9-Day Kenya Safari & Beach Holiday: Masai Mara, Amboseli & Diani

Your Kenyan adventure begins this morning at 8:00 a.m., when our professional safari guide collects you from your Nairobi hotel or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Settling into your private, custom-fitted 4x4 safari Jeep, you'll set off toward the legendary Masai Mara, descending into the vast Great Rift Valley with a stop at a scenic viewpoint for photographs and sweeping views over the escarpment. Arriving in the Mara in time for lunch, you'll check in at Masai Mara Sopa Lodge — an elegant retreat of spacious rooms, landscaped gardens, a swimming pool, and warm Maasai-inspired hospitality, all set against endless savannah. In the cool of the afternoon, you'll head out before 3:30 p.m. for your first game drive, tracking the Mara's most iconic residents — lion, elephant, cheetah, buffalo, and more — across golden plains alive with wildlife. As the sun sets, return to the lodge for a delicious dinner and your first overnight beneath the star-filled African sky.

After waking around 6:00 a.m. to a hearty breakfast at the lodge, you'll meet your guide at the lobby and set off at 7:00 a.m. in your private 4x4 safari Jeep for a full day exploring the Masai Mara — running until about 4:00 p.m., or at whatever pace suits you. Today is devoted to Big Five wildlife viewing across the reserve's legendary plains, with superb chances to spot lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo, and rhino, alongside abundant plains game, giraffe, and dazzling birdlife. At midday you'll pause for a picnic lunch near the famous Mara River — a prime wildlife corridor and one of the reserve's great scenic highlights, where hippos and crocodiles gather and, in season, the Great Migration crosses in dramatic fashion. You'll return to Masai Mara Sopa Lodge around 4:00 p.m. in time to unwind with a sundowner. Set high on a hill with sweeping views over the savannah, the lodge offers some of the most spectacular sunsets in the Mara — a peaceful, memorable close to your day.

After an early breakfast at Masai Mara Sopa Lodge, you'll have the option to visit a traditional Maasai village, where you can experience the customs, dances, and way of life of one of Kenya's most iconic communities — a memorable cultural encounter before you leave the Mara. You'll then depart at 7:30 a.m., journeying north through the scenic Great Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru National Park.

A jewel of the Rift Valley, Lake Nakuru has been one of Kenya's premier rhino sanctuaries since 1984 and is celebrated for its extraordinary wildlife and birdlife. Highlights of the park include:

• Flamingos lining the lakeshore (seasonal)
• White and black rhino — both species protected here
• Endangered Rothschild's giraffe
• Lion, leopard, buffalo, and abundant plains game

You'll arrive at Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge around midday to check in, enjoy lunch, and relax. In the afternoon, you'll head out for a game drive through the park, exploring the lakeshore and acacia woodland in search of rhino, big cats, and the flocks of flamingos and pelicans that make Nakuru famous — returning to the lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast at Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge, you'll depart at 8:00 a.m. for the freshwater shores of Lake Naivasha, arriving around 10:00 a.m. Here you'll step aboard a boat for one of the trip's most memorable experiences — a scenic cruise across the lake in search of the magnificent African fish eagle, pods of hippo wallowing along the shoreline, and the dazzling variety of waterbirds that make Naivasha a paradise for birdwatchers. Afterwards, you'll transfer to Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge to check in and enjoy a relaxed lunch in its lush, acacia-shaded grounds, often visited by grazing waterbuck and colobus monkeys.

At 2:30 p.m., you'll set off for the dramatic landscapes of Hell's Gate National Park, with a choice of a game drive or an exhilarating guided bike ride through the park. Famed for the towering red cliffs, volcanic rock towers, geothermal steam vents, and deep gorges that inspired the scenery of The Lion King, Hell's Gate is one of the very few parks in Kenya where you can walk or cycle among the wildlife — gliding past zebra, giraffe, buffalo, and grazing antelope on the open plains. As evening falls, you'll return to Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge for dinner and a restful overnight stay.

This morning, after breakfast, you'll set out for a memorable walking safari on Crescent Island — a private sanctuary on Lake Naivasha and one of the only places in Kenya where you can stroll on foot among zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, and grazing antelope, with no predators to worry about. A gentle boat ride across the lake brings you close to wallowing hippos and the soaring African fish eagle, a perfect start to the day.

