Samburu, Lakes Nakuru & Naivasha, & Masai Mara

Samburu National Reserve, Lakes Nakuru & Naivasha area and attractions & Masai Mara Game Reserve – Explorer Safari

  • 8 days

Overview

From the north to the south of Kenya, you’ll get to explore the vast stretches of this country, and discover its great parks, scenic wonders, and fabulous wildlife. This 8-day African safari is perfect for adventure and fun. It takes you from the rugged terrain of Samburu Park to the Great Rift Valley Lakes of Nakuru and Naivasha, to the savannah of Masai Mara. For over a week, you’ll enjoy the best of Africa.

North of Nairobi lies Samburu National Reserve, northern Kenya’s most popular park, where lions, leopards and hundreds of elephants roam the plains and the life-sustaining Ewaso Ngiro River. You’ll pass the snow-capped Mt. Kenya on your way to this park, which is home to the unusual oryxes, gerenuks, and Somali ostriches. The Samburu tribespeople also live in this ancient land.

Then, you’ll head south to the Rift Valley lakes of Nakuru and Naivasha. Lake Nakuru National Park is a versatile reserve that’s home to exotic birds like flamingos, but also a great amount of endangered rhinos. Here, you can go on safaris by jeep, boat, foot, and even bicycle! After your boat safari across the lake you’ll enjoy a guided walking tour of the Crescent Island Game Sanctuary and then you’ll cycle to Hell’s Gate National Park to get up close to zebras, gazelles, antelopes, zebras, and buffalo.

Your final destination is Masa Mara National Reserve. This is Kenya’s most popular wildlife park, and it is home to an unusually large number of big cats. During the migrating season, you’ll see great numbers of wildebeest and zebras, an unforgettable sight.

You’ll explore Kenya’s most exciting parks for more than a week. Let us know about any special wishes you may have for your safari adventure and Malaika Travel will work hard to make them happen.

Tour highlights

2 nights at Samburu Game Reserve

  • Rare species – Grevy’s zebras, reticulated giraffes, oryxes, gerenuks, Somali ostrichs
  • Experiencing local cultures
  • Views of the snow-capped Mt. Kenya
  • Experiencing multiple climate zones
  • Visiting local Samburu tribes and seeing their homes & culture

1 night at Lake Nakuru National Park

  • A rhino sanctuary – you’re guaranteed to see black and white rhinos
  • The magnificent expanse of the Great Rift Valley
  • Rothchild’s giraffe
  • Flamingos and other birdlife
  • The scenic Thompson Falls at Nyahururu

1 night at Lake Naivasha

  • A sailing safari
  • A walking safari on Crescent Island amongst the giraffe, zebras & birds
  • Bird watching
  • A Hell’s Gate visit with a  bicycle ride

3 nights at Masai Mara Game Reserve

  • An iconic world-famous game park – unlimited game drives
  • The Big Five
  • Immense herds of wildlife
  • Unforgettable savannah vistas
  • Maasai people and their culture
  • A Masai village visit at Masai Mara-arrange this with your tour guide/driver ($ 25 per person to Masai village chief) – optional
  • A hot air balloon ride at Masai Mara. An unforgettable experience. Please ask us about this if you’re interested. Cost $ 460 per person

Prices are per person based on:

2 people US$ 4,040
3 people US$ 3,660
4 people US$ 3,470
5 people US$ 3,360
6 people US$ 3,280

per person


What you could see on a 8 days Samburu – Lake Nakuru – Lake Naivasha – Masai Mara safari…

  • Elephant herds
  • Zebras
  • Cheetahs
  • Buffalo
  • Warthogs
  • Reticulated Giraffe
  • Antelopes
  • Oryxes
  • Grevy’s zebra
  • Somali ostriches
  • Lions
  • Flamingos
  • Pelicans
  • White rhinos
  • Black rhinos
  • Waterbucks
  • The Makalia Waterfalls
  • Unique vegetation

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Bhutan

Bhutan Tour

Day to day itinerary

07:30hrs: Your driver/guide will pick you up from Nairobi. You’ll head north to Samburu National Reserve in your private 4 x 4 Jeep. Along the way, you’ll see the country’s tallest peak, the snow-capped Mt. Kenya. The route to Samburu is through Kenya’s central highlands, and you’ll make stops at local markets to shop and enjoy them. You will also cross the equator and pause to mark this special moment.

At Samburu, you will embark on your first game drive, and search for lions, leopards, cheetahs, buffalos, and elephants.

Then, you’ll enjoy an afternoon game drive.

Overnight, you’ll stay at Samburu.

Accommodation

Classic: Samburu Simba Lodge*

*or similar accommodation. It depends on the availability of the accommodation during the time of your visit.

Meal plan: Lunch, dinner.


You’ll wake up in time to welcome the new day.

Your day will be filled with as many game drives as you wish. Just let your driver/guide know how you would like to plan your day.

Besides the park’s big game, you’ll also be looking for the unusual wildlife found here like Grevy’s zebras, reticulated giraffes and beisa oryxes – a large antelope with a striking appearance.

You will also drive to Shaba and Buffalo Springs, two places that are greener than Samburu and have forests, woodlands, and volcanic formations. The park also has over 450 species of avian life, including kingfishers, vultures, guinea fowls, falcons, and eagles. Samburu offers many surprises for safari-goers.

Overnight, you’ll stay at Samburu.

Accommodation

Classic: Samburu Simba Lodge*

*or similar accommodation. It depends on the availability of the accommodation during the time of your visit.

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

You’ll be leaving Samburu this morning but first, you’ll go on a game drive and try to find more elephants and buffalo.

