February 25, 2021
7 Days Amboseli-Lake Nakuru-Masai Mara Circuit
Written By Benson Ndunyu
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Day 1: Nairobi – Masai Mara (Basecamp Masai Mara)
The Masai Mara together with Tanzania’s Serengeti form Africa’s most famous wildlife park, the Masai Mara National Reserve. The image of acacia trees dotting endless grass plains epitomises Africa for many, then add a Maasai warrior and some cattle to the picture and the conversation need go no further. The undeniable highlight of the Masai Mara National Reserve is undoubtedly the annual wildebeest migration traversing the vast plains of the Serengeti and the Masai Mara. It is known as the largest mass movement of land mammals on the planet – with more than a million animals following the rains. Large prides of lions, elephants, giraffes, gazelles and eland can also be spotted in the reserve. Aside from horse riding safaris and traditional vehicle safaris, hot-air ballooning over the Mara plains has become almost essential.
Day Itinerary
Pick up from your Nairobi hotel or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the morning drive to Masai Mara through the Great Rift Valley which lies on the road built by Italian prisoners of war during the Second World War. You will see the charming chapel they built at the foot of the escarpment.
You will arrive in Masai Mara in time for lunch.
After the lunch, you will go for an afternoon game drive at the spectacular Masai Mara game reserve.
Everything about Mara during this season is incredible. The wildlife is abundant, and the vast grasslands ensure that animals are rarely out of sight, and the Birdlife is impressive, great herds of elephant browse among the rich tree-studded grasslands, along with an occasional black rhino. Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle, topi, eland and many more species of plains game offer rich pickings for the dominant predators – lion, leopard and cheetah – that hunt in this pristine wilderness. In the Mara River, hippos submerge at the approach of a vehicle, only to surface seconds later to snort and grumble their displeasure. Seemingly drowsy crocodiles sunbathe on the riverbanks, mouths agape, waiting with subtle cunning for prey at which to strike with lightning swiftness.
As the sun sets you will return to the lodge for dinner, followed by stargazing and story-time around the fireplace. When you’re ready, one of the Maasai night guards – known as Askaris – will escort you back to your room.
Dinner and overnight at Basecamp Masai Mara
Consultant Notes
Things to do in Masai Mara
Maasai Mara Game Reserve is a great wildlife destination located on the floor of Kenya’s Great Rift Valley. It is famous for its exceptional wildlife that includes high destines of lion’s prides, leopards, cheetah and the great annual migration of wildebeest, zebras, and Thomson’s gazelles, from the Serengeti between July and October.
Exploring Masai Mara allows our guests to experience a variety of different safari activities to make their trips even more memorable.
Overnight: Basecamp Masai Mara
Basecamp Masai Mara has 17 spacious and luxurious Double Riverside Tents, including one Family Riverside Tent, perfect for families traveling with children. Our tents are built along the banks of the Talek River, the natural border to the Masai Mara National Reserve. The dense riverbed foliage allows for maximum privacy and comfort, without compromising the view of the Masai Mara National Reserve. With more than 286 identified bird species, you are certain to wake to a symphony of birdsong while staying at Basecamp Masai Mara.
Activities: Evening Game Drive
Day 2: Basecamp Masai Mara, Masai Mara
Day Itinerary
Awake to the magnificent ‘wakeup call’ symphony of Masai Mara’s astonishing bird life. Enjoy a sumptuous breakfast before embarking on a full day safari in the Masai Mara National Reserve. Don’t forget your camera since it is a beautiful time of the year for photography: the air is clear and bright, and the bush alive with vibrant colour and new life creating great photo opportunities. Abundant wildlife on the savannah gives fantastic photo opportunities. The incredible backdrop of clear blues and the rolling Savannah will captivate you providing you with memories to last a lifetime. Catch the action as the predators hunt their prey and stalk the herds just like the lions and the cheetahs, capturing them with your lens and in your heart. Enjoy an exceptional wilderness for there is never a dull moment on the savannah.