At around 11:00 a.m., you'll depart Lake Naivasha for Amboseli National Park, a scenic journey of roughly five to six hours, with lunch enjoyed en route. Arriving at around 5:30 p.m., you'll check in at your lodge and settle in for a relaxed evening — unwinding over dinner with the unforgettable sight of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, glowing on the horizon as the sun sets over the plains.

After an early breakfast at the lodge, you'll set out at 8:00 a.m. for a full day exploring Amboseli National Park — one of Kenya's most iconic safari destinations, world-famous for its great herds of elephant set against the snow-capped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. With the whole day ahead of you, running until around 4:30 p.m., you'll traverse the park's diverse landscapes of open plains, acacia woodland, seasonal swamps, and the shimmering expanse of Lake Amboseli.

Throughout the day you'll have excellent chances to spot some of Africa's most sought-after wildlife, including:

• Large herds of majestic elephant, often at close range
• Lion, cheetah, buffalo, zebra, giraffe, and wildebeest
• A wonderful variety of birdlife, especially around the swamps and lakeshore — pelicans, herons, kingfishers, and seasonal flamingos

At midday you'll pause for a picnic lunch inside the park, surrounded by sweeping savannah and, on clear days, the unforgettable backdrop of Kilimanjaro towering over the plains. After more wildlife viewing in the early afternoon, you'll return to Amboseli Sopa Lodge at around 4:30 p.m. to relax and unwind, reflecting on the memories of an extraordinary safari.

After breakfast, you'll depart Amboseli at 7:00 a.m. and journey east to Tsavo East National Park — one of Kenya's largest and most untamed wildernesses, famous for its red elephants, vast open plains, and the dramatic Yatta Plateau. You'll arrive in time to check in for lunch at Voi Wildlife Lodge, beautifully positioned overlooking a natural water hole. From the lodge's restaurant and terrace you can enjoy wonderful wildlife viewing right as you dine — elephant, buffalo, zebra, and a parade of plains game come down to drink, while you relax over lunch or dinner just metres from the action. At 3:45 p.m. you'll set out for an exciting evening game drive in search of Tsavo's iconic wildlife, returning to the lodge around 6:30 p.m. for dinner and an overnight stay, accompanied by the sounds of the African bush and the comings and goings at the water hole.

After an early breakfast, you'll set out at 7:00 a.m. for a morning game drive through Tsavo East, making the most of the cool early hours when wildlife is at its most active — keep watch for the park's famous red elephants, lion, giraffe, and herds of buffalo against the open plains. Around 9:30 a.m. you'll exit through Voi Gate and journey towards the Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, a private 28,000-acre reserve nestled between Tsavo East and Tsavo West. As a private sanctuary, Taita Hills offers a more exclusive, intimate safari experience, with excellent wildlife density and the freedom of off-the-beaten-track game viewing away from the busier public parks.

You'll arrive in time to check in for lunch at the remarkable Salt Lick Safari Lodge — one of Africa's most iconic and architecturally unique lodges. Built as a cluster of stilted, thatched towers connected by elevated walkways, the lodge rises above a natural water hole and salt lick that draws a constant procession of wildlife. From your room balcony or the dining areas you can watch elephant, buffalo, and antelope gather just below, often at eye level — an unforgettable, almost dreamlike setting found nowhere else in Kenya.

At 3:45 p.m. you'll head out for an afternoon and evening game drive within the sanctuary, staying out until late to enjoy the changing light and the wildlife as the bush comes alive towards dusk. You'll return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay, with the water hole's nocturnal visitors never far away.

After a relaxed breakfast at Salt Lick Safari Lodge, with a final morning to enjoy the wildlife gathering at the water hole, you'll check out and begin the scenic drive down to the coast. As the landscape shifts from open bush to lush coastal greenery, you'll be transferred to your final destination — dropped off at your Diani Beach resort to begin your beach stay, or at Mombasa (Moi International Airport) for your onward journey, depending on your plans. Lunch can be enjoyed en route.

As your safari comes to an end, we hope you carry home unforgettable memories of Kenya's breathtaking landscapes, iconic wildlife, and warm hospitality — from the plains of Amboseli and the red earth of Tsavo to the exclusive wilderness of Taita Hills. It has been a true pleasure sharing this remarkable journey with you, and whether you're settling into the white sands of Diani or heading onward home, we wish you safe travels and look forward to welcoming you back to Kenya again soon.