6-Day Discover Amboseli, Lake Naivasha and Maasai Mara

You'll be met at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi and driven south towards Amboseli National Park, a journey of around four hours that takes you past Kajiado's dry plains and views of Mount Kilimanjaro on clear days. Your guide will stop for lunch en route before continuing into the park, where the terrain opens into swampy grasslands ringed by acacia woodland.

You'll arrive at Amboseli Serena Lodge in the late afternoon, in time to settle into your room before an early evening game drive along the swamp edges, where elephant herds often gather to drink and feed. Dinner is served at the lodge, with Kilimanjaro's silhouette visible from the terrace as the light fades.

You'll set out on an early morning game drive while the air is still cool, heading towards the Enkongo Narok and Olokenya swamps where elephant, buffalo and hippo are commonly seen against the backdrop of Kilimanjaro. Amboseli is known for its long-tusked elephant bulls, and your guide will track herds moving between the swamps and the surrounding acacia scrub. You'll return to the lodge for a late breakfast and some time to rest during the heat of midday.

The afternoon drive covers the dry lake bed of Amboseli, a dusty, open plain where zebra, wildebeest and Maasai giraffe graze, and cheetah are sometimes spotted hunting in the open ground. You'll head back to Amboseli Serena Lodge as the sun drops behind Kilimanjaro, with dinner and an overnight stay at the lodge.

After an early breakfast you'll leave Amboseli and drive north, climbing back through the Rift Valley escarpment towards Lake Naivasha, a journey of roughly five hours. The route passes through Nairobi's outskirts and then descends into the Rift Valley itself, with views opening up over the valley floor as you approach the lake, one of the few freshwater lakes in the region.

You'll arrive at Lake Naivasha Country Club in time for a late lunch on the lawns overlooking the water. The afternoon is set aside for rest, with the option of a boat ride on the lake to see hippo pods and a wide range of waterbirds, including fish eagles, cormorants and pelicans along the shoreline. Dinner and overnight are at the Country Club.

You'll depart after breakfast for the Maasai Mara, a drive of around four to five hours that descends further into the Rift Valley before climbing onto the rolling grassland of the Mara ecosystem. Your guide will point out changes in vegetation and altitude along the way, from the dry valley floor to the greener highlands bordering the reserve.

On arrival at Mara Serena Lodge, perched on a ridge with wide views over the plains, you'll have lunch before heading out on an afternoon game drive. The Mara's open savannah supports large numbers of lion, elephant and topi, and this is often a good time to spot predators moving as the day cools. You'll return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

You'll leave the lodge early for a morning game drive across the Mara's open plains, when lion and cheetah are most active and the light is soft for photographs. Your guide will head towards areas favoured by resident prides and, depending on the season, towards the Mara River, where you may see wildebeest herds gathering along the banks during the migration months. You'll return to Mara Serena Lodge for a late breakfast and a break through the warmer hours.

The afternoon game drive explores a different section of the reserve, tracking herds of buffalo, giraffe and zebra across the grassland, with hippo often visible in the river's deeper pools. You'll head back to the lodge as the sky colours over the plains, with dinner and your final night in the Mara.

You'll have one last early morning game drive in the Mara before breakfast, giving a final chance to see any animals missed earlier in the trip, particularly around the riverine woodland where leopard sometimes rest during the cooler hours. Afterwards you'll return to Mara Serena Lodge to check out and collect your luggage.

Your guide will then drive you back to Nairobi, a journey of around five to six hours across the Rift Valley and through the escarpment, with a stop for lunch along the way. You'll be dropped at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport or your Nairobi hotel in the late afternoon, bringing the safari to a close.