Return to camp at sundown for dinner followed by relaxation at the campfire as you tell of your experiences on the African wilderness
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Begin with an early morning wakeup call and a steaming cup of coffee. Typically the client will get an adrenaline rush with a hot air balloon ride cutting through the cool air of the plains as herds of elephant, buffalo and zebra scatter in search of food below you. Upon landing- you are treated to a breakfast and your guide will then take you either back to the camp for a well-deserved nap or continue on a game drive. Return for lunch and an afternoon nap. Later go out for an evening game drive returning to camp for a hearty dinner and cold beer.
Dinner and overnight at the Basecamp Masai Mara
Consultant Notes
Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve is the ultimate ballooning destination. The landscape is stunning and free, and the abundant wildlife can make for spectacular viewings from above. As this is a wilderness area contiguous with the Serengeti National Park of Tanzania, with free-ranging wildlife that is not fenced in, we of course cannot guarantee what we will fly over and what we will see during a particular flight. However, we typically see a good diversity of animals, and it is likely you will spot elephants, giraffes, various antelope species, and ostriches from the balloon. Many of our guests also see hyenas, lions, and cheetahs, and ballooning is one of the best ways to search for the elusive black rhino, of which there are less than 40 in the Mara. Depending on the day’s flight path, you may also drift along one of the rivers and see hippos and crocodiles.
There has been some truly amazing sightings over the years, including leopards in trees, lions on kills, and active hyena dens. If you visit the Mara between July and October, you will probably see the “Great Migration” of over a million wildebeest, along with large numbers of zebras and gazelles. Observing this phenomenon from the balloon is the best way to grasp just how huge the migrating herds really are, and is an experience not to be missed. Regardless of whether the “Big Five” are seen from the balloon, most people say that the balloon flight was a highlight of their safari
Activities
| Morning | Morning game Drive |
| Afternoon | Afternoon game drive |
Recommended
| Morning | Hot air balloon flight over the Mara plains. |
Day 3: Basecamp Masai Mara, Masai Mara
Day Itinerary
Wake to the magnificent ‘wake up call’ of Masai Mara’s astonishing birdlife. After breakfast meet your Naturalist Maasai Guide for a Camp Walk around the camp compound. During your walk you will be introduced to some of the operational elements that have made Basecamp a leading pioneer in responsible tourism. Your Camp Walk includes a visit to the Basecamp Maasai Brand (BMB) workshop, one of its capacity-building projects that employ 118 women. Complete your Camp Walk by planting a tree in the Tree Plantation, just like the Obama family did when they stayed in the camp. After a freshly prepared lunch, served underneath the trees overlooking the Maasai Mara National Reserve, stroll across the private suspension bridge to join your Driver Guide for an Afternoon Game Drive. Finish your Game Drive with a traditional Basecamp Sun downer under an Acacia Tree.
Return to BCMM for dinner, followed by story sharing and stargazing around the fireplace.
Dinner and Overnight at Basecamp Masai Mara
Alternatively.
Awake to the magnificent ‘wake-up call’ symphony of Masai Mara’s astonishing birdlife. Enjoy a sumptuous breakfast before embarking on a full day safari in the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Abundant wildlife on the savannah gives fantastic photo opportunities. The incredible backdrop of clear blues and the rolling Savannah will captivate you providing you with memories to last a lifetime. Catch the action as the predators hunt their prey and stalk the herds just like the lions and the cheetahs, capturing them with your lens and in your heart. Enjoy an exceptional wilderness for there is never a dull moment on the savannah.
