Day 1: Transfer from Nairobi to Lake Nakuru National Park – Begin Your 12 day Kenya Wildlife Safari

After eating breakfast at Java’s house in Nairobi at around 10:00 AM, board your safari vehicle and begin your journey to Lake Nakuru National Park. Use the Southern Bypass, which is a well-maintained highway with less traffic. The trip to Lake Nakuru from Nairobi takes about three hours because it is about 152 km long. After that, join the A104 road, which is another excellent, well-paved route, and pass through Nderit Gate to enter Lake Nakuru.

Be driven into the dirt tracks of the park and see the olive baboons moving in groups and also elands along the driveway. When you reach the Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge, the staff warmly welcomes you with a glass of fresh juice and a chilled towel to cleanse the dust. Next, be escorted to your spacious room with transparent glass windows that have views of Mother Nature. Lastly, spend the rest of the day relaxing at the cocktail bar as you take in the views from Lake Nakuru and also enjoy the meals prepared by the skilled chefs.

Day 2: Full-Day safari Game Drive in Lake Nakuru National Park

Breakfast is ready by 8:40 AM; eat it in your room’s private balcony with a view of the surrounding area. After a briefing, board a 4×4 open-roof safari vehicle and spend the entire day immersed in the Lake Nakuru Wilderness. Along the way, see the augur buzzard nestling on a tree and zebras and warthogs crossing your driveway. Also, see a troop of olive baboons moving elegantly along the trackways, and continue to see other endemic bird species like the hoopoe.

The safari magic happens when you reach the shores of Lake Nakuru, as you observe the great white pelicans. Also watch the crowd of lesser flamingos paint the shorelines pink, creating more fascinating scenery. After a packed lunch, continue your game drive to observe the white rhinos, a female and a male grazing in the grasslands. Also, see the black rhinos on the other side of the driveway, and then go back to the Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge for an evening meal before you retreat to your room.

Day 3: Makalia Falls Experience and More Lake Nakuru Wildlife Safari Encounters

Enjoy breakfast once more on the Lake Nakuru Sopa lodge’s balcony. At approximately 9:00 AM, board the safari vehicle and head towards the Makalia Falls. So, this is a muddy waterfall, unlike the others. You can spend time here taking in the scenery before continuing with the day’s game drive to see Rothschild giraffes and black rhinos moving at a distance. After that, be driven back to Lake Nakuru to catch one last glimpse of the flamingos before returning to the Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge for dinner.

Day 4: Lake Nakuru to Lake Naivasha and a Boat Safari on Kenya’s Freshwater Jewel

Get up by 8:30 AM, eat breakfast, and then board a safari vehicle to Lake Naivasha. The trip to Lake Naivasha from Lake Nakuru takes about two and a half hours, covering over 79 kilometers, and you still need to drive along the A104 road. Along the way, see beautiful scenery, such as Lake Elmenteita with a breathtaking view of the undulating hills. After being briefed, exit the car when you get to Lake Naivasha and head towards the lake’s shores, put on a safety jacket before boarding the boat. Along the shorelines, see ducks tending to their young.

Also, see the eagles chirp from afar and get a sight of the kingfisher resting on the wood in between the lake and hippos swimming. Then, leave the lake and be driven to the Lake Naivasha resort that is about a 21-minute drive from the lake. So, check into your room at the reception, and the meal will be brought to your room. Later, take a walk around the resort before dinner.

Day 5: Trip to Masai Mara National Reserve from Lake Naivasha – Journey to Kenya’s Premier Safari Destination

After enjoying a breakfast buffet at the Lake Naivasha restaurant at around 8:00 AM, take a morning boat ride where you can take pictures of the surroundings and make memories. The starling and fish eagles are now active, and the rhinos enjoy their morning swim at the lake. After returning to the resort for a lunch buffet that includes some Kenyan dishes, spend the remainder of the day unwinding at the lodge while getting ready to go to the Masai Mara National Reserve the next day.

Day 6: Full-Day Safari Tour in Masai Mara National Reserve

Enjoy a breakfast buffet at the restaurant, and then board your safari vehicle for your trip to Masai Mara. The trip takes approximately 4 hours through Narok town, a thriving area where both modernity and culture coexist and where there are both traditional and modern homes. Also, observe people wearing modern attire and those with Maasai cultural attire. Continue your journey towards the Oloololo gate, and then transfer to the Fairmont Safari Club, which is your accommodation for your stay in Masai Mara.

As soon as you arrive, the staff help you with your luggage and take it towards your room. Next, have lunch, whereby after the meal you tour with a guide just around the Fairmont, as you know more about its history. Lastly, return to the accommodation for dinner.

