5-Day Kenya Safari — Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru & Naivasha Wildlife Trail

The safari leaves Nairobi in the morning and travels through the Great Rift Valley and Narok to the Maasai Mara. The private vehicle continues to the Mara base for check-in before the afternoon wildlife outing. This first stage introduces the change from the Rift Valley journey to the reserve’s open grasslands.

The afternoon game drive explores authorised reserve routes with your safari guide. Viewing stops follow the animals encountered along the circuit, allowing time to observe their behaviour and photograph the surrounding landscape. The drive ends back at the Mara base for the first night of the safari.

The full Mara day is devoted to game viewing with your private vehicle and safari guide. The reserve exploration follows authorised routes, with time at wildlife encounters and viewing stops across the grasslands. The guide shapes the circuit around the wildlife encountered rather than a prescribed list of sightings.

The party spends a second night in the Mara after the day’s reserve exploration. A Maasai village visit remains an optional, separately priced activity; it is not a compulsory part of the game-drive programme.

The party leaves the Maasai Mara and travels through Narok and the Rift Valley towards Lake Nakuru. The day changes the focus from the Mara’s open plains to Lake Nakuru National Park, where the scheduled afternoon game drive explores the park’s woodland, grassland and lakeside viewing areas.

Your guide follows accessible park circuits, stopping for wildlife and bird watching as opportunities arise. The outing introduces the lake landscape without depending on a particular flamingo flock or animal encounter. The day finishes at the Nakuru base for the safari’s next overnight stop.

A morning game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park provides a final outing through the park’s wildlife and bird-viewing areas before the journey continues to Lake Naivasha. This stage moves from reserve game viewing to activities on the lake and on foot.

At Naivasha, both the included boat ride and the Crescent Island walk take place during the day. The boat outing explores the lake environment, while the island walk offers a view of the open landscape from ground level. Their order follows local access and weather conditions. The final safari night is spent in the Naivasha area.

The party checks out at Lake Naivasha and leaves for Nairobi in the private vehicle. This is the return stage after the previous day’s lake and island activities, completing the five-day circuit through the Mara and the two lakes.

The boat ride and Crescent Island walk have already taken place on day four. No repeat boat outing or extra morning activity is scheduled before the road journey back to Nairobi.