Return to camp at sundown for dinner followed by relaxation at the campfire as you tell of your experiences on the African wilderness
Activities
| Full day game drive |
Day 4: Masai Mara – Lake Nakuru National Park (Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge)
Located in the Great Rift Valley surrounded by yellow acacia woodlands and bushy shrublands, the Lake Nakuru National Park was created to protect the Lake and its large flocks of Lesser Flamingo, which are drawn to the algae that flourish in the saline waters of this soda lake. The national park is inhabited by over 50 mammal species including hippo, black and white rhino, Rothschild giraffe, buffalo and eland. Known as a bird watcher’s paradise, the park is home to over 450 bird species. Visitors can look forward to hiking through the scenic landscape, picnicking next to this magnificent lake, and spotting an array of wildlife on a game drive. Don’t miss the opportunity to visit the beautiful Makalia Waterfall.
Day Itinerary
Wake at dawn in time for a final Morning Game Drive. Witness how the Savannah comes alive as the sun rises. Return for breakfast. After breakfast collect your things and say your goodbyes. Just like the wildebeest, the time has come to wander on. Leaving the Masai Mara after breakfast, drive towards Nakuru, traversing the vast plains of Maasai land on the floor of Rift valley, keeping an eye out for herds of giraffe and gazelles as you head up the Mau escarpment, arrive at Lake Nakuru in the early afternoon
After a well-deserved lunch, relax and then set out for an evening game viewing drive around the park.
The lake park is among Kenya’s finest national parks. Flanked by rocky escarpments, pockets of acacia forest and at least one waterfall, the park is gorgeous year-round and is home to both black and white rhinos, lions, leopards, hippos and endangered Rothschild’s giraffes.
Dinner and overnight at Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge
Consultant Notes
Lake Nakuru National Park is one of Kenya’s two Premium Parks, and is a bird lover’s paradise. It surrounds Lake Nakuru, located in the Central Rift Conservation Area in the Southern Rift Valley region of Kenya. Originally protected as a bird sanctuary, this park hosts over 400 bird species, including 5 globally threatened species, and is an important stop on the African-Eurasian Migratory Flyway. This park was also the first national Rhino sanctuary and hosts one of the world’s highest concentrations of the Black Rhinoceros.
The ecosystem is comprised of the lake, surrounded by wooded and bushy grasslands. The park supports a wide ecological diversity including Flamingos (Greater and Lesser) and other water birds, and the Black and White Rhinoceros which are the major attractions of the area.
Landscape
Depending on the season, Lake Nakuru can cover up to about 25 miles2 (40 km2), and the entire park covers about 116 miles2 (188 km2). The lake is highly saline, so it is surrounded by a grassland of highly adaptable alkaline grasses. This park also has many hills with established viewpoints from which the lake, the woodlands, and often times the herds of buffalo can be seen.
Flora and Fauna
In addition to its 400 species of birds, Lake Nakuru National Park is home to 50+ mammal species, and over 500 species of flora. This park is famous for the flocks of Greater and Lesser Flamingos that gather around the lake, sometimes with as many as 2 million! You can find this great pink mass around the lake for a good part of the year, as these iconic birds stay mostly within the Rift Valley, migrating from lake to lake. Because Lake Nakuru National Park was fenced to protect endangered Rhinos and Giraffes, it can’t support African Elephants, so you won’t find any here!
A family of White Rhinoceros near the lake
You are guaranteed to see: White Rhinos, African Buffalos, Rothschild Giraffes, Zebras, Impalas, Olive Baboons, Vervet Monkeys, Waterbucks, a variety of water birds (Yellow-billed Pelicans, Marabou Storks, Hammerkops, Fish Eagles, etc.)
Common in the park: Hyenas, Jackals, Lesser Flamingos, Hippopotamus, Pythons
If you are lucky you may see: Lions, Leopards, Black Rhinos, Wild Dogs, Colobus Monkeys, Cheetahs
Don’t forget the plants! In Lake Nakuru National Park you can see a wide variety of beautiful landscapes: from grasslands to dense forests, and the very rare tarconanthus bushlands and euphorbia forests.
Overnight: Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge
Located on a range of hills that form the western limits of Africa’s Great Rift Valley, the lodge offers spectacular views over the vastness of Africa.
The lodge also overlooks Lake Nakuru and its surrounding National Park, one that is a paradise for bird watchers and wildlife lovers alike.
