6-Day Boutique Lodge Safari – Samburu Ol Pejeta & Mara Gems

Depart Nairobi after breakfast for the scenic five-hour road journey north to Samburu National Reserve, crossing the central highlands and passing through the farming towns of Nanyuki and Isiolo. The landscape transforms dramatically as you leave the fertile highlands and descend into the semi-arid wilderness of northern Kenya, where red laterite soils and doum palms announce your arrival in Samburu country. Check into your boutique riverside lodge for lunch, set along the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River where crocodiles bask in the afternoon sun. Your first afternoon game drive introduces you to the remarkable Samburu Special Five, and your guide begins tracking the resident elephant herds that frequent the riverbanks as the day cools toward a magnificent northern Kenya sunset.

Dedicate a full day to the wild landscapes of Samburu National Reserve on morning and afternoon expert-guided game drives. The early drive follows the Ewaso Nyiro River at first light when large elephant families come to drink, and lions survey the grasslands from rocky outcrops. Your guide tracks reticulated giraffe moving gracefully across the plains, seeks out gerenuk standing on hind legs to browse thorn trees, and scans the open ground for Grevy’s zebra and Beisa oryx. Return to the lodge for a relaxed midday break and lunch before heading out on the afternoon drive to cover different sectors of the reserve. The golden afternoon light illuminates the volcanic rock formations and doum palm groves, and as the day ends, you return to the lodge for a fireside dinner at your boutique camp.

After an early morning final drive in Samburu, pack up and begin the three-hour drive south and west to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia County. The journey passes through the productive farmlands and coffee estates of the central highlands with Mount Kenya looming over the horizon. Check in at your boutique lodge within the conservancy for lunch before the afternoon reveals Ol Pejeta’s remarkable wildlife and conservation experiences. The guided visit to the northern white rhino enclosure is profoundly moving, as you stand within metres of Najin and Fatu, the last two individuals of their subspecies on Earth, protected by armed rangers around the clock. Continue to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, home to orphaned and rescued chimpanzees from across Africa. End the evening with an optional night game drive offering chances to spot black rhinos, aardvark, and other nocturnal species unique to highland Kenya.

Depart Ol Pejeta after breakfast for the long but scenic day’s drive to the Maasai Mara, a journey of approximately six hours via Nakuru and the Rift Valley escarpment. This cross-country traverse showcases the extraordinary diversity of Kenya’s landscapes, from highland wheat and tea estates to the acacia savannah of the Rift Valley floor. A stop at a viewpoint above the Rift Valley offers panoramic views stretching to Lake Nakuru below. Arrive at the Mara by late afternoon and check into your boutique safari lodge, set within a private conservancy adjacent to the reserve boundary. A short evening game drive introduces you to the Mara ecosystem and gives your guide a first look at current wildlife movements before a relaxed welcome dinner at the lodge.

A full day in the Maasai Mara National Reserve on morning and afternoon game drives with your expert Maasai-born guide. The morning drive sets out at dawn across the misty grasslands where lion prides are often still active after the night, and cheetah can be spotted scanning the horizon from elevated ground. The Mara River corridor is a priority for hippo sightings, Nile crocodile watching, and during July to October, the extraordinary spectacle of wildebeest migration crossings. A gourmet picnic lunch is served in the field before the afternoon drive explores different zones of the reserve and the adjoining conservancy. Sundowner drinks are served at a scenic overlook as the famous Mara sunset paints the sky in brilliant oranges and purples.

Rise for a final breakfast at the lodge, enjoying the morning sounds of the Mara surrounding you. As this is the final day in the Maasai Mara, you relax over breakfast and prepare for departure rather than a morning game drive. After checking out, begin the scenic five-hour drive back to Nairobi, arriving in the city by early afternoon. Your boutique lodge circuit through Samburu, Ol Pejeta, and the Maasai Mara comes to a close with an extraordinary collection of memories, from rare northern species to the world’s last white rhinos and the timeless drama of the Big Five on the Mara plains.