📅 Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Nairobi to Aberdares National Park
You will be picked up from your Nairobi hotel or the airport at 8:00 AM. Your safari begins with a scenic drive north, passing through the industrial town of Thika and the intensely cultivated coffee and tea farms of Central Kenya. You will arrive at the Aberdare Country Club for a delicious hot lunch. In the afternoon, you will be transferred to The Ark, a unique lodge designed in the shape of Noah’s Ark, located deep inside the Aberdares National Park. Spend the afternoon and evening on the viewing decks observing elephants, buffalos, and perhaps the elusive bongo antelope as they visit the floodlit waterhole.
Day 2: Aberdares to Ol Pejeta Conservancy
After breakfast, descend from the Aberdares and proceed toward the Mount Kenya region. Arrive at Sweetwaters Serena Camp in the privately-owned Ol Pejeta Conservancy in time for lunch. In the afternoon, head out for a game drive across the conservancy. A major highlight today is a visit to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary—the only one in Kenya—which rehabilitates abused and orphaned chimpanzees. The conservancy is also highly regarded for its successful black rhino breeding program.
-
Overnight: Sweetwaters Serena Camp
-
Meal Plan: Full Board (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 3: Ol Pejeta to Lake Nakuru National Park
Have breakfast and depart the Mt. Kenya region, driving down into the floor of the Great Rift Valley. You will arrive at the beautiful Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge in Lake Nakuru National Park in good time for lunch. Spend the full afternoon on a game drive. The lake is famous for its flocks of flamingos that occasionally ring the shores in pink, alongside over 400 other bird species. It is also an important haven for endangered species, offering excellent sightings of Rothschild’s giraffes, black rhinos, and white rhinos.
-
Overnight: Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge
-
Meal Plan: Full Board (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 4: Lake Nakuru to Maasai Mara National Reserve
Depart after breakfast and drive further along the floor of the Rift Valley to the world-renowned Maasai Mara National Reserve. You will arrive at the prestigious Mara Serena Safari Lodge in time for lunch. In the afternoon, embark on an introductory game drive in this vast, game-filled reserve, taking in the sweeping savannahs and abundant wildlife.
-
Overnight: Mara Serena Safari Lodge
-
Meal Plan: Full Board (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 5: Full Day in the Maasai Mara National Reserve
Spend a full day exploring the park in search of the Big Five. The Mara offers wildlife in such variety and abundance that you can easily spot lions, rhinos, hippos, crocodiles, giraffes, wildebeests, zebras, buffaloes, and elephants. If visiting during the migration season, you may witness the spectacular movement of millions of wildebeests and zebras from the Serengeti in search of water and pasture, followed closely by apex predators.
(Optional Activities: A dawn Hot-Air Balloon Safari can be arranged at an extra cost of US$450 per person, or a cultural visit to a Maasai village for US$35 per person).
-
Overnight: Mara Serena Safari Lodge
-
Meal Plan: Full Board (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 6: Maasai Mara to Nairobi
After breakfast, check out of your lodge by 8:30 AM and depart for a scenic return road transfer back to Nairobi. You will arrive in the afternoon. Our driver will drop you off at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your homebound flight or at your Nairobi hotel.
🏨 Accommodation Summary
-
Aberdares: The Ark Lodge
-
Ol Pejeta: Sweetwaters Serena Camp
-
Lake Nakuru: Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge
-
Maasai Mara: Mara Serena Safari Lodge
