takes in open savanna grassland, acacia stands and the rolling country of the greater Mara ecosystem, with your guide reading recent movement to decide where to spend time. Species commonly associated with the area include lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and large herds of plains game. 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. Dinner and overnight are again at your Maasai Mara camp or lodge.

6. Day 6

   Maasai Mara to Nairobi

   After breakfast you leave Maasai Mara and travel on toward Nairobi, returning through the highland approaches to the city. The drive brings you back into Nairobi in the afternoon, where the safari comes to a close. Nairobi is the arrival and departure hub for most Kenyan safari itineraries. You are dropped at your Nairobi hotel or the airport in the late afternoon.