Lake Nakuru National Park is mainly a wooded and bushy grassland with a wide ecological diversity and characteristic habitats that range from the lake waters to the escarpment and ridges.
Activities
| Evening | Evening game Drive |
Day 5: Lake Nakuru – Amboseli National Park (Kibo Safari Camp)
Located in the southern reaches of Kenya, the Amboseli National Park is renowned for its excellent variety of wildlife such as Masaai giraffe, elephant, lion and cheetah and not surprisingly it is one of Kenya’s most popular parks. The landscape of Amboseli is dominated by the majestic snow cap of Mount Kilimanjaro, as well as open plains, acacia woodland, swamps and the massif of Ol Doinyo Orok. The birding is excellent, especially closer to the lakes and swamps. The park is famous for being the best place in Africa to get close to large herds of elephants among other wildlife species. Other attractions of the park include opportunities to meet the Maasai people and soak up spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world.
Day Itinerary
Wake up for an early morning game drive before going back to the lodge for breakfast. Check out and proceed with your safari through Nairobi and on to Mombasa road towards Amboseli National Park with a game drive en-route to arrive in time for a late lunch. Alternatively, you may have lunch en route to the Amboseli
After checking in, you may choose between taking a nap or going swimming at the lodge before taking a late afternoon game drive.
In the evenings from 9.00 to 9.30 Maasai Morans entertain our guests at the bonfire with their traditional dances and will also explain to you the meanings of their dances and songs.
You are encouraged to join in and see if you could jump higher than a Masaai!
Dinner and overnight at Amboseli Sopa Lodge/ Kibo Safari Camp
Consultant Notes
The Amboseli National Park’s ecosystem is mainly savannah grassland spread across the Kenya-Tanzania border, and also comprises of forested areas around some of its rivers and lakes. The park is famous for being the best place in Africa to get close to free-ranging elephants among other wildlife species, and its other attractions include opportunities to meet the Maasai tribe’s people, and its spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro.
With all this and more to see in the park, you might decide to spend a full day there instead of returning to our lodge for lunch. Should this be the case, and for your convenience, we have a tented luncheon and bar venue within a five minute drive from the park gates.
Facts about Amboseli National Park
Size / Location:
- 26 Km2
- Loitoktok District, Rift Valley Province
Major Attractions
- Kilimanjaro
- Large herds of Elephants
- The Big Five
- Observation Hill which allows an overall view of the whole park, especially that of the swamps and elephants,
- The swamp below Observation Hill hosts many elephants, buffaloes, hippos and a variety of water birds like pelicans and Egyptian geese
- Contemporary Maasai culture and indigenous lifestyle
Wildlife:
- Leopard, Cheetah, Wild dogs, Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra, Lion, Plains Game, Crocodile, Mongoose, Hyrax, Dik- dik, Lesser Kudu, and Nocturnal Porcupine
- Prolific birdlife features 600 species
Overnight: Kibo Safari Camp
Kibo safari camp is a luxury tented camp based in Amboseli National Park, set at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa standing at 5896m. Situated 140 kilometres south of Nairobi. Amboseli National Park is the second most popular national park in Kenya.
Kibo Safari Camp is only a 4 hours’ drive away from Nairobi city and with the newly built tarmac road from Emali to Loitoktok, you are sure to get here comfortably. It is 15km away from the Amboseli airstrip and a five minutes’ drive from the park gate.
The ideal location of the camp ensures you get breath-taking views of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Kibo safari camp offers complete tranquillity and privacy as we have maintained the original nature feel bringing you closer to nature.
Activities
| Morning | Morning game drive |
| Evening | Game Drive |
Day 6: Kibo Safari Camp, Amboseli National Park
Day Itinerary
On this day you take an early morning game drive returning for breakfast after which you may opt for an extra game drive or relax/swim.
