7 Days Lake Nakuru & Masai Mara Safari

7 Days Lake Nakuru & Masai Mara Safari | Epic Kenya Wildlife Safari Vacation

This 7 days Lake Nakuru & Masai Mara safari takes you deep into two of Kenya’s most iconic destinations: Lake Nakuru National Park and the world-renowned Masai Mara. The journey begins in Nairobi, with a scenic drive into the heart of the Great Rift Valley where Lake Nakuru awaits. Known for its vibrant birdlife and thriving rhino population, Lake Nakuru offers a rich safari experience in a compact and beautiful setting. You’ll stay in a luxury lodge overlooking the lake, enjoying guided game drives and breathtaking landscapes.

From Nakuru, the adventure continues to the vast savannahs of the Masai Mara, home to the Big Five and famous for the Great Migration between July and October. Here, you’ll spend several days exploring the reserve in custom safari vehicles with expert guides, experiencing everything from predator action to peaceful moments in the golden light.

Day to Day:

7 Days Lake Nakuru & Masai Mara Safari

Tour Highlights:

Day 1: Arrival and Transfer to Hotel in Nairobi
Day 2: Transfer to Lake Nakuru National Park
Day 3: Full Day at Lake Nakuru
Day 4: Transfer to Masai Mara
Day 5: Full Day in the Masai Mara
Day 6: Another Full Day in the Masai Mara
Day 7: Transfer to Nairobi

Detailed Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrival and Transfer to Hotel in Nairobi

Upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the late afternoon or Evening, you will be transferred to your luxury Hotel in Nairobi for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation Option: Serena Hotel Nairobi / JW Marriott Nairobi / Hemingways Nairobi / Sarova Stanley Hotel

Meal Plan: All Inclusive

Day 2: Transfer to Lake Nakuru National Park

Today you will enjoy your breakfast and transfer to Lake Nakuru National Park arriving in time for hot lunch and later an evening game drive in the park. The woodland and grassland surrounding the soda lake are home to an abundance of wildlife including black rhino, white rhino, hippo, leopard, lion and the rare Rothschild giraffe. Later in the evening, head to the lodge for check-in, dinner and overnight.

Accommodation Option: Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge / The Ole-Ken Hotel / The Cliff Nakuru

Meal Plan: All Inclusive

Day 3: Full Day at Lake Nakuru

Today you will be up early and have breakfast at the lodge and then visit the famous Lake Nakuru for a flamingo and birding spree and marvel at the iconic sight of thousands of flamingos that blanket the lake. Return to the lodge for lunch and spend the rest of the day exploring the rest of Lake Nakuru National park keeping an eye out for other wildlife.

Accommodation Option: Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge / The Ole-Ken Hotel / The Cliff Nakuru

Meal Plan: All Inclusive

Day 4: Transfer to Masai Mara

After an early breakfast, you will head to the world-famous Maasai Mara through Narok-Sekanani road arriving in time for lunch at the lodge. Later you will go for an afternoon game drive in the beautiful plains where you will spot quite a number of animals and learn a bit about the Mara and at sunset you will make your way back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation Option: Ol Seki Hemingways Mara Camp / &Beyond Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp / Elephant Pepper Camp / Mara Kempinski / Elewana Sand River Camp / Mara Serena Safari Lodge / Sanctuary Olana Safari Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 5: Full Day in the Masai Mara

Today after breakfast, you head out and spend the rest of the day with game drives and activities in the Mara. In between the game drives, a short lunch will follow and then you will continue with game drives as you look out for wildlife and explore the rich landscapes of the Conservancy. You will wind up your evening with a sundowner before heading back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 6: Another Full Day in the Masai Mara

Today you will spend another full day with a picnic lunch exploring the Masai Mara and you will soon realize why this reserve is so highly regarded as the best reserve in Africa. Every year, millions of wildebeest, zebra, and Thomson’s gazelle pound their way across the savannas in an instinctual survival of the fittest. Another big draw card to the Masai Mara is its dense population of predators, which include lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs and the ever-elusive leopard which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot. Return to the lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation Option: Ol Seki Hemingways Mara Camp / &Beyond Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp / Elephant Pepper Camp / Mara Kempinski / Elewana Sand River Camp / Mara Serena Safari Lodge / Sanctuary Olana Safari Lodge

Meal Plan: All Inclusive

Day 12: Transfer to Nairobi

Today after an early breakfast and depending on the schedule of your flight, you will be transferred to Nairobi/Jomo Kenyatta International Airport marking the end of the Trip.

Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch

Tour Includes:

Exclusive Safari transport in custom made Safari 4 by 4 wheel drive Land Cruiser with air conditioner.
Services of English-speaking driver guides.
Pick-up and drop-off.
Park entry fees
Bottled water
All Meals included
Six nights accommodation at luxurious lodges
All Activities listed in the itinerary

Tour Excludes:

International and Visa entry charges to Kenya.
Personal expenses and gratuities.
Additional optional activities.

Best Time To Travel:

The best time to go on a 7 days luxury safari to Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara is during the dry seasons from June to October and January to February. Wildlife viewing is at its peak during these months, with animals gathering around water sources and visibility being excellent for game drives. If you’re hoping to witness the Great Migration in the Masai Mara, plan your visit between July and October, when the wildebeest herds cross from the Serengeti in dramatic river crossings.

How To Get There:

This luxury safari begins in Nairobi, where you’ll be picked up and driven to Lake Nakuru National Park, a journey of about 3 hours (160 km) through the scenic Great Rift Valley.

After exploring Nakuru, you’ll continue by road to the Masai Mara, which takes approximately 5 to 6 hours (around 250 km), depending on road conditions and the route taken. For added comfort, you can opt for a domestic flight from Nairobi to the Mara, which takes about 45 minutes and can be arranged for both legs of the journey.

About Masai Mara National Reserve

The Masai Mara is the crown jewel of luxury Kenya safaris and arguably the most iconic wildlife destination in Africa. Located in the southwest of Kenya and bordering Tanzania’s Serengeti, the Mara is famed for its abundant big cat population, high density of game, and its starring role in the Great Wildebeest Migration.

Covering around 1,510 square kilometers, the Mara is a landscape of wide open plains, acacia woodlands, riverine forests, and seasonal swamps. It’s bisected by the Mara River, which serves as both a lifeline for wildlife and the dramatic stage for river crossings during the migration months.

Wildlife Behavior in the Mara
The ecosystem supports an incredible variety of wildlife, including the Big Five animals: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino. Lions are particularly abundant, and it’s common to observe prides lounging in the sun or stalking prey during a game drive. Leopards are frequently spotted along the Talek and Mara Rivers, while cheetahs prefer the open plains for high-speed hunts.

The reserve comes alive between July and October, when nearly two million wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles flood in from the Serengeti in search of fresh grazing. This phenomenon, known as the Great Migration, is one of the greatest natural spectacles on Earth. The river crossings are particularly dramatic, with crocodiles waiting in the waters and predators lurking on the banks.

Even outside the migration season, the Mara offers year-round game viewing. Resident animals include giraffes, hippos, hyenas, jackals, topis, impalas, and hundreds of bird species. It’s a photographer’s dream and one of the few places where you can witness raw predator-prey interactions up close.

About Lake Nakuru National Park

Lake Nakuru National Park is one of Kenya’s most scenic and accessible safari destinations, located just a three-hour drive from Nairobi in the Great Rift Valley. It’s best known for its large population of flamingos, which create a vivid pink halo around the lake’s shores when in season, as well as its thriving populations of black and white rhinos. The park is fenced for protection, making it one of the best places in Kenya to see rhinos in the wild.

Beyond the rhinos and flamingos, Lake Nakuru is home to lions, leopards, Rothschild giraffes, zebras, and over 400 species of birds. The varied landscape of acacia woodland, rocky cliffs, and open grasslands adds to the diversity of wildlife and makes game drives visually stunning.

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