Day 1: Transfer from Nairobi to Lake Naivasha; enjoy boat safari experiences. 

You would have slept at the Hilton Nairobi hotel and, after breakfast by 9:00 AM, met your driver-guide. Get briefed on your affordable 7-day best-of-Kenya safari and how to follow the Lake Nakuru, Naivasha, and Masai Mara rules throughout this adventure. Then, be driven, leaving behind the modern building and flourishing Nairobi City, towards Hell’s Gate National Park. So, hit the A104, a well-paved highway, and drive towards Lake Naivasha, but you will stop over by the Great Rift Valley viewpoint to take in a breath of fresh air.

As you approach Lake Naivasha National Park, catch a glimpse of Mount Longonot, and as you are taken towards the lake, see impalas roaming freely in the grasslands. Also, spot giraffes feeding on the umbrella-shaped trees. Then, driving to Lake Naivasha from Nairobi takes approximately 3 hours, as it is the nearest among the 3 parks covering over 90 kilometers. The first activity to do at Lake Naivasha is the boating safaris, where you observe enormous hippos half-submerged in the waters. Also, watch birds in this park, like the goliath herons and the kingfishers, looking for food at the shallow banks of this lake.

After the boat safaris at Lake Naivasha NP, transfer to the Sweet Lake Resort, where you are to stay during the expeditions here. Also, it is approximately 1 kilometer from the lake. After checking in, enjoy a meal at the Serenus restaurant of this resort, and later you can take a late afternoon swim at the outdoor swimming pool as you wait for dinnertime and rest.

Day 2: Hell’s Gate National Park Exploration with Walking & Cycling Safari Experiences 

Breakfast is served by 7:45 AM still at the Serenus restaurant, andafter your get briefed by your safari guide. Later, be driven towards Hell’s Gate National Park where animals like the giraffes and zebras are seen roaming freely. Also, tourists freely move, as there are no dangerous predators in this park. The first activity to do at Hell’s Gate is the walking safari through the gorges and cliffs. So, feeling the walls gives one a unique sense of nature, and on the walk, you might also notice small waterfalls through the canyons and the hot springs.

Additionally, take a relaxing bath at the Olkaria geothermal hot springs and then head back to the Serenus restaurant at the Sweet Lake resort for a Kenyan traditional lunch. In the afternoon, go back to Hell’s Gate for the cycling activity, where you witness a herd of zebras and vultures at the cliff-sides ripping apart their prey. In the evening, head back to the Sweet Lake Resort for dinner and rest.

Day 3: Travel from Lake Naivasha to Lake Nakuru, and an Evening Game Drive Tour

Enjoy breakfast at the Serenus restaurant at the Sweet Lake Resort by 8:00 am, and after, set off towards Lake Nakuru National Park. Still following the A104 route, it takes about one hour and 45 minutes to drive from the resort in Lake Naivasha to Lake Nakuru. Along the way, catch a glimpse of Lake Elmenteita and also the greenhouses for the blooms at the roadsides. Reach the main gate of this park, present your Lake Nakuru entry permit, and then be driven to Cliff Nakuru. This is your accommodation, and it is about 3 kilometers from the Lake Nakuru main gate.

Reach this lodge, and then check in and be transferred to your room. After freshening up, enjoy lunch at the cliffside overlooking the stunning vistas of the wild of this park. Later, go for an evening Lake Nakuru safari game drive where the sunrise meets herds of the Rothschild giraffes, the black rhinos, and the buffaloes, all wandering through the grasslands. Watch the predators like hyenas looking for a carcass. After the drive hens back to the Cliff Lodge for dinner and then rest.

 Day 4: Full Day Lake Nakuru safari to spot Flamingos, Rhinos & Birdwatching

Enjoy breakfast prepared at the deck of the Cliff’s Lodge by 8:30 am, and then be briefed on the full-day game drive experiences to have through Lake Nakuru National Park. The mornings are often radiant in Lake Nakuru, with the sunset already in motion. Watch the hippos leave their pools to graze in the grasslands and the bushbucks and the reedbucks hiding from the leopard that is screening the ground on top of the acacia branch.

