7-day itinerary
7-Day Kenya Safari
Masai Mara & the Great Migration
Kenya's Masai Mara delivers one of Earth's greatest wildlife spectacles, where vast golden savannahs teem with lions, elephants, and the thundering hooves of wildebeest crossing crocodile-filled rivers. Pack your binoculars and prepare for seven days of raw, unfiltered Africa at its most breathtaking.
Morning: Land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, clear customs, and transfer to your boutique hotel in Karen, the leafy suburb made famous by Karen Blixen.
Afternoon: Visit the Nairobi Giraffe Centre to hand-feed endangered Rothschild giraffes, then stop at the adjacent Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to meet rescued orphan baby elephants during their 5pm mud bath.
Evening: Enjoy a welcome dinner of nyama choma (grilled goat) and Tusker beer at Carnivore Restaurant, Nairobi's legendary open-fire meat feast.
Morning: Take an early 45-minute scenic flight from Wilson Airport on a Safarilink or Air Kenya propeller plane, watching the Rift Valley unfold below you in shades of amber and green.
Afternoon: Check into your tented camp on the Mara's eastern edge, grab a quick lunch, then head out on your first game drive—lions are frequently spotted napping under acacia trees in the afternoon heat.
Evening: Return to camp for sundowners on the viewing deck as hippos grunt in the river below, then enjoy a three-course dinner under a blazing canopy of stars.
Morning: Depart camp before 6am for a golden-hour game drive targeting cheetah on the open Mara Triangle plains, where the flat grassland gives these big cats the perfect hunting ground.
Afternoon: Head to the Mara River crossing points near Serena Camp—park your vehicle and wait patiently; the wildebeest herds often mass for hours before exploding into a chaos of splashing bodies and snapping crocodiles.
Evening: Return to camp via a detour through Leopard Gorge, where your guide will spotlight the secretive cats in the fig trees before the sun fully sets.
Morning: Rise at 4:30am for a magical one-hour hot-air balloon flight drifting silently over herds of elephant and buffalo, ending with a traditional champagne bush breakfast served on white linen in the savannah.
Afternoon: Visit a local Maasai boma where warriors in red shukas perform the iconic adumu jumping dance and women explain the meaning of their intricate beaded jewelry—purchases directly support the community.
Evening: Join your guide for a walking safari around camp at dusk, learning to identify animal tracks, medicinal plants, and the calls of nocturnal birds in the fading light.
Morning: Cross into the Mara North Conservancy where private vehicle density is strictly controlled, dramatically increasing your chances of exclusive big-cat sightings without the minibus crowds of the main reserve.
Afternoon: Enjoy a sundowner bush picnic beside a seasonal lugga (dry riverbed) while your guide explains the ecosystem's delicate balance between Maasai pastoralists and the migrating herds.
Evening: Participate in a night game drive—exclusive to conservancy areas outside the national reserve—spotting genets, civets, and lion hunts illuminated by a handheld red-light spotlight.
Morning: Spend the early morning on a final targeted game drive seeking out the Marsh Pride lions made famous by BBC's Big Cat Diary, frequently seen near the Musiara Marsh waterhole at dawn.
Afternoon: Visit the Mara Conservancy anti-poaching headquarters for a sobering and inspiring briefing from rangers on how they protect 1,500 square kilometres of wilderness from ivory poachers.
Evening: Celebrate your final Mara night with a special boma dinner—tables set inside a Maasai-style enclosure with traditional songs, dancing, and a roaring bonfire under the equatorial stars.
Morning: Catch the morning flight back to Wilson Airport and transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International for your departure, leaving time for a final strong Kenyan chai at the terminal café.
Afternoon: If your flight departs late afternoon, store your bags at the airport and take a quick taxi to the Nairobi National Museum to see Joy Adamson's original Born Free paintings and a remarkable ethnographic collection.
Evening: Board your international flight home with a camera full of extraordinary memories, a suitcase of Maasai crafts, and an unshakeable urge to return to Africa as soon as possible.
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