An African safari built around the savannah and the Masai Mara, for travellers after the classic safari experience and the densest wildlife in the country.
This safari crosses some of Kenya's most iconic landscapes, pairing the Great Rift Valley lakes with the classic Masai Mara experience.
Before you settle on dates, read the best time of year to travel and what Kenya offers through the year.
The map follows the day you are reading: the route, how far you drive each day and where you can stop to buy supplies before entering a park.
Welcome at Nairobi international airport and private transfer to the Best Western Plus Meridian Hotel. A day set aside to rest after the international flight.
The country's gateway and the only large city on the route. Jomo Kenyatta airport sits 15 km from the centre.
Road transfer
Nairobi → Naivasha
Departure at 07:00 for Hell's Gate National Park and a cycling safari. Lunch, then a boat trip on Lake Naivasha to watch birds, hippo and other wildlife. Transfer to the lodge in the afternoon.
A freshwater lake on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, with hippo and more than 400 bird species.
The road leaves Nairobi across the highlands and drops down the Great Rift Valley escarpment. It is the short leg of the trip and the one with the first big view: have the camera to hand before the viewpoint, not buried in a bag.
Where to stock up along the way
Nairobi
The only large city on the trip. This is where you change money, buy a local SIM card and sort out anything still outstanding.
Great Rift Valley viewpoint
The classic stop on the way down the escarpment, with craft stalls and the first wide view of the valley. There is no supermarket.
Naivasha
A lakeside town with supermarkets and pharmacies along the main road.
Road transfer
Naivasha → Lake Nakuru
Drive to Lake Nakuru National Park, lunch and an afternoon photographic game drive. Lake Nakuru is known for its rhino sanctuary, its dense birdlife and the chance of lion, giraffe and leopard.
A fenced park around an alkaline lake. It is a sanctuary for both white and black rhino.
A short, paved leg along the valley floor. Nakuru is a large city: if you are missing anything from a pharmacy or need cash, it is the last comfortable chance before the north.
Where to stock up along the way
Naivasha
A lakeside town with supermarkets and pharmacies along the main road.
Nakuru
Kenya's fourth city. The last place with large pharmacies and several cash machines before heading north.
Road transfer
Lake Nakuru → Masai Mara
Overland drive to the Masai Mara National Reserve, one of Africa's landmark parks. The road climbs across highland plateaus and farmland close to 3,000 metres. Lunch at camp and a guided nature walk. There is no game drive inside the park on this day.
The Kenyan continuation of the Serengeti and the stage of the great migration between July and November.
You climb to plateaus close to 3,000 metres and drop back down to the savannah. Narok is the last town with a supermarket, cash machine and fuel: inside the reserve you can only buy at the lodge.
Where to stock up along the way
Nakuru
Kenya's fourth city. The last place with large pharmacies and several cash machines before heading north.
Narok
The last town with a supermarket, cash machine and fuel before the Masai Mara. This is where you buy the water and snacks for the safari.
No transfer: a full day in Masai Mara.
A full day on safari in the heart of the Masai Mara, in search of the Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo. The route covers open savannah, high-density wildlife areas and the Mara River. Between July and November you can witness the great wildebeest migration.
No transfer: a full day in Masai Mara.
A second full day exploring the Masai Mara, covering different sectors of the park, with fresh chances of wildlife and landscape.
Road transfer
Masai Mara → Nairobi
Overland return to Nairobi in a 4×4 Land Cruiser. The drive takes roughly five to six hours, depending on road conditions and the scheduled stops. Transfer to Jomo Kenyatta airport or to your hotel, according to your flight.
The country's gateway and the only large city on the route. Jomo Kenyatta airport sits 15 km from the centre.
Five to six hours back via Narok, with a technical stop halfway. The dirt stretch out to the reserve gate is the slowest part of the day.
Where to stock up along the way
Narok
The last town with a supermarket, cash machine and fuel before the Masai Mara. This is where you buy the water and snacks for the safari.
What is already taken care of in this package. International flights and insurance are quoted separately.
Wildlife and landscapes from the parks and reserves on this itinerary.
Four steps to a finished itinerary. None of them commits you to anything.
01
Rough dates, how many are travelling and what you would like to see. That is enough to start: the exact itinerary comes later, not first.
02
We set up calls before the trip to clear up doubts and decide with the full picture: accommodation category, pace of the route and what to expect from each park on those dates.
03
The day-by-day itinerary, with the actual lodges and the price per person. Reviewed with you, with nothing buried in the fine print.
04
We change whatever needs changing until it fits. Payment can be made in interest-free instalments, and we are with you before, during and after the trip.
Send us your dates and how many are travelling and we will put together a proposal for Classic Masai Mara, explained clearly from start to finish.
