Depart Nairobi for the Aberdares (3 hours), a park set in a mountain range with fabulous views of Mount Kenya. There are many waterfalls and lichen-hung trees, and you may see mountain elephants, black rhinos, leopards, long-haired colobus monkeys, and possibly the mountain bongo if you are very lucky. 

You will arrive at the Aberdares Country Club for lunch, after which you will be transferred to The Ark - a game-viewing lodge where you will spend the night. The Ark provides a unique game-viewing experience from the comfort of the lodge, with four viewing decks and a hide. Before dinner, the host conducts an interactive talk on the local fauna and wildlife, and dinner is served from 7.30 pm to 9 pm. Afterwards, continue observing the wildlife, and if you wish to go to bed, the resident ranger stays on watch during the night and will buzz your room if an interesting animal comes to the water hole

After breakfast, you’ll continue to Samburu (3.5 hours), arriving at camp before lunch. The reserve is in a very scenic, semi-arid area situated along the Uaso Nyiro River, which attracts wildlife from the surrounding savannah plains. Samburu is known for its rare Northern species, including the gerenuk, Beisa oryx, and Somali ostrich. There are also 450 different species of bird, including the Lesser Kestrel and the Taita Falcon. The reserve is home to several large predators, including cheetah, lion, and leopard.

The camp is situated on the riverbank; each en suite, luxury tent sits on a raised wooden platform overlooking the river, where crocodiles and elephants sometimes make an appearance. The camp has just 28 luxury tents, a small shop, a pool, and a restaurant that serves high-quality food from its à la carte menu.

After lunch, you'll head out on a game drive with your guide before returning to camp for dinner and a relaxing evening. The next day will be spent on early morning and late afternoon game drives, with all meals served at the camp’s restaurant

After breakfast, you’ll leave Samburu and continue your safari to Laikipia (3 hours) and the Ol Pejeta conservancy, which has the highest density of resident large mammals in Kenya; including rare species such as the reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, and the Lelwel hartebeest. The conservancy carries out important work to protect wildlife and boost income through wildlife tourism, channelling funds back into conservation projects and local communities.

You’ll spend two nights at the luxurious Sweetwaters tented camp, located within the conservancy and set in a beautiful area with views of the Aberdares and Mount Kenya. The camp features extensive grounds, a watering hole, a night-viewing bar, and en-suite tents, some of which overlook the waterhole.

You’ll join early morning, late afternoon, and night game drives, go lion tracking, and take part in gathering research data essential for monitoring collared lions (a fantastic way to learn about lions, with all information shared with the Ol Pejeta Ecological Monitoring Department). When not on game drives or tracking lions, you can relax in camp and enjoy watching the wildlife at the camp’s waterhole.

After breakfast, you’ll head down the Great Rift Valley to Lake Naivasha, arriving in time for lunch at the Sopa Resort. The lodge is situated close to the lakeshore and features beautiful gardens where wildlife such as bushbuck, zebra, and giraffe often wander. It offers a restaurant and a very comfortable lounge and bar area with leather sofas and fireplaces, perfect for enjoying the cool Naivasha evenings. The rooms are spacious, Swahili-style chalets, either with a balcony or a glass-fronted lounge area for relaxing and wildlife viewing.

After lunch, you’ll set out on a boat safari across the lake, where you may see hippos and a variety of bird species, including fish eagles and pelicans. Towards the end of your boat safari, there will be a stop at Crescent Island for a guided nature walk. At the end of the day, you’ll return to the lodge to relax, enjoy dinner, and watch hippos emerging from the lake to graze in Sopa’s grounds.

After an early breakfast, you will leave Naivasha for the open grasslands of the Masai Mara, a 5-hour journey. Rich in biodiversity and home to a wide variety of bird species and wildlife, this savannah reserve offers excellent game-viewing and bird-watching opportunities. The Masai Mara is considered the jewel of Kenya’s wildlife reserves and hosts the annual wildebeest migration, involving over 1.5 million animals! The reserve has recorded 95 species of mammals, amphibians, and reptiles, as well as more than 400 bird species. No other place in Africa offers such abundant wildlife, and visitors will rarely miss the chance to see the Big Five (buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion, and rhino).

You will arrive in time for lunch at Elatia, a beautifully situated luxury camp on the western side of the Mara, perched on the Oloololo escarpment with panoramic views of the reserve and the Mara River, and provides access to the less-visited Mara Triangle. The camp has just 12 tents, all ensuite and equipped with a sundeck overlooking the Mara plains.

You will spend three days here exploring the savannah grasslands of the Masai Mara on game drives, searching for the Big Five and a multitude of other mammals, reptiles, and birds. Besides game drives, activities may also include a nature walk with local Masai guides, a visit to a Masai pastoralist's Ankole cattle farm, and a trip to the rhino sanctuary.

After breakfast, you’ll travel back to Nairobi by road (5.5 hours), stopping for lunch along the way. Alternatively, stay for lunch and catch a flight back to Nairobi in the mid-afternoon (optional extra).