In the afternoon, animal activity in the park gets intense as the tree-climbing lions stalk a gazelle and then start pursuing it, and finally get hold of it. In the evening, witness the sunset on Lake Nakuru with the pink flamingos eating algae at the shorelines. Additionally, these flamingos complement the lake’s beauty. Also, spot waterbucks alongside the white pelicans at Lake Nakuru. Later, enjoy an evening sundowner meal with champagne, while during the day you will have a packed lunch.

Day 5: Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara National Reserve – Scenic Transfer and Mara Topi Lodge check-in

By the deck of the Cliff Lodge in Lake Nakuru National Park, your breakfast is prepared for you at around 8:45 AM. Later, be driven from the A104 highway to the B3 highway and then off to the gravel road on the C12 en route to Masai Mara National Reserve. The view is different as you observe the Maasai homesteads, and you might encounter cattle herders on the way. The trip to Masai Mara from Lake Nakuru National Park takes up about 7 hours on the way.

Also, have a stopover in the thriving town of Narok for traditional African cuisine at one of the local restaurants as a way of also getting familiar with the Kenyan culture. Reach the Oloolaimutia gate, and after permit clarification, enter the park through this Masai Mara gate. The first thing you might notice is the lion prides, some walking on the roadside and others just resting in the shade of the trees. Elephant herds are also usually common alongside the warthogs, zebras, and gazelles.

So, as you reach the luxury Mara Topi lodge in Masai Mara, the staff that’s dressed in the Maasai attire welcomes you through the gate. Enjoy a natural organic drink that they offer to you, and then the manager briefs you on it. Be escorted to your room with your luggage carried. Reach your room, freshen up, and get dressed for a lush dinner under the dazzling sky filled with the radiant stars.

Day 6: Full-Day Masai Mara Safari and Big Five Adventure

By 5:30 AM, wake up and catch the sunrise during the morning game drive, and the first big five you are likely to see are the elephants and buffalos. Some of these animals are just moving in the landscape, and others are grazing in the grasslands as the sun’s rays hit the dew on the plains and the Masai Mara comes to life. After the morning game drive, for a bush breakfast prepared in the verdant green field of the Mara Topi lodge. After this morning’s buffet, board the safari vehicle and have another game drive, but this time around the Mara Triangle.

The Mara Triangle not only has a high concentration of lion prides but also other animals like the hyraxes, Somali ostriches, Reed bucks, and warthogs, which are also seen, but the outstanding feature is the Mara River, which is a habitat to the large nile crocodiles. Observe the Masai Mara wildebeest migration as the animals, in great numbers, jump over the cliffs in congestion, crossing over these scary waters. Also, hear the sound of the calf of the wildebeest as it has been captured by the leopard, and this gives observers a sense of sympathy.

Here, next to the Mara Banks, is where you will have a packed lunch prepared by the Mara Topi lodge. Later, continue with the game drives, and in the late afternoon, see rhinos cooling off around the Talek River to reduce their temperatures due to the high heat in the dry season. In the evening, after returning to the Mara Topi lodge, have a campfire barbecue meal alongside stories shared by the Maasai warriors under the starry skyline before you head to rest.

Day 7: Morning Game Drive safari tour in Masai Mara National Park and Return to Nairobi

By 6:00 AM, awaken for another morning game drive through the Masai Mara National Reserve. Track wild animals in this park and observe the Thomson gazelles, the caracals, and the cheetahs moving simultaneously along the sun-kissed plains. After the morning game drive, head back to the Mara-Topi lodge for another bush meal, but this time heavier.

Later, take your time and say your goodbyes to the friends that you might have made, and show appreciation for the great hospitality before they put your luggage back into the safari vans. So, embark on a 7-hour drive from Masai Mara to Nairobi, this time to Wilson International Airport. Hence, this  ends your 7 Days Kenya Wildlife Safari to Lake Naivasha, Nakuru and Masai Mara.

NOTE; This is a snippet of what could happen in the 7 days but you can have your itinerary customized to your preference.