Day 7: Masai Mara Migration safari and Maasai Cultural Experience

Before embarking on a full-day tour of the Masai Mara with your safari guide, have breakfast in the comfort of your own room. The Masai Mara migration safari begins with a game drive, during which you will witness several events, such as a lion chasing a larger buffalo and being astounded by its ability to catch it. You can observe a rhino staring directly at your car while it forages for grass, a vervet monkey sitting as it feeds on fruit, and a young leopard playing with its mother next to your car.

Also, see elephants pick grass with their trunks and put it in their mouths. In addition, see hippos in Masai Mara submerged in the water. Lastly, in the middle of the day, enjoy a packed lunch, and at night, have a wilderness bush dinner with traditional lamps, creating a phenomenal ambience.

Day 8: Travel from Masai Mara to Aberdare National Park

You will be on the sunrise game drive by 5:30 AM, when the scenery turns golden orange and birds like the Somali ostrich and crested crane can be seen searching the grasslands for food. A group of wildebeests can be seen grazing nearby, a giraffe can be seen in the distance shaking off the morning mist, and the topis is staring at the car. After that, you will return to the Fairmont Safari Club for a bush breakfast. Following the bush breakfast, you will travel to the Mara River’s edge by car with your safari guide.

Watch the wildebeests as they line up along the crest and dive into the waters from various destinations. Spot the Nile crocodiles leave their mouths open for the unlucky ones to fall into their trap. After this adventure, have another wildlife drive while enjoying a packed lunch, followed by a sundowner supper with champagne.

Day 9: Explore Aberdare National Park in Kenya

Be awake by six in the morning, at which point you meet your driver to travel from Masai Mara to Aberdare National Park. This time, be driven to the C12 route before switching to the B3 road. Depending on traffic, the trip from Masai Mara to Aberdare National Park may take five to six hours, during which time you stop at the Great Rift Valley Escarpment to stretch your legs. Additionally, enjoy the breathtaking views. Also, have a packed, substantial breakfast that the Fairmont Safari Club has provided.

Enter Aberdare National Park via the Tree Tops gate and then head towards the Tree Tops Lodge. Next, be welcomed by the staff members and then escorted to your room, where a meal is brought to you in your comfort space. Since the journey from Masai Mara to Aberdare is exhausting, spend the rest of the day at the Treetops Hotel. So, sit in the bar area and enjoy the breathtaking views of Mount Kenya alongside the elephants that are drinking water from the waterholes.

Day 10: Aberdare National Park to Samburu National Reserve – Discover Kenya’s Northern Wilderness

After breakfast at the Tree Tops hotel restaurant at around 8:00 AM, begin exploring the unmatched beauty of Aberdare National Park. Unlike other national parks in Kenya, Aberdare is blessed with lush fields, and you can see elephants moving across the plains and bush bucks crossing the road. Also, be driven to Karuru Falls, which passes through the breathtaking Aberdare ranges, where you can have a picnic and take pictures.

Later, go back to the Tree Tops Hotel after you pack your luggage, then be driven to Samburu National Reserve. The trip to Samburu from Aberdare National Park takes approximately 5-6 hours and stop in Nanyuki town for a couple of refreshments. Later, directly transfer to the Elephant Bedroom Camp, where you will spend the night.

Day 11: Road Transfer from Samburu National Reserve to Amboseli National Park

Wake up as early as 6:00 AM, ready to hunt down the special five animals in Amboseli National Park. So, observe the long necks of the reticulated giraffes popping out from the acacia trees. Also, see the gerenuks browsing on the leaves, and the Somali ostrich looks for food in the grasslands. Observe the beisa oryx roam freely in the sun-kissed green fields; the grey zebras line up at the waterholes for water during your game drives in this 12 day Kenya safari holiday.

Return back to the Elephant Bedroom Camp for a bush breakfast, and prepare yourself and board the safari vehicle for your journey to Amboseli National Park. So, start your journey by 9:45AM and drive for about 9 hours to Amboseli. Lastly, directly go to Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge, whereby you are to spend the night plus have a heavy meal.

Day 12: Amboseli National Park safari experience and Return to Nairobi

Wake up at six in the morning for a morning game drive, during which you witness a lion chasing over a group of great white pelicans at the shores of Lake Amboseli. Also, watch large elephants moving gracefully through the shrubs, and thick clouds departing the shiny glaciers of Mount Kilimanjaro. After returning to the Amboseli Serena safari resort for a bush breakfast, be driven for approximately four hours to Wilson International Airport in Nairobi in order to catch your departure home.

Note: For the finest wildlife experiences, this 12 days Masai Mara, Amboseli, Samburu, Nakuru, Naivasha & Aberdare safari should take place between July and October, during the dry season.