On your way to Lake Nakuru, you’ll stop at Nyahururu to take in the towering cascade of Thompson’s Falls.

Lake Nakuru National Park is a lovely spot filled with waterfalls, acacia forests and the lake’s blue alkaline waters. You’ll find some flamingos here, along with pelicans, kingfishers, ostriches, herons, and eagles.

The park is also known for being home to a large population of black and white rhinos. That’s what makes this reserve so special – its great variety.

Overnight, you’ll stay at Lake Nakuru.

Accommodation

Classic: Egret Savanna Camp*

*or similar accommodation. It depends on the availability of the accommodation during the time of your visit.

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

You’ve got lots to see today so you’ll start with an early morning safari through the park on your way to Lake Naivasha.

There’s so much to do at the lake and its surrounding parks. You’ll get started with a short bike ride over to Hell’s Gate National Park. You’ll hike through gorges while looking for antelopes, gazelles, and zebras.

Back at Lake Naivasha, you’ll go on a relaxing boat safari across the lake. You might even spot some wildlife grazing on the shore. This will be followed by a guided walking tour to Crescent Island Game Sanctuary, a lovely park that is full of gentle wildlife like impalas, gazelles, zebras, and waterbucks.

Overnight, you’ll stay at Lake Naivasha.

Accommodation

Classic: Naivasha Simba Lodge*

*or similar accommodation. It depends on the availability of the accommodation during the time of your visit.

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

You’ll go on one more game drive around the lake before you leave Lake Naivasha and go to Masai Mara National Reserve.

This is the big one – it’s world-famous and it’s Kenya’s most popular park.

You’ll have time for your first game drive in the Mara this afternoon. You can look for Africa’s Big Five – they’re all here. You’ll have a high chance of seeing lions and the other big cats as sightings of them are common.

Overnight, you’ll stay at Masai Mara.

Accommodation

Classic: Mara Simba Lodge*

*or similar accommodation. It depends on the availability of the accommodation during the time of your visit

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

We’ve planned this 8-day safari to give you lots of time explore the rolling hills and acacia tree- dotted plains of the Masai Mara.

One of the most unique parts of the Mara is that this ecosystem has the highest concentration of wildlife in this region of Africa. Besides the Big Five, you’ll be looking for gazelles, topis, elands, and lots birdlife – kingfishers, storks, guinea fowls and plenty of raptors.

You may also see stunning hordes of wildebeests and zebra throughout the park during the Great Migration (July – October). This is the time when uncountable numbers of animals invade the park, and cross the Mara River, searching for sustenance.

You’ll have a picnic lunch near the river while looking for hippos and crocodiles and if it is the migration season, you’ll look for the wildlife streaming into the Mara.

Overnight, you’ll stay at Masai Mara.

Accommodation

Classic: Mara Simba Lodge*

*or similar accommodation. It depends on the availability of the accommodation during the time of your visit

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

This is your second full day at the Masai Mara. If you have any special requests or spots you like to visit or re-visit, just ask your driver/guide. They’ll be happy to help.

Two fun activities your guide will let you know about are an optional visit to a local Masai village, where you can meet the tribespeople and learn about their lives and culture. You might even participate in one of their dances!

The other optional event is a pre-dawn hot air balloon safari over the park. Imagine floating over the Masai Mara as the sun begins to light up the hills, valleys, and rivers of the reserve. You’ll have a perfect view of the wildlife as it roams over the vast plains. Your guide can make all the arrangements for you.

This is your final night at the Masai Mara.

Accommodation

Classic: Mara Simba Lodge*

*or similar accommodation. It depends on the availability of the accommodation during the time of your visit

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

After a leisurely breakfast at your lodge/camp, your dedicated driver/guide will assist you with the checkout process and you’ll proceed to Nairobi – Kenya’s colourful capital city.

On the way, your guide will point out the Longonot extinct volcano, which is a strato volcano located southeast of Lake Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya. It is thought to have last erupted in the 1860s and its name is derived from the Maasai word Oloonong’ot, meaning “mountains of many spurs” or “steep ridges “.

You can opt to drive to Naivasha for lunch/excursions at an extra cost, or drive straight to Nairobi and pass by Kiambethu Farm for the tea farm tour, which includes a three-course buffet lunch (at an extra cost). Or, you can drive straight back to the capital and later go to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your flight back home.

We will bring you to your Nairobi hotel, residence or to the airport.

From the great elephants at Samburu, to the close-up game watching at Lake Naivasha, to the splendour of the land and wildlife at Masai Mara, this has been a safari adventure to remember. Thank you so much for your patronage and the trust you have placed in us. Everyone at Malaika Travel wishes you our very best and we can’t wait to see you again.

Meal plan: Breakfast

Package includes

  • All park entrance fees
  • Accommodation and meals as per the itinerary
  • Drinking water station in your vehicle please bring reusable water bottles to be refilled as needed
  • Services of English-speaking experienced driver/guide
  • Transport in 4×4 safari land cruiser with pop-up roof for game viewing and photography
  • Exclusive use of safari vehicle throughout the trip
  • All government taxes and levies
  • Safari accessories (first Aid kit, cooler box, and fire extinguisher) and 24-hour emergency number
  • All safari vehicles have RF radio to help your driver locate wildlife

Package excludes

  • Expenses of a personal nature such as visas, driver tips etc.
  • Balloon safari
  • Maasai village visit
  • Personal insurance cover
  • Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
  • Domestic and international flights and respective taxes
  • Increase in park entry fees if revised by the park management or government

Get in touch by phone | WhatsApp | email with your preferred dates for your trip

 +44 7761 228972

  WhatsApp

  info@malaikatravel.com