7-Day Kenya Big Seven Safari | Amboseli, Nakuru & Mara

This is the safari life – a full day of unlimited game drives. You’ll get to know the park and its different environs, and the wildlife that thrive here. We’ll go for a pre-breakfast game drive to see the park in the day’s early light when the animals first emerge. Breakfast and a mid-morning drive will follow. You may go up to Observation Hill for stunning views in all directions, including Kilimanjaro. From here you can see the park’s marshes with their rich birdlife such as Egyptian geese. Lunch follows and more safari time in this compact but busy park. Feel like you want some moments to relax? Just tell your guide and you can break up your day with some downtime between game drives. Evening arrives and we’ll head back to our Amboseli accommodation for dinner and thoughts of this active day.

Let’s take a final spin around the park to see who we can spot emerging into the new day. Then we’ll head north, passing through Nairobi on our way to Lake Naivasha, traveling along the floor of the Great Rift Valley. We should get to the park around lunchtime. Ever go on a boating safari? We’ll push off on an easy, peaceful sail, gliding by curious hippos with views of grazing antelope and giraffe on the nearby shore. Finishing out the day, we’ll head to neighboring Crescent Island Sanctuary for a guided walking safari past buffalo, zebra, and lots of colorful birdlife. Next we’ll head back to our Lake Naivasha safari lodge or tented camp for dinner and a bit of relaxation.

Note: You have a choice to visit nearby Lake Bogoria National Reserve instead where the flamingoes are more plentiful. Today we’ll visit two more parks – Hell’s Gate is nearby and we can enjoy the unique opportunity of bicycling through its deep canyons, past towering cliffs, right by grazing buffalo, giraffe, zebra, and antelope. Then we’re off to Lake Nakuru Park for views of every sort of wildlife – monkeys, warthogs, giraffes, rhinos, pelicans, and even some flamingos. This very pretty park is an enchanting mix of waterfalls, woods, acacia forest, and the lake itself. Color and variety abound in this special place. We’ll rest and enjoy dinner at our Lake Nakuru accommodation

This will be an unforgettable day on safari in Kenya. Discuss with your guide which areas of the park you’d like to explore. Usually, we’ll head down to the Mara River, site of the crossing herds of the Great Migration (July – October). During this season, uncountable thousands of wildebeests, zebras, gazelle, eland, topi, and more flood into the Mara from the neighboring Serengeti on a survival trek for water and taller grasses. Waiting for them in the river are crocodiles and then, great numbers of big cats throughout the park. The spectacle can be awe-inspiring, dramatic, and moving. If you wish to experience this sight from above, we suggest an optional pre-dawn hot air balloon safari. Sail into the new day as the park comes alive with sunlight and views of innumerable wildlife streaming out to the horizon. Your guide can make all the arrangements for this not-to-be-missed event. For a special cultural moment, we recommend an optional visit to a nearby Maasai village. Here you’ll get to meet these local people and learn about their lives and unique herding lifestyle. As evening approaches, look to the west for a piercing Mara sunset. We’ll spend our final safari night at our Masai Mara accommodation.