9-Day North to South Safari – Samburu Ol Pejeta Nakuru and Mara

Your north to south Kenya safari begins with an early morning departure from Nairobi, heading north on the A2 highway through Mount Kenya’s lush foothills and across the equator before the landscape transforms into the semi-arid plains of Samburu County. After approximately six hours of scenic driving through diverse terrain, you arrive at Samburu National Reserve in time for a welcome lunch at your riverside camp. The afternoon game drive introduces you to Samburu’s extraordinary Special Five as your guide navigates the acacia-studded plains bordering the Ewaso Nyiro River. Reticulated giraffe stride across the red earth, gerenuk stretch gracefully on hind legs to browse high acacia branches, and Grevy’s zebra gather in small herds near the water’s edge. As the sun descends behind the distant hills, the river glows gold and elephants wade in the shallows before returning to camp for dinner under the stars.

A full day in Samburu National Reserve provides morning and afternoon game drives through the reserve’s diverse habitats. The early morning drive follows the Ewaso Nyiro River where large elephant families drink and play in the dawn light, crocodiles bask on sandy banks, and kingfishers dart between overhanging branches. Your guide tracks lion prides that have adapted to this arid environment and searches the dense riverine forest for leopards concealed in the leafy canopy. The afternoon drive ventures into the open plains in search of the remaining Special Five members: the Beisa oryx with its striking swept horns and the Somali ostrich with its distinctive blue legs. The rugged volcanic landscape and ancient doum palms create an unforgettable photographic backdrop at every turn.

After breakfast at the riverside camp, you depart Samburu and drive south through the central highlands toward Laikipia County, where the renowned Ol Pejeta Conservancy sits beneath the snowcapped peak of Mount Kenya. The drive takes approximately three to four hours, passing through rolling farmland and highland forests before arriving at the conservancy for lunch. Ol Pejeta is home to Africa’s largest black rhino population and the world’s last two northern white rhinos, Najin and Fatu, who are guarded around the clock by dedicated rangers. Your afternoon game drive introduces you to the conservancy’s remarkable wildlife including lion, cheetah, elephant, and buffalo, as well as the extraordinary chance to observe black rhinos moving through the highland bush in the warm afternoon light.

Dedicate a full day to Ol Pejeta Conservancy with morning and afternoon drives covering its 90,000 acres of highland wilderness. The morning begins with a visit to the northern white rhino enclosure, a deeply moving experience as you stand in the presence of Najin and Fatu, the last survivors of a subspecies on the brink of extinction. Your guide shares the conservation story and ongoing efforts to preserve their genetic legacy. The drive continues through open grasslands where cheetah use termite mounds as lookout posts and lion prides rest in the highland shade. The afternoon includes a visit to Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, the only facility in Kenya caring for rescued chimpanzees, before the evening game drive offers final chances for rhino and big cat sightings in the fading highland light.

Depart Ol Pejeta after breakfast and drive south and west to Lake Nakuru National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the heart of Kenya’s Great Rift Valley. The drive takes approximately two hours through the fertile Laikipia plateau and descending into the Rift Valley. Upon arrival at your lodge overlooking the lake, enjoy lunch before the afternoon game drive along the shores of the alkaline lake. Lake Nakuru’s most famous residents are its vast flocks of lesser and greater flamingos, which paint the shoreline in vivid pink when conditions are right. The park also harbours a healthy population of white rhinos, often seen grazing in the yellow fever tree forest surrounding the lake, as well as Rothschild giraffes and large herds of buffalo along the waterline.

A full day in Lake Nakuru National Park reveals the remarkable diversity of this compact but species-rich park. The morning game drive explores the acacia and yellow fever tree woodland encircling the lake, where leopards are regularly spotted resting in the branches and black-and-white colobus monkeys bounce through the canopy. Your guide tracks the park’s habituated white rhinos to spectacular photographic distances and navigates the viewpoints above the lake for panoramic perspectives of the flamingo-covered shoreline. The afternoon drive focuses on the park’s grasslands where lion prides are commonly seen and the lake’s changing water levels create constantly shifting habitats. Olmoti Crater and Baboon Cliff provide dramatic high vantage points for final photography before returning to the lodge for a farewell dinner.

Depart Lake Nakuru after breakfast and drive south through the spectacular Rift Valley escarpment toward the Maasai Mara National Reserve. The drive of approximately five hours descends through tea plantations and rolling farmland before reaching the expansive Mara grasslands and your lodge on the savannah. After lunch, you head out for an afternoon game drive through the golden plains of the reserve. The Mara’s iconic open terrain provides extraordinary wildlife visibility, and your guide navigates territories frequented by resident lion prides, cheetah, and elephant herds. As the sun sets in a blaze of orange and red over the Mara horizon, the sounds of the nocturnal bush begin and your first evening in Africa’s greatest wildlife theatre draws to a close.

Enjoy a full day exploring the Maasai Mara National Reserve on morning and afternoon game drives through its most productive wildlife corridors. The early morning drive crosses mist-covered grasslands where predators remain active and dew-laden grass sparkles in the first light. Your guide targets lion prides, leopards, and cheetah in their favoured hunting grounds while navigating toward the Mara River where hippos crowd the pools and massive Nile crocodiles patrol the banks. During migration season from July to October, the river becomes the stage for legendary wildebeest and zebra crossings that rank among the greatest wildlife spectacles on Earth. The afternoon drive explores the Mara’s outer reaches, tracking different predator groups and photographing enormous elephant families as they move through the acacia woodland in the warm amber light.

Wake to the calls of the African bush on your final morning and enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the lodge as the Mara savannah comes alive around you. After breakfast, you check out and depart for the drive back to Nairobi, a journey of approximately five hours through the Mara escarpment and the rolling hills of the Rift Valley. Your professional driver makes comfort stops en route as the landscape transitions from golden savannah to highland farmland and finally into the outskirts of Nairobi. You arrive in the capital by early afternoon, completing an extraordinary nine-day journey that has taken you from the rugged northern frontier of Samburu to the legendary plains of the Maasai Mara, through four of Kenya’s most treasured national parks and conservancies.