Overview
This seven-day private road safari connects the Maasai Mara, Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru and the Aberdares. Two Mara nights include an arrival drive and one full wildlife day. The Naivasha stay includes a boat ride and Crescent Island walk, followed by Nakuru game viewing and two nights in the Aberdares. Forest and moorland drives, waterfalls and waterhole observation complete the wildlife programme. The final day is the road return to Nairobi. Wildlife encounters, flamingo numbers and migration movements vary naturally.
Trip Highlights
- Maasai Mara arrival drive and one full game-viewing day
- Included Lake Naivasha boat ride and Crescent Island walk
- Lake Nakuru wildlife and birdwatching drives
- Aberdare forest and high-moorland game drives
- Aberdare waterfall and waterhole observation
- Six-night private road circuit through four wildlife environments
Itinerary
The safari travels from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara for an afternoon game drive. The guide introduces the reserve’s grasslands, acacia habitats and wildlife corridors, looking for animals across the landscape and allowing time to observe behaviour at sightings. This first outing provides an orientation to the Mara before the following full wildlife day. Encounters follow actual animal activity rather than a fixed sequence of promised species.
Morning and afternoon game drives explore the Maasai Mara’s plains and river habitats. The programme includes the Mara River area for observation of hippos and crocodiles, together with other included sectors selected around current wildlife activity. The guide allows time for photography and behaviour watching. Seasonal migration herds may add to the experience, while their location and any river crossing remain natural events rather than scheduled encounters.
The route leaves the Maasai Mara and continues to Lake Naivasha. An included afternoon boat ride explores the freshwater lake, observing hippos from the vessel and looking for birds around the papyrus and shoreline. The programme also includes a guided Crescent Island walk among the sanctuary’s free-ranging plains animals. These water-based and walking activities provide a different perspective after the vehicle drives in the Mara.
A morning birdwatching walk along the Naivasha lakeshore precedes the journey to Lake Nakuru National Park. The afternoon game drive explores the lake margins, grassland and yellow fever tree woodland, with the guide looking for rhinos, giraffes and other animals. Birdwatching adds a focus on the alkaline lake habitat. Flamingo numbers vary, so the visit explores the park’s wider wildlife environment rather than depending on large flocks.
A morning Lake Nakuru game drive continues the wildlife exploration before the route moves to Aberdare National Park. The afternoon drive explores the forested Salient area, looking for animals in woodland, bamboo and clearings. The waterhole and salt lick provide a further setting for observation as the day closes. The transition from lake habitats to highland forest introduces the two-night Aberdare stay.
Morning and afternoon game drives explore the Aberdare forest and high moorland. The programme follows the change from wooded slopes and bamboo to open highland vegetation and includes the Karuru waterfall area. The guide interprets the contrasting habitats and looks for wildlife along the park tracks. Forest-edge and waterhole observation complement the wider landscape exploration, with animals encountered according to their actual movements.
The final day is the road return from the Aberdares to Nairobi. No forest walk is scheduled before departure. The route descends from the highland setting towards the capital, completing the circuit’s sequence of Mara grasslands, Naivasha activities, Nakuru lake habitats and Aberdare forest and moorland. The safari ends at the arranged Nairobi drop-off point.
Cost Details
What's Included
- All road transfers from Nairobi throughout the circuit
- All game drives in a 4x4 safari vehicle
- Professional English-speaking safari guide
- Six nights full board accommodation
- Afternoon boat safari on Lake Naivasha
- Crescent Island walking safari at Lake Naivasha
- All applicable national park and conservancy entry fees
- Drinking water during game drives
- Complimentary binoculars for use during game drives
What's Not Included
- International flights
- Kenya visa fees
- Travel and medical insurance
- Hot air balloon safari in the Mara
- Maasai village visit
- Tips and gratuities for guide and lodge staff
- Alcoholic and premium beverages
- Horseback riding at Lake Naivasha (optional)
- Personal expenses such as laundry and souvenirs
FAQs
This programme runs for 7 days / 6 nights. Its daily stages are: Day 01: Nairobi to Maasai Mara National Reserve; Day 02: Full Day Maasai Mara Game Drives; Day 03: Depart Maasai Mara to Lake Naivasha; Day 04: Lake Naivasha to Lake Nakuru National Park; Day 05: Lake Nakuru to Aberdare National Park; Day 06: Full Day Aberdare National Park; Day 07: Aberdare to Nairobi. The included-items list specifies: All road transfers from Nairobi throughout the circuit; All game drives in a 4×4 safari vehicle; Professional English-speaking safari guide; Six nights full board accommodation; Afternoon boat safari on Lake Naivasha; Crescent Island walking safari at Lake Naivasha; All applicable national park and conservancy entry fees; Drinking water during game drives; Complimentary binoculars for use during game drives. Optional activities and any changes are identified separately in the written quotation.
The circuit includes destinations supporting the Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. Lake Nakuru protects black and white rhinos, while the Maasai Mara supports all five species. Their presence in these habitats does not mean that every species will be encountered during one itinerary.
Aberdare National Park has montane forest, moorland and waterfalls, with wildlife including elephant and buffalo. Rare forest animals are difficult to observe. The Maasai Mara supports lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and other plains wildlife. Migration herds are a seasonal addition to the ecosystem.
Flamingos move between Rift Valley lakes as food and water conditions change. At Lake Nakuru, water levels and chemistry affect their food supply, so flock numbers can change sharply. Large pink flocks are not a dependable year-round feature or a fixed seasonal promise.
Family participation depends on each child's age and the selected accommodation and activities. Lodges, balloon flights, walks, cycling and boats can apply different rules. The quoted programme must identify eligible activities, room arrangements and any adaptations; there is no single minimum age that establishes eligibility for every Kenya safari.
Safari Route Map
A sense of the journey
Your route, at a glance.
Nairobi → Maasai Mara → Lake Naivasha → Lake Nakuru → Aberdare → Nairobi
Find your journey on the map.
Tap a stage below to explore the journey.
Location markers are approximate. Connections show the journey sequence, not roads, exact driving distances or live vehicle tracking. The itinerary sets out each stage.






























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