7 days
Overview
The Lake Nakuru and Maasai Mara Rift Valley Circuit delivers two of Kenyas most iconic safari destinations in a single five day journey, beginning in the dramatic landscape of the Great Rift Valley and concluding on the legendary savanna of the Maasai Mara. Lake Nakuru National Park sits on the floor of the Rift Valley at 1,754 metres above sea level and is internationally famous for the alkaline soda lake that turns brilliant pink when over a million lesser flamingos gather along its shoreline in a spectacle that has no equal in the natural world. The park is also a critical rhino sanctuary, harbouring both the endangered black rhino and the white rhino within a fully fenced perimeter, and lion, leopard, Rothschild giraffe and waterbuck are regularly encountered on game drives along the lake shore. Proceeding southwest from Nakuru the safari descends through the Rift Valley to the Maasai Mara, the northern extension of the Serengeti ecosystem that encompasses some of the finest game viewing terrain in Africa. Two consecutive nights in the Mara allow for a full day of intensive game drives plus an evening drive taking advantage of the extraordinary golden light over the open plains. This is a circuit that rewards both first time visitors to Kenya and returning safari enthusiasts who wish to experience two landmark destinations in a single efficient journey.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1
Nairobi to Lake Nakuru National Park
Departing Nairobi by road in the early morning, your route northwest passes through the fertile highlands of the Central Rift and descends dramatically into the floor of the Great Rift Valley, one of the most spectacular road journeys in Kenya. Lake Nakuru National Park is entered via the main Lanet Gate and your first afternoon game drive sweeps along the southern shores of the lake where the flamingo concentrations are typically at their most accessible and photogenic. The late afternoon light over the soda lake creates an extraordinary visual spectacle as the flamingo bands shift and swirl above the alkaline water.
Road transfer from Nairobi through the Rift Valley escarpment, afternoon lake shore game drive, flamingo viewing, Baboon Cliff viewpoint, sunset over the lake
Day 2
Full Day Lake Nakuru Including Rhino Sanctuary
A sunrise game drive catches the flamingos in their early morning display as thousands of birds take flight simultaneously in swirling pink clouds above the lake. The rhino sanctuary within the park is accessed by a dedicated route and the park rangers accompanying your vehicle will guide you to recent black and white rhino sightings, with the dense thorn scrub around the lake providing excellent cover for these shy animals. The afternoon drive explores the acacia yellow fever woodland where Rothschild giraffe browse in the canopy, and the lake shore track is the best location in Kenya for repeated leopard sightings as individuals frequently rest in the fig and fever trees above the water.
Sunrise flamingo display, full day lake circuit, black and white rhino tracking, Rothschild giraffe viewing, leopard search in lake shore woodland, Makalia Falls walk
Day 3
Lake Nakuru to Maasai Mara
Departing Lake Nakuru after breakfast your route takes you south and west across the Rift Valley floor and through the Maasai heartland to the boundaries of the Maasai Mara National Reserve. The four hour drive passes through traditional Maasai bomas and the acacia scrub landscape of the Mara ecosystem. An afternoon entry into the reserve delivers your first Mara game drive across the Northern Mara plains where the resident lion prides, cheetah families and enormous elephant herds provide an immediate introduction to this extraordinary landscape.
Morning departure from Nakuru, road transfer through Maasai country, afternoon Maasai Mara entry game drive, Northern Mara plains circuit, first Mara sunset
Day 4
Full Day Maasai Mara Game Drive
A full day in the Maasai Mara with a packed bush breakfast allows your guide to cover the maximum distance across the reserve, visiting the Mara River for crocodile and hippopotamus, the central plains for cheetah, the Triangle for the densest wildlife concentrations during Migration season, and the woodland margins for leopard and nocturnal species. This is the definitive Kenya safari day, with wildlife sightings typically numbering in the dozens and the possibility of multiple big cat encounters in a single morning drive.
Full day Maasai Mara game drive, Mara River crocodile and hippo, cheetah on the open plains, wildebeest and zebra herds, bush breakfast under an acacia tree, big cat tracking all day
Day 5
Maasai Mara to Nairobi
The final morning offers one last game drive across the Mara plains before departing for Nairobi by road. The four to five hour return journey travels northeast through the Rift Valley with a lunch stop en route. Private airport and hotel transfers in Nairobi are included for all departing guests.
Final morning Mara game drive, road transfer to Nairobi, Rift Valley viewpoint stop, lunch en route, private Nairobi transfer
What's Included
Included
- Return airport transfers in a private safari vehicle
- All game drives in a customised 4x4 safari Land Cruiser with a pop up roof
- Full board accommodation throughout (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
- Professional English speaking Kenya Wildlife Service certified safari guide
- All national park and conservation area entry fees
- Bottled mineral water throughout the safari
- Flight between destinations where indicated in the itinerary
- Complimentary airport meet and greet service
- All government taxes and levies
Not Included
- International flights to and from Nairobi
- Visa fees (available on arrival for most nationalities at USD 51 per adult)
- Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
- Optional hot air balloon safari at the Maasai Mara (USD 480 per adult)
- Alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages beyond water
- Personal shopping and laundry
- Tips and gratuities for guides, drivers and lodge staff
- Any activities not specified in the itinerary
- Single supplement surcharge where applicable
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