Best of Kenya Safari

Early morning departure from Nairobi, driving southwest through the Great Rift Valley escarpment with spectacular views across the valley floor. Arrive at Masai Mara Sopa Lodge in time for lunch. The Masai Mara is Kenya's most celebrated wildlife reserve — 1,500 km² of open savannah and riverine forest with the highest lion density in East Africa. Full afternoon game drive observing lions, elephants, hippos, vast wildebeest and zebra herds, cheetah and the rich birdlife of the Mara River.

A full day in the Masai Mara with morning and afternoon game drives. Between July and October the Mara hosts one of nature's greatest spectacles — the wildebeest river crossings, when hundreds of thousands of animals plunge into the crocodile-filled Mara River in their annual migration circuit between Tanzania and Kenya. Year-round the Mara delivers exceptional predator sightings: resident lion prides, leopards in the fig trees along the river, cheetah mothers with cubs on the open plains, and hyena clans following the herds. Full day to explore at leisure.

Dawn game drive in the Mara before breakfast, then drive north through the Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picnic lunch en route. Afternoon game drive in Nakuru, famous for its vast flocks of flamingos that turn the lake shores pink, its thriving population of southern white rhino and black rhino, tree-climbing lions, and leopards concealed in the dense yellow fever acacia forest. Overnight at Serena Elementaita Lodge on the shores of Lake Elementaita.

Early breakfast, then drive back through Nairobi for lunch before continuing south to Amboseli National Park in the shadow of Kilimanjaro. The drive south crosses the wide Athi-Kapiti Plains before the iconic silhouette of Kilimanjaro — Africa's highest peak at 5,895m — rises above the horizon. En route game drive entering the park. Amboseli's swamps and open plains support Africa's most photographed elephant herds — large family groups roaming against the backdrop of Kilimanjaro's snow-capped summit.

Full day game drives in Amboseli. Morning is the best time for Kilimanjaro views — the summit is clear before the afternoon clouds build. Spend the morning watching and photographing the great elephant herds as they move between the swamps and open plains with Kilimanjaro filling the sky behind them. The park also supports lions, cheetahs, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe and large pods of hippos in the permanent swamps fed by underground streams from Kilimanjaro's glaciers. Afternoon game drive before a farewell sundowner on the plains.

Final morning game drive at dawn when Kilimanjaro is most clearly visible and elephant herds are active near the swamps. Return to Nairobi for lunch. Transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your onward international flight. Seven days, three parks, one unforgettable Kenya safari.