The Central Circuit

Destination: Nairobi
Drive: 25km | 1-2 hours

Welcome to Kenya, or in Swahili: Karibu Kenya! Today you will arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and depending on your arrival time, you will have some time to do some Nairobi sightseeing. Highlights in Nairobi are the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Giraffe Centre or the Karen Blixen Museum. Alternatively, you can go up on the International Conference Centre Tower for a 360 view over the city. 

Accommodation suggestion:
Mid-range accommodation: Wildebeest eco-camp

Start: Nairobi
Destination: Mount Kenya
Drive: 160 km | 4 hours

Today you will receive your vehicle for the trip and drive to Mount Kenya! It is amazing how quickly the landscape changes; within a few hours you have changed the concrete jungle of Nairobi for a lush green and hilly countryside. Get active at your lodge with a strenuous hike on the slopes of this beautiful mountain, or relax on your veranda.

Accommodation suggestion:
Mid-range: Castle Forest Lodge

Enjoy: Mount Kenya

Get active at this lodge with a strenuous hike on the slopes of this beautiful mountain, or relax on your veranda.

Accommodation suggestion:
Mid-range: Castle Forest Lodge

Start: Mount Kenya
Destination: Samburu National Reserve
Drive: 230 km | 5+ hours 

Samburu National Reserve is on the roadtrip menu today. This reserve is set in a greater conservation area with Shaba National Reserve and Buffalo Springs National Reserve. With one entrance fee you can enter all three. The reserve is set in a beautiful dry desert-like landscape. Large mammals such as elephants, and predators like leopards are frequently seen. Your chances of spotting the entire BIG 5 are high, and lots of other animals like ostriches, snakes and antelopes are easily spotted. One of our favourites! 

Accommodation  suggestion:
Camping: Riverside Campsite - Buffalo Springs
Budget: Lion King Bush Camp or Sabache Camp
Mid-range: Ashnil Samburu Camp

Enjoy: Samburu

Today you will spend the day exploring Samburu, Shaba and Buffalo springs National Reserve. As the Ewaso Ngiro river flows through these reserves, it is a lifeline water resource for the animals. So, your game drive will pass alongside the river, where you can spot wildlife such as crocodiles, elephants, and an array of birds.

Start: Samburu National Park
Destination: Lake Nakuru National Park
Drive: 330 km | 6 hours 

Today you will head out to Lake Nakuru National Park. Take enough time to reach your destination as you will pass through the beautiful Laikipia Plateau - you might want to stop here and there along the way.

Accommodation suggestion: 
Camping: Malakai Public Campsite or Camping at Ziwa Bush Lodge
Mid-range: Kembu Cottages

Enjoy: Lake Nakuru National Park

Spend a day at Lake Nakuru National Park. The size of the park makes it an easy, manageable experience in one day. Black rhinos are fairly easily spotted as well as other mammals such as zebra, buffaloes and giraffes. There are lots of stops along the way, including look out points and a waterfall. You can head out for a buffet lunch at the larger lodges within the park.

Start: Lake Nakuru National Park
Destination: Lake Naivasha
Drive: 115 km | 2+ hours 

Today you will drive to Lake Naivasha. Lake Naivasha is a place to get active. In Hells Gate National Park, (close to the lake) you can go for a bicycle or walking safari, and from your accommodation you can arrange a variety of activities.

Accommodation suggestion:
Budget/Mid-range: Camp Carnelley’s
Mid-range/deluxe: Wileli House

Enjoy: Lake Naivasha

Spend a day at Lake Naivasha or head to Hell's Gate National Park. Much of the lake is surrounded by forests of the yellow barked acacia trees. These forests abound with bird life, and Naivasha is known as a world class birding destination. The waters of the lake draw a great range of game to these shores. Giraffes wander among the acacia, Buffalo wallow in the swamps and Colobus monkeys call from the treetops while the hippos relax in the shallow waters. With no dangerous predators, you can safely walk and cycle.

Start: Lake Naivasha
Destination: Masai Mara
Drive: 250 km | 6 hours 

Today you will head south to the Masai Mara. The Masai Mara National Reserve will easily fit in your Top 3 as a highlight of your trip. Its landscape has a beauty that is unmatched: fields and fields of waving grass turning from yellow to green depending on the season. Roads are rough on the last stretch, so calculate enough time to reach Talek.

Accommodation suggestion:
Mid-range: Aruba Mara Camp

Enjoy: Masai Mara

You cannot get enough time in this park! The Masai Mara, or the Mara, as the locals and insiders call it, is a beautiful national reserve bordering the Serengeti in Tanzania. The Masai Mara's wildlife is prolific and it has excellent opportunities for game viewing. The wildebeest migration which takes place every year is world famous. It includes the dramatic crossing of the Mara river by millions of animals.

Accommodation option:
Mid-range: Aruba Mara Camp

Start: Masai Mara
Destination: Nairobi
Drive: 255 km | 6 hours

After your last morning game drive, it’s time to drive back to Nairobi. If you leave the park at noon, you’ll have enough time to reach the capital city before nightfall (and traffic jam!).

Accommodation suggestion:
Mid-range: Wildebeest Eco Camp

Enjoy: Nairobi

Time to go! If you have enough time before your departure, you can spend the day exploring Nairobi with an organization like I like local, or if you cannot get enough of game viewing, you can go for another safari in Nairobi National Park.