Four days is enough to combine two very different parks without spending most of your trip on the road. You start in the Masai Mara for an afternoon drive and a full day on the plains, then cross the Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru National Park for a final afternoon and morning.
The two parks complement each other. The Mara is about space and predators - big open grassland where lion, cheetah and plains game are easy to see. Nakuru is compact and fenced, with acacia woodland, a soda lake and an actively protected rhino population, which makes it one of Kenya's more dependable parks for seeing both black and white rhino.
You travel privately in a 4x4 with a pop-up roof and stay in mid-range lodges and tented camps, with luxury options at both stops if you want them. It is a good fit for couples, families with older children and photographers who want variety in a short trip.
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MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE
An afternoon game drive and a full day in the Masai Mara
Lake Nakuru's rhino sanctuary - a good place to see both black and white rhino
Lakeshore birdlife at Nakuru (flamingo numbers vary with water levels)
A last look over the Rift Valley from the escarpment viewpoint
Morning departure from Nairobi, with a stop on the way to stretch and pick up supplies. You reach camp in time for lunch and head out for an afternoon game drive once the heat eases.
Two drives today: one early in the morning and one in the afternoon, with a break at camp in between. Splitting the day like this means you see the reserve at its two most active times and cover different areas on each outing.
After breakfast you leave the Mara and drive north-east across the Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru. The afternoon game drive concentrates on the rhino sanctuary and the lakeshore. Nakuru's lions are sometimes found resting in acacia trees, and the woodland is good for buffalo, waterbuck and Rothschild's giraffe.
An early game drive through the parts of the park you did not see the day before, then breakfast and check-out. On the drive back to Nairobi you stop at the Rift Valley escarpment viewpoint, arriving in the city in the afternoon.
Planning tip: see our guide on Best Time to Visit the Masai Mara: A Month-by-Month Guide.
Accommodation: Mid-range lodges and tented camps at each park, full board, with en-suite rooms or tents. Luxury properties can be substituted at either stop.
Vehicle: 4x4 safari Land Cruiser with pop-up roof
The Mara has wildlife all year, so the best month depends on what you want.
Full Masai Mara National Reserve destination guide »
No sighting is ever guaranteed, but Nakuru is one of the more reliable parks in Kenya for rhino because the population is fenced and closely managed.
Sometimes. Numbers rise and fall with water levels and food supply, and have been lower in recent years than at their historic peaks. We will tell you what conditions are like close to your travel dates.
The longest leg is Nairobi to the Mara on day one. The Mara to Nakuru transfer on day three is shorter, and the final drive from Nakuru to Nairobi is the shortest of the trip.
Send us your travel dates and group size and we'll confirm availability and pricing.
