Overview
Spend 7 days and 6 nights on a private Kenya safari through Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Ol Pejeta, Samburu.
Overnight plan: 2 nights in Maasai Mara, 1 night in Lake Nakuru, 2 nights in Ol Pejeta, 1 night in Samburu. The daily itinerary below sets out the travel stages and scheduled activities.
Your safari arrangements are private to your party. The selected accommodation, vehicle, travel dates and party determine the applicable offer. Wildlife sightings and any migration crossings depend on natural conditions; they cannot be guaranteed.
At Ol Pejeta, the northern white rhino visit and chimpanzee sanctuary visit are included.
Plan the destinations: Lake Nakuru guide, Maasai Mara guide.
Trip Highlights
- Big Five game drives in the world-famous Maasai Mara National Reserve
- Endangered black and white rhinos at Lake Nakuru National Park
- Visit the last two northern white rhinos at Ol Pejeta Conservancy
- Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary at Ol Pejeta
- Track the rare Samburu Special Five in the northern frontier
- Seven days through four of Kenya's most iconic wildlife destinations
- Scenic Rift Valley escarpment drive connecting each park
- Over 700 bird species observed across the entire circuit
Itinerary
Seven days by road through the Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Ol Pejeta and Samburu. The six nights comprise two Mara, one Nakuru, two Ol Pejeta and one Samburu night, with included rhino and chimpanzee conservation visits and scheduled game drives.
The private safari leaves Nairobi and continues to the Maasai Mara. After arrival, the afternoon game drive introduces the reserve’s open grassland and acacia woodland. The guide pauses at wildlife encountered along the viewing circuit, allowing time to watch behaviour and photograph the landscape.
The outing ends at the the Maasai Mara safari base. This first drive establishes the new destination’s setting before the following day’s programme.
Morning and afternoon game drives provide a full day in the Maasai Mara. The morning outing explores open grasslands and riverine woodland, with time to observe wildlife encountered along the route and follow its behaviour from the vehicle.
The programme includes the Mara River viewing areas for hippos and crocodiles, together with plains-game and predator observation. River crossings are a seasonal possibility rather than a scheduled event, and the guide follows the wildlife present during the visit. A break at the safari base separates the two outings; the afternoon circuit continues the exploration before returning for the overnight stay.
The private safari leaves the Maasai Mara and continues to Lake Nakuru National Park. After arrival, the afternoon game drive introduces the park’s woodland, grassland and lakeside viewing areas. The guide pauses at wildlife encountered along the viewing circuit, allowing time to watch behaviour and photograph the landscape.
The outing ends at the Lake Nakuru National Park safari base. This first drive establishes the new destination’s setting before the following day’s programme.
The party leaves Lake Nakuru for Ol Pejeta Conservancy. The afternoon programme combines the included northern white rhino visit with the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary visit, introducing two distinct conservation projects.
A late-afternoon game drive continues through the conservancy’s open grasslands. The guide stops at wildlife encountered on the circuit before returning to the safari base for the first of two nights.
Morning and afternoon game drives provide a full day in Ol Pejeta Conservancy. The morning outing explores grassland, woodland and water-point viewing areas, with time to observe wildlife encountered along the route and follow its behaviour from the vehicle.
The guide searches for rhinos, predators and other wildlife along the conservancy circuits, while bird watching adds another focus around the dams and vegetation. A break at the safari base separates the two outings; the afternoon circuit continues the exploration before returning for the overnight stay.
A conservancy night game drive is an optional extra by separate arrangement. It adds an after-dark wildlife outing to the programme when booked, without a promise of any particular nocturnal species.
The private safari leaves Ol Pejeta and continues to Samburu National Reserve. After arrival, the afternoon game drive introduces the Ewaso Nyiro River corridor and semi-arid woodland. The guide pauses at wildlife encountered along the viewing circuit, allowing time to watch behaviour and photograph the landscape.
The outing ends at the Samburu National Reserve safari base. This first drive establishes the new destination’s setting before the following day’s programme.
A final early morning game drive completes the wildlife programme in Samburu. The guide follows a viewing circuit before returning to the safari base for checkout.
The private vehicle leaves Samburu for Nairobi. The safari finishes at the agreed Nairobi drop-off point after the preceding wildlife destinations.
Cost Details
What's Included
- All road transfers in a 4x4 safari vehicle
- Professional English-speaking safari guide and driver
- Six nights full board accommodation at lodges and camps
- All applicable park and conservancy entry fees
- Northern white rhino enclosure visit at Ol Pejeta
- Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary visit
- Drinking water during game drives
What's Not Included
- International flights and Nairobi transfers
- Kenya electronic travel authorisation (eTA) fees, where applicable
- Travel and medical insurance
- Hot air balloon safari in the Mara
- Optional Maasai village visit
- Ol Pejeta night game drive
- Tips and gratuities for guide and lodge staff
- Alcoholic and premium beverages
- Personal expenses such as laundry and souvenirs
FAQs
The Samburu Special Five are Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, Beisa oryx and Somali ostrich. The name describes a northern Kenya wildlife grouping, not five species exclusive to one reserve. Their presence in the ecosystem does not establish that all five will be encountered on one trip.
Ol Pejeta identifies Najin and Fatu as the last two known northern white rhinos. They live in a protected enclosure, and visits follow the conservancy's booked experience and keeper instructions. General conservancy entry is not itself confirmation of that specialist encounter.
This programme runs for 7 days / 6 nights. Its daily stages are: Day 01: Nairobi to Maasai Mara; Day 02: Full Day Maasai Mara Game Drives; Day 03: Maasai Mara to Lake Nakuru; Day 04: Lake Nakuru to Ol Pejeta Conservancy; Day 05: Full Day Ol Pejeta Conservancy; Day 06: Ol Pejeta to Samburu National Reserve; Day 07: Samburu to Nairobi. The included-items list specifies: All road transfers in a 4×4 safari vehicle; Professional English-speaking safari guide and driver; Six nights full board accommodation at lodges and camps; All applicable park and conservancy entry fees; Northern white rhino enclosure visit at Ol Pejeta; Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary visit; Drinking water during game drives. Optional activities and any changes are identified separately in the written quotation.
The Maasai Mara supports lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and other plains wildlife. Migration herds are a seasonal addition to the ecosystem. Sightings depend on animal activity and the areas reached on the drives.
Ol Pejeta combines black and white rhino conservation with the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary and managed conservation experiences. Rhino populations change and require a dated conservancy count. General game drives and separately booked specialist encounters have different access arrangements; the booked programme identifies the included experience.
Safari Route Map
A sense of the journey
Your route, at a glance.
Nairobi → Maasai Mara → Lake Nakuru → Ol Pejeta Conservancy → Samburu → 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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