A 4-day safari trip to Kenya’s Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru offers an incredible wildlife experience, combining the vast savannah of Masai Mara with the birdlife paradise of Lake Nakuru. Expect to see the Big Five, the Great Migration (seasonal), and thousands of flamingos, along with other diverse wildlife and bird species. The trip typically includes game drives, cultural experiences, and scenic views of the Great Rift Valley.
Day 1: Nairobi – Lake Nakuru National Park
On your arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be met by our company representatives for meet and greet services. Alternatively, we can pick you up from the Nairobi hotel early in the morning. Leaving the bustling city of Nairobi, we drive to the Rift Valley Circuit. You will have a stop at the viewpoint to see the Great Rift Valley. Across the equator, southwards of Bogoria, lies the Rift Valley’s most famous lake, Lake Nakuru. Known all over the world for its flamingoes, it is alkaline and is recognized as being one of the Natural Wonders of the World. Lake Nakuru is now a rhino sanctuary, harboring a population of over 40 black and over 60 white rhinos, but the flamingos, of course, have always been the main attraction. At times, there may be almost 2 million flamingos in the residence, forming a stunningly beautiful deep pink band around the edge of the lakeshore. You will arrive in time for lunch then have an afternoon game drive. Dinner and Overnight at the lodge.
Meal Plan: Lunch, Dinner; Overnight at Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge/Similar
Day 2: Lake Nakuru National Park – Masai Mara National Reserve
After breakfast from the hotel, you will make your way to Masai Mara Game Reserve. We will drive via typical African savanna country dotted with local homesteads and colorful Masai herdsmen grazing their cattle. As the northern tip of the vast Serengeti ecosystem, the Mara hosts the spectacular seasonal migration of many thousands of wildebeest, zebras and attendant predators. We will proceed and arrive at camp with enough time to settle in before lunch with a little time to relax before we head out for our afternoon game drive. Return to camp for dinner and overnight.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner; overnight at Mara Serena Safari Lodge/Similar
Day 3: Explore Masai Mara Game Reserve
A full day is spent in Masai Mara with morning and afternoon game drives. You will have the opportunity to spot the BIG FIVE, including lion, elephant, leopard, black rhino, and buffalo. You will visit the Mara River, which borders Kenya and Tanzania. You will have a chance of seeing Hippos and very large Nile Crocodiles, who lay in wait for prey as wildebeest cross on their annual quest to find new pastures.
Each year, Masai Mara plays host to the world’s greatest natural spectacle, the Great Migration of wildebeest from Serengeti National Park, Tanzania to Masai Mara, Kenya. From July to October, the promise of rain and fresh life-giving grass in the north brings more than 1.3 million wildebeest together into a single massive herd. They pour across the border into the Mara, making a spectacular entrance in a surging column of life that stretches from horizon to horizon. At the Mara River, they mass together on the banks before finally plunging forward through the raging waters, creating a frenzy as they fight against swift currents and waiting crocodiles.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner; overnight at Mara Serena Safari Lodge/Similar
Day 4: Masai Mara – Nairobi
Early morning game drive at sunrise followed by breakfast at the lodge/camp. We depart Masai Mara game viewing game en-route as you exit the park with the last picturesque of Amboseli. We drive back to Nairobi arriving Nairobi in the afternoon. You will be dropped at either your hotel or airport to connect with your home-bound flight depending on the arrangements where the safari ends.
Meal Plan: Breakfast