Intro: BIG FIVE BEGINNINGS: LAKE NAKURU & MASAI MARA IN 4 DAYS
Start your safari story where shimmering waters meet thriving wildlife, and end it on the vast plains where legends roam. This four-day adventure links the scenic beauty of Lake Nakuru National Park with the untamed drama of the Maasai Mara National Reserve — creating the perfect introduction to Kenya’s Big Five.
At Lake Nakuru, explore acacia woodlands and lakeside shores known for rhinos, Rothschild’s giraffes, and flocks of flamingos that often line the water’s edge. The setting is intimate and picturesque, offering close-up wildlife encounters against a backdrop of rolling hills.
Your journey then continues to the Maasai Mara, where endless golden savannahs set the stage for thrilling game drives. Lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, and rhinos roam freely across this world-famous reserve, delivering the kind of sightings every safari traveler dreams of.
Carefully paced and rich in diversity, this four-day escape is the perfect beginning — a compact yet powerful safari experience filled with iconic landscapes, remarkable wildlife, and unforgettable moments.
Price [On Request] basis
The Journey
Day 1: Nairobi – Lake Nakuru National Park
You will be picked up from your Nairobi hotel or the airport at around 7:30 am and depart for Lake Nakuru National Park, driving through the scenic Great Rift Valley. The journey takes approximately 3.5 to 4 hours with a short stop at a viewpoint for photos. You arrive in Nakuru around midday and proceed directly into the park for an en-route game drive as you head to your lodge. Lake Nakuru is famous for its rhinos, Rothschild giraffes, buffaloes, flamingos (seasonal), and diverse birdlife. After checking in and enjoying lunch, you will head out for an afternoon game drive from about 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm, exploring the lakeshore and wooded areas of the park. Dinner and overnight at your lodge in Lake Nakuru.
Day 2: Lake Nakuru – Masai Mara National Reserve
After an early breakfast, you depart Lake Nakuru at about 7:30 am and drive towards the Masai Mara National Reserve. The journey takes approximately 5 to 6 hours, passing through local towns and the scenic savannah landscapes of western Kenya. You arrive in the Masai Mara around 1:00 pm, enter the reserve, and enjoy an en-route game drive as you head to your camp or lodge. After check-in and lunch, you have time to relax before heading out for an afternoon game drive from around 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm. This is your first opportunity to experience the Mara’s rich wildlife, including lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, and possibly the big cats. Dinner and overnight in the Masai Mara.
Day 3: Exploring Masai Mara
On this day you can choose to go on a full-day game drive in the Mara or morning and afternoon game drives. Between the game drive, there is the optional visit to a local Masai village (payments to be made directly) which can be conducted. The trees in the distance might turn out to be a family of giraffes. Those clumps of bushes could be a pride of lions and the rock that moves could be a rhino lumbering out of your way. You could also encounter a herd of elephants crossing the path in front of you. Large animals are not the only entertainment – a family of warthogs may amuse you, running as fast as their little legs will carry them until they forget why they are rushing and stop to regroup. You will have dinner and an overnight stay at the lodge/camp.
Day 4: Masai Mara – Nairobi
After breakfast, you check out and depart the Masai Mara at around 7:30 am for the drive back to Nairobi. The journey takes approximately 5 to 6 hours. You arrive in Nairobi in the early afternoon, with drop-off at your hotel or the airport, marking the end of your safari.
Tour Inclusions & Exclusions
Package Inclusions
- Private meet-and-greet service
- Transport via 4×4 LandCruiser
- All applicable park/conservancy entrance fees
- Game drives
- Accommodation for 4 days 3 nights
- Meals on full board i.e. breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Complimentary 500ml mineral water per person per day in our vehicle
- Professional Driver guide
- Government taxes & levies
- Complementary flying doctors cover while on safari for evacuation
Package Exclusions
- International flights
- Telephone bill, laundry and any items of a personal nature
- Maasai village visit -$30 PPS
- Balloon safaris ride-$450
- Tips and gratuitie
