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Lion in the Maasai Mara grasslands

Wildlife safari · Kenya

8-Day Maasai Mara · Lake Naivasha · Lake Nakuru · Aberdare & Mount Kenya (Mau Mau Caves)

Explore Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Aberdare, Mount Kenya on this 8-day wildlife journey. Tell us your travel dates and group size for a quotation and a detailed programme tailored to your plans.

  • 8 days
  • Kenya
  • Wildlife safari
  • On Request
Plan this tripAsk on WhatsApp

The journey

A closer look at your trip.

Explore Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Aberdare, Mount Kenya on this 8-day wildlife journey. Tell us your travel dates and group size for a quotation and a detailed programme tailored to your plans.

Maasai MaraLake NakuruLake NaivashaAberdareMount KenyaNairobi
Duration
8 days
Countries
Kenya
Trip style
Wildlife safari
Transport
4x4 Land Cruiser
Start
Nairobi
End
Nairobi
Price
On Request

Choose your safari style

The same route, at the level you want to travel.

This journey follows the same wildlife route whichever style you choose. What changes is where you sleep, the level of service and how the trip is quoted.

Choose your safari style

Budget: where you stay

Suggested accommodation

  • Maasai Mara

    Miti Mingi Camp

  • Lake Nakuru

    Buraha Zenoni

  • Lake Naivasha

    Leisure Apex

  • Aberdare

    KWS public campsite

  • Mount Kenya

    Naro Moru River Lodge

    value room before and after the climb, with route-appropriate mountain huts

Suggested accommodation is subject to availability. A property of a similar standard may be proposed where necessary.

What this style means

  • Practical camps and lodges, and public campsites inside the Tanzanian parks. The wildlife itinerary, the guiding and the 4x4 Land Cruiser are the same as on the upgraded styles of this route.
Price
On Request
Catalogue reference
Product 10
Enquire about the budget option

Midrange: where you stay

Suggested accommodation

  • Maasai Mara

    Zebra Plains Mara Camp

  • Lake Nakuru

    Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge

  • Lake Naivasha

    Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort

  • Aberdare

    The Ark

  • Mount Kenya

    Naro Moru River Lodge

    before and after the climb, with route-appropriate mountain huts and camps

Suggested accommodation is subject to availability. A property of a similar standard may be proposed where necessary.

What this style means

  • Upgraded rooms, dining and a higher service level throughout, with a 4x4 Land Cruiser for game drives.
Price
On Request
Catalogue reference
Product 67
Enquire about the midrange option

Trip highlights

The places that shape this journey.

  • 01

    Maasai Mara

  • 02

    Lake Nakuru

  • 03

    Lake Naivasha

  • 04

    Aberdare

  • 05

    Mount Kenya

  • 06

    Nairobi

Your route

Across Kenya.

Nairobi → Maasai Mara → Lake Naivasha → Lake Nakuru → Aberdare → Mount Kenya → Nairobi

We will confirm the day-by-day sequence and overnight stops in your detailed proposal.

KENYATANZANIANairobiMaasai MaraLake NaivashaLake NakuruAberdareMount Kenya

Schematic route · See the day-by-day programme for travel details.

Day by day

8 days in East Africa.

  1. Day 1

    Nairobi – Maasai Mara

    Pick-up from your Nairobi hotel is at 8:30am for the journey to the Maasai Mara. The road crosses Kenya's agriculturally rich central highlands with a stop at the escarpment to look out over the Great Rift Valley, then descends to the valley floor and continues west to the reserve, arriving in time for lunch. The afternoon is spent game viewing in the 4x4 Land Cruiser in search of the Mara's animals. Return after the afternoon game drive for dinner and the night.

    Overnight
    Miti Mingi Camp, Maasai MaraZebra Plains Mara Camp
    Meals
    Lunch and dinner

  2. Day 2

    Maasai Mara National Reserve

    A whole day exploring the vastness of the Maasai Mara. Lion, cheetah, elephant, buffalo and zebra dominate the scene, while antelope, warthog and wildebeest gather in formidable numbers; the reserve has the highest concentration of wildlife per square kilometre in the region. Game drives are split around a return to the lodge for lunch, or taken as a full day with a picnic. An optional visit to a local Maasai village can be arranged. All meals are provided, with an unhurried evening before the night.

    Overnight
    Miti Mingi Camp, Maasai MaraZebra Plains Mara Camp
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch and dinner

  3. Day 3

    Maasai Mara – Lake Naivasha

    After breakfast, leave the Mara and drive north-east through Narok and back up the Rift Valley to Lake Naivasha, a freshwater lake ringed by papyrus and acacia woodland and known for its birdlife and the hippo that graze its shores after dark. The afternoon is free at the lodge on the lakeshore; an optional boat trip can be arranged locally. The published programme lists a lodge or similar, which we confirm at quotation. Dinner and overnight on Lake Naivasha.