After lunch, proceed to an afternoon game drive. Amboseli offers some of the best opportunities to see African wildlife because the vegetation is sparse due to the long dry months. Amboseli National Park is home to many species, including African bush elephants, Cape buffaloes, impala, and Masai lions, cheetahs, spotted hyenas, Masai giraffes, plains zebras and blue wildebeest among other African animals. There is also a host of Kenyan birds, both large and small. You may also visit to the Maasai Cultural Village later in the afternoon at a cost.
Dinner and overnight at Kibo Safari Camp
Consultant Notes
Amboseli’s fragile ecosystem displays an impressive wildlife variety, with more than 50 mammal species. The park is famous for being the best place in Africa to get close to free-ranging elephants among other wildlife species. Another attraction at the park is the opportunity to meet the Maasai and of course the spectacular view of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
The elephants are the kings of the park, no doubt. They are fond of the swamp areas, where they share the cool waters with the hippos and hide beneath the papyrus. The park is also home to a large resident population of Burchell’s zebras. Other herbivores include Thomson’s and Grants gazelles, buffalo, warthog, Maasai giraffe, impala, water buck and dik-dik. Baboons and Vervet monkeys inhabit the scarce woodlands. Carnivores are represented by lions, spotted hyenas, wild cats, jackals, caracals and cheetahs. With regards to birds, more than 400 species of birds have been registered, among which outstand pelican, flamingo, kingfisher, African fish eagle, ibis, secretary bird, crowned crane, grey and Goliath herons, cattle egret, black-winged stilt, little grebe, Egyptian goose, martial eagle, pigmy falcon, masaai ostrich, white backed vulture, lappet faced vulture, yellow-necked spur fowl, kori bustard and hornbills. After the rains, the park gathers large flocks of water birds.
Optional
| Afternoon | Visit to the Maasai Cultural Village |
Recommended
| Morning | Game Drive |
| Evening | Game Drive |
Lake Amboseli
The salted lake of Amboseli, most of the time dry, is a large area of dusty desert. When crossing this arid dry-lake bed, beautiful green swamps, hidden nature’s treasures irrigated by ground water coming from the largest single mountain of the world, Mt Kilimanjaro, offer an amazing ecosystem, a reminder of paradise and freshness.
The main attraction is the view of elephants grazing in front of the majestic mountain – only visible early in the morning or late afternoon.
Day 7: End of Itinerary – Amboseli National Park – Nairobi
Day Itinerary
Wake at dawn in time for a final Morning Game Drive. Witness how the Savannah comes alive as the sun rises. Return for breakfast. After breakfast collect your things and say your goodbyes. Embark on another game drive on your way back to Nairobi to arrive in the early afternoon in time for your flight back home.
As you board your plane, treasure the feelings and memories of communing with man and nature.
| Accommodation | Destination | Room Type | Duration | |
| Basecamp Masai Mara | Masai Mara | Tented |Camp | 3 Nights | |
| Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge | Lake Nakuru National Park | Lodge | 1 Night | |
| Kibo Safari Camp | Amboseli National Park | Tented |Camp | 2 Nights |
Price
From USD 1,650 per person sharing a twin
Included
- Transport from Nairobi and back in a private Safari minivan with a pop up roof
- 6 Nights Full board accommodation
- Game drives in a Safari minivan
- Free WiFi at the camps
- English speaking driver guide
- Bottled water during the safari
Excluded
- Drinks
- Visa fees
- Park entry fees
Masai Mara (USD 80 per person per night)
Lake Nakuru (USD 60 per person per night)
Amboseli (USD 60 per person per night)
- Bush activities e.g bush dinner, bush breakfast and Balloon Safari
- Telephone calls, tips and any other incidental charges
| Website URL: | You need to be a club member - if you want to see it! |
| Top Travel Voucher: | $50 |
| Contact Email: | You need to be a club member - if you want to see it! |
| Phone Number: | You need to be a club member - if you want to see it! |
| Contact Name: | You need to be a club member - if you want to see it! |
Top Travel Activities : Adventure Travel , Africa , Safaris
