10-Day Kenya Safari Itinerary: Amboseli, Ol Pejeta, Samburu, Naivasha, Nakuru & Masai Mara

Your guide picks you up from your Nairobi hotel or JKIA early morning for the roughly 4-hour drive south to Amboseli, passing views of the Great Rift Valley and the Chyulu Hills along the way. You arrive in time for lunch, then head out for an afternoon game drive looking for elephant, lion, cheetah and zebra against Kilimanjaro’s backdrop, finishing with sundowner drinks. Dinner and overnight at Amboseli Sopa Lodge or similar.

A dawn game drive catches Kilimanjaro at its most photogenic. Amboseli’s famous for its elephant herds, and you may see 50 to 100 at once near the swamp areas, alongside lion, hyena, jackal, hippo and hundreds of water birds. After lunch, an afternoon drive covers different areas of the park, with an optional evening Maasai village visit. Overnight again at your Amboseli lodge.

An early game drive before breakfast, then a longer transfer north, back through the Nairobi area and onto the Laikipia Plateau, roughly 5 to 6 hours with stops. Ol Pejeta is home to 13 of the Big Five species including Najin and Fatu, the world’s last two northern white rhinos, and a visit to the rhino sanctuary is a genuine highlight. An afternoon game drive looks for lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and cheetah, with an optional stop at the Jane Goodall Institute’s chimpanzee sanctuary. Dinner and overnight at Sweetwaters Serena Camp or similar.

A morning drive north to Samburu, roughly 3 hours, a rugged reserve bisected by the Ewaso Ng’iro River. An afternoon game drive looks for the Samburu Special Five — reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, beisa oryx, gerenuk and Somali ostrich — none of which live further south in Kenya. The riverine habitat also means good leopard sightings. Dinner and overnight at Samburu Sopa Lodge or similar tented camp.

Samburu is at its best at dawn. A morning drive follows the river, where crocodiles sun on the banks and elephant herds come to drink, while the afternoon explores drier terrain for the rarer northern species. There’s an optional visit to a Samburu community village. Sunset drinks at the river close out the day, followed by dinner and overnight.

A longer drive south to the Great Rift Valley and Lake Naivasha, roughly 4 to 5 hours. In the afternoon you board a boat safari among hippos and large flocks of waterbirds, with an optional guided walking safari on Crescent Island, where giraffe, zebra and hippo roam with no predators around. Sunset on the lake is a highlight. Dinner and overnight at a lakeside property.

A short drive, about an hour, to Lake Nakuru National Park, leaving most of the day for game drives once you arrive. Nakuru is known for its flamingos when conditions are right, its rhino sanctuary, and Rothschild’s giraffe. Look for black and white rhino, lion (sometimes tree-climbing), leopard and waterbuck around the alkaline lake and its acacia forest. Dinner and overnight at Lake Nakuru Lodge or similar.

A morning game drive in Nakuru before heading west to the Masai Mara via Narok, with a stop at Great Rift Valley escarpment viewpoints along the way. Budget 5 to 6 hours for this drive rather than the shorter estimate sometimes quoted, since the Narok-to-Mara stretch is slower going than the tarmac before it. You arrive at your Mara camp in time for a late-afternoon game drive, then visit a nearby Maasai village in the evening to experience traditional customs, dance and daily life. Dinner and overnight at your Mara camp or lodge.

A full day dedicated to the Mara. You set out at dawn for the best light and the most active game viewing, following resident lion prides and, seasonally, the Great Migration herds crossing the Mara River. A picnic lunch out in the reserve keeps you among the wildlife before an afternoon game drive exploring a different part of the ecosystem, depending on where the action is. Dinner and overnight at your Mara camp or lodge.

After a final relaxed breakfast, you begin the drive back to Nairobi, roughly 5 to 6 hours via Narok, pausing at the Rift Valley escarpment viewpoints for one last look at the landscape you’ve crossed. Your guide drops you at your hotel, JKIA, or anywhere in Nairobi in time for onward travel.