A considered starting point.
The circuit we know best. Two full days in the Masai Mara, a Rift Valley interlude at Lake Nakuru, and two nights in Amboseli where huge tusker families roam the swamps under Africa's highest mountain. A tour of Kenya's contrasting landscapes - savannah, soda lake and kilimanjaro-view plains - with private 4x4 guiding throughout.
Full itinerary
Nairobi to the Mara plains
Leave Nairobi after breakfast and cross the Great Rift Valley to the Masai Mara, arriving for lunch and a first afternoon game drive among the reserve's resident prides.
Activities: Rift Valley viewpoint, drive via Narok, afternoon game drive
Stay: Tented camp or lodge in the Mara
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Altitude: 1,500-2,000m
The Mara, all day
A full day exploring the Mara Triangle and central plains: big cats, elephants, hippos and - in migration season - river crossings at the Mara or Talek. Optional balloon safari at dawn or a Maasai village in the afternoon.
Activities: Full-day game drive, Mara River, optional balloon flight, optional cultural visit
Stay: Same camp, two-night base
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Altitude: 1,500-2,000m
Morning drive, then the Rift floor
Final Mara game drive after breakfast, then transfer to Lake Naivasha or Nakuru for a relaxed afternoon: optional boat ride among hippos and fish eagles at Naivasha, or an early lakeshore drive at Nakuru.
Activities: Morning game drive, transfer to the Rift Valley, optional Lake Naivasha boat ride, Crescent Island walk
Stay: Lodge on the Rift floor (Naivasha/Nakuru)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Altitude: 1,600-1,900m
Nakuru rhinos and the road south
Dawn drive through Lake Nakuru National Park - rhino sanctuary, flamingo shallows and Rothschild's giraffes - then the road south via Nairobi toward Amboseli, watching for kilimanjaro on a clear evening.
Activities: Sunrise game drive, Baboon Cliff, transfer to Amboseli
Stay: Lodge or camp in Amboseli
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Altitude: 1,150m
Elephants under Kilimanjaro
Full day in Amboseli. Observation Hill at mid-morning, the Enkongo Narok swamps where the big tusker families feed, and an afternoon drive to a Maasai manyatta for cultural insight.
Activities: Full-day game drive, Observation Hill, swamp ecosystems, Maasai village visit
Stay: Same Amboseli lodge, two-night base
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Altitude: 1,150m
Amboseli dust devils
A second full day for Amboseli's celebrated elephant photography and dry-lakebed landscapes, with a long midday rest and a sundowner drive toward the mountain.
Activities: Sunrise drive, photography hides, lazy lodge hours, sundowner game drive
Stay: Same Amboseli lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Altitude: 1,150m
Back to Nairobi
Early game drive and breakfast, then the four-to-five-hour return to Nairobi, arriving by mid-afternoon for your onward flight or an optional city excursion.
Activities: Sunrise drive, transfer to Nairobi, optional Giraffe Centre or Sheldrick orphanage
Stay: None - journey ends in Nairobi
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Altitude: 1,150m-1,795m
Blue Mountain Field Stories
Field stories from Blue Mountain Safaris journeys across Kenya and East Africa.
Adjust the pace, stay and route.
Use this pack as a starting point. Your trip planner can adapt accommodation, transport, private guiding, coast extensions and travel dates around your group.
Customise this itinerary →Related safari options
Featured
7-Day Kenya Signature Safari
A polished private circuit linking the Mara, Rift Valley lakes and Amboseli in one unhurried journey.
Read more
Featured
6-Day Kenya Photography Safari
A light-aware private safari for photographers who want unhurried hides, landscapes and expert field pacing.
Read more