Kenya · Safari

5-Day Kenya Wildlife Safari to Lake Nakuru, Naivasha and Masai Mara

5 Days Round trip from Nairobi Easy pace

The journey

Trip highlights

01 Pass through the picturesque Great Rift Valley
02 Search for the Big Five and other game animals in Masai Mara
03 Enjoy birdwatching at Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha
04 Look out for millions of migratory birds along the shores of Lake Nakuru
05 Explore Hell's Gate National Reserve, where game viewing by bicycle is possible

Embark on an exciting 5-day safari through Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, and Lake Naivasha, exploring diverse habitats for plants, animals, and exotic bird species. Travel across the vast savannah plains of Masai Mara in search of the Big Five and plenty of other game animals on rewarding game drives. Along the way, enjoy birdwatching around Lake Nakuru and Naivasha, with the chance, if you are lucky, to witness the Great Migration.

On clear days, the Mara offers fantastic orange-tinged sunsets well worth capturing on camera.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 5 Days

Tour type Shared

Activity level Easy

Accommodation Included · Standard

Transport Included

Wheelchair access Not applicable

Cities Naivasha, Nairobi, Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru National Park, Hell's Gate National Park

Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

Day 01

Nairobi to Lake Nakuru Game Drive

Get picked up from your hotel or the airport this morning in Nairobi and depart for Nakuru, arriving at Lake Nakuru Park.
Enjoy a game drive en route, arriving in time for lunch.
In the afternoon, enjoy a game drive along the shores of the lake, where you will have the opportunity to see millions of migratory birds. In the acacia woodland, search for plains game, including the white rhino.

Dinner and overnight at Lake Nakuru Lodge or a similar hotel on a full-board basis.

Meals: Lunch & Dinner

Day 02

Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara Safari

After breakfast, depart for Masai Mara, arriving in time for lunch. Check in at your hotel and have lunch.
Enjoy an afternoon game drive through the park in search of lions, cheetahs, elephants, buffalo, and other members of the Big Five, along with other game animals.

Dinner and overnight at Mara Sopa Lodge or a similar hotel on a full-board basis.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 03

Full-Day Masai Mara Game Viewing

Set out on an early morning game drive and return to the hotel for breakfast.
After breakfast, enjoy full-day game drives in this magnificent park. These game drives take you in search of Africa's Big Five and the plethora of other wildlife inhabiting this vast Kenyan game reserve. On clear days, the Mara offers fantastic orange-tinged sunsets well worth capturing on camera. Wherever you go in the vast Masai Mara, you will see frequent wildlife such as Masai giraffe, baboons, warthogs, bat-eared foxes, grey jackals, spotted hyena, topis, impala, hartebeests, and wildebeest. Elephants, buffaloes, zebras, and hippos are also found in great numbers. It is also common to see lions either basking after a heavy meal or surveying the plains for their next meal. Cheetahs and leopards are harder to spot but are reasonably common. The ultimate action here is, without doubt, the annual wildebeest exodus, the Great Migration, in July and August, when millions of these grass eaters move north from the Serengeti in search of lusher grass before turning south again in October.

Dinner and overnight at Mara Sopa Lodge or a similar hotel on a full-board basis.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 04

Masai Mara to Lake Naivasha

Leave Masai Mara after breakfast and drive through the park, arriving at Lake Naivasha in good time for lunch.
Spend the afternoon relaxing, or choose from the following optional activities.
Optional activities in Naivasha:
- Hell's Gate National Reserve: USD 40 per person. This is the only reserve in Kenya where you can enjoy game viewing while on a bicycle.
- Boat ride: USD 30 per person.
- Crescent Island: USD 40 per person.

Dinner and overnight at Naivasha Sopa Lodge or a similar hotel on a full-board basis.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 05

Naivasha to Nairobi Departure

After breakfast, depart for Nairobi, arriving in the afternoon, and get dropped off at your hotel or the airport for your flight back home.

Meals: Breakfast

Where this trip takes you

Masai Mara savannah, Lake Nakuru shorelines, Lake Naivasha wetlands, Great Rift Valley

The route

Where you'll travel

Tour route map — Round trip from Nairobi 5 cities · 5 Days

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

4 nights of full-board accommodation and meals on safari
5 days of ground transportation in a clean safari van with an open roof hatch for game viewing
Services of an English-speaking Kenyan driver-guide
Extensive game drives in Kenya
Entry fees for Lake Nakuru Park and Masai Mara
Mineral water during game drives

What's Not Included

Lunch on the last day
Drinks & laundry
Personal expenses
All other expenses not mentioned above

Know before you go

Optional Masai Mara balloon safari starting from USD 450 per person.
Close your eyes, and for a moment feel your body lift, with you having no control over it, and there is a certain part of you inside saying to yourself, "I am crazy for taking this balloon safari." Most people feel this when the excitement of a Masai Mara balloon safari crosses one's emotions of self-control and independence.
The feeling is indescribable: the crispness of the African air, the chill in the wind that hits your face as your Mara hot air balloon gradually rises, the smoothness of your exhale, and the excitement to see and learn more. One's physical presence can be felt on the plains of the Masai Mara when reading this.
Your trip begins when you get your wake-up call at your safari lodge or tented camp in the early hours of the morning, as you yawn away and thoughts about wildlife viewing from an elevated position begin to stir your mind. Fresh Kenyan traditional hot tea and coffee quickly awaken you, preparing you for a "mission".
By 6.15 a.m., you are almost arriving at the hot air balloon site in the Masai Mara. As you approach the site, the balloon seems bigger than you expected, the experience feels entirely new, and you are about to have a trip of a lifetime. Liftoff! Up and away you go! At 6.30 a.m., the hot air balloon safari starts. The captain asks you to relax and experience the wonders under the African sky.
As you finally start to get a grip on the elevation, an inner smile that resonates on one's face needs no explanation. You may see wildebeest moving in large numbers across the Masai Mara plains, the beauty of the landscape as the rising sun's bright orange colours appear, elephants at the water pool, and gazelles and zebras scampering away as if it were their first time witnessing an alien object in the sky.
By 7.30 a.m., one is very content with the balloon safari, and it almost touches downtime. There is a celebration, and for those who prefer a toast, champagne is served while a hot breakfast in the bush is being prepared. You ask yourself, "Is this true? Am I really making this trip of a lifetime in Kenya? In the Masai Mara?" As the sweetness and aroma of African coffee surround you, with fresh eggs being served as you like them, you hope for another ride and wish such luxury never ended.
By the time you finish your breakfast, you may feel as though you have made up your mind to immigrate to Kenya because such life is only found here. You begin to question yourself and feel an urgency to seek, live, and enjoy this pristine beauty, a once-in-a-lifetime "thing".
By 9.00 a.m., you have been declared a champion, with a mighty certificate of completion handed out to you, which you may hope to display in your home country to family, friends, and coworkers. Clapping and participation by everyone present make you proud to have achieved a trip as wonderful as this.

Logistics