    Overnight
    Leisure Apex, Lake NaivashaLake Naivasha Sopa Resort
    Meals
    Breakfast and dinner
    Lions resting on open grassland beneath an acacia tree at golden hour
    The Maasai Mara — the heart of this journey.

  4. Day 4

    Lake Naivasha – Lake Nakuru

    After breakfast, drive the short distance north to Lake Nakuru National Park. The alkaline Rift Valley lake is famous for the flamingos that can fringe its shoreline, though their numbers rise and fall with the water level, and the park also holds lion, leopard, giraffe and warthog. Its rhino sanctuary makes sightings of both black and white rhino very likely. Game drive in the 4x4 Land Cruiser through the afternoon. Return for dinner and the night.

    Overnight
    Buraha Zenoni, Lake NakuruLake Nakuru Sopa Lodge
    Meals
    Breakfast and dinner

  5. Day 5

    Lake Nakuru – Aberdare

    After breakfast, depart Lake Nakuru for the Aberdare range, climbing from the Rift Valley into moorland and montane forest, and arrive in time for lunch at the lodge or tented camp. An evening game drive runs until sunset through the park's forest and glades, where elephant, buffalo and bushbuck are common. When the cloud lifts, Mount Kenya, the second-highest mountain in Africa, is visible to the east. The day ends with dinner and time to unwind.

    Overnight
    KWS public campsite, AberdareThe Ark, Aberdare
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch and dinner
    Two rhinos grazing on open grassland below a steep escarpment
    Lake Nakuru National Park, a rhino sanctuary on this route.

  6. Day 6

    Aberdare Full Day

    Breakfast at your lodge or tented camp, then a full day inside Aberdare National Park tracking its wildlife in the 4x4 Land Cruiser. The park's bamboo belts, forest and high moorland are very different from the savanna parks, with waterfalls and chilly mornings, and the animals here include elephant, buffalo, giant forest hog and, with luck, black rhino or bongo. A picnic lunch is taken en route. Come back for dinner and a quiet evening.

    Overnight
    KWS public campsite, AberdareThe Ark, Aberdare
    Meals
    Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner

  7. Day 7

    Aberdare – Mount Kenya

    A pre-breakfast game drive in the 4x4 Land Cruiser, then back to the lodge for a full breakfast and check-out. Leave the Aberdares for the foothills of Mount Kenya and visit the Mau Mau caves, the forest hideouts used by Kenya's independence fighters in the 1950s, with your guide explaining their history and the role the forest played. Later drive to Nanyuki, the town on the equator at the foot of the mountain, for dinner and overnight.

    Overnight
    Nanyuki hotelNanyuki hotel
    Meals
    Breakfast and dinner

  8. Day 8

    Nanyuki – Nairobi

    After breakfast, depart Nanyuki for Nairobi. The road south passes through the fertile farmland of the central highlands, with coffee, tea and pineapple plantations on either side and, in clear weather, a last view of Mount Kenya's peaks in the mirror. The drive takes most of the morning and reaches the capital in the early afternoon. Drop-off is at your hotel or the airport, which brings the eight-day safari to a close.

    Meals
    Breakfast

What is included

Your quotation will itemise transport, guiding, entry fees, accommodation and meals where applicable. Please confirm the included services with our team before booking.

What to allow for

Ask for an itemised list of exclusions and optional activities with your quotation so you can plan your total travel budget.

When to travel

Seasonal considerations.

Game viewing across Kenya is at its most reliable in the dry months, roughly June to October and again in January and February, when the grass is shorter and animals concentrate around permanent water. The long rains fall around April and May and the short rains in November; both bring green country, fewer vehicles and lower rates, at the cost of some unpredictability on the roads. There is no month in which this journey cannot run.

Read the full season guide →

Who it suits

Is this the right journey?

  • Travellers who want more than a sampler: enough days to settle into each area rather than moving on every morning.
  • Travellers at different budgets — this route is sold as Budget, Midrange, with the same wildlife itinerary throughout.
  • Parties who want the vehicle and the pace to themselves; this journey is arranged privately.

Pricing

Plan with the details in view.

On Request

Published catalogue reference rate. Confirm availability and the final quotation for your travel dates.

This itinerary can also be arranged privately in a 4x4 Land Cruiser on request. A private departure is quoted separately and confirmed with your dates and group size.

Request a quotation

Made for your plans

Let’s shape the details together.

Tell us what matters most: time in a particular destination, room preferences, photography or a gentler pace. We will explain the practical options and provide a revised proposal.

Discuss this trip on WhatsApp →

Your questions, answered.

How do I request a quotation?

Send your travel dates, party size and accommodation preferences. We will confirm availability and send a written quotation before you book.

Can I customise this trip?

Ask our team about adjustments to the itinerary, accommodation and pace. We will explain what is practical for your dates and confirm any price changes.

What is the published price for this 8-day trip?

On Request. Ask us to confirm the quotation for your dates and group size.

What vehicle is used for game drives?

Safari game drives use a 4x4 Land Cruiser. Your quotation will confirm whether your trip is private or shared and specify any separate transfer